Though this is an old movie, I still remember it, King Kong vs. Godzilla [1962]. I did want to see it again, since it was 55 years ago and was great to see how it was made, and enjoyed to see again from so long again. They don't make movies like this any more!

Godzilla versus King Kong is one of the best movies of all time. Although a lot of people think that Godzilla last and other people say that it was a draw nonetheless this movie is a great watch

This is 60s era godzilla at its best. If you have yet to see it and are a fan of the franchise its time to change that.

In 1962, Godzilla’s creator, director Ishiro Honda, pit his iconic creation against cinema’s other great beast in KING KONG VS GODZILLA. At this point, the cheese factor is pretty high, but the film retains a certain power due in large part to the respect given to both icons. Even if you’re not someone that tolerates camp, and I generally don’t, this is still a fun and breezy flick. When a submarine is sunk by a newly awakened Godzilla, the authorities are desperate to keep him from laying waste to Japan. A possible solution is presented when rumors of a giant beast existing on a island populated by a primitive native tribe reach scientists. It’s not long before King Kong is kidnapped from his island paradise and placed directly in Godzilla’s path. My main issues with the film are the pacing, which often lingers too long with human characters that we don’t really care about and the King Kong suit looks pretty shabby to modern eyes. The forced perspective rear screen projection also comes across as fairly hokey. Of course, these last two quibbles are mostly a product of their time and the budget. On the other hand, I just looked up the budget and it was a meager $200,000 so in some ways, the film is relatively impressive from that perspective. Despite these minor problems, the film is still very enjoyable. The fight sequences are engaging and thrilling despite their shortfalls and it looks like every effort was made to make a polished picture, worthy of these legendary characters. The story is essentially a melding of the original Kong story from 1933 onto the typical Godzilla framework. It’s an easy approach but it works. That they threw in a giant octopus is just bonus. The octopus fight is appropriately slimy and cool, too. The city stomping action, while not as advanced as what was presented in my recently watched GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA, is nevertheless fun and grin inducing. Ishiro Honda delivers a mostly titanic tussle in KING KONG VS GODZILLA. This blu ray is the heavily altered American version so I’m curious what changes were made, although I’m sure the newsman who essentially narrated the interludes is one. Clearly showing its age, even against newer man-in-suit Godzilla films, this flick still possesses the ability to entertain. If you can forgive some dated effects and are patient enough to get through some of the human sequences, you’ll be rewarded with a battle between icons that’s probably the best that a ‘60s era production could muster. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming American big budget rematch fairs against its low budget predecessor. Recommended with caveats.

Classic movie from the 1960's. VHS version was great and helped visuals with televisions that paired well with VHS. Bluray version is very clear on a full HD television, but VHS version looked great years ago.