YES - THIS IS A VERY SILLY MOVIE - BUT -- -- --

IN A NUTSHELL: KING KONG VS. GODZILLA ISN'T CITIZEN KANE!

In 1962, having grown tired of the high-brow features [from a 7-year-old's perspective] that my much older sister insisted on taking me to see such as "Around The World In 80 Days" and "Lawrence of Arabia", I allowed my older brother to select this guilty pleasure for us to see on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

I must admit that this really seemed dumbed-down, even at the time, to me - a 7 year old. However, I appreciated the format of this film which was similar to my favorite, "Godzilla: KING OF THE MONSTERS", 1956, in that it had an American narrator in the guise of satellite newscaster Eric Carter [Michael Keith]. Carter kept us informed of what was going on in a rather understandable news format while the rest of the film progressed, obviously and comically dubbed-in.

VERY BIG MONSTERS ON THE VERY BIG SCEEN:

Back in 1962 there were no multiplex theatres, so essentially the neighborhood theatre had by today's standards an awesomely large and wide screen -- about 70 feet wide was average. In this setting, the men wearing monster costumes were much larger than life and this film looked much more IN YOUR FACE than today on the small TV screen. Even the dubbing was really comical when you were looking at people's mouths moving on a 70-foot-wide screen. What I am saying is simple -- this was entertainment in the comic book style, very suitable as a change of pace for a youngster.

Epic in scale if not style, I recall vividly the scene where King Kong made Godzilla eat a tree as well as the scenes where they were running over the vast Japanese urban landscape, crushing the pagoda-like structures as they went. What was great about this film was essentially the impact it had on the moviegoer who was confronted with the awesome scale of the monsters, greatly augmented by the huge screen and sound system.

Today, seeing this film on Video, the faults of the film are glaring. No longer is this a visceral, in-your-face, "Wow, these are jumbo monsters!" type of epic. Instead, it all looks like cheap miniaturizations of an urban Asian landscape with men in rubber monster suits thrown in. Instead of a ground-shaking seismic event when the two clashed, today on video it looks like a second-rate wrestling match between drunken rank amateurs. I can recall feeling exhilirated during the film as I watched the huge screen, wide-eyed and very aware that it was a short film --too short for me in 1962. Now it seems far away, dragged out, pointless and plotless.

45 YEARS AGO THIS KIND OF FILM WORKED:

Simply stated, 45 years ago, this type of loud, larger than life, in-your-face, plotless monster epic, was a thriller. Really: I kid you not! The sceen was bigger, there was no CGI, and Steven Spielberg had not made Jurassic Park. Now, when I see toy miniature radar models and silly looking rubber dinosaurs I always think of this film.

BOTTOM LINE: TIMES HAVE CHANGED

This type of film is pretty awful today. Either we have become spoiled or our tastes have improved, but in any event this film just fails to impress by today's standards. In a way, this seems sad to me, as though something has been lost. Fortunately, we do have dinosaur alternatives that are quite excellent.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING:

-----*- "CHASED BY DINOSAURS"
-----*- "JURASSIC PARK"
-----*- "GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS"

This movie is a peice of trash!

Dont listen to the stupid review that says fight to the finish! That kids a moron! Trust me, this movie sucks! And yes, the 1976 version way better than this piece of Crap! Anyone with brains, knows that the production crew bit the dust on this one!


(...)

Fight to the finish!!

I saw this movie and it was aswome.Two of my favorite monsters in one film!!!How cool is that!I was not very impreased with King Kong Escapes though.If you are a fan of Godzilla or King Kong or both(such as me)then get this!P.S.don't listen to the kid that said get the 1976 version insted of this.That one sucked! This one doesn't.