Double Feature: KING KONG vs. GODZILLA & MOTHRA vs. GODZILLA

KING KONG vs. GODZILLA

"There are more than things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

IMDB.com Rating: 5.9 out of 10

Availability: In-print and cheap

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuuR_DVGj5M

Watch Online: You just gotta buy this one.
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Before 'Freddy vs. Jason' and 'Alien vs. Predator', there was 'King Kong vs. Godzilla'. There aren't many times I say this and mean it, but you should definitely buy this movie.

A pharmaceutical company visits Skull Island to take a non-addictive plant which makes the body numb and sleepy -- so, Quaaludes... While visiting the island, they make friends with the natives, giving them -- I shit you not -- cigarettes. There's even a child wanting cigarettes -- and when the two pharmacists realize they don't have any candy, they both hand the kid some smokes and tell him not to let his mom know. It's so fuckin' great. As a storm comes, the tribe begins a ceremony for their God -- who happens to be a giant fucking ape. Upon sight of Kong, the pharmacists decide to take the ape captive. Meanwhile, a submarine crashes into an iceberg, releasing Godzilla, who was trapped in there after the events of the previous film, 'Godzilla Raids Again'. Godzilla, as always, decides to go to Tokyo, because why the fuck not. At this time, King Kong is safely sedated on a boat, on a course to -- shocker -- Tokyo. When he becomes restless and awakens, the army tries to blow King Kong up. Instead, they just free him and piss him off. With both monsters on a path to Japan, only a no-holds-barred match will keep Japan from being sent back to the stone age. 

'King Kong vs. Godzilla' is a lot of fun. There's a fight scene in the beginning between a giant octopus and King Kong, which included filming a real octopus on a miniature set of Skull Island. I am a big animal rights supporter; but for one moment, I had to watch this and pretend there was zero animal cruelty in the filming of this movie. If you can do that, this scene is fucking amazing. Most of the movie is King Kong and/or Godzilla trampling Japan. The fight scenes are fantastic. What makes this better than most Godzilla movies is 'King Kong vs. Godzilla' has relatively no side-plot. There's a little storyline, but most of the film is spent on the actions of the monsters. Also, as a huge 'Creature from the Black Lagoon' fan, I should note Universal used the Creature's theme for King Kong, so this has that going for it. The acting is enjoyably bad; and in the spirit of a monster movie, a shit-ton of people die and several tanks melt at the fire-breath the Godzilla.

On my scale:
Overall Enjoyment ----17
Redeeming Qualities--19
Rewatchability---------8

Fun/Special Effects---10

Directing/Quality------7
Plot/Storyline----------6
Pacing-----------------9
Dialogue/Acting-------4
TOTAL---------------80

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MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA

"I'm not as afraid of Godzilla as I am of the editor... He's meaner."

IMDB.com Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Availability: In-print, and moderately-priced

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MLvi8pp-uc

Watch Online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTywHy7Yg9Q

___________________________________________Godzilla is back with all his tank-melting fire-breath -- and this time, he's facing an already-established Japanese Toho star.

After Mothra's egg gets blown away from its home island, the egg drifts the sea, landing on the coast of Japan. Banzo Torhata, the greedy land developer, decides to build a glass building around the egg as a scheme to make money; but Mothra's two miniature twin priestesses show up to plead with him. If Mothra's egg hatches in Japan, the two larva will destroy everything, looking for food. Their plea falls on deaf ears with Torhata. After the twins tell a couple journalists of the impending danger, they take action; but Torhata doesn't care. Meanwhile, Godzilla shows up and starts wrecking everything. Now the only one who can safely remove the egg and fight off Godzilla is Mothra.

Based on what you just read, you might have an idea of how the movie ends, but you'd probably be wrong. Alas, 'Mothra vs Godzilla' (or 'Godzilla vs. The Thing', to keep the movie-goer wondering who or what the thing would be) is a good sequel. It's got its fun moments -- lots of action, fire and death in, what feels like, every frame. Tonight's two movies changed the dynamic of Godzilla. From this point on, it would be Godzilla vs a Kaiju of some sort, with Godzilla always receiving top billing. 'Mothra vs. Godzilla' is worth a watch. 4 stars, best of '64. 

On my scale:
Overall Enjoyment ----14
Redeeming Qualities--15
Rewatchability---------6

Fun/Special Effects---9

Directing/Quality------6
Plot/Storyline----------7
Pacing-----------------7
Dialogue/Acting-------4
TOTAL---------------68