Gojira vs. Kingu Gidorâ (1991)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Kazuki Omori

Writer:

Kazuki Omori (writer)

Release Date:

14 December 1991 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Time travelers use Godzilla in their scheme to destroy Japan to prevent the country's future economic reign.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Dinosaur | Sequel | Monster | Helicopter

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kosuke Toyohara	...	Kenichiro Terasawa
Anna Nakagawa	...	Emmy Kano
Megumi Odaka	...	Miki Saegusa
Katsuhiko Sasaki	...	Professor Mazaki
Akiji Kobayashi	...	Yuzo Tsuchiashi
Tokuma Nishioka	...	Takehito Fujio
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Businessman Yasuaki Shindo
Kenji Sahara	...	Minister Takayuki Segawa
Kôichi Ueda	...	Ikehata, the mad old soldier
Sô Yamamura	...	Prime Minister
Yasunori Yuge	...	Army Chief
Kiwako Harada	...	Chiaki Moriyuma
Kenpachiro Satsuma	...	Gojira
'Hurricane Ryu' Hariken	...	Kingugidora
Chuck Wilson	...	Chuck Wilson

Also Known As:

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (USA) (video title)
Godzilla - Duell der Megasaurier (Germany) [de]
Godzilla Contra King Ghidorah (Portugal) [pt]
Godzilla contra King Ghidorah (Spain) [es]

Runtime:

103 min | USA:100 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG (2006) | Germany:12 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Kyushu, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

Scheduled for the 50th anniversary of Toho, the film's original concept was going to be similar to Kingu Kongu tai Gojira (1962) and would have Godzilla face off against King Kong one-on-one. The film, which was to be titled Godzilla Vs. King Kong, never came to be because Turner Entertainment asked for too much money for the character King Kong; approximately 9 million US. So, Toho began to start production on Godzilla Vs. Mechanikong, the character that King Kong fights in Kingu Kongu no gyakushu (1967). However, Turner Entertainment still believed it was too similar to their character and asked for the same amount of money. In the end, Toho settled with reviving Godzilla's most famous foe, King Ghidorah, for this film instead.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When King Ghidorah has Godzilla in the death grip, choking him, while he's drooling and charging up his energy, strings are visible on King Ghidorah.

Quotes:

Kenichiro Terasawa: You say that you feel Godzilla?
Miki Saegusa: Yes whenever I close my eyes, I see him as clearly as if he was walking right in front of me.

Movie Connections:

Spin off Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004) (VG)

Admirable late-night programming - fantastic fun entertainment!

Hitchcock would have admired the no-nonsense progression of this movie. There's no stuffing around with unnecessary sub-plots or boring character histories basically what we want to hear about is Godzilla.

This is from the modern series of Godzilla redoes. The original was 1955, and millions of camp sequels followed in the 60's - and now these latest movies in the 90's. So this looks like a modern movie - with modern technology available, yet they've retained the puppet-like Godzilla. Many have complained at how fake it looks - but considering all the other self-reference, they've definitely done it one purpose. Why do Godzilla computer animated when the vintage puppet Godzilla is so fun!

There's nothing better than a camp movie that knows its camp - this is very fun stuff. For example, the obvious parody of American sci-fi flicks: we see two US soldiers discussing casually how they'll take over the island they've just discovered "yes, the stars and stripes will fly here too." And they see our heroes flying in on their time machine/ufo and think its a space ship (which it is). One says to the other: "Let's just keep this secret. You can tell your son about it, when he's born, Major Spielberg." The slickness of the entertainment actually is the best homage to Spielberg here. These are the kinds of movies Spielberg makes, and the kind of movies we all used to love when we were kids. Good on them, I say.

There is plenty of sci-fi action: UFOs, time machines and futuristic creatures. There are also references to American war movies in the war-like sequences with US troops fighting Godzilla on the Bikini Atoll (or whatever atoll it is - one famous for Nuclear testing). There's adventure, also: the troupe going back in a time machine to 1954 to try and wipe Godzilla from existence is a very exciting adventure premise.

7/10. Thoroughly recommended entertainment.