Post by GL on Feb 20, 2007 11:33:25 GMT -5
“Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah” is one of the best entries in the series.
**SPOILERS**
Reading stories about a giant dinosaur, reporter Kenichiro Terasawa, (Kosuke Toyohara) goes out to interview businessman Yasuaki Shindo, (Yoshio Tsuchiya) about his encounters with it. Near Mt. Fuji, a UFO lands, and the object demands to speak with the Japanese authorities. Three people step out, Wilson, (Chuck Wilson) Grenchiko, (Richard Berger) and Emmy Kano, (Anna Nakagawa) claiming they are from the future and warn of unspeakable dangers that will damage their future. Traveling back further in time to rid the world of Godzilla, they return to find a giant dragon, King Ghidorah, destroying the country. When Godzilla appears, the real intention of the future people is revealed, and an all-out battle royal between the different forces begins.
The Good News: This is one of the best ones, and therefore has a lot to like about it. One of the big things it gets right is Godzilla himself. Whenever he’s on-screen, there is absolutely nothing to dislike. He looks quite fearsome, as the head has a really impressive look to it and more broader shoulders and pronounced chest than most of the other designs, and with the classic body used, these changes give him a really powerful appearance. There is also a realism in his portrayal that is unparalleled elsewhere, as his movements and body language are very effective, he looks up at the skyward flying creatures often to good effect and his movements are accompanied by thunderous footfalls and a chilling, ear-shattering roar. As a living, unstoppable engine of destruction, this aspect is nailed to perfection in every detail. King Ghidorah, though with some minor redesign that can easily go unnoticed to most, isn’t that bad when it’s not flying, still looking large and impressive, but Mecha King Ghidorah really comes across well. With some mechanization over several body locations but still retaining a sense of the original beast, it is also equipped with some really nice weaponry. The creature comes with two innovative and unique deployment systems, and are both added to it’s physical appearance and execution quite nicely. It’s also in the film’s undoubted highlight, the battle with Godzilla in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. It’s got a great balance between grappling and beam-throwing, great cinematography, and even one of the best rationales for it’s location. By keeping the action in one location, it prevents the destruction of the city that would result from it. The fantastic city hall miniature is elegantly elaborate and the sequence where Godzilla falls backwards onto the TV reporters is an absolute stand-out. The panoramic shots of the battling behemoths amongst the high-rising structures in the battleground is absolutely breath-taking, as is the actual setting. The pre-battle sequence of Godzilla approaching a glass-enclosed structure through ground-level, watching his feet through the glass slowly come toward it and slam through the glass is impressive to a grand degree. The mini-rampage also includes a scene of genuine pathos and feeling, with the ultimate fate of Shindo coming at a the cost of one of the most touching scenes in the entire history, and is played to absolute brilliance. The Sapporo attack is a close second highlight, marked with plenty of spectacular footage of Godzilla smashing buildings in the background as the populace flees in the front, or the dynamic sequence where his foot falls through the street, crashing into an underground shopping center and knocking him down, allowing a futile mazer cannon attack to start up before rightly being destroyed. A fight between the two creatures in a forested area is also commendable, with a great conclusion via a previously unknown source of attack from Godzilla. It flows nicely, each of them getting in some really impressive moves in that allows for a great experience. The lighthouse sequence is one of Godzilla’s best entrances. Even outside, there’s no end to the impressive scenes, as King Ghidorah gets a couple great moments itself, including two city attacks and a high-flying battle with a squadron of jets. The flashback sequence with the WWII scene is really nice, giving a great view of a really impressive looking pre-Godzilla that actually bares some resemblance to what it’s supposed to be later on, and the confrontation with the soldiers is nicely played out, using the surroundings and what’s available to it and giving a nice sequence out of it. With a really catchy score that ranks as a high-point and a quite nice pace that always entertains, this one has a lot to love about it.
The Bad News: There really isn’t much wrong with this one. The biggest one is the complete disregard for common sense regarding time travel. When Godzilla’s origin has been prevented, a return to the present time results in no change to forty years of history. Everyone still knows of Godzilla, but only from that moment on does Godzilla disappear and King Ghidorah instantly appears. The main problem is that, if Godzilla was never created, no one in the present time should know of the beast and the world should’ve been vastly different. It’s easy to notice this and makes it all the more easy to spot. The only other problems are some minor moments where the FX work becomes a little shoddy. The flying King Ghidorah rarely repeats to flap it’s wings, and the model that does this looks nothing like the main flying model. The android moments are it’s worst, especially whenever it’s running. The effect is nothing short of comical, and lends itself no favors by being constantly repeated. These, though, are the films’ only problems.
The Final Verdict: Two minor problems among a sea of good stuff makes this one of the best of the 90's and one of the best ones in the entire series. It’s quite fun and really entertaining, so fans of any moment of the series should check out immediately.