King Kong vs. Godzilla
The original clash of these movie monster titans in 1963 is ridiculous (at least, in its American version) but oh, so fun to watch. Once you accept the fact that, after the 1954 “Gojira,” Ishiro Honda’s iconic nuclear dinosaur became less a commentary on how Japan felt after the American nuclear blasts at the end of WWII, and more an adventure franchise focused on how much damage Godzilla and others could do to Tokyo, it’s not only easy to forget that initial impulse, but it’s also easy to just take these movies on their own terms, and enjoy them for the wanton silliness they provide.
It’s unfortunate that the origins for this film began with a bit of thievery on the part of producer John Beck against original King Kong animator Willis O’Brien, who hoped to make a new “King Kong” film, but instead, found his story idea sold to Toho by Beck so that they could produce “King Kong vs. Godzilla,” leaving O’Brien without credit. Bringing the iconic movie monster of the ’30s together with the iconic monster of the ’50s and ’60s was a natural move, and that it left O’Brien and Merian C. Copper on the outside looking in is unfortunate; a genuine collaboration between the filmmakers behind both masterpieces might have been truly epic and wonderful, even if it meant stop-motion being out for Kong, and replaced with a man-in-a-suit, as is the case here. As it is, we are left with a serviceable B-movie, although it is still good to see these two together.
The American version is intercut with news reports about the action, sort of like the American version of the original “Godzilla” was, but this time, it doesn’t feel as grafted on, and is a much more natural part of the narrative. That’s partially because Honda wanted to make a satire of Japanese television at the time, which had devolved into publicity stunts and outrageous promotional ideas, and the types of news reports that are brought in to frame the action here feel very part and parcel with what Honda is doing throughout the rest of the film. When Godzilla awakens, we get the head of a Pharmaceutical company saying he’s discovered a giant monster on an island; it turns out, that monster is Kong, and after he fends off a gigantic octopus on his home island, the company takes him back to Japan, but when they are turned away from returning with him, he manages to escape, and the battle with Kong is on.
I like how much Honda hues towards the classic Kong story from the 1933 film in this movie, while also making it their own in how he fits in to the kaiju universe of Godzilla. In a way, this is a remake of “King Kong” in the Godzilla universe, and it’s a fun one. The characters in this are completely perfunctory, as they typically are in Godzilla films; when we see the King of the Apes and the King of the Monsters in action, that’s where the film has its most fun. This is the value of these movies after their original outings- you want to see the monsters go at it. Honda understands this, and he makes it an entertaining event.
