KING KONG VS GODZILLA (1963)
Tagline: The two mightiest monsters of all time! ...In the most colossal conflict the screen has ever known!
(Action, Adventure, Fantasy) [PG]
King Kong could kill us all. You wouldn't care. Publicity's all you want. Publicity.
This movie did not have a rating when it came out. So I am giving it one that I am pretty sure it would fall under if it were released today.
At the time of this review, we are just over a month away from another fight between these two legendary fictional monsters. On March 31st, 2021 will have been 57 years, 9 months, and 5 days between the theatrical releases of this movie and the rematch GODZILLA VS KONG.
In this one, a dude named Mr. Tako wants to get a monster to generate revenue and publicity for a Pharmaceutical and TV Company. He’s basically sick of hearing about Godzilla and wants something new. He decides to send an expedition to Farou Island where a supposedly mythical god lives in the form of a giant ape. Once the expedition reaches the island they quickly discover that the god the natives call KONG is real and they bring him back to Japan. Once in Japan KONG and GODZILLA instinctively seek each other out as “natural enemies” destroying everything in their path. Who will win the battle of the monsters and can Japan survive the bout?
I remember watching this thing on my black-and-white TV on the show “World Beyond” growing up and just being blown away by it. This was actually the first King Kong movie I ever saw, so I had no idea how completely jacked out that Kong suit was at the time. I just knew he looked very little like a gorilla or an ape regarding his facial features. Something is just up with that thing and it was done purposely to make kids more accepting of Kong. Oddly the Godzilla suit is fantastic in the movie and later designs in my opinion actually went backward in the ’70s. I also had no idea this was done in color until the DVD came out. I never owned it on VHS and was only able to watch it on black and white TVs when I was younger. It was the first of either the GODZILLA or KING KONG series to be released in color.
The human story in this is just okay, but there are some touches in this that I love to this day. Most of the moves being made by Japan to destroy and track Godzilla are narrated by reporter Eric Cater (played by Michael Keith) in the American version. Having him kind of lay things out during the film not only serves to explain the story but also as a bit of a play-by-play almost in between action sequences. We also get some public announcements during the film itself from doctors and other officials trying to predict who would win the fight between Kong and Godzilla and explain the military side of things. This is used to an extent in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS as well and it’s one of the many reasons I loved both films.
I have really fond memories of this movie, but it is not without its issues. I wasn’t crazy about the “extra power” they gave Kong or the explanation for it. I think the final fight could have been just as good without it. I also felt yet another Kong “picks up a girl” moment was unnecessary, but I am guessing that was done to indicate that Japan respected the original but who knows. I will say if you are offended by smoking definitely close your eyes when they get to the island. There is a part where one of the guys on the expedition straight up gives a kid a cigarette. I am pretty sure this wasn’t uncommon back then, but just a heads up. There are also a number of scenes where you will need a suspension of disbelief, but keep in mind you are watching a Godzilla movie and just have fun with it.
Overall for me, of the early Godzilla films, this was the paramount film for G-Fans. It was at the tail end of every Godzillathon I did all the way up to this day. I’ve watched it 3 times within the past year if that is any indication of how much I like this thing.
This one gets a 6 out of 7 from me. I highly doubt I will ever get tired of it.
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