Director: Kazuki Omori
Year: 1991
Country: Japan
Alternate Titles: Gojira tai King Ghidora
Genre: Kaiju
Plot:
Reading stories about a giant dinosaur, a reporter goes out to interview the businessman 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, 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.
Review:
This is one of the best ones in the series and has a lot to like about it. One of the big things it gets right is Godzilla himself as 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 broader shoulders and a 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, looking 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 looks 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 in the form of two innovative and unique deployment systems, and are both added to its physical appearance and execution quite nicely.
On top of the fun special effects, the action here is incredibly fun. 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 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. The ground-based combat with the different troops using the jungle to their advantage to attack the other forces and only getting to safety when the dinosaur arrives and drives them out of the jungle allowing the Naval section to return fire against it leaving the creature severely wounded. As this sets up a solid emotional undercurrent in the film involving why he has an attachment to the creature that gets paid off incredibly well in the mini-rampage in the city which also includes a scene of genuine pathos and feeling, with his ultimate fate coming at a the cost of one of the most touching scenes in the entire history, and is played to absolute brilliance.
The other action here is fantastic. The Sapporo attack is a close second highlight 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 with each of them getting in some really impressive moves that allow for a great experience. The film's undoubted highlight, the battle with Godzilla in Tokyo's Shinjuku district comes with a great balance between grappling and beam-throwing, great cinematography, and even one of the best rationales for its location by keeping the action in one location and 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 standout. 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. 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.
There really isn’t much wrong with this one. The biggest issue here is the complete disregard for common sense regarding how time travel works and how it affects things. 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 had never been created, no one in the present time would have known of the beast and the world would’ve been vastly different. It’s easy to notice this and makes it all the more frustrating to spot these glaring plot holes. The only other problems are some minor moments where the FX work becomes a little shoddy. The flying King Ghidorah rarely attempts to flap its wings and the model that does this looks nothing like the main flying model of the creature. The android moments showing off its advanced powers are its worst, especially whenever it’s running as the effect is nothing short of comical and lends itself no favors by being constantly repeated. These, though, are the films’ only problems.
Overview: ***/5
Two minor problems among a sea of good stuff make this one of the better of the 90s 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 while viewers not as intrigued by its drawbacks should heed caution for other entries in the series first before this one.
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