Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (Gojira tai Kingu Gidorâ) (2003)

63% of users liked it
(3,491 ratings)

The intricately plotted 18th Godzilla film involves time-travel to a remote island in 1944, Terminator 2-type cyborgs, and cute bat-mites called Dorats merging to form Ghidorah, who is killed by Godzilla in 1992 and resurrected as a half-metal flying machine to put down the big lizard. There's a… More The intricately plotted 18th Godzilla film involves time-travel to a remote island in 1944, Terminator 2-type cyborgs, and cute bat-mites called Dorats merging to form Ghidorah, who is killed by Godzilla in 1992 and resurrected as a half-metal flying machine to put down the big lizard. There's a lisping American commander aided by a "Major Spielberg," references to Tetsuo and Peter Arnett, and time-traveling villains out to keep Japan from becoming the world's most powerful economic force. The cluttered plot doesn't hurt the film much, as nearly everything else in this episode is a throwback to the Godzilla films of 30 years ago. There are still colossal battles between men in ratty monster suits and mysterious secret agents plotting to take over the world. The effects quality hasn't improved in the slightest, the theme music is the same, and the man playing Ghidorah appears to be wearing the original suit from 1964. These are, of course, positives for those who love the old films more than the big-budget remake. The fight scenes are fun, the M-11 cyborg is laughably silly, and the metal Ghidorah is impressive. Overall, this is a hokey but entertaining addition to the series, which continued with Gojira Tai Supeisugojira (1994). ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Kazuki Omori
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Horror, Art House & International, Science Fiction & Fantasy

On DVD: Feb 1, 2000

Critic Reviews

Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Rubber Suit City once again. For 'Zillians only.
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
A guy in a monster suit destroys stuff. Fun!

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Christopher H

A bit confusing but an otherwise enjoyable entry into the Godzilla franchise. After "Godzilla vs. Biollante" underperformed, Toho decided to have Godzilla fight his classic nemesis, King Ghidorah. This decision was made to give the movie more market value. The story has a… More
A bit confusing but an otherwise enjoyable entry into the Godzilla franchise. After "Godzilla vs. Biollante" underperformed, Toho decided to have Godzilla fight his classic nemesis, King Ghidorah. This decision was made to give the movie more market value. The story has a cheesy but intriguing plot regarding time travel. The time travel element takes the audience back in time to witness Godzilla's origins. It is pretty fascinating seeing what Godzilla was like before he mutated. The time travel element is the movies weak point because it causes a lot of paradoxes within the story. It's impossible to make a plot-hole free time travel story, but the script could have been better. Aside from the confusing time travel element, the story is decently paced and the human characters are easy to attach to. There are some great moments of comedy, not unintentional humor, but intentional humor. The monster action is pretty good, even though it is a little static, but the ending battle between Godzilla and Mecha-Ghidorah is a great battle that makes the whole film worth viewing.
Luke B

Godzilla and time travel fumble around with each other in an enjoyable but confusing entry. It mostly confuses because the time travel plot doesn't make much sense. Why do the aliens just move Godzilla? Who knows. It's great to see a bit more origin, even if it doesn't… More
Godzilla and time travel fumble around with each other in an enjoyable but confusing entry. It mostly confuses because the time travel plot doesn't make much sense. Why do the aliens just move Godzilla? Who knows. It's great to see a bit more origin, even if it doesn't all add up. There are some excellent comedic scenes, aided by some hammy acting. The scene with a Mr. Spielberg is a great laugh out loud moment. The war scenes are a little something new, and the anti Americanism has been blown out of proportion. One of the characters even says that the dinosaur was just protecting its island. Ghidorah soon makes an appearance, and there's even more fun to be had with Mecha-Ghidorah. This was a jump back into the cheesiness of earlier films, but after the undeserved failure of the previous installment, that was to be expected.
Steven V

Gets a few extra points for the unintentional humor. Music and special effects are the high-light here. The plot is awesome.
Juan C

yes it can get good, but it will get boring. C-
Anthony V

A low point in the 90's series, becomes a bit too silly at times, contrasting with attempted realism of the rest of the entries.
Christopher B

Awesome in it's pure cheesiness. I love Ghidorah's origin story, Mr. Speilberg and the Terminator. I love this film.