Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

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Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
Directed by	Kazuki Omori
Produced by	Tomoyuki Tanaka Shogo Tomiyama
Written by	Kazuki Omori
Starring	Kosuke Toyohara Anna Nakagawa Megumi Odaka Katsuhiko Sasaki Akiji Kobayashi Kent Gilbert Charles Kent Wilson
Music by	Akira Ifukube [1]
Cinematography	Yoshinori Sekiguchi
Editing by	Michiko Ikeda
Distributed by	Toho
Release date(s)	December 14, 1991
Running time	103 min.
Language	Japanese
Preceded by	Godzilla vs. Biollante
Followed by	Godzilla vs. Mothra
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (ゴジラvsキングギドラ, Gojira tai Kingu Gidora^?), alternatively spelled Godzilla vs. King Ghidora, is the 18th installment in the Godzilla series of films. The movie was released theatrically in Japan on December 14, 1991. It was directed by Kazuki Omori and produced by Shogo Tomiyama. The special effects provided by Koichi Kawakita was also another highlight in the credits. This film was considered the most controversial in the series. Mostly noticeable was the World War II sequence. The scene depicted U.S. soldiers being killed by Godzillasaurus on Lagos Island, allowing Japanese soldiers to escape.

[edit] Plot

In 1992, overnight in Japan, a UFO appears, and flies over the nation of Japan. The next morning, Terasawa, a young Japanese science fiction writer, announces that he wishes to write non-fiction stories, and proceeds to investigate a dinosaur that was sighted during the Pacific War. That same day, the UFO sighting coincides with Godzilla's awakening in the ocean. Later, two army helicopters on a routine patrol come across the UFO, but are destroyed when they try to investigate further. The military then moves into the area where the helicopters crashed and discover the UFO. Soon later, the UFO emits a strange green light, and holographic projections of three humans - Two western men: Wilson and Grenchiko, and one Japanese young woman, Emmy - appear from the ship, who reveal themselves as delegates of nations of year 2204. After introductions, they request a meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan. At this meeting, they announced that they have traveled back in time to warn Japan of a grave future. Due to industrialization and nuclear power, Godzilla will reappear and destroy Japan for good. Emmy also presents a book that Terasawa would later write, which describes his theories on how the dinosaur he is covering, which he calls "Godzillasaurus", is the dinosaur that would eventually become Godzilla after radiation exposure of an American nuclear testing after World War Two.

After the meeting, Terasawa and Professor Mazaki, a professor with whom Terasawa was researching the Godzillasaurus, are called to the Prime Minister's office. There, they are informed of what has happened in the past few days, and Terasawa is presented with the book Emmy recently gave them. They then tell Terasawa and Mazaki that the Futurians wish them to travel back in time, along with Miki Saegusa, to move the dinosaur away from Lagos Island, where the nuclear bomb was tested. The small group of travelers - made up of Android Model M-11, Emmy, Miki, Terasawa, and Mazaki - then board a small time ship inside the mothership which will take them back in time. They are startled when three tiny animals fly in front of their faces. Emmy explains that they are an artificial life forms called Dorats, and will be coming with them on the trip.

The Futurians and the small group of Japanese civilians of the 1990s arrived at Lagos Island in 1944. Amid the final stage of the Pacific War, a Japanese unit was opposing a US amphibious landing of the island. The time travel group secretly observe the battle. The Japanese unit was almost eliminated by the US landing force. The Godzillasaurus soon arrived in time to annihilate the American troops, but not before being badly wounded by naval gunfire. The remaining Japanese unit saluted to the injured Godzillasaurus and left, too. The Futurians then teleport the Godzillasaurus to the Bering Sea. Emmy then releases the Dorats on the island, and then orders M-11 to leave for the future.

Unknown to the Japanese, however, the reason the Futurians replaced the Godzillasaurus with three the Dorats, was to expose them to the radiation of the nuclear test, so that they would fuse together and mutate into a giant, three-headed, flying golden dragon they call King Ghidorah. The Japanese only hear a small bit about King Ghidorah before leaving the mothership. Afterwards, Emmy questions what is happening, and Wilson explains that King Ghidorah is a monster they built to totally destroy Japan. King Ghidorah is then unleashed on Fukuoka, and destroys it. Emmy later leaves the mothership, and goes to see Terasawa. She then tells him of the Futurians' true malevolent intentions. The story they tell Japanese of 1990s was a lie. The true history of the future is that, despite damages by Godzilla, Japan, with her giant corporations, would grow into a super power that affect the future world greatly, and that King Ghidorah is a controlled weapon to damage Japan further, in order to keep her from becoming a superpower. However Wilson and Grenchiko have become more ambitious, and they want to use King Ghidorah to remove Japan from their history completely.^[2]

Terasawa and others then seek out the Godzillasaurus to create a new Godzilla, who is the only force powerful enough to defeat King Ghidorah and the Futurians. They borrow a nuclear submarine from Shindo Heavy Industry, a successful giant corporation established in postwar Japan by Shindo, a former officer who was saved by the Godzillasaurus on Lagos Island.

However, the Godzillasaurus transported to the Bering Sea has been transformed into Godzilla after all, because of a nuclear submarine that sank in that area in the 1970s, and which was not there when the Futurians originally transported it there in 1944. Because the nuclear weapons on the submarine were more modern and thus more powerful, Godzilla was reborn larger and more powerful than his original incarnation, which was destroyed by Dr. Serizawa's Oxygen Destroyer back in 1954. Godzilla moves south towards Japan, attacking a nuclear submarine sent to expose the Godzillasaurus to radioactivity in order to change it into Godzilla. It is ironically destroyed by Godzilla before it can do this.

Wilson and Grenchiko then send King Ghidorah to combat Godzilla, who has just come ashore. Despite Godzilla's best efforts, King Ghidorah manages to knock Godzilla down, and jumps on him repetitively, coming close to killing him. However, Emmy, Terasawa, and M-11 sabotage the mothership. The Futurians lose control over King Ghidorah, whose motion is briefly affected. King Ghidorah topples over, and Godzilla proceeds to slam it on the ground by its tail. After more fighting, King Ghidorah uses its middle head to strangle Godzilla. It looks almost as if Godzilla, who is foaming at the mouth, is dying. However, he uses his Nuclear Pulse at the last minute, which pushes King Ghidorah over. Godzilla then uses his Atomic Ray to sever King Ghidorah's middle head. M-11 then teleports the mothership in front of Godzilla. Godzilla destroys the ship along with Wilson and Grenchiko aboard. King Ghidorah attempts to fly away, but Godzilla uses his ray one last time to send King Ghidorah plummeting to the bottom of the ocean.

Godzilla then sets out to ravage Japan, starting in Sapporo. After its destruction, Emmy, Terasawa, Miki, and Mazaki discuss the possibility of reviving King Ghidorah to defend Japan. Emmy and M-11 agree that the idea is good, and go back to future with the time ship.

Emmy, in 2204, along with M-11 , and an unnamed, older man, finally find King Ghidorah, who appears dead. This scene is reminiscent of the beginning of the movie, where a girl and a man were talking to each other about King Ghidorah. The man comments on King Ghidorah's health, and Emmy explains that she hopes to revive it. M-11 then detects a heartbeat. The man then asks Emmy why she wishes to revive King Ghidorah, and she explains that she wants to defend Japan from Godzilla. The man tells her that Japan doesn't deserve help, due to its economic greed, and lack of concern about nuclear waste. Emmy then asks the man to give her ancestors another chance, and the man agrees.

Back in 1992, Godzilla ravages Tokyo. Eventually, he finds himself standing before the headquarter of Shindo Heavy Industry, where Shindo himself stays to wait for Godzilla. Shindo and Godzilla look into each other's eyes, and, for a moment, Godzilla hesitates. However, he finally decides to destroy the Shindo headquarters completely.

Soon after, Emmy arrives back from future with the resurrected King Ghidorah. However, it is not just the giant golden monster that fought Godzilla before. Instead, it is Mecha-King Ghidorah, with mechanical wings, body, and mechanical third head, and boasting a triple laser cannon. Emmy proceeds to fight Godzilla from within Mecha-King Ghidorah, where she can control the mechanical Monster. The battle is fierce, and at one point, it seems as if Godzilla is defeated. However, from under the rubble, Godzilla attacks back with a powerful nuclear blast. Emmy tries to fly away, but another blast knocks Mecha-King Ghidorah out of the skies, also rendering Emmy unconscious. Godzilla starts off toward Mecha-King Ghidorah, intending to destroy it. At the last second, M-11 manages to revive Emmy by speaking to her through the computer systems. She then brings Mecha-King Ghidorah back upright, and launches four cables from Ghidorah's body onto Godzilla's arms and legs, which she uses to send electrical shocks to Godzilla. Godzilla soon gets into a position where Emmy can launch a large machine arm, which latches massive electrical charges at Godzilla. She then flies out to sea, intending to drop Godzilla in the ocean. However, Godzilla launches a blast at Mecha-King Ghidorah's wings, which causes both him and Mecha-King Ghidorah to fall into the ocean. After a moment, when Emmy appears dead due to being inside Mecha-King Ghidorah, she flies out of the ocean with the time ship. A brief moment of joy comes from the onlookers of the battle. She then tells Terasawa that they're related, and that he's one of her ancestors. She makes her final goodbye, and heads back to the future.

However, at the bottom of the sea, Godzilla is still alive.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Box Office

The film sold approximately 2,700,000 tickets in Japan, and grossed around $11,000,000.

[edit] Trivia

• Originally, this film was going to be a remake of King Kong vs. Godzilla with the title Godzilla vs. King Kong, but Turner Entertainment demanded too much money for the use of Kong. After this, Toho had the idea of making Godzilla vs. Mechani-Kong, but Turner still demanded money because of the character's similarity to Kong. Toho eventually settled for Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.
• In the sequence on Lagos Island, two U.S. Naval officers observe the Futurian Mothership's landing on the island, prompting the older officer to remark that the other, Major Spielberg, should tell his not-yet-born son that "we're being invaded by little green men from outer space." This is a clear allusion to Steven Spielberg who would go on to direct Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Later, after the Navy shells the Godzillasaurus, Major Spielberg comments that "It looks like that island needs scientists more than American military people," a reference to another famed Spielberg film, Jurassic Park.

[edit] DVD Releases

Columbia TriStar

• Released: November 10, 1998 ^{[3] [4]}

• Aspect Ratio: Full frame (1.33:1)

• Sound: English (2.0)

• Supplements: Liner notes

• Region 1

[edit] Controversy

This movie became one of the most controversial films in the Godzilla franchise. Shortly after the film's release in Japan, a cable news channel in the United States ran a lengthy story about the film's alleged anti-American sentiments. Scenes of US soldiers being killed by the Godzillasaurus were shown on the network, and the plot featuring evil Westerners from the future was debated. Director Kazuki Omori, however, defended his artistic decision on camera, arguing that the film was not in fact meant to be anti-American. Economic tensions between East and West were high at that time, and the negative publicity was very much a sign of the times.^[5]

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

• Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah at the Internet Movie Database
• Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah at Allmovie
• Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah at Rotten Tomatoes