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| King Kong vs. Godzilla | 
 enlarge | Director: Ishiro Honda
Actors: Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, Yu Fujiki, Ichiro Arishima, Jun Tazaki
Studio: Good Times Video
Category: DVD
Buy New: $89.83
New (5) Used (9) from $19.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  100 reviews
Sales Rank: 32801
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 92
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 6305137250
UPC: 018713810137
EAN: 9786305137252
ASIN: 6305137250
Theatrical Release Date: June 26, 1963
Release Date: May 15, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW/SEALED & Perfect 4 Gift Giving - ADD TO CART >>> and Make Someone's Day a Special One :-)
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| Customer Reviews:
 GET THE JAPANESE SUBTITLED VERSION INSTEAD!! August 25, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
While the American version of this movie is somewhat entertaining, I realized how much it was butchered and altered when I acquired the Japanese subtitled version, which is wide screen, and hi-fi stereo. Ishiro Honda's original Japanese music score, especially the important "Godzilla" theme music was replaced in the American version with stock music from Universal, mostly from "The Creature From The Black Lagoon". There's no annoying U.N reports, which leads to another inaccuracy. When the helicopter pilot sees Godzilla breaking out of the iceberg, he shouts, "GODZILLA"! The scene then switches to U.N. reporter Eric Carter stating.."The world is stunned to discover that prehistoric creatures exist in the 20th century"...If that's the case, how did the helicopter pilot even know who Godzilla was? How did anyone know who Godzilla was? In the Japanese version, which, by the way, in the iceberg scene, the pilot gasps..Ahhhh...it's GOJIRA!" The "Godzilla" theme music stars, and the scene switches quickly to the scene where Godzilla is crossing the Bearing Sea, and attacks the military base. Godzilla's previous entrapment in the iceberg is also referenced to by one of the scientists, something to the effect of "We knew he would not remain frozen in the iceberg forever, even if it took 200 years, we knew he would return to us eventually". OK, it's not an epic flick like the original "King Kong", but it's a fun movie, and the Japanese version moves along a lot better than the American version, and makes more sense, if a movie like this can make any kind of sense! It runs about 10 minutes longer, and there's a little more detail to certain cast members concerning the "plot". It just makes more sense than the American version, as much sense as a low budget cult classic can make, I guess. Oh..yeah, and the ending is the SAME as the American version, except that you hear Godzilla's roar right before Kong's roar.
 Campy, silly, cheap, badly dubbed...AND I LOVE IT! June 28, 2006
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Where do I begin?
The special effects are very cheaply done, even for 1962, when we already had the stop and go motion technology that made the original KING KONG so famous. The ape suit for KONG is so bad, it makes the one in the 1976 version look like CGI. Just watch the scenes where Kong bats his eye lids like some raging queen. The dubbing is expectedly bad and the performances from the Japanese actors are very campy.
So, it's amazing that given all that, this monster movie has become an irresistable cult classic! You can't help but feel a shiver of excitement in your spine when you see these two classic movie monsters (cheap suits) clash on screen.
For me personnally, this movie brings back memories of "Godzilla Day" on Channel 9, WOR TV, when I was a kid; every Friday after Thanksgiving.
Now; just imagine a spectacular remake of this movie with Peter Jackson's KING KONG and Roland Emmerich's GODZILLA! Ooooh, I shiver at the thought!
 8th Wonder of the World vs. King of the Monsters June 18, 2006
I love it! This is my favorite Godzilla movie. That doesn't make it good of course. I just have good memories of this movie. (sitting of the floor of my room, watching this movie with my friend, eating Dominos Pizza, betting on who would win.)
For King Kong Fans- This MIGHT not be the movie for you. The reason why is becuase this is NOT the King Kong from the 1933 classic. This is the Toho version. King King's size, apppearance, and powers have been drasticly altured for this movie. Although King Kong's look is kinda funky for this movie, you get used to it. Still King Kong fans should get over it and see the awesome match up between Kong and Godzilla.
Godzilla fans- See Godzilla in his first color appearance; as well as one of the last of the original look before he gets slimmed down and tail gets shorter. This is a classic movie for Godzilla. Many people say it is very silly (witch it is), but all-in-all it is a good movie. A must have for Godzilla fans.
YES - THIS IS A VERY SILLY MOVIE - BUT -- -- -- February 19, 2006
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
IN A NUTSHELL: KING KONG VS. GODZILLA ISN'T CITIZEN KANE!
In 1962, having grown tired of the high-brow features [from a 7-year-old's perspective] that my much older sister insisted on taking me to see such as "Around The World In 80 Days" and "Lawrence of Arabia", I allowed my older brother to select this guilty pleasure for us to see on a rainy Saturday afternoon.
I must admit that this really seemed dumbed-down, even at the time, to me - a 7 year old. However, I appreciated the format of this film which was similar to my favorite, "Godzilla: KING OF THE MONSTERS", 1956, in that it had an American narrator in the guise of satellite newscaster Eric Carter [Michael Keith]. Carter kept us informed of what was going on in a rather understandable news format while the rest of the film progressed, obviously and comically dubbed-in.
VERY BIG MONSTERS ON THE VERY BIG SCEEN:
Back in 1962 there were no multiplex theatres, so essentially the neighborhood theatre had by today's standards an awesomely large and wide screen -- about 70 feet wide was average. In this setting, the men wearing monster costumes were much larger than life and this film looked much more IN YOUR FACE than today on the small TV screen. Even the dubbing was really comical when you were looking at people's mouths moving on a 70-foot-wide screen. What I am saying is simple -- this was entertainment in the comic book style, very suitable as a change of pace for a youngster.
Epic in scale if not style, I recall vividly the scene where King Kong made Godzilla eat a tree as well as the scenes where they were running over the vast Japanese urban landscape, crushing the pagoda-like structures as they went. What was great about this film was essentially the impact it had on the moviegoer who was confronted with the awesome scale of the monsters, greatly augmented by the huge screen and sound system.
Today, seeing this film on Video, the faults of the film are glaring. No longer is this a visceral, in-your-face, "Wow, these are jumbo monsters!" type of epic. Instead, it all looks like cheap miniaturizations of an urban Asian landscape with men in rubber monster suits thrown in. Instead of a ground-shaking seismic event when the two clashed, today on video it looks like a second-rate wrestling match between drunken rank amateurs. I can recall feeling exhilirated during the film as I watched the huge screen, wide-eyed and very aware that it was a short film --too short for me in 1962. Now it seems far away, dragged out, pointless and plotless.
45 YEARS AGO THIS KIND OF FILM WORKED:
Simply stated, 45 years ago, this type of loud, larger than life, in-your-face, plotless monster epic, was a thriller. Really: I kid you not! The sceen was bigger, there was no CGI, and Steven Spielberg had not made Jurassic Park. Now, when I see toy miniature radar models and silly looking rubber dinosaurs I always think of this film.
BOTTOM LINE: TIMES HAVE CHANGED
This type of film is pretty awful today. Either we have become spoiled or our tastes have improved, but in any event this film just fails to impress by today's standards. In a way, this seems sad to me, as though something has been lost. Fortunately, we do have dinosaur alternatives that are quite excellent.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING:
-----*- "CHASED BY DINOSAURS"
-----*- "JURASSIC PARK"
-----*- "GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS"
 This movie is a peice of trash! February 15, 2006
3 out of 16 found this review helpful
Dont listen to the stupid review that says fight to the finish! That kids a moron! Trust me, this movie sucks! And yes, the 1976 version way better than this piece of Crap! Anyone with brains, knows that the production crew bit the dust on this one!
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