KONG: SKULL ISLAND

Kong expresses his opinion of this movie

KONG: SKULL ISLAND
(2017). Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts.

A prologue set in 1944 shows two soldiers -- one Japanese, one American -- fighting on Skull Island until King Kong (or at least his paws) interrupts. Thirty years later an expedition is going to Skull Island for resources, and it's quite awhile until the title character shows up in all of his glory. Sergeant Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) wants to blow Kong away for destroying many of his men, but others argue that Kong protects the natives on the island from much worse monsters. While the two opposing camps try to persuade the other, they must fight off all manner of hungry and horrible creatures. This reboot of Kong is more successful than the most recent Godzilla, but despite some outstanding special effects -- and an impressive leading man in Kong -- the movie just lacks that certain sense of wonder. Having the trip to Skull Island be a military operation sort of strips it of romance, and Kong: Skull Island is merely another loud, cold-blooded (if not necessarily more cold-blooded than the original King Kong), slick, forgettable, modern-day monster flick with a typically flip, often cutesy approach and a mediocre screenplay. The actors are competent enough, but they are pretty much lost in a sea of FX, and sympathetic characters get dismissed even as they're eaten. Kong is much, much bigger in this than he was in the 1933 film, and his climactic battle with a huge reptilian creature -- not to mention the post-credit epilogue that most people didn't wait around in the theater to see -- suggests there may be a remake of King Kong vs Godzilla in the offing. Despite all the action, the movie has slow stretches, and not just in the first quarter. The two best scenes in the movie have nothing to do with Kong at all: the soldiers are attacked by a humongous and deadly tree spider; and a touching coda involving the surviving WW2 sailor from the prologue as he returns home to his family. As the guide and nominal hero of the piece, Tom Hidddleston makes much less of an impression than he does as the villainous Loki in Thor.

Verdict: The original King Kong is still the best and likely to remain so. **1/2.

MOTHRA VS GODZILLA

Yuriko Hoshi, Akira Takarada, Hiroshi Koizumi

MOTHRA VS GODZILLA (aka Mosura tai Gojira/Godzilla vs. Mothra/1964). Director: Ishiro Honda. Dubbed version released in the United States as Godzilla vs the Thing.

A gigantic egg is found floating offshore and a greedy entrepreneur decides to claim it and exhibit it, even though the tiny little twins from Infant island tell him it is the giant moth Mothra's egg and it must be returned to avoid "problems." Concurrently, Godzilla reawakens from his recent burial [in Godzilla Raids Again, perhaps?] and goes on another rampage. Professor Miura (Hiroshi Koizumi), reporter Ichiro (Akira Takarada), and pretty photographer Yoka (Yuriko Hoshi) appeal to the islanders to send Mothra to battle Godzilla, as the former's egg is threatened by the big lizard. The battle between the big bug and a flabby-jawed Godzilla is pathetic, the process work is decidedly uneven (with a few effective shots), and even children probably found this to be ultimately tedious. There is some majestic music as well as the twins' awful songs to Mothra. Akira Takarada, known as "Mr. Handsome" in Japan for good reason, was also in the original Godzilla/Gojira. FX by Eiji Tsuburaya. At least Mothra is a colorful and "attractive" creation.

Verdict: For Godzilla completists only. **.

GODZILLA (2014)

GODZILLA (2014). Director: Gareth Edwards.

A gigantic egg is discovered in the Philippines and taken to what is supposed to be a nuclear power plant in Japan. When a "meltdown" occurs scientist Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) must close a hatch on his own wife (Juliette Binoche) to keep radiation from leaking. That's pretty much the last dramatic thing -- in the human sense -- that happens in this new/old take on Godzilla, in which the main monsters are not the Big Guy but a pair of creatures known as "MUTO"s [Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism]. It was the emergence of one of these creatures that actually caused the meltdown. It also develops that Godzilla actually did appear back in 1954 (when the first Godzilla film was released), and he's come back to set nature right and get rid of the MUTOs, who are ravaging Las Vegas after causing much destruction on Honolulu. Joe's son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is one of the military men fighting against the monsters. Godzilla got surprisingly good reviews and fan reaction. Unlike the first American Godzilla film with Matthew Broderick, the movie doesn't ignore what's happened in the Japanese films -- Godzilla is a good guy fighting the bad monsters; there are little kids running about; one of the MUTOs attacks an elevated train -- but what the geeky fans of the Japanese movies may love about the series pretty much sinks this reboot. There's not enough of Godzilla, whom others have described as "a guest star in his own movie." The too-metallic MUTOs remind one of the monster in Deadly Mantis, and while Godzilla doesn't look bad, some of his scenes are so underlit that it's hard to see what's happening or be especially impressed. There are a couple of good scenes and shots -- Godzilla swimming under a bridge where the people look like ants; the flood that washes through Honolulu --- but these aren't enough to save the movie. Only slightly better than Pacific Rim, another movie influenced by Japan's monster flicks.

Verdict: Too much pandering to the geeky fans of the Japanese series -- but it appears to have paid off commercially. **. 

GREAT OLD MOVIES -- EXTRA # 3: GODZILLA AND COMPANY

Godzilla vents!

GODZILLA AND COMPANY.

Whether you're a fan of the Big Green Galoot, or think a love of Godzilla movies indicates the intellectual capacity of a flea [I'm somewhere in between], the fact remains that the beloved icon is here to stay: a new American remake of the original fifties film is due in 2014. Let us not forget the 1998 American version with Matthew Broderick [although many would like to forget it] and the many sequels of the original Japanese feature. There has even a scholarly book on the Big Green Giant. Below you'll find reviews of the original Japanese Gojira and other items of interest. Enjoy!

GOJIRA

GOJIRA (1954). Director: Ishiro Honda.

In this original version of Godzilla, the Japanese face nuclear terror all over again when a 50 meter tall animal, an intermediate between dinosaur and mammal, who absorbed the energy from nuclear explosions that removed it from its normal environment, emerges from the ocean.to savage their nation. Of course there's the stupid scientist, Yamane (Takashi Shimura)  who wants to "study" a gigantic monster ravaging Tokyo, but another scientist, Serizawa (Akihito Harata), comes up with a weapon to destroy the creature. Yamane has a daughter, Emiko (Momoko Kochi), who is sort of bethrothed to Serizawa but in love with Hideto (Akira Takarada), who is more of a matinee idol. Some of the more sobering scenes in this fairly "serious" monster movie were cut out of the American version: a child being tested for radiation; a widow huddling with her three children as Gojira approaches and telling them "we'll be seeing your father." Brought to life by "suitmation" -- yes, a man in a monster outfit -- Gojira still manages at times to come off like the embodiment of a nightmare. The miniatures in the film are good and there are some effective process shots of Godzilla smashing through train yards and the like. The film is well-directed and well-acted, although it could be argued that a celebrated actor like Takashi Shimura is pretty much wasted in stuff like this. Inspired by the American sleeper hit The Beast from 20,000 Fathom, Gojira itself influenced such later films as The Giant Behemoth and especially Gorgo.

Verdict: Probably the only time the big guy starred in a movie that's played straight. ***.

GOJIRA NO GYAKUSHU

Godzilla and Anguirus battle it out over top billing

GOJIRA NO GYAKUSHU (aka Godzilla Raids Again/1955). Director: Motoyoshi Oda.

While claims can be made that the original Gojira was a better and more serious film than the dubbed American version, retitled Godzilla, no one can make that claim of its sequel. A dubbed version with some added stock footage and narration entitled Gigantis, the Fire Monster was released in the U.S. years ago; it's now known as Godzilla Raids Again. In any language and with any name, it's still a terrible picture. As a new member of the Godzilla species is discovered on an island in battle with another monster called an Anklylosaurus or Anguirus -- a battle which is continued in Osaka -- Hidemi (Setsuko Yakawama) and handsome pilot Tsukioka (Hiroshi Koizumi) draw closer. Their friend Kabayahsi (Minoru Chiaki) is also a pilot, under the command of Tajima (Yoshio Tsuchiya). Takashi Shimura appears as Dr. Yamane. The FX work is mediocre and the whole undertaking is completely childish, which was not true of Gojira. The actors are fine, however, probably giving the whole thing more intensity than it's worth.

Verdict: Even Reptilicus was better than this. *

GODZILLA (1998)

The big guy stomps through Manhattan

GODZILLA (1998). Director: Roland Emmerich.

Supposedly Godzilla purists really hate this American version of the Big Green Galoot, but who cares? For all of its flaws -- and there are many -- this Godzilla is still much better and much more entertaining, and certainly better to look at, than most of the Japanese Godzilla films put together [admittedly I have not seen all of the modern-day Godzilla films, but the ones I have seen are not terribly good. Also I must qualify that the original Gojira is much better than the many sequels]. This Godzilla is a new species, a mutated hybrid created by atomic fall out. It still roars like the original Godzilla, more or less, but has a new sleek look instead of the dopey one generally used in the Japanese films. Godzilla has a terrific and dramatic opening theme by David Arnold, and one could argue that the rest of the movie doesn't measure up to it. However ...

The movie is done somewhat tongue-in-cheek, an approach that sort of makes all the dramatic build-up and top-notch special effects work seem a bit overdone, were the effects not so splendidly eye-popping at times. One very irritating element to the movie is that the stupid characters in the film worry about minor issues when there's a gargantuan monster on the loose. When Audrey (Maria Pitillo) and old boyfriend Niko (Matthew Broderick) run into each other, they hardly mention the monster even though it would be the uppermost thought of every person on Manhattan Island! In keeping with the unfortunate "lightness" of the tone, the deaths that had to be caused by the monster are underplayed to a ridiculous degree.

But Godzilla certainly has its moments. There's the great scene in Madison Square Garden when the big guy's eggs hatch (Godzilla reproduces asexually; no wonder he's ticked off!) and Broderick and company have to escape from dozens of mini-Godzillas before a bomb goes off! Then there's the climax with the furious Godzilla chasing the protagonists down the streets of Manhattan and onto a bridge where they nearly become his lunch. Nothing like these sequences has ever appeared in any other Godzilla films that I've seen. The monster's rampage through Manhattan when he first arrives is also memorable. Up against the monster, the actors in this, while mostly competent or better, haven't really got a chance.

Verdict: If thirty minutes or so had been left on the editing room floor, and some of the sillier scenes excised as well, this would have been a real contender. As it is, quite entertaining. ***.

GODZILLA 2000

GODZILLA 2000 (1999). Director: Takao Okiwara.

"Godzilla is inside each one of us." [-- well....maybe.]

In this film the world already seems to know of the big lizard's existence, and there is absolutely no suspenseful build-up to his first appearance. Shinado (Takehiro Murada) is a scientist who wants to study the creature, and has formed a group called the Godzilla Prediction Network, which can figure out whenever the big guy is going to appear. Shinado's slightly obnoxious little daughter, Io (Maya Suzuki), is the group's bookkeeper and follows her father into danger. Yuki (Naomi Yushida) is a photographer who's desperate to get a close up photograph of Godzilla. A gigantic spaceship, which first appears as a big flying rock, comes to Japan and eventually transforms into another monster called Oga that Godzilla battles ... Is anyone still awake? With its surplus of silly humor and characters, this Japanese movie seems to take its cue in large part from Hollywood's Godzilla film made the previous year, which despite its many flaws, was a lot more entertaining. Godzilla has been somewhat redesigned and looks a little better, but is still kind of silly and he's still played by a man in a suit: "suitmation." While the special effects in Godzilla 2000 are better than in the older movies in this series, they are still second-rate for the most part. All in all, this was hardly a new approach to the great Japanese monster.

Verdict: For pathetic Godzilla geeks only. *1/2.

GODZILLA ON MY MIND: FIFTY YEARS OF THE KING OF MONSTERS

GODZILLA ON MY MIND: FIFTY YEARS OF THE KING OF MONSTERS. William  Tsutsui. Palgrave Macmillan; 2004.

Full disclosure: Although I am a big giant monster movie fan  and even wrote a book on the subject, I confess I have never been that carried away with Godzilla and its many sequels, although I do check them out from time to time. Tsutsui is right that the original Japanese version, entitled Gojira, is essentially a "serious" film with sombre undertones, and by no means a bad movie. But while it may not have those undertones, I much prefer the American film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, the success of which inspired Japanese filmmakers to make Gojira in the first place. [I even prefer The Giant Behemoth and Gorgo, which was sort of an imitation of Godzilla, over Gojira.] That being said, I approached an entire volume devoted to Godzilla with some trepidation. An entire book on Godzilla? Still, Tsutsui almost manages to pull it off, despite the fact that eventually he makes the same points over and over and the book at times seems understandably padded. [A good way to increase the page count would have been to include a filmography, but inexplicably this book doesn't have one, a serious oversight.] Still, Tsutsui writes well and intelligently and his enthusiasm for his subject is a large part of the book's appeal. True, Tsutsui sometimes tries too hard to convince us of Godzilla's influence and significance -- I mean just because something is "influential" doesn't make it especially significant -- and he doesn't seem to acknowledge that there are any other decent giant monster movies out there. His argument that the American-made Godzilla with Matthew Broderick [a disappointing film in many ways] trashed the legend seems to ignore the fact that Japanese filmmakers did a pretty good job of turning Godzilla into a camp parody long before director Roland Emmerich came along. But at least the author acknowledges that many of the Japanese Godzilla movies are quite dreadful, which stirred up the wrath of major demented Godzilla geekazoids in their reviews on Amazon.com. [Get a life! It's also kind of depressing that there are actually people who will go to a Godzilla convention but have never attended the ballet, opera, a classical music concert, or serious theater. Monster movies are fun, but they're not the be-all and end-all!] But when all is said and done, this is an entertaining book and not as stupid as you might expect.

Verdict: Recommended for the more intelligent Godzilla fans, all two or three of them, LOL. ***.

THE THREE STOOGES MEET GODZILLA

THE THREE STOOGES MEET GODZILLA (AKA Ye mokioki cono Didoshi/1967). Director: Myoski Shishuki.

Yes, in this movie the Three Stooges do indeed meet the famous movie monster Godzilla -- all 200 feet of him -- but these stooges are not the American brand but a Japanese variation. Toko Danaka, Myopi Sofoolyi, and Ernst Yakahama play the stooges and it must be said that their "humor" -- even with dubbed voices -- doesn't translate too well.The film has these three bumbling nitwits, made up to resemble our stooges, inheriting a shipping line that includes both freighters and luxury cruise ships. When there are reports of their boats being menaced by Godzilla, they set sail to find the monster, along with a curvaceous lady scientist. After much silliness in the staterooms consisting of all three "stooges" trying to romance the scientist, they arrive at an island where Godzilla somehow manages to sneak up on them. The film ends with a friendly Godzilla lifting up the stooges and carrying them off in his paw. Maybe a snack? In any case, this is simply awful.

Verdict: Neither for stooges or Godzilla fans. 1/2 *.

GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER aka GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN

GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER (1959). Director: Motoyoshi Oda.

This is the dubbed American version of Godzilla Raids Again (1955), the sequel to Godzilla. In this we learn that the Godzilla destroyed at the end of the first movie was not the only member of the "Gigantis" species alive in the world. A new Gigantis emerges from the sea to battle another prehistoric beastie, the Anguirus, who walks on all fours. Gigantis tears across Osaka, virtually destroying the city. The hero is a young officer Hiroshi, who hopes to prove his bravery by fighting the colossal creature. There is a dull love story between him and his girlfriend. Supposedly the original Japanese version of this film is a much better movie -- it would have to be as this idiotic "epic" of silly puppet monsters is a virtual snooze-fest with nothing to recommend it. Even the effects are fifth-rate.

Verdict: Terrible. *.