countchocula
03-16-2002, 04:38 PM
The Freddy vs. Jason of the ‘60s. It’s always hard for me to judge a film that is obviously outdated in every aspect of filmmaking. I wasn’t there to see this creature feature on the big screen, so I have no way of telling whether or not the movie was ahead of its time, or slightly archaic even for 1962’s standards. My dad was an infant at the time of its release! However, I do have a small hunch that the visuals were subpar for that particular time period. I’ve seen blue screen put to better use a decade earlier, and some of the side monsters were just plain laughable (the giant “octopus” is a riot!). Kong himself looks a bit silly as well. Speaking of which, allow me to introduce to you a major gripe I have with this film. Had this been a more faithful account of the two behemoths butting heads, Godzilla would have wiped the floor with Kong’s ass! By the magic of the film industry, Kong is now equal to Big G in size and stature, when in reality, Godzilla is at least twice the size of “the eighth wonder of the world.” There shouldn’t have been any competition at all. But, if not for the inexplicable growth of Kong, we wouldn’t have an entertaining battle on our hands. The final showdown is quite enjoyable, and I loved seeing the two colossal monsters exchanging blows. Getting to the fun climax is a tad nerve testing, though. We have to sit through embarrassing acting and dubbing, a lengthy tribal dance on Kong’s isle, and agonizing comedy relief. At least you can take something away from it on a cheesy level. This can almost be viewed as a comedy rather than a sci-fi/horror classic. As many pitfalls as there are, I still get a big kick out of this movie. Godzilla films are the ones responsible for luring me into the genre in the first place. Whenever I watch one of them, I go to a happy place where I’m a kid again, with no cares in the world other than making sure that I see every Godzilla romp in existence. I’m starting to get a little choked up here. End review now!
My rating-3/5
http://www.whoosh.org/godzilla/graphics/vs-kingkong.jpg
My rating-3/5
http://www.whoosh.org/godzilla/graphics/vs-kingkong.jpg