What’s in the Hopper?

More Robocop news. It is being reported that RoboCopis being pushed back until 2014. The movie is in production right now and its original release date was August 9, 2013. Elysium, a science fiction film starring Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Wagner Moura, Alice Braga and Diego Luna will take that release date instead. No news was given to why it was pushed back. Sometimes things like this are a sign of trouble with the film…but not always. Speaking of Robocop, the London Daily Mail has released pictures of Robocop on his motorcycle. I do have to say I like the look. Not much in the news today folks.

I recently did some art work so today I will share my picture of a monster/dragon I drew.

 

 

Marvel’s The Avengers Review

I finally bought my copy of Marvel’s The Avengers. I try not to buy DVDs without seeing the movie first. I used to do that thinking I was sure I would like a certain movie, only to have discovered I really didn’t care for it. So with the Avengers I took a risk and bought it without seeing the movie first…and I loved it. It is, in my opinion, the best super hero movie ever made. Prior to this movie I though Iron man was the best super hero movie ever made. This movie garnered a 92% rating on rottentomattoes.com and made $623,357,910 at the domestic box office and $888,400,000 for a grand world wide total of worldwide of $1,511,757,910. Pretty impressive numbers all around.

I find it ironic how much I like the Avengers given that I was a DC snob as a kid. Sure, I liked the Hulk, Spider-Man and Thor as a kid but only a little bit and hardly ever read their comics. When the Dark Knight came out in 2008 I liked it alright but I liked Iron Man, which came out the same year, much better. This year the Avengers came out the same years as the sequel to the Dark Knight (The Dark Knight Rises) and even though I will buy that movie sight unseen, I figure I will more than likely like the Avengers that much more. Yes, it is that good.

Now for the review: The film was written and directed by Joss Whedon and stars an ensemble cast including Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Clark Gregg, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson. Each and everyone of them has their moment to shine and these moments are interwoven into the story in a natural way and it never feels forced like they were giving each character their obligatory moment in the spotlight.

This movie does tie into the previous films that set up this movie. It is important to have seen Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Captain America and Thor. Each of those movies sets up the characters and their back story. Thor especially ties into this movie as his brother, Loki, played marvelously well by Tom Hiddleston is the main antagonist in the film. Mark Ruffalo, played Dr. Banner, taking over in the role from Edward Norton. I had heard that Ruffalo stole the show and I would agree. I think Ruffalo played Dr. Banner more in a relaxed and playful style rather than Norton’s almost depressed and desperate interpretation of the character. That really isn’t a criticism of Norton’s portrayal. His acting was just fine. In that movie we see Banner still struggling with his “inner rage monster” and in this movie we see Banner at peace with the monster that lies within. I just prefer the more relaxed and playful style that Ruffalo depicted.

I do have to contrast this with the Nolan Batman movies for a moment. While the story of the Batman movies are gripping they lack any sunlight and joy. The Avengers, on the other other hand, also tells a gripping story but it also has a good deal of its humor and light moments. This humor seems natural and is not played solely for laughs. While Batman tries to be realistic…with a premise that Batman exists in the real world…the Avengers is a comic book come to life. Great special effects, superb special effects I should add, but it never tries to play as if it is in the real world. I think that element of telling a good story but staying in a world that isn’t real works better than gritty realism. Watch, the Superman movie next year may be more gritty realism and I will probability like that. All I know is that gritty realism won’t work well for the Avengers.

Another important aspect to the story is the fact that as the heroes are assembling to meet the challenge of Loki, who as stolen the tesserat, a cube that will open a gateway to another dimension, there is a great deal of infighting distrust and suspicion amongst the heroes. After they figure out it is Loki himself that is causing these divisions they all come together to fight not only Loki but the army that he has unleashed from this other dimension. As the Avengers come together in this final and epic battle in New York City all hell breaks loose.

This movie has it all. Action, adventure, heroism a lot of heart as well as brains. I have already watched it three times so far. Soon I will have to do a marathon of all the movies leading up to this one and then will top the marathon off with another delightful helping of The Avengers. Sequels to Thor and Iron Man are being made now and the sequel to the Avengers is in pre-production. I can’t wait for the saga to continue!

 

The movies of Steven Spielberg: Part III

This will be my last look at the science-fiction fantasy movies of Steven Spielberg. Today I will examine the Indiana Jones franchise. I would call the Indiana Jones franchise fantasy films because of their dealing with both aliens and the supernatural.

This franchise was the coming together of two Über-Geeks, Steven Speilberg and George Lucas. The series stars Harrison Ford and with his appearance in the Star Wars saga along with this franchise he became certified superstar and his career took off. There are four films in the franchise and I own three of them.

Lucas said that these movies were an homage to the old serial films of the 30s and 40s. One of the things I really enjoy about them is that aspect of these movies. There is a lot of Errol Flynn in Indiana Jones. These movies are a lot of escapist fun and do not take themselves too seriously.

I think Spielberg really captured that sense of adventure in this franchise. Even though the last movie came out a couple of years ago, I can only imagine that if this franchise had been pitched to studios today we would find a much darker and grittier Indiana Jones. Hollywood is all about realism and the dark and gritty.

I know that many people did not like the newer movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Some complained about the addition of aliens, which I liked and some complained that some of the events were too far fetched…like the time when Jones hid in the refrigerator during a nuclear blast and then to have that fridge catapulted miles away with Jones walking out unscathed. I loved that scene! That scene has produced a new saying “nuked the fridge” which, along with “jump the shark” now signifies the moment when a franchise has declined beyond the point of no return.

I really do not think the movie was that bad. I found the second movie, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, a prequel to the first movie, much worse. It just doesn’t work for me. With apologies to Mr. Spielberg the character played by his future wife, Kate Capshaw, was whinny and annoying. The addition of the kid, shortround, was not much better either. I do have to say though that the action scenes were very memorable and eating monkey brains never looked tastier!

My favorite of the franchise is the third movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I love European history so the fact that this touches upon the crusades and other aspects of European history are fascinating. My favorite though the casting of Sean Connery as Indy’s father. Casting brilliance in my opinion!

In conclusion to the works of Steven Spielberg I would have to say he is my favorite director working today. He has made very memorable timeless classics in the genre I enjoy so much. Long may he continue to do so and grace us all with his genius.

Here is an added bonus. I will include this link to some of the behind the scenes of the first Jurassic Park movie and how they animated and used suits for the Raptors. I think you will enjoy it.

https://www.stanwinstonschool.com/blog/jurassic-park-evolution-of-a-raptor-suit

More Halloween Movie Recommendations

We are half way through the month and there are more Halloween movies to recommend. I am going with two fun movies this week. Beetlejuice and Van Helsing.

Beetlejuice was directed by Tim Burton and even though I am not a real big fan of his, I think this is by far my favorite movie of his. This is a movie that just gels well together. All of the ingredients come together for a very funny movie. The cast is excellent, Michael Keaton is outstanding as the title character, Winona Ryder is great as the Gothic teen. This movie came out 24 years ago and has aged very well. It doesn’t seem dated one bit. The first meeting with Beetlejuice in the model is particularly hysterical. Still all these years later I am quoting the lines from this movie. Even though it is a comedy Burton adds a touch of creepiness to he tone of the movie. I think that is what makes the movie so good. It successfully marries the two elements of horror, in the form of a mild creepy tone and comedy. That is not easy to do. I just watched this yesterday and I do recommend you slip this movie into your DVD player.

The second movie I want to recommend is Van Helsing. The movie did so-so at the box office, and has a rotten rating of 23% at rotten tomattoes.com. Don’t let thaq fool ya, I really enjoy this movie. The movie was directed by Stephen Sommers and stars Hugh Jackman as vigilante monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, and Kate Beckinsale. The movie is correctly described as an action-horror movie and as Beetlejuice shows it is not always easy to combine genres. The movie is heavy in CGI and I think that has a large part in setting the tone of the movie. With the CGI you have a less than real setting and characters (many monsters are rendered in CGI) which give the feeling of a movie that is not too serious. Even the main Character, Van Helsing, is more like the Indiana Jones of vampire hunters. So I see that this movie is all in good fun. There is a nice panoply of Universal Studios monsters which this movie feels like more of an homage to, so many of the characters will be familiar. Another fun movie to play this Halloween season.

 

Godzilla vs Mothra: Battle for Earth. 1992

With the great success of Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah Toho rushed into production its sequel. In many ways this movie is a remake of Godzilla vs the Thing. It reintroduces Mothra in this new continuity and has similar elements. Akira Ifukube returns to grace us with his musical genius and legendary Godzilla actor Akira Takarada makes his first apperance in a Heisei series Godzilla film. He starred in several Godzilla films from the Showa era including the original 1954 movie. The twin fairies who often accompany Mothra are present in this film, although they were called the Shobijin during the Showa era, in this movie they are refereed to as “the Cosmos.”

The movie begins with a meteor striking the earth that results in both waking up Godzilla, who is very cranky without his morning coffee, and also uncovering a giant egg on Infant Island. We also see, an man named Takuya stealing an artifact from a cave suspiciously dressed like Indiana Jones including the Whip! He narrowly escapes disaster in true Indiana Jones style. He is arrested once he escapes the cave he is in and he is confronted with a proposition: His ex-wife, Masako, along with members of the Marutomo Corporation, have have persuaded the authorities to release him to help investigate the egg on Infant Island.

It is on Infant Island that Takuya, Masako and Andoh come across the egg and the twin fairies calling themselves the Cosmos. The Cosmos explain that an ancient civilization created the monsters Mothra and Battra (Mothra’s evil twin) and that Mothra once defeated Battra in a war that also destroyed this ancient civilization. As Takuya, Masako and Andoh are bringing the giant egg back to the Japanese mainland Godzilla arrives just as the Mothra larva hatches. Then Battra also shows up and a fight between Godzilla and Battra occurs and Mothra escapes.

Andoh is upset that the egg has hatched and fears that his bosses at the Marutomo Corporation will be upset. In order to bring something back to his bosses Andoh steals the Cosmos. Mothra then heads to Japan looking for the Cosmos and causes great destruction. Takauya steals the Cosmos from Andoh and is reunited with his ex-wife Masako and their daughter and he pledges that he will turn his life around. Just at this point the Japanese Defense Force attacks Mothra who begins to spin herself into a cocoon.

Godzilla then returns to Japan just as Mothra breaks out of her cocoon and appears in her final and familiar form. We also see Battra spontaneously transforming into his final form. Mothra and Battra team up and begin to fight Godzilla. As they defeat him Mothra and Battra fly Godzilla out to sea but not before Godzilla roasts Battra with his atomic plasma breath killing him. As Godzilla and Battra fall into the seas Mothra returns to an airport run way where they explain that in 1999 a meteor will destroy the earth and that Battra was sent to destroy the meteor. The Cosmos does reassure everyone that Mothra will take over Battara’s job and save the earth from the meteor when its time.

This is not a bad movie, neither is it spectacular. I think it is much better than the latter Showa movies but I would say it is an average Heisei series movie. It certainly is not the worse of the Heisei series that comes soon. The story is enjoyable and the characters are certainly likable. Even Takuya, who is the thief we see robbing the cave at the start is snot really painted as your typical bad guy. But things like stealing the Cosmos was done in another movie so some of the elements of this movie are things we have seen before. Also, it is great to see Akira Takarada in another Godzilla movie he is not given much to do at all. He is in scenes with the prime minister and we seem them only standing around complaining and wringing their hands about how awful everything is.

Godzilla looks pretty menacing in this movie and is designed the same as he was from the last movie. Although this design is not my favorite I like the menacing aspect of his look throughout this series as it is preferable over the cartoon look he developed in the later Showa series. There are some scenes of Battra causing destruction and in the foreground we see people running. These effects around scenes like this are much better than they were in the 60s and they really give you the perspective of scale these monster have.

All-in-all a good entry in the franchise even though it really isn’t offering anything too new. Battra, as Mothra’s evil twin, is a good creative idea and I wouldn’t mind seeing him in another movie. I do enjoy popping this DVD into the player every now and then, like I did last night in order to review this movie, so if you have never seen it I would recommend it.

 I rate this movie: B

What is in the hopper?

What is in the hopper this week? Here are some new shots from the Robocop reboot. I am actually liking the look of this new suit and I think once we see it on the big screen it will look even better.

Development hell!!

Here is an example of development hell. I recently reviewed the 1970s sci-fi classic Logan’s Run. A very good movie just ripe for a remake. So I began to do some research on the subject. It seems that there have been people in Hollywood that have been wanting to remake this movie since 1996 but it keeps getting stuck in development hell. As of a year ago this movie had an actor attached, Ryan Gosling, and new writers. Here is the article from about a year ago.

The long-planned remake of Logan’s Run is getting a fresh screenwriter. Andrew Baldwin has come aboard to tackle the new Warner Bros. version of the classic sci-fi tale for director Nicolas Winding Refn, star Ryan Gosling and producers Joel Silver and Akiva Goldsman.

Logan’s Run, set in a utopian, post-apocolyptic society in which people must be put to death when they reach age 30 (21 in the 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson), was a hit in 1976 starring Michael York. The remake has been in development for more than a decade with filmmakers as diverse as Bryan Singer (X-Men), James McTiegue (V for Vendetta) and Carl Erik Rinsch (the upcoming 47 Ronin) all developing different takes on the material.

Refn and Gosling, riding high on the critical response to the atmospheric thriller Drive, came aboard the project earlier this year. Alex Garland (28 Days Later) delivered a script, and Will Beall (Gangster Squad) wrote a treatment but was unavailable to write the screenplay.

Baldwin recently set up the period Yakuza script The Outsider at Warner Bros. with Art and John Linson’s Linson Entertainment producing. Before that, he wrote Red Asphalt for Wanted director Timur Bekmembatov at Lionsgate, after breaking onto the scene with his Black List script The West is Dead.

I would love to see a remake of Logan’s Run and hopefully this movie will one day get out of development hell and see the light of day!

The Scorpion King

It is funny to me how my opinions can change. I remember watching the first two Mummy movies starring Branden Fraser and liking them enough. When The Scorpion King came out in 2002 I had absolutely no interest in it. A few weeks ago a reference to this movie made me desire to see it and boy am I glad that I did. It is an action-adventure film directed by Chuck Russell, and stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kelly Hu, Grant Heslov, and Michael Clarke Duncan. It is a Prequel/spin-off of The Mummy Returns and features the story of Mathayus the Scorpion King, the central character in The Mummy Returns, although this movie is placed 5,000 years later.

This movie is in the same tone as such films as Kull the Conqueror and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. It is an enjoyable movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. This movie was the debut for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson a former World Wrestling Federation star. I think he made the transition well. His first appearance in the movie, a scenes were he rescues his brother from certain execution, really sets the tone of the film. I won’t give it away to what he does but it is both creative and very funny.

Johnson plays Mathayus the last true Akkadian mercenary, along with his half-brother, Jesup, and friend, Rama, is hired by King Pheron to kill a sorcerer, whose prophetic powers allow the vicious Egyptian Emperor Memnon to rule his empire with an iron fist. When trying to kill the sorcerer Jesup and Rama are killed and when he reaches the sorcerer Mathayus notices she is a beautiful woman named Cassandra. Mathayus is captured but before Memnon can kill him, Cassandra has a vision that if he is killed anyone who kills him will incur the wrath of the gods. Therefore unable to kill Mathayus himself, Memnon has him buried to his neck in the sand to have fire ants eat his head. With the help of the horse thief Arpid, whom Mathayus had encountered earlier, he manages to escape. The two begin a quest to defeat Memnon. I won’t give away too much more of the plot but it involves teaming up with Cassandra to join them in their quest.

Grant Heslov plays Arpid and provides much comic relief to the movie. Bernard Hill as Philos a crazy scientists. You may remember Hill as King Theoden from the Lord of the Rings trilogy and as Captain of the Titanic. One of Mathayus’s nemesis, and later friend, is Balthazar played by the late and greatly missed Michael Clarke Duncan. I found a bit of the spirit of the Indiana Jones franchise in this movie in that Mathayus and his compatriots are often placed in precarious situations only to extricate themselves in the nick of time.

I am glad I opened my mind to this film. If you have not seen this film and enjoy a good lighthearted, fun, sword and sandals fantasy then I highly recommend this film.

The Films of Steven Spielberg: Part II

iiContinuing on my examination of the Science-Fiction and Fantasy films of Steven Spielberg I want to examine the Jurassic Park franchise. Although Spielberg only directed the first two he did serve as executive producer on Jurassic Park III. The series is based on a book by Michael Crichton. Universal Studios, with the help of Spielberg, bought the film rights to the book even before it was published. Many studios were also vying the the film rights. As I said in another blog I am not a novel reader. Even though I love the genre of Science Fiction and Fantasy I only watch those genres and do not read those types of books. When it comes to reading I am strictly non-fiction. Even though Michael Crichton was hired to write the screen play (for $500,000) many fans of the book complained that the first movie deviated too far from the book. Not having read the book I don’t have the problem of comparing the two works.

I know in the future I want to review these movies in their entirety so for the sake of this blog entry I will just hit the highlight of the three films.

1. Jurassic Park. 1993 I cannot believe that this movie is almost 20 years old!! I think the state-of-the-art special effects do not look dated today. The movie was not entirely done with CGI although this movie was the first to use CGI to such a large extent. Spielberg also used Animatronics and other models for the special effects. I have a good friend, George Cheatle, who came to get me one day in 1993 and took me to the movie saying I had to see this on the large screen. Boy was he ever so right! I felt such awe and wonder seeing the large Brachiosaurus on the big screen for the first time. It is so lifelike and real looking. Even nearly 20 years later it still looks lifelike and doesn’t cease to create a sense of wonder. I would love to go back in a time machine and show this film to Willis H. O’Brien the man who did the stop motion effects on the original 1933 version of King Kong. I think he too would have been amazed at how life like special effects would become 60 years later.

I also like the story. All the characters are likable and eccentric in their own way. I like Sam Neill as Dr. Alan Grant the best and was glad to see him return for the third movie. I also think the great Sir Richard Attenborough as John Hammond brings a great richness, pun intended, to his role as the eccentric billionaire. One last thing to say about the original movie is the brilliant score by John Williams. Sometimes I see film scores as the new classical music and the main Jurassic Park theme (linked below) is one of my all times pieces of instrumental music…I think it is just simply…brilliant! One pet peeve of mine: As a militant anti-smoking advocate I find the incessant smoking of Samuel L. Jackson’s character disgusting and unnecessary.

2. Jurassic Park: The Lost World.

I have to admit that I was let down with this movie. It isn’t bad, I do own it and I do watch it on DVD. It just loses a sense of wonder the first film had. While I like Jeff Goldblum as an actor, the portrayal of Dr. Ian Malcolm in this second offering is a bit annoying. He wails and complains almost the entire film. Also the scene when they are all hanging on over the cliff inside the truck as the two T-Rex are trying to pull them up just goes on too long. I love all the dinosaurs in this movie, some we did not see in the previous film. The plot is pretty good with two rival teams exploring the island only to have to work together just to survive.

3. Jurassic Park III

Although the first film will always have a special place in my heart…it was my first love. I have to admit I enjoy watching the third movie much more. It is just pure dino-action and adventure. This was not directed by Spielberg but Joe Johnston with Spielberg as executive producer. The movie features a new dinosaur, the Spinosaurus, which makes quick work of the T-Rex to let everyone know there is new big man on campus. I also liked the addition of William H. Macy another fine actor. I don’t have a lot to say about this movie. It has great special effects and a fun story that is a roller coaster ride.

Spielberg said that we can expect Jurassic Park IV within the next couple of years and the movie is in the script writing phase. I didn’t focus too much on Spielberg in this entry but for me there is a simple lesson. These movies appeal to the kid inside all of us…and as an adult I feel that it is vitally important to stay in touch with that inner child-like part of ourselves that keeps me in touch with a sense of creative, curiosity and sense of wonder about the world and the universe in which we live. Next week I will examine the Indiana Jones franchise.  

Halloween Movie Recomendations

Today I would like to recommend one Halloween movie. Over the weekend I watched the 1982 movie Poltergeist one of my favorite scary movies. Steven Spielberg was one of the writers and was an executive producers. There is also claims that he was actually the director of the movie, more about that later. The movie sure feels and looks like a Spielberg film and for years I had forgotten that Tobe Hooper is actually credited as the director.

I am sure everyone is familiar with the plot. A family in suburban California is terrorized by ghosts and abducts the youngest member of the family and the movie revolves around getting her back. Even after 30 years this movie is still pretty creepy. Although some of the special effects seem dated the majority of them still hold up real well. One of the things I like about the movie is how realistic it depicts the family. You actually feel as if this is all real and happening to them. The people seem real with real problems and personalities and that makes them more genuine. The movie is also not all dark and dreary and there is some humor mixed in which makes it all that much more enjoyable.

Controversy has followed this movies. Some say there is a curse on the film. One of the reasons for the said curse is the fact that during the swimming pool scenes near the end where skeletons and bodies are being washed out of their graves, the special effects crew decided to use real skeletons for that scene because they were cheaper to obtain and easier to work with that plastic skeletons.

Two of the deaths which fuel the curse mythos are related to actors from the fist film. Dominique Dunne, who played the eldest daughter Dana in the first movie, died a few months after the release of the film. Dominique died on November 4, 1982 at age 22 after being strangled by her abusive former boyfriend John Thomas Sweeney. The other death was that of Heather O’Rourke, who played Carol Anne in all three Poltergeist movies. She died on February 1, 1988 at the age of 12 after what doctors initially described as an acute form of influenza but later changed to septic shock after bacterial toxins invaded her bloodstream. These deaths are tragic and are not evidence of a curse which I think is just silly superstitious nonsense.

Spielberg released ET exactly one week after Poltergeist was released to theaters and because he had a contract with Universal Studios saying he could not work on both films simultaneously he could only direct one of them, or at least take credit for only directing one of them. However according to many people on the set, including the actors and actresses, many claim that while Spielberg was present he was the de facto director and many decisions for the movie were finalized by Spielberg and not Hooper. From further reading it would be more accurate to say that Spielberg was more of a co-director on the film in that he was on the set almost as much as Hooper and the two worked together on many decisions regarding the film.

The film is a classic in the horror genre and it deserves to be. A great movies with a great cast that still delivers frights, laughs and chills no matter how many times I have seen it.

 

 

Godzilla vs King Ghidorah 1991

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o306/WmHohenzollern/image005-1.jpg

This is one of my favorite of the rebooted, or Heisei series, and it has everything in it! It has Godzilla and spectacular monster fights with his number one nemesis, Ghidorah, (now raised in rank to King Ghidorah), time travelers and androids! It also has a very convoluted plot and enough twists and turns to satisfy anyone. There is humor and action and destruction. The special effects are also very well done.

The movie was directed by Kazuki Omori and this would be a very controversial film for him. The film depicts a very pro-Japanese tone in an era of rising Japanese financial power and many thought the film was anti-American. I can see that at the time some of the remarks, scenes and characters could be construed as anti-American sentiment, but viewing it here 21 years later those comments and scenes to have lost much of their sting. One of the more favorable aspects of the film is the return of original music producer and writer Akira Ifukbe.

The plot: As I said it is convoluted and as with many time travel movies it has large Swiss Cheese style holes in it. The movie begins in the year 2204 and we see a submarine examining the remains of King Ghidorah resting at the bottom of the ocean. The next scene shows the year 1991 and a UFO flying over Tokyo. The next day it lands and out come three people. Two Caucasians, one named Wilson, the other Gurenchiko and a gorgeously sweet and adorably cute Japanese woman named Emmy. Instead of typical aliens coming out of a UFO these three are time travelers from the year 2204. They are called the Futurians and they have come from the future, with an android in tow, to rescue Japan from the clutches of Godzilla. The Futurians mention that Godzilla will return shortly and the destruction that follows will make Japan a radioactive wasteland and uninhabitable in the future.

The sub-plot involves a wealthy business man named Shindo who experienced a large dinosaur, called a Godzillasaurus, on Lagos Island in 1944 during World War II. It seems that in 1944 the Godzillasaurus rescues a Japanese force from annihilation by an American squadron on Lagos. Shindo was a member of that Japanese force. This Godzillasaurus remained on Lagos Island and was subject to fall out from nuclear testing resulting in the first creation of Godzilla in 1954. Terasawa, who would write a book about Godzilla in the future, is taken by the Futurians, along with psychic Miki Saegusa and professor Mazaki back to Lagos Island in 1944 to prevent the creation of Godzilla. They bring with them three cute dragon like creatures called the Dorats. I bet you can see what is coming next. After witnessing the Godzillasaurus defeating the American forces (watch for a funny and groan worthy Steven Spielberg joke) the Futurians teleport the wounded Godzillasaurus to the ocean floor in the year 1991. Right before they go “back to the future” Emmy leaves the Dorats behind.

When they all arrive back in 1991 we discover that Godzilla never existed (although many people do seem to know about him) and in his place comes King Ghidorah. Yup, the little Dorats have mutated into one giant monster. It seems the Futurians were not there to save Japan after all. Instead they came to ensure Japan’s destruction. It seems that in the future Japan was not destroyed by Godzilla but had in fact become the most wealthy and powerful nation on earth.

Emmy, it seems has been unaware of the plans  fellow time travelers and begins to work with Tersawa, Miki Saegusa and professor Mazaki to try to bring back Godzilla in an effort to defeat King Ghiodorah. Shindo has a nuclear powered sub built in an effort to resurrect Godzilla. However before their plan can be put into service a Russian nuclear sub crashes near the Godzillasaurus and suddenly the largest Godzilla ever seen comes out from the depths of the ocean. This Godzilla makes short work of King Ghiodorah, ripping his middle head off in the process. Now without anyone standing in his way Godzilla begins paving a path of destruction across Japan.

Emmy, Terasawa and professor Mazaki now have to concoct a plan to defeat Godzilla. So Emmy says lets go to the future and bring back King Ghiodorah to defeat Godzilla!!! Hu? What? Hmmm…but didn’t you just create Godzilla to defeat King Ghiodorah in the first place? Now you want to bring King Ghiodorah back to defeat Godzilla…it seems like we’re caught in an never ending loop! So Emmy returns to the future where the body of King Ghiodorah is revived and enhanced with cybernetics to become Mecha-King Ghiodorah. With Emmy piloting Mecha-King Ghiodorah she/they defeat Godzilla and she drops both monsters into the ocean.

This movie is a wild and wacky ride and a heck of a lot of fun. I am also a huge Star Trek fan and many fans such as myself really enjoy the continuity within that franchise. The Godzilla franchise is another story. The original Showa series (1954-1975) is a loose continuity, meaning its there but all the directors of the various films were flexible with the continuity. Godzilla vs King Ghiodorah shatters that continuity. The rebooted Heisei series scuttled the prior continuity except for the original movie. Well, this movie even destroyed the limited continuity of the first two Heisei movies. In the 1954 original Godzilla dies at the end. The rest of the Showa era series is ignored and  in the Return of Godzilla, the Godzilla that is depicted in that movie is the second incarnation of the creature. But this movie erases all of that. Now, for the rest of the Heisei series Godzilla never appeared in 1954 at all! He never appeared in 1984  Return of Godzilla or 1989 (Godzilla vs Biollante). In fact the events from those movies are erased! So this movie reboots the entire franchise once again with Godzilla making his first appearance in this movie. Then, as you will see in a few weeks, the last of the Heisei series does reference the 1954 appearance of Godzilla! Confusing isn’t it? So the continuity is a bit of a mess.

So if you don’t care about continuity this movie is a lot of fun and action. The acting is good although the scenes with the android are a bit silly. Godzilla looks real good and the special effects with him and King Ghiodorah are very well done. I think the time travel element is very creative and used for a good plot device in moving the story forward.

I rate this movie: A