Gojira vs. Kingu Gidorâ (1991)

Director:

Kazuki Omori

Writer:

Kazuki Omori (writer)

Release Date:

14 December 1991 (Japan)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Plot:

Time travelers use Godzilla in their scheme to destroy Japan to prevent the country's future economic reign.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Dinosaur | Sequel | Monster | Helicopter

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kosuke Toyohara	...	Kenichiro Terasawa
Anna Nakagawa	...	Emmy Kano
Megumi Odaka	...	Miki Saegusa
Katsuhiko Sasaki	...	Professor Mazaki
Akiji Kobayashi	...	Yuzo Tsuchiashi
Tokuma Nishioka	...	Takehito Fujio
Yoshio Tsuchiya	...	Businessman Yasuaki Shindo
Kenji Sahara	...	Minister Takayuki Segawa
Kôichi Ueda	...	Ikehata, the mad old soldier
Sô Yamamura	...	Prime Minister
Yasunori Yuge	...	Army Chief
Kiwako Harada	...	Chiaki Moriyuma
Kenpachiro Satsuma	...	Gojira
'Hurricane Ryu' Hariken	...	Kingugidora
Chuck Wilson	...	Chuck Wilson

Also Known As:

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

103 min | USA:100 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:PG (2006) | Germany:12 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Kyushu, Japan

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

In the US-dubbed version, when the time travelers arrive in February 1944, a US Navy officer sees their spacecraft, but his commander dismisses the possibility of a UFO; the commander then says, "You can tell your son about when he's born, Spielberg." This is an obvious reference to Steven Spielberg, whose father Arnold served in the war and whose war stories inspired the frequent WWII settings of his films.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Ghidorah is jumping on a downed Godzilla during the fight scene, you can clearly see that Ghidorah's foot bends as he lands on Godzilla. This shows that he was made of some sort of rubber (which also explains the lack of leg movement as he jumps.)

Quotes:

Kenichiro Terasawa: You say that you feel Godzilla?
Miki Saegusa: Yes whenever I close my eyes, I see him as clearly as if he was walking right in front of me.

Movie Connections:

Spin off Godzilla: Save the Earth (2004) (VG)

decent entertainment

This was the second Godzilla movie I ever saw and it was the first of them that really got me interested in Godzilla. I just loved the climatic battles between Godzilla and King Ghidorah and the terrific music score by Akira Ifukube.

It also has a very decent and well-crafted plot. It was directed by the same man who directed the classic "Godzilla vs. Biollante" and I often consider him to be one of the best low-budget Japanese directors ever. There was plenty of action, the human part of the story was actually very interesting. At a few points, the plot made some turns that were hard to understand. I had to watch a few dialogue scenes a couple of times to get the idea. Of course, it is possible that the American distributors just cut out the important parts of the storyline as they usually do with Godzilla films.

Special effects-wise, for its time, it's impressive. Not as good as the Oscar-winning effects in Terminator 2 (also made in 1991), but acceptable. The radioactive heat rays, laser beams, and King Ghidorah's gravity lightning bolts were somewhat realistic. And I just loved the effects used in Godzilla's raid on the city of Sapporo, where he fought against a squadron of laser-tanks. That's my favorite part of the movie.