Product Details

• Actors: Michael Keith, Mie Hama
• Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: September 15, 2009
• Run Time: 91 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000P24FAE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,982 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

The two mightiest monsters of all time battle in the thrilling adventure classic, King Kong vs. Godzilla. When an underhanded pharmaceutical company goes to a remote tropical island to steal King Kong for advertising purposes, they get more than they bargained for when the gigantic ape attacks an unsuspecting village and an enormous octopus. Meanwhile, far below the sea, a submarine crew unleashes reptilian terror when they melt a block of ice and release the ferocious Godzilla from his icy lair. When both destructive monsters descend on Tokyo, it's a fight that holds the future of mankind in the balance in this knock-out film that was the first theatrical release to bring its larger-than-life contenders to the big screen in glorious color.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A silly fun fun hour and a half, September 3, 2008

By 

Graves (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: King Kong vs. Godzilla (DVD)

I am always amused when people say this is a terrible movie. I want to ask "What were you expecting? The title is `King Kong vs. Godzilla' not `King Lear.'" It is a movie with two guys in rubber suits or giant puppets tap dancing on a model Tokyo and beating the snot out of each other. There is no great philosophical debate going on. There is no look into the human soul for answers or guilt.

When I was a little kid there were lots of movies like this. If I was lucky I'd catch them on channel 9 in NYC on a Saturday afternoon, and this was always the best. This was the one that my brother and I would get most excited about.

The model Kong lacks the realism of the original RKO ape, yeah I know think about that phrase, and this Godzilla lacks the cinematic art and sadness of that monster's theatrical debut, but this film still has its moments. From here came a wide number of increasingly cheesy monster movies but this was its birth. And for plot and development this was the best of them.

It tries to be self consistent and for the most part it succeeds, though I will admit to laughing out loud when people are told to evacuate a bullet train because Godzilla is heading right for them. The conductor vainly says "Don't panic" and I want to say "What else is there to do?"

If you are looking for great acting, plots or heck even FX this is sooo not for you. However if you love this genre or like me, you have fond memories of the Japanese rubber suit movies, then this is a gem for your collection

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AND IN THIS CORNER!...........!, October 29, 2009

By 

! MR. KNOW IT ALL ;-b "DR SHOCK" (TRI STATE AREA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: King Kong vs. Godzilla (DVD)

Who can resist that title?! This is another very entertaining entry in the Godzilla series. This is the first Kong film produced by ToHo, but I think King Kong Escapes is a much funnier film. The Kong costumes are quite different in the two films with this Kong looking more evil and the other looking more cute. I'm sure the Rankin & bass influence in "Escapes" could be behind that.

This film has plenty of action and some great and hilarious fight scenes. The special effect and miniatures are also some of the better in most cases, but there are some goofy looking effects here and there.(i.e. the plastic wrap on the octopus to make it look wet whenever Kong is holding it.)

There are some inconsistencies in the folk lore of these two titans such as Godzilla and King Kong's size difference and Kong getting stronger with lightning, but who cares?.... this is a battle royal and it is a real hoot once we get to the big brawl!

I give this film 5 stars for its fun factor and because it is full of hysterical action sequences. If you're a fan of Godzilla and these types of films this is a real treat! My review is for the older release that was available in a two pack with King Kong Escapes. I don't know if the newer edition has added anything to warrant buying it as I can not find any info about it. This is usually not a good sign and I suspect it to be the same DVD with a new cover.

This older DVD has a very clean DVD transfer and it is in widescreen, but there are no extras at all, not even a trailer! Buy the two pack and enjoy these are both really funny films!

28 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars 1 star for the DVD release - not the film. A waste of money - only includes the American theater version, not the Japanese, September 17, 2009

By 

Cleve (Western NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: King Kong vs. Godzilla (DVD)

Save your money, Godzilla fans. This is a mediocre DVD effort by Universal. The print is a nice copy, and it looks good. That's the only positives I'll give it. I've been spoiled by the wonderful Toho Master Collection releases by Classic Media over the last few years. Those movies include both the original Japanese version and the American theatrical release, along with some interesting still galleries, trailers, and insightful commentaries.

This DVD only includes the American version, which is hugely disappointing. Even worse, this is a no-frills DVD. No special features, no expert commentary, no nothing. The menu is "Watch Movie" "Languages" and "Scene Selections". Nothing else. I pre-ordered this one on the hopes that perhaps it was mis-labeled at Amazon. Sadly, it isn't.

I would have gladly paid a few extra dollars for a decent DVD of this film which included all the aforementioned content. Only buy this one if you really, really want a nice looking DVD copy of the American version and nothing else.