King Kong vs. Godzilla
Movie, 1962, Showa era, Set in Mount Fuji
King Kong vs. Godzilla is #3 of 35 in release order and #3 of 35 in chronological order in the Godzilla.
The story
The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.
King Kong vs. Godzilla recap
Mr. Tako, head of a drug company unhappy with the ratings of the TV show it sponsors, sends Osamu Sakurai and Kinsaburo Furue to Faro Island to capture a giant monster for publicity. There King Kong defeats a giant octopus, drinks a narcotic berry juice and falls asleep, and they float him toward Japan on a raft. Meanwhile a submarine strikes an iceberg and frees Godzilla, frozen since 1955, and it heads for Japan. Kong wakes, breaks loose and meets Godzilla, but retreats when Godzilla burns him. The army's pit trap and million-volt power lines stop Godzilla, but Kong tears through the lines, gets stronger from the electricity, and carries Osamu's sister Fumiko up the National Diet Building in Tokyo. Gas from the berry juice puts Kong to sleep, and the government decides to set the two monsters against each other.
King Kong vs. Godzilla ending explained
Kong and Godzilla fight to a standstill, and only Kong comes back up. Balloons carry the sleeping Kong to Mount Fuji, where Godzilla has the upper hand until lightning recharges Kong. They tumble down the mountain, smash Atami Castle and fall off a cliff into the sea. Kong surfaces and swims home toward his island; Godzilla does not appear, though the soldiers say it may still be alive.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Ratings
IMDb 6.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes 52%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Godzilla Raids Again, before Mothra vs. Godzilla.
- Chronological order: after Godzilla Raids Again, before Mothra vs. Godzilla.
What to watch before King Kong vs. Godzilla
In release order, the essentials before King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) are Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla Raids Again (1955).
Cast
- Tadao Takashima as Osamu Sakurai
- Kenji Sahara as Kazuo Fujita
- Yū Fujiki as Kinzaburo Furue
- Ichirō Arishima as Director Tako
- Jun Tazaki as General of the JSDF Eastern Army
- Akihiko Hirata as Dr. Shosuke Shigezawa
- Mie Hama as Fumiko Sakurai
- Akiko Wakabayashi as Tamiye
- Akemi Negishi as Chikiro's Mother
- Yoshio Kosugi as Chief of Faro Island
- Yoshibumi Tajima as Captain of the Shinsei-Maru No. 2
- Ikio Sawamura as Witch Doctor
Directed by Ishirō Honda.