Space Impression From Space – Godzilla VS SpaceGodzilla

What are the chances of meeting yourself, well in some cases you will have to go back in time which is a bit tricky if you do not have a time machine. In the history of professional wrestling there have been cases of people meeting each other including Kane and The Undertaker. One possibility is the idea of sending your DNA into space in the hope of it going through a Black Hole, but this could be a really bad idea as seen in this film.

SpaceGodzilla is a creature from space (obviously) that is made from Godzilla’s DNA. The film also cleverly explains how this occurs, more on that later. There is some similarity but SpaceGodzilla has giant crystals coming out of his back and shoulders. He also has his own Death Ray and can also produce a shield. Here is a comparison for you to look at.

The film starts with a view into space and something in crystal form like a crystal meteorite is heading towards earth. On an Island on Planet Earth some shards from this space thing land on the surface and cause some explosions which wakes up Godzilla. Meanwhile in Japan, the government are building a new Giant Weapon to replace the previously destroyed MechaGodzilla. Two soldiers are sent to an island where it is believed that Godzilla is living. When they get there they notice giant crystal formations, they are then found by a man named Yuki who has been living on the island. He saves one of them from a poisonous spider and then goes away. The 2 soldiers (Shinjo and the slightly childish Sato) go and talk to him but are then interrupted by Little Godzilla who has grown a lot since the previous film (and likes Yuki). They then set up traps for Godzilla before Yuki shows them his special weapon designed to kill Godzilla, a bullet filled with blood coagulate. On the Japanese mainland a plan has been set in motion to telepathically control Godzilla called Project T. Miki Saegusa is reluctant at first but then learns from a tiny Mothra and the 2 fairies of Mothra that Space Godzilla is coming and while Mothra has been sent to deal with a Meteorite that could destroy the Earth the planet must now rely on Godzilla. The Project T team head for the Island.

Two blokes from NASA arrive in Japan and tell the government that a space monster is heading for Earth. The government launch their new weapon Moguera to attack the monster. The Moguera ultimately fails and the creature continues to head towards Earth. Back on the island the Project T team plant a device on the back of Godzilla’s head and successfully make him walk but the machine overloads itself. SpaceGodzilla arrives on the island and attacks Little Godzilla. Godzilla turns up but is overpowered by the Space Mutant. SpaceGodzilla then imprisons Little Godzilla in one of the Crystal formations that arrived on the island. SpaceGodzilla then leaves and Godzilla goes after him. Yuki and two of the scientists from Project T (Professor Gondo and Doctor Okubo) return to Japan and tell the authorities about the Monster and explain that Either Godzilla cells from Mothra or Biollante were sent into space and went through a black hole and created the Space Monster. Back on the island the following evening Miki is captured by the Japanese Mafia (Yakuza). Professor Gondo goes back to the island to pick up Shinjo and Sato and also explains why Yuki is obsessed with Godzilla, his best friend and Gondo’s brother was killed by Godzilla. The Yakuza with help from Okubo want to use the Project T to control Godzilla, however Shinjo, Sato and Yuki successfully rescue Miki before SpaceGodzilla arrives and destroys the building. SpaceGodzilla heads for Fukuoka and creates a crystal fortress around Fukuoka Tower. Yuki, Shinjo and Sato are sent to pilot the Moguera and to use everything possible to stop the Space Monster. Godzilla then arrives at Kagoshima bay and heads towards SpaceGodzilla in one of my most memorable City Attacks from the Heisei series.

When Yuki finds out that Godzilla has appeared he sees this as the perfect moment to kill Godzilla. He pilots the Moguera towards Godzilla, Shinjo knocks Yuki out and he and Sato go to Fukuoka to attack SpaceGodzilla. The attack once again fails and the Moguera is almost destroyed. Godzilla arrives and begins his attack on SpaceGodzilla. The Moguera team discover that SpaceGodzilla is drawing energy from the crystals and Fukuoka Tower. SpaceGodzilla begins to use some of the crystals from his fortress as missiles against Godzilla. The Moguera team split the machine into two vehicles, the star falcon and the land tank. The Land Tank proceeds to destroy Fukuoka tower and disrupt SpaceGodzilla’s Energy. The Moguera then comes back together and uses its spiral grenades to destroy SpaceGodzilla’s shoulder crystals. Professor Gondo and Miki arrive at the area to try and help. The Moguera teams up with Godzilla to fight SpaceGodzilla but ultimately fails. Shinjo and Sato escape the machine while Yuki tries to go after Godzilla. SpaceGodzilla begins to emit energy like it is about to explode but Godzilla uses his Super Charged Atomic Deathray (“spiral fire ray”) to destroy both SpaceGodzilla and the remains of the Moguera. Miki, Professor Gondo and the Moguera Team reunite and watch as Godzilla leaves Japan, as Godzilla is leaving Miki uses telepathy to remove the mind control device and shows Shinjo Little Godzilla having been freed from its crystal Prison.

Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla is one of the oddest entries in the series but in some way it is not bad. The crystals of SpaceGodzilla that almost appear everywhere are an interesting idea but make the creature sound somewhat more like an evil villain rather than just a nasty creature. The most interesting part of the creature and its crystals are the ones on its shoulders. SpaceGodzilla’s best scenes are the ones where he is attacking the cities, well more like arriving. While the creature may look odd, it is apparent that a lot of work has been put into it in both its concept and it’s design, including how it does look a lot like Godzilla. It was both an interesting and nice change for the main city scenes to take place somewhere other than Tokyo, the Fukuoka tower is an amazing building and a great mini-co-star if you will.

Little Godzilla is a nice extra, this form of a younger Godzilla shows a life-cycle of the creature from its baby form in the previous film and it’s more mature form in the following film. Little Godzilla is a whole lot better than Minilla who was just weird while this one looks more reptilian and dinosaur-ish. The Moguera (Mobile Operation Godzilla Expert Robot A-Type) is a great addition to the series. Instead of a robot it is more like a machine and relies on weapons only. Its ability to split is comparable to the Power Rangers Zord’s but the Moguera is far more impressive. Some of the film’s best special effects come from the Moguera, in particular the Land Tank and the Star Falcon. Moguera previously starred in another Toho Monster Movie, The Mysterians.

But of course it comes down to Godzilla to be the main star. The previous film (as far as I know) is the first time that he used his Super Charged Atomic Deathray which returns in this film too. His city scenes and approach towards SpaceGodzilla as I said previously are some of the most memorable scenes in the series and also show how times have moved in terms of putting a living city view in the foreground and put Godzilla above them. This shows his size better than when the same effect was used in Terror Of Mecha-Godzilla.

The human cast are a nice blend with Shinjo and Miki equally as good. Miki has become more of a central figure than just the background as she was in previous films, she has kin do become the main star after Godzilla. The character of Yuki is Interesting but I can’t say any more than that really. But Professor Gondo (Towako Yoshikawa) is the one who really shines. A character who is genuinely a nice person who cares a lot for Yuki. It is a shame that she does not appear again in the series. It would be good though if the actress in question could receive another central role in future Godzilla films to the same style of Character as professor Gondo. Akira Nakao returns to play the commander of G-Force as he did in Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 2. Nakao would make several appearances throughout the series in later films usually as a commanding figure, he is one of the series top actors when he plays these roles and should not be overlooked.

The films tone of being slightly more Superhero element than Monster Movie does let it down a bit and this is also the case in the music, but that does not mean the music is bad. The music is quiet nice and keep a lookout for the theme of Godzilla when he is attacking Kagoshima. What is most odd is that when SpaceGodzilla begins to emit energy it is almost like he is choosing Suicide. For most of the early part of the film he has the upper hand but now he is losing he can’t stand it. The film’s ending is a bit abrupt and could be better. Godzilla vs SpaceGodzilla is a bit of a weak (mostly towards the end) film which is a shame because most of the early parts of the film are actually very good and if it could keep this pace it could have been one of the strongest entries in the series. I do sometime find myself thinking about it because I do like it, it is a bizarre entry in the series but in some way it is one of the most memorable (I do sometimes consider it to be one of the best in the Heisei series) So while it is let down towards the end of the film it is worth watching to see the early parts but also in my opinion it is not a bad film, ok it is not great but it is entertaining and enjoyable (It may be better if the producers had another go at it as long as they can keep the same cast of course) with some really good cast and really good monsters. Watch it and see for yourself, who knows you may be surprised, you may even like it, at least I do (I like it, what’s wrong with that).

GENEPOOL (I have just realised that this is the 40th anniversary film)

Attack Of The Giant Moth – Mothra vs Godzilla

Out of all the Godzilla films made this is regarded as one of the best, and I agree, it deals with many issues in the world including nuclear testing, ownership of objects, the environment and Giant Insects. If you had an insect problem in your house you could easily ring up someone to come and deal with it, but what would you do if the insect is almost 100 metres long and weighs 25000 tons?

Mothra vs Godzilla came out 10 years after the original Godzilla film and so is a sort of celebration, and what a celebration it is. The film is produced once again by the big four consisting of Ifukube, Tanaka, Honda and Tsuburaya and is the third film in the series to have a Monster fight in it. The previous year of course saw the release of King Kong vs Godzilla, well for this film another Toho Monster was used, Mothra. Mothra previously had her own film in 1961, but since making her debut in the Godzilla series not only became one of Toho top 5 (Godzilla, King Ghidorah, Mothra, Rodan and MechaGodzilla) but became one of the companies most loved and most well used monsters, she holds the most wins over Godzilla, and if you have still not figured it out yet, yes Mothra is a Giant Moth.

The film begins with a massive typhoon; the following morning while work is being done to clean up the area News reporter Ichiro and photographer Junko find something strange in the wreckage. Meanwhile at a fishing village a monster egg has been discovered. The villagers decide to keep it under the idea that it belongs to them. While Professor Miura studies the egg he is interrupted by a business man called Kumayama who has bought the Egg and seeks to turn it into a tourist attraction. Ichiro, Junko and Miura are disgusted at this and discuss it at a hotel, just as Kumayama checks in. Kumayama goes to see the head of happy enterprises Jiro Torahata. While the two are discussing the idea, 2 little fairies turn up and ask them to return the egg; they instead try to capture them. The fairies escape and meet up with Ichiro, Junko, and Miura. The fairies tell them that they have come from Infant Island, an island that has suffered from Nuclear Testing. The egg itself belongs to Mothra and the egg must be returned as soon as possible because the baby Mothra inside the Egg could cause a lot of damage when it hatches in its search for food. The fairies tell them that Mothra is nearby and wants their help too. The three people then see Mothra through the bushes nearby.

Miura, Junko and Ichiro go and see Kumayama and ask him to give the egg back and also show him the fairies, which he instantly recognises. He tries to buy the fairies but the three people leave. The three people try to come up with ideas of how to give the egg back to the people of infant island, but the fairies decide to leave with Mothra. Due to the lack of interest in editorial pieces about the egg, Ichiro gives up. At this point Junko arrives and tells them that Professor Miura wants to see them. They enter a containment area and are sprayed by strange purple gas, Miura tells them that they thing they discovered in the wreckage is incredibly radioactive. The three go to the site of the wreckage which has now been cleared up and don’t find any radiation. A couple minutes later, while taking some photographs Junko notices the mud moving, Miura checks the radiation level and finds that there is a lot of radiation in the area of the moving mud. Eventually Godzilla appears from underneath all this mud (this shows that the mysterious thing is part of Godzilla’s flesh and that when it was discovered by Ichiro and Junko they were standing a short distance from him). Godzilla proceeds to attack Nagoya.

Junko and Ichiro along with the professor head to infant island to ask for Mothra’s help. When they get there they see the destruction caused by nuclear testing, they are captured by the islanders and are told by the chief they cannot ask for help because they failed to return the egg and because of the nuclear testing on the island. The three of them go and see the fairies and they refuse to, until Junko talks and really argues the case for asking Mothra’s help. The fairies talk to Mothra, who agrees to help although it is likely that Mothra will die because she has almost reached the end of her life. Back in Japan the military build large electrical pylons to use against Godzilla. Kumayama ends up broke from his venture and tries to steal money from Torahata, who shoots him only to be killed himself as the hotel is levelled by Godzilla. Godzilla heads towards the egg, possibly to destroy it but then Mothra shows up and fights him. Mothra initially gets the upper hand and almost beats Godzilla, But Godzilla uses his Atomic Death Ray on Mothra’s head and she flies to the egg and dies when she lands on it.

The Military attempt to deal with Godzilla in a 2 stage plan and almost succeed until they get way ahead of themselves. The fairies and the island natives sing for the egg to hatch and 2 caterpillars come out of it. Godzilla attacks a local fishing village and heads to Iwa island where a party of school children are stranded. The caterpillars go to attack Godzilla while Ichiro, Junko and Miura go and get the children, they are successful and the 2 caterpillars successfully wrap Godzilla in cocoon string as he falls in the sea. The children are returned to the mainland as the 2 caterpillars and the fairies return to Infant island.

The films cast is a good mix of characters. The film’s human villains, Torahata and Kumayama are nicely played by Kenji Sahara and Yoshifumi Tajima. They do look like gangsters in the way they are played but also can play the crowd to the point that you just don’t like them, Kumayama in particular looks and acts like a fool, which he is. The character of Junko is a good supporting character but only makes a few independent pieces. The same actress would appear in Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster the following year but not as the character of Junko but as a completely different news reporter. One of the real privileges though is Hiroshi Koizumi who plays Professor Miura. His part is a more noble character filled with wisdom and more level headed in a situation. This is Koizumi’s second role in the Godzilla (Godzilla Raids Again being the First) series and would continue to star in another 4 films, usually playing the role of a professor. He actually returns to a similar storyline in the 2003 film Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. which has a similar plot involving Mothra. A couple of other good roles in the film include the island chief on Infant Island (Akira Tani) and the Japanese Military Commander (Susumu Fujita). Both of these characters show that commanding presence that the characters are and are two memorable characters even if they are not the main characters.

It is interesting to compare Mothra from how she looks in this film to how she looks more recently. Of course back then they did not have the same technology as we have today but the original effects are still pretty amazing. By using something real, it appears to be real and can easily captivate the audience. The same goes for Godzilla, this is one of my favourite and best well-remembered appearances for the King of the Monsters. His scenes where he is attacking cities are nicely made with some scenes showing him in the background and some in the foreground, you do get a sense of scale with something like that. His attack on Nagoya and the castle is nicely made as well. The scenes where the military attacks him with the tanks, aircraft and pylons are some of the best in the film, the best of which in my opinion is the night time one where tanks are moving in to attack something but you don’t realise until the camera pan around that they are not far away from him. These are some of the best military attack scenes in the whole series. One way of showing how much technology has moved on is in the way of animatronics, particularly on the Mothra twins. When you consider the mouths in this film they just open and spray but in more recent films you could see a lot more detail in the movement. There is also the Egg to think about which is nicely detailed in both as a miniature and large pieces for close ups but if we were to look at the Egg from Godzilla vs Mothra 2 we could see a lot more detail in it. For me though the best monster scenes are the scenes involving Godzilla.

Akira Ifukube’s pieces of music are great for this film. Sometimes in the film series pieces are recycled from previous films with not much new stuff but in this there appears to be several new pieces, almost as if the whole thing has its own independent soundtrack except for the Theme for Godzilla of course. The military sounding pieces work very well with the scenes that it is used while the pieces that are set on Infant Island have the nice sense of mystery, and Mothra’s theme when she is first sighted as a sound of shock and mystery, almost like going “What is that”. One thing that should be pointed out of course is the music sung by the fairies which would become a theme by itself for Mothra and in most films involving Mothra would make some kind of appearance in the soundtrack.

Mothra vs Godzilla is a Great film and you can see why fans of the series like it a lot. It has a great group of characters, Great Monsters, Great Fight Scenes, Great Military Scenes, a Great Soundtrack and Great everything really. It is another on of Ishirō Honda’s films which has his sense of Storytelling and makes sure it does not go too fast for people new to the series while still keeping fans entertained. There is nothing more to say about it than it is A Great Film and a must see for Everyone and I mean Everyone.

 

GENEPOOL

Clash Of The Titans – King Kong VS Godzilla

I started the year with a Bang and I am ending it with a Bang. The title is no joke, King Kong and Godzilla have had a fight in 1962 (1963 if you are American). Just imagine two of cinemas greatest icons having a battle with each other.

The film was made by Toho who have made every Japanese Godzilla film to date. Universal were the distributors for the film in non-Asia countries. The film is a result of several attempts to make a new King Kong film over the years before this film. This is the first time that both King Kong and Godzilla appeared in Colour and Widescreen and it is still the most commercially successful title in the Godzilla Series.

So we know a bit about the film now let’s look at the combatants:

In one corner we have King Kong, the giant ape who was captured from his home, climbed to the top of the empire state building with the girl he loved in his hand and was the shot down by a group of airplanes. How is he still alive to fight Godzilla? Well in the case of many films what happened in New York did not happen in the timeline of this film and so he is still alive.

In the other corner we have Godzilla, The giant lizard who woke up after H-bomb tests and destroyed Tokyo before being killed by a secret weapon. Then another one appeared and had a fight with a creature called Anguirus (one of my favourite Toho monsters) and then gets buried in an Ice avalanche.

The two monsters are ready to fight so let’s see who wins the fight of the previous century.

The film starts out with a news team reporting an earthquake in Chile and then tell of some mysterious red berries that help in medicine and that the natives on the island don’t want to give it up because of the monster on the island. The head of a pharmaceutical company decide to send 2 people to the island to bring back the monster for their advertising. Meanwhile a group of icebergs are melting and so the United Nations send a submarine to investigate. They go towards an iceberg that is glowing and then crash into an iceberg. They set off an emergency signal. The submarine then catches fire as the sound of a creature’s roar is heard. A rescue helicopter arrives and watches as Godzilla emerges from the iceberg. The news is reported (on the television news channel which rather annoyingly constantly makes appearances through this film) and japan gets ready for when Godzilla attacks, they even think about using the nuclear bomb. Godzilla then attacks an army base.

The 2 men sent to collect the monster arrive at Faro Island and talk to the natives who allow them to stay after showing the chief a radio. As the natives perform a ceremony the Monsters roar can be heard. In Japan a plane crashes in Hokkaido  and a girl’s boyfriend was on the plane and she goes to see if he survived. As she leaves a news report says that Godzilla may attack there next. The 2 men look for the monster on the island and get caught in a land slide. They get back to the tribe village and as one of them sleeps a small boy goes to get some of the red berry juice. A giant octopus attacks which is then attacked by a Giant Gorilla (King Kong). Kong drives the octopus away. Kong then drinks some of the red berry juice and the natives start singing and dancing causing Kong to fall asleep. The 2 men decide to take Kong off the island.

Japan declares that King Kong is not allowed to enter Japan. The boyfriend (Fujita) arrives back safely in Tokyo and just finds out that his girlfriend’s train is going in the direction of where his plane crashed and Godzilla is in that area. He goes off to find his girlfriend. Godzilla moves towards the train. Fujita finds his girlfriend and takes her away from the area. Kong wakes up from the raft he is tied down to and the 2 men blow up the explosives tied to the raft to blow him up. However Kong survives and heads towards Japan. Godzilla and King Kong have a quick fight with Kong retreating after getting burned by Godzilla’s Atomic Deathray.

Plans are made to stop Godzilla from attacking Tokyo. They decide to build a grid of electrical wires around Tokyo thinking it will stop Godzilla. It (Strangely and I will explain why later) does and Godzilla moves away. However electricity (somehow) makes Kong stronger and Kong arrives in Tokyo. After stopping a train Fujita’s girlfriend is captured by Kong who then climbs to the top of the capital building (National Diet Building). Using the red berry juice and the sound of drums the army use the same technique used on the island to put Kong to sleep. Using balloons and some special wire from Fujita the army airlift Kong out of Tokyo and move him to where Godzilla is in the hope that the 2 monsters might destroy each other. The 2 monsters meet and after a hard-fought fight Godzilla initially wins but when lightning strikes it wakes up Kong and the fight continues. The 2 monsters then fall into the sea and then cause an earthquake. Kong the appears out of the water and swims home with Godzilla nowhere to be seen.

Here is a clip from BBC Monster Night in 1998 if you want to watch the main fight.

King Kong vs Godzilla is an entertaining film with some good scenes. What is interesting about the special effects side is that King Kong is a suit this time whereas in the original he was a Stop Motion Animation. The Godzilla suit does look pretty good but the suit does get bigger and better as the current series (showa) goes along. The King Kong suit also looks pretty good but there are parts in the film where it looks like it is out of control and the movements are not as fluid as they are in other parts. There is also some interesting uses of the cameras with a front view of Godzilla shown where as in most films he is seen from the side.

As I said earlier there is something strange about the electricity scene with Godzilla. In the 1954 original Godzilla destroys the electric grid with ease like it does nothing to him. In the film following this one electricity does not affect him in any way at all. So how come in this film he does not like it and runs away.

While the film is fun to watch and is quite entertaining the film seems to be a bit too Americanized. Some scenes look like a America Monster Movie and not a Godzilla Movie. It is almost like the film was made by America with some help from Japan. While it is fun to watch these elements stop it from reaching its full potential and that is why it’s not one of my top favourite Godzilla films (even though it is a lot better than some films I the series).

Overall it is a fun and entertaining film but in my opinion there are some Godzilla films that are a lot better than this one. Because of the Americanized style of this film it is more of a monster movie and not a Godzilla Movie. While you may find it fun to watch do not look at this and assume this is what Godzilla is about until you have watched some of the stronger films in the series. (please leave a comment if you want me to recommend any).

OH who won the fight. Well Godzilla won the first round and King Kong won the second so it looks like a draw. Maybe this calls for another film to be made. Who do you think Won?

GENEPOOL

The Best Film In The World – Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack

I don’t really have to say where this film is in My Top 10. It is how interesting how it all happened though. In 2008 I asked for a couple of Godzilla Films for Christmas. One was this one and the other was Tokyo S.O.S. When I got them and before I watched them I thought Tokyo S.O.S. was going to be the better film but after watching Giant Monsters All Out Attack I thought that one was the better one. The more and more I watched it the more and more it went up my Top 10. My favourite film before this was held by 3 films; Godzilla 2000, Godzilla: Final Wars and Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen but Right now I am unsure of several films in my Top 10 so I am trying to think where each film goes (Both Transformers films are currently at the Top in my Non-Godzilla Top 10). It was not until about last year that I realised that Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack is my Favourite Film.

Giant Monsters All Out Attack has several Monsters in it. As you can see from the title Mothra and King Ghidorah are in the film alongside Godzilla. Mothra and King Ghidorah are 2 of Toho’s Top Monsters but there is another monster in this film, Baragon. Baragon is one of the most uncommon Monsters in the series. Originally appearing in Frankenstein Conquers the World (Non-Godzilla Film) he has not had much of a major part in the Godzilla Film Series. This being his first major part in the series. Baragon has appeared in The Godzilla Film Series before but has really only appeared for small parts and shots. Even though this is his first Major Part in the series it is strange that his name is not in the title. Originally the film was to have Varan, Anguirus and Baragon but Toho decided that Varan and Anguirus were not bankable to guarantee box office success. So they put in King Ghidorah and Mothra. Costume Designer Fuyuki Shinada was disappointed that his Favourite Monster Varan was not in the film so he put some facial features on King Ghidorah. I am a bit disappointed that Anguirus was not in the film, Anguirus is one of my Favourite Monsters but the Monsters Baragon, Mothra and King Ghidorah do not disappoint.

The Director is an interesting choice. This is the first time that Shusuke Kaneko has made a Godzilla Film but not the first time he has made a Japanese Monster Movie. He is the director of the Heisei Gamera Series. Gamera is the main movie rival to Godzilla. Both Godzilla and Gamera are Movie Icon’s and Japanese Icon’s. It is an interesting idea for Toho to hire a director who made 3 films in a Rival Film series which are owned by a Rival Company (Kadokawa Pictures). However I am Happy Toho did hire him because it is my favourite film.

The film starts out with a Navy Commander talking to several military officials about the tragedy that occurred in 1954 when Godzilla attacked the country of Japan. Since then there have been several sightings including an attack on New York in 1998. Then he gets word of a Nuclear Submarine being destroyed and a submersible vessel is sent to investigate. The pilot then spots Godzilla’s back swimming away. A reporter for a TV Channel called Yuri is reporting at a village and sees a bizarre man in the forest. That night a motorcycle gang gets trapped in a tunnel and a witness sees a monster moving through the tunnel. Later on Yuri discovers that the cause of an earthquake which is said to have trapped the bikers in the tunnel has moved. Yuri’s adviser Teruaki Takeda shows her a book which talks about Three Guardian Monsters. It turns out that Yuri is the daughter of the Navy Commander Taizo Tachibana. That night some noisy teenagers lose their lives at Lake Ikeda when a bizarre creature comes out of the water.

Yuri travels to a police station and finds the bizarre man she saw a few days earlier. He is called Isayama and tells her the story of the Three Guardian Monsters. He says that Godzilla was the result of Nuclear Weapons he is also the combination of tormented souls from World War 2. He tells Yuri to go to the shrine of the Three Headed Dragon Ghidorah. When she gets there she thinks she notices something strange that shows up in a photograph but cannot be seen by her own eye. That night an island in the Bonin Islands is devastated by a heavy storm and another unknown force.  The government puts out a warning of Godzilla related activity and Taizo reveals to his daughter that he lost his parents when the monster attacked Tokyo in 1954.

The Police Station where Isayama is at is in chaos when Baragon as Baragon surfaces and attacks the police station. Then at Yaizu Harbor Godzilla rises out of the sea and starts goes on the rampage in the direction of Tokyo. He destroys several buildings and then releases his atomic breath on the town; some distance away a school teacher sees a large mushroom cloud. Both Baragon and Godzilla meet at a cable car station where Yuri and Takeda are. Baragon fights hard but Godzilla Annihilates him. Yuri is injured at the scene; Despite Takeda warning her Yuri follows Godzilla on bicycle and filming at the same time as the monster moves towards Tokyo.  The Army sends in an Air Strike to kill Godzilla but it fails. At Lake Ikeda Mothra comes out of her Giant Cocoon and flies towards Godzilla. Meanwhile King Ghidorah Awakens from his tomb as Isayama watches.

Taizo creates a defense line in Yokohama and he and the military watch as Godzilla and Mothra fight each other. King Ghidorah then arrives and attacks Godzilla. Godzilla tries to Kill Ghidorah but Mothra gets in the way. With both Ghidorah and Mothra knocked out the army attacks Godzilla. Mothra reawakens but Godzilla destroys her; however her essence reawakens King Ghidorah who then attacks Godzilla. Godzilla is blasted into the sea with an open wound on his shoulder.

Ghidorah Fights Godzilla and Taizo pilots a submersible underwater and plans to use a special Drill Warhead on Godzilla’s wound. Yuri and Takeda broadcast the fight from abridge but the bridge loses its foundations and both she and Takeda fall into the river. However a stone Yuri wears around her neck falls in the river reenergizes Ghidorah and saves Yuri and Takeda falling to their deaths. Godzilla destroys Ghidorah and swallows the submersible. A spirit of Yuri tells her father to not give up and he manages to fire the Warhead into Godzilla’s Shoulder. Godzilla then rises out of the sea and tries to use his Atomic Breath on Yuri and Takeda. It comes out of the hole in his shoulder instead. He tries again but fails. Taizo manages to get out of Godzilla and tries to run away. Godzilla tries to destroy the submersible but self-destructs instead. Taizo surfaces and meets up with Yuri and Takeda. Yuri Salutes her father but he explains it was not just him but everyone in the battle should be saluted as well. Meanwhile a something under water is beating, it is Godzilla’s heart and even though he has no body his heart is still beating. No matter what you do you cannot kill The King Of The Monsters.

The film’s story is told a little different than usual. All the films in the Millenium series except Tokyo S.O.S. are following the same plot line. They are told as the films before them did not happen and the last time Godzilla appeared was in 1954. The story works and sometimes other monsters may have attacked but Godzilla has not appeared for almost 50 years. This one does something else as well, the film is told like an old legend with Guardian Monsters and Prophecies. This makes Godzilla sound more dangerous and the Guardian Monsters more Legendary.

One interesting point is how King Ghidorah looks in this film. King Ghidorah throughout the Showa Series is depicted as a Space Monster and a Villain. In the Heisei Series he is still the villain but when they become Mecha-King Ghidorah he becomes a Hero, he is also made from Futuristic Creatures and Nuclear Weapons. What is slightly different about his character in this film is that he is a Hero and he is from the Earth. In Godzilla Final Wars he is a Space Monster Again (Keizer Ghidorah) but it is slightly odd that Godzilla’s Biggest Enemy is from the Earth and is helping to protect it. It is an interesting plot line which works.

Shusuke Kaneko originally intended to use Monsters weaker than Godzilla but when Toho asked him to change them he made both Mothra and King Ghidorah weaker than they usually were. Mothra is different in this film than most films; she is now smaller and looks more like a butterfly and some of her attacks were removed and she was given new ones. Also her tiny twin fairies are not in the film all together but there is a scene with a couple of Human twins who look at Mothra as she flies over head (apparently they were in Gamera 3). The reason the director wanted to use weaker monsters is that he wanted Godzilla to be the most powerful Monster in the film. Godzilla is a little different than usual but some small changes help his character. His eyes are now Menacingly White, no pupil. They make him look Really Evil. Also his Atomic Death Ray has been modified so that it is as powerful as a Nuclear Weapon. His Death Ray has always been Extremely Powerful but by having a mushroom cloud appear in the film it shows a sense of how dangerous he is.

The cast (Real People) is very good. Ryūdō Uzaki as Taizo Tachibana is particularly very good as the Navy Commander. It would be interesting to see him later in the series playing similar roles. The roles of Yuri (Chiharu Niiyama) and Takeda (Masahiro Kobayashi) are also well written. Yuri is a strong female character and if she was not the lead character (Human) then her role might be different and not as Good. The supporting cast is also very good and do help in the film, particular mention for cast that play the Army Characters because they are very enjoyable and their scenes are very good to watch. But the best characters are the Monsters. They may be a bit different in this film than previous ones but they are portrayed well and written well.

Akira Ifukube did not do the film score for this film but his previous work in previous Godzilla films was used and it is always great to see Ifukube’s work in Godzilla Films. The music was done by Kow Otani who has also done Music for the Heisei Gamera Series. The music is mystical and sounds like traditional and old-fashioned Asian Music. To date this is Otani’s only Godzilla film but it would be good to see him return and see what he can do for a different styled theme to Godzilla.

The Director has been well picked for this Film. He is a Great Director and is Fantastic in the area of Monster Movies. I would like him to do some more Godzilla Films (and some more Gamera Films as well). With this film he has done an amazing Job, It would be interesting to see him do some stuff with other Godzilla Monsters (Bring Back Battra) and I now look forward to see if he does do anymore and if he decides he would like to I can’t wait to see the results of his Directing Craftsmanship.

This film is Absolutely Fantastically Amazing. I have seen lots of Movies, Lots of Monster Movies and Lots of Godzilla Movies and this one stands on top above all the rest. It is well Written, Well Directed and the Cast are Fantastic. The Monsters have been chosen well and the music is Very Enjoyable. It may be a few years before anymore Godzilla Films get made but Godzilla and Toho have given me and everyone in the world something for us to Enjoy and keep us occupied until they bring back The King Of The Monsters – Godzilla.

GENEPOOL

Film Review – Godzilla vs King Ghidorah

It’s Time; you may remember a few months ago I said I was going to change how the world sees Godzilla. Well, this is where it starts, my first review of a Godzilla film and it is one of the Best, Godzilla vs King Ghidorah.

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is one of the biggest monster fights ever. The film’s title says it all, the fight Godzilla fans have been waiting for. Godzilla vs King Ghidorah, One on One. These 2 have had a big History; King Ghidorah is Godzilla’s most powerful enemy. A Golden Dragon with 3 heads and breathes Lightning (in the same way that a Dragon breathes Fire except that it is not fire it’s Lightning). Godzilla is a nuclear giant monster with the Atomic Death Ray. In the course of all 29 Godzilla Films these 2 have met 7 times (7 Films) and only once in a one on one fight, mainly because one of the 2 monsters usually has assistance. This is the 18^th film in the series and the 5^th time the 2 monsters have met.

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah has one really good story and some really good effects. The film was made after Godzilla vs Biollante. When the film did not do very well, Godzilla Creator Tomoyuki Tanaka decided to make a film that would include Godzilla’s Greatest Nemesis – King Ghidorah. One Interesting point is that Godzilla gets talked about a lot but does not make an appearance for a long time. An interesting origins story is put in place which is different from the original origins story. In this new version of the origins story Godzilla appears but in a different form and it is this part of the story helps pave the way for the Big Villain – King Ghidorah.

The film begins with a submarine searching the depths of the sea and finds the body of a 2 headed Giant Dragon. One of the passengers is amazed and even more so when he finds out it had 3. It lost the other head when it fought Godzilla in the 20^th Century.

A UFO is then sighted above Tokyo; everyone sees it, except for a Writer named Terasawa who wakes up in the morning. The story is in the newspaper along with another story about a man who claims to have seen a real life dinosaur. The man claims that while stationed on the isle of Lagos the dinosaur defended the Japanese troops who were being attacked by the Americans during World War 2. Terasawa then does some research and then begins to think that the dinosaur turned into Godzilla.

When on a routine patrol 2 army helicopters find the UFO and then blow up in mysterious circumstances, when a group of soldiers investigate they find the UFO.

Terasawa then talks to a business man called Shindo who was on Lagos. Shindo does not want to talk to Terasawa but changes his mind when Terasawa tells him that it might have turned into Godzilla. Shindo gives photos to Terasawa who then shows it to Professor Mazaki who sees some resemblance between the Dinosaur and Godzilla.

The army then begins to surround the UFO with Tanks. 3 People (holograms, pretty good special effects for the 1990’s) come out of the UFO and ask to have a meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister. The 3 people are time travellers and the UFO is a time machine. The 3 people have come from the future to warn japan of a terrible threat. Due to a set of chain reactions starting with Godzilla, there is no longer a Japan. Terasawa, Professor Mazaki and Miki Saegusa (a lady with telepathy) are asked to go to the Prime Minister’s Office. Terasawa is shown a book that was written by him in the future. The time travellers want to go back in time and remove the Dinosaur from the island before it gets blasted with the H Bomb that was tested on Lagos. This is what turned the Dinosaur into Godzilla. They also ask that Terasawa, Mazaki and Saegusa travel with them. They travel back in time with one of the 3 Time Travellers Emmy Kano and android M11 in a smaller craft back to the day of the dinosaur in a smaller time machine.

They arrive on the Island of Lagos. A small group of Japanese soldiers start to get slaughtered by the American platoon. Until a dinosaur suddenly appears and attacks the Americans. The dinosaur gets wounded by American ships but destroys the American force on the island. A few days later the Japanese thank the dinosaur for saving their lives before leaving. The time traveller’s then teleport the dinosaur away from Lagos. Before returning to the future Emmy leaves 3 little golden creatures on the island. When the group returns to the future they find out that a new monster has arrived, King Ghidorah. The time travellers then use King Ghidorah to destroy Japan. Emmy fells sympathetic for her homeland and tells the truth. In the future Japan becomes an Extremely Powerful Country.

Shindo and the Government come up with a plan to make a New Godzilla using a Nuclear Submarine. Terasawa discovers that a nuclear submarine sank where the dinosaur was placed. Terasawa and Emmy travel to talk to Shindo but M11 stops them reaching him and takes Emmy back to the ship. Emmy later re programmes M11. In the sea, the nuclear submarine sent by Shindo gets destroyed by Godzilla. Professor Mazaki and Miki travel to the area the submarine was destroyed and see Godzilla rising out of the sea.

Terasawa, M11 and Emmy decide to sabotage the UFO. Jet Fighters are sent out to attack King Ghidorah but are no match for it, then Godzilla Arrives. The time travellers end King Ghidorah to fight Godzilla. As Godzilla fights King Ghidorah, Emmy, Terasawa and M11 sabotage the computer controlling King Ghidorah. Godzilla is still fighting King Ghidorah and in the process King Ghidorah loses its middle head. Emmy, Terasawa and M11 use a smaller Time Machine (the same one they used when they went to World War 2) and use its Teleportation device to teleport the UFO to where Godzilla is, Godzilla then destroys the UFO. King Ghidorah begins to fly away, Godzilla then blasts King Ghidorah sending King Ghidorah into the sea. Godzilla then goes to destroy Sapporo. The army do their best to stop him, but are unable to do so. I will return to the story in a minute.

It is important to point out that Military Weapons have no effect on Godzilla. You may be thinking “yes they do – 1998 American Film”, Well that was not Godzilla, That was Zilla; Zilla is a lot smaller than Godzilla and has NO Atomic Breath. In the 28 Japanese Godzilla Films; Tanks, Planes, Missiles, Helicopters, Ships, Laser Weapons, Laser Tanks and many more things attack Godzilla and Godzilla does not feel a thing. Godzilla wins against the military every time. The only time something Man Made killed Godzilla was in the original 1954 Godzilla King of the Monsters. But I will explain that later. Now Back to the Story.

Thinking they can’t stop Godzilla with Military Weapons the group think that King Ghidorah might be able to help them. Emmy and M11 go forward in time to repair King Ghidorah. Godzilla attack’s Tokyo, during the attack Shindo stays inside his company Head Quarters when Godzilla walks past. For a moment Godzilla seems to recognise Shindo from their encounter during World War 2. Godzilla then destroys the Building with Shindo inside.

Then King Ghidorah returns with new Cybernetic Parts and a robotic Middle Head. Godzilla and Mecha-King Ghidorah fight each other in a tense battle ending with Mecha-King Ghidorah flying away with Godzilla before landing in the sea. Emmy (who was controlling Mecha-King Ghidorah from inside it) manages to escape says farewell and travels back to the future. At the bottom of the sea, Godzilla wakes up from the crash, a sign that no matter what you do – You cannot beat The King of the Monsters.

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is one of the best in the series. The film has a very good sound track provided by Akira Ifukube who provided music for many Godzilla films between the Original in 1954 to Godzilla vs Destroyah in 1995.

The film has a good range of characters some of which continued to appear during the Heisei Series. One thing I recently discovered is that Katsuhiko Sasaki who plays Professor Mazaki has played roles in Godzilla films in the past, he appeared in both Godzilla vs Megalon and Terror of Mecha-Godzilla.  The character of Shindo is interesting, played by Yoshio Tsuchiya; Shindo acts like someone who thinks Godzilla is his friend, especially for a minute when Godzilla recognises him, then destroys the tower Shindo is in, Tsuchiya plays the role well. One interesting character is a girl who works with Terasawa. She is a very mysterious character; I don’t think her name is mentioned once in the whole film. She plays the role of Terasawa’s Girl Friend and for most of the middle bits she is not seen, although she does appear at the end with Terasawa. However the best character (human wise, the Monsters are always the main stars) is Fujio played by Tokuma Nishioka. A strong character even in times when cities are being destroyed.  It’s sad that this is the only time the character appears in the series.

Let’s not forget who the main stars are. We Have Godzilla and King Ghidorah. The 2 roles were played by Hurricane Ryu (King Ghidorah) and Kenpachiro Satsuma (Godzilla) with Wataru Fukuda (The Dinosaur). The 2 main roles were played in suits, this is better than CGI because it looks more realistic – it does.

This also makes the fight scenes look good because you have 2 people in suits fighting each other. Kenpachiro Satsuma said in a BBC Documentary that he brought some of his Martial Arts into the role and before filming he would get into the part by saying to himself “I am Godzilla”.

One interesting point about the film is the audience reaction in Japan. In a BBC Documentary from 1998 (this might have happened since, I don’t know) it was revealed that when the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building was demolished by Mecha-King Ghidorah it was the only time a Japanese audience has cheered when a building is being destroyed.

I could go on talking about this film for a while, but I want to save some parts of the film for a more General Godzilla Look.

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is very enjoyable with a Good Story. It is not my favourite from the Series – That is Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. However Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is one of my absolute favourites and one of my top Favourites from the Heisei Series. Plus it has the fight we have always wanted. Godzilla vs King Ghidorah – 1 on 1. If you like Monster Movies, you are going to love this; Watch It.

GENEPOOL