December 3rd: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

With King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) we see the series step into a new decade and in to colour. It is also a very clear step into the type of films the series will become, and also the last time such a significant gap in film releases would exist until the end of the Showa era of films. After Godzilla is freed from his iceberg prison, he gets right back to his favourite hobby: destroying Japan. However, this time he may have a real foe, as a new monster arrives to do battle with the giant lizard.

That is the very bare bones of the narrative, but honestly do you need to know more? It’s called King Kong vs. Godzilla so you know what you will be getting. But if you like side stories of pharmaceutical companies desperate to sponsor King Kong, and young children being given cigarettes well you are very much in luck. So yeah, this film is very silly and is a clear tonal shift from the films that preceded it. And as much as the tone of the original film was superb and really gave it some emotional umph, I have to express again that this film is called King Kong vs. Godzilla so trying to implement anything but a tongue in cheek atmosphere would be ridiculous. The film in fact goes so far the other way that it plays it as a comedy for a large majority, especially with the character of Mr. Tako (Ichiro Arishima) who is playing it so hammy that he might as well be eating scenery.

I don’t want any of the above to come across as me looking down on the film. On the contrary I quite enjoy it for what it is, and there are several other aspects of the film that I enjoy. The miniature work is of course back, but this time around it is abundantly clear that they are miniatures. Where as in the original they did a great job of making you buy everything as to scale, it doesn’t work here and I think the fact the film is in colour has a lot to do with that. But this instead adds an extra layer of charm to a film already brimming with it. I also really like the musical choices in this film. I haven’t spoken on my love of the Godzilla theme so far, but in my mind it is one of the greatest in film history. And for King Kong they use the same theme but with some additional chanting and drums to give it a tribal feeling, and I think it really works. It positions Godzilla and King Kong as equals, a yin and yang, and I think it was a smart decision. I also really like Godzilla’s design in this film. Granted, his eyes are ridiculous and he looks like he is tweaking, but the rest of him looks great. He has thick thighs back and he transitions to colour really well. However, King Kong looks like shit. The costume looks like it took two minutes to put together and cost £5. However, does any of that matter when the final battle between our two beats is as silly as this one? I mean King Kong shoves a tree in Godzilla’s mouth; how can I criticise that!

I’m back to recommending these films. I think I did manage to put this across in the review, but don’t come into this film expecting heavy themes and a bleak atmosphere. Come into it expecting a silly time where a big gorilla and lizard have a fight and you’ll have a fun time.