Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) [Tokusatsu Review]

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah; or, There Can Only Be One
     I nearly died on Lagos Island, along with my entire Garrison, but the dinosaur saved us all. Now, all of that prosperity I built is now being destroyed by the same dinosaur at this moment, and there’s nothing I can do about it. Very ironic, don't you think?
It has been a while since Godzilla, the one and only King of the Monsters, was discussed on this blog. In view of the recent release of Shin Ultraman and the news that Toho is actually making a new Godzilla movie, I am back in the Tokusatsu mode again and decided it would be fitting to finally come round and complete my reviews of all Japanese Godzilla flicks. A daunting task for sure, and some reviewers I follow and respect already undertook this endeavour, but still, I feel I should explore the heart of Godzilla on my own and provide my personal take on the nearly 70-year-old franchise. For this reason, I would like to talk today about my favourite Goji-movie of all time, especially in view of the recent passing of director Kazuki Omori; that is, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

Release Info

Directed by: Kazuki Omori Starring: Isao Toyohara, Anna Nakagawa, Megumi Odaka

Language: Japanese Original Title: ゴジラ対キングギドラ Runtime: 103 min

Synopsis
Tokyo, 1991. An unidentified flying object appears on the Tokyo skyline. The Japanese government is afraid that this may be an alien invasion, but it turns out that the mysterious visitors are people who travelled back in time from the 23rd century. They claim that in their time period Godzilla led to total annihilation of Japan, and the only way to stop the monster is to prevent its origin. A joint research team comprised of Emi Kanno (Anna Nakagawa), an android M-11 (Robert Scott Field), a freelance journalist Terasawa (Isao Toyohara), Dr Masaaki (Katsuhiko Sasaki), and Miki Saegusa (Megumi Odaka) jumps in time to the year 1944 and carries out the difficult task. Godzilla has been wiped out from existence, but his monstrous reign has been taken over by King Ghidorah. Now, humanity's only hope is to bring back the Big G.

Days of Future Past
After the release of Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), the Toho Studios found themselves in a slump with the series. According to Steve Ryfle’s book Japan’s Favorite Mon-star: The Unathorized Biography of Godzilla (1998), Godzilla vs. Biollante was the most expensive production of the franchise at the time of its making, but modest box office performance ultimately made the studio loose 3 million yen on the picture. After two (if counting The Return of Godzilla from 1984) so-so attempts to jumpstart the franchise, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka made a decision to appeal to the fans’ nostalgia. Therefore, Godzilla was to be pitted against his arch-nemesis from the Showa era, King Ghidorah.

Scripting and directorial duties were once again given to Kazuki Omori, the man who cooked up Godzilla vs. Biollante. However, this time Omori put less emphasis on the human drama. Instead, he cranked up the science-fiction aspect to the max, and also added his personal commentary on (or rather critique of) Bubble Era Japan’s international relations.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is often regarded by fans and ordinary movie enthusiasts as the underwhelming entry of the Heisei series, primarily due to its convoluted plot concerning time travel. Steve Ryfle obliterates the movie’s plot in his book in a very shallow and condescending way, repeating many claims from viewers who did not pay attention while watching the film. In fact, if you watch the film while having fresh in mind the events of other Heisei series instalments, the events of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah do make sense, and the film adds more context to the mythos of the Big G and his arch-nemesis in a very bold and straightforward manner that was only outmatched by the grandeur of the original Gojira (1954) and Shin Gojira (2016).

What I am getting at is that I love in this movie all the elements that are oftentimes perceived by critics of this film as campy: time travel, a Terminator-like android, countdown to a big explosion, Godzilla originating from a dinosaur, King Ghidorah originating from kawaii squishy Gremlin-like creatures called Dorats, Mecha-King Ghidorah. The list goes on! Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is a wild, escapist fun that takes itself seriously only at certain places.

These places are obviously Omori’s own thoughts about the leading role of Japan on an international stage. The period of the 1980s indeed seemed as the time of Japan’s economic dominance, but this prospect was clearly gone with the wind by the year 1991. Omori not highlights the ever troubling issue of Japan’s resentment of nuclear weapons (Big G actually destroys a nuclear sub to regain his strength), but the director also underlines heavy preoccupation of the Japanese with rampant consumerism and lavish lifestyle, which may ultimately lead to disastrous consequences.

This is perfectly reflected in an emotional confrontation scene between Godzilla on the loose and a war veteran Shindo (now a prosperous businessman who took part in rebuilding Japan). This scene alone is a wonderful stand out in an entire franchise, which not only ties Godzilla to the people of Japan, but turns the monster into a token of warning against authority power and mindless accumulation of wealth (see Godzilla’s destruction of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in the film’s finale).

Speaking about special effects, the practical stuff, miniatures, monster fights, and cell animation helmed by the late Koichi Kawakita are simply outstanding. The production design, especially of the Futurians’ ship, is beautiful to look at as well. One has to appreciate the dedication of the Toho team in the modern age filled with computer-generated images. What is more, Akira Ifukube himself was brought back to the franchise as the film’s composer after 16 years of break. I have already outlined my thoughts on Ifukube’s compositions in my series of blog articles last year, but allow me to say here that I adore the music score for Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Indeed, Maestro Ifukube may have reused a lot of old compositions, but these fit so well with this picture, especially the action themes reappropriated from Godzilla vs. King Kong (1962).

With regard to performances, Isao Toyohara does a decent job as the male lead. Megumi Odaka reprises her role of Miki Saegusa from Godzilla vs. Biollante. She already gained experience on the set of the previous film, so she perfectly knew how to react to monster fights that were added later in post-production. The late Anna Nakagawa is also memorable as Emi Kanno, the mysterious lady from the future who ultimately joins the good guys and becomes a pilot of Mecha-King Ghidorah. Robert Scott Field is a joy to watch as an android M-11 in action. The supporting role of Shindo played by Tokusatsu veteran Yoshio Tsuchiya is also a welcomed addition.

Contrary to some misleading info on the net, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah did become a success at the Japanese box office and managed to reinvigorate an interest in the franchise. For a brief period of time, Toho even considered making a direct sequel to the film titled Counterattack of Ghidorah, but the plans fell through in favour of brining back another familiar monster from Godzilla’s lore (Mothra). Unfortunately, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah was released on VHS and subsequently on DVD in the West with a crappy English dubbing that really sucked excitement out of the viewing experience. If you want to enjoy the film in its original, unabridged form, then you have to rely either on the Japanese DVD or Blu-Ray release.

Recommendations
All things considered, I will never forget the time over 20 years ago when I sat down in front of TV and watched my first Godzilla movie: this movie. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah may be bonkers to some, but still, it is positively charged with action and science fiction vibes. What is more, it is one of the few movies in the franchise that served as an inspiration for Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) blockbuster. The legacy of this Heisei era movie continues to live on. Please refer to an epic fan-made trailer below to experience the visuals on your own.Overall score: 10/10

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