Gojira vs. Kingu Gidorâ (1991)

Director:

Kazuki Omori

Writer:

Kazuki Omori (writer)

Release Date:

14 December 1991 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Horror | 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:

In the US-dubbed version, when the time travelers arrive in February 1944, a US Navy officer sees their spacecraft, but his commander dismisses the possibility of a UFO; the commander then says, "You can tell your son about when he's born, Spielberg." This is an obvious reference to Steven Spielberg, whose father Arnold served in the war and whose war stories inspired the frequent WWII settings of his films.

Goofs:

Continuity: The special effects crew failed to rotoscope King Ghidorah's rays when the huge bridge is destroyed. As the shot now plays, the bridge is destroyed by a series of explosions of unknown origin when King Ghidorah simply flies over it.

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:

Referenced in "The Angry Video Game Nerd: Godzilla (#4.15)" (2009)

the Godzilla flick of the decade

Every ten years or so, Toho grinds out a great little Godzilla movie. This was their classic for the 1990s.

I usually don't like my Godzilla films to get cluttered up with silly science fiction, but in this movie, the time-travel elements are used very deftly to give us insight into the big G's origins. I also love the appearance of a cybernetic King Ghidorah in the final battle, who looks a heck of a lot cooler than any version of Mechagodzilla.

Some of the more interesting elements include a businessman who owes a debt to Godzilla (yes, really!) and renegades from the future who want to destroy Japan's economy. There's a fair amount of criticism leveled at the Americans, but also some self-criticism too, so in the end I think the cultural conflicts in this film are explored rather fairly.

Special effects are definitely a cut above what you'd expect. Ray beams zing back and forth between the battling titans, leveling all those lovely model buildings in the way. Somehow, the spectacle works; it makes me wish that we'd do more model effects in America, but we seem firmly entrenched in the era of lame CGI.

On the downside, the World War II battle segments are tacky, and some plot elements are glossed over (it seems absurdly easy to change M11 into a good guy!). However, this is still the most fun you'll have with Godzilla; the only superior entries in the series, the original "Gojira" and the mighty "GMK," are more dramatic in tone.