Godzilla vs. Hydora and vs. King Hydora's Fur “Godzilla” 1984 was gloomy and harsh, “Biollante” and did give out a rival of the level of horror films, everything would be fine, but too weighty was the criticism that, they say, Godzilla films are not at all suitable for a family audience, so the next part of the films took a softer tone and was filled with more entertaining elements.
The picture is still not called either childish or family, it has a huge number of hard scenes, blood, murders, dramatic heat of events, as well as raising completely non-family topics about nuclear weapons, monopolistic corporations and the development of countries. If the first Heisei-era film was about politics and the Cold War, and the second was about mad scientists and the harm of science, the third is devoted to the industry as a separate metaphor for a monster.
Tomoyuki Tanaka returned the theme of the aliens, but did it in this film is incredibly original, with a full set of elements of classic stories. The aliens are not from another planet, but from the future. And although they also control King Hydora, a winged golden dragon with two tails and three heads, we have been shown the extremely curious origin of this kaiju.
The whole film is like an homage to Shova-era with its adaptation to the realities of Haysey. Something like a warm-up for 2004's Final Wars, where it's all been absolute. Omori even shoots parades of military equipment in almost the same angles as Ishiro Honda. There is just a huge number of recognizable elements, but it is served for the most part differently.
And in addition to the origin of Hydora, we will finally be shown the origin of Godzilla. A team of aliens from the future assures that Godzilla must be stopped at all costs, and for this you need to go back to the past, in the period of World War II, when he was still a dinosaur on an island that, protecting his possessions, saved the Japanese from the American army.
American actors in the film look very organic, and also came out as memorable characters. Even those who played small roles on the ship, where there seems to even be a reference to Steven Spielberg. And it is also noteworthy that in the same 1991, Cameron's "Terminator 2" was released, and the local android M-11 - well, just a replica of the famous T-1000.
Godzilla again slightly changed appearance, but left the former base of the suit except for the head. Koichi Kawakita improved the face, giving the atomic lizard more animal features, which is even strange given the plot evidence of its origin from a dinosaur, but the appearance of the Monster King it went only to the benefit! And from the head updates, I want to highlight that now even the tongue inside the toothy mouth looks absolutely believable and naturalistic. Everything is perfect in every detail.
King Gidora’s design, even in the Shova era, was one of the best, let alone the Hasay updates. The Golden Dragon is beyond praise! His wings, movements of the necks, his flights, at that time not looking frozen on the fishing line with Christmas toys, everything is perfect, and the final of the defeated monster is also made by a cyborg - Mecha King Gidoru!
But most curiously, the aliens on their ship contain three incredibly cute pets of anime appearance, called Dorat. Creatures become almost the main memorable feature of the film and a kind of “family” element of the picture, which in the opinion of many viewers was missing in past serious and harsh films.
Softer and kinder at the same time the picture still does not become. The updated Godzilla turns out to be even larger in size and angrier in character, Hydora, as before, is represented by invincible horror for the whole globe, and the character lines here are also mostly filled with dramatic character.
Despite the fact that Miki Saigusa is still played by Megumi Odaka, who starred in the previous film as the commander of Super-X 2, Kosuke Toehara here plays a different role, like Katsuhiko Sasaki - here he is a paleontologist, and in Godzilla vs. Biollante he played the role of a soldier.
In addition to the Shova-ere homages, the film has several iconic participants, even in addition to the fact that the same Toehara has played in several recent films. A very significant role for the plot of the businessman Shindo embodied Yoshio Tsutia, having last participated in the Kaiju project during his acting career. The Minister played the legend of the genre - Kenji Sahara.
For the first time in the Heisei era, composer Akira Ifukube agreed to write music for a Godzilla film. Previously, it was either remakes of his music or an alternative replacement, tired of this exploitation, the great creator decided to personally participate, making many new melodies and for some reason even using the title theme of Radon for air battles.
The theme of transformation and rebirth is the main leitmotif of the whole Heisei era, it will reach its climax in the next picture, but here it moves in its development to one of the highest points. The reincarnation of Godzilla, the creation of the mechanical Hydora and their final “Sunday fight of two yakozunas” are simply amazing!
Mecha-King Gidor has an updated beam from the central modified mouth, while the other two heads give rise to hit targets with yellow lightning. Godzilla uses his atomic beam with all the special effects tried their best to make all the battles look really cool.
Monsters collide with each other several times during the film, so there is definitely something to see. In the course are not only all sorts of light rays, but also teeth, claws and even new-fangled technical lotions of the cyborg to grab Godzilla or hit him with electrical impulses, which will affect at the same time the main feature of the picture of 1993.
It is also necessary to give credit to the fact that the film seems to combine a huge number of elements of the genre, diligently and diligently trying to accommodate absolutely everything for which viewers love kaiju films. There are urban scenes of destruction, and the confrontation of military equipment, and the battle in the suburbs on the field, and a large crowd of people who do not have time to evacuate, and an abundance of military equipment with their battle with monsters, and an abundance of bright strong characters so that the human part is also significant.
Especially since Godzilla, or rather the first Godzillasaurus appears here, you have to wait more than half an hour. Hydor and even longer, and the updated Godzilla appears only in the third act of the story, but the film can not be reproached that there are few monsters or action battles between them. It will not be delayed, and even in places, on the contrary, it is too in a hurry in dynamics, sometimes somehow lumping events leave something too conditional, and something promoting by sharp jumps.
It looks boring and very spectacular. The film is spectacular, memorable and full of moments that remain in the memory forever. Under the signature music, having a weighty idea and meaning, with excellent directing and a number of bows towards the early creations about the King of Monsters, Godzilla vs. King Gidora came out one of the most magnificent masterpieces of Haysey, opening the 90s for Godzilla’s procession on the screens.
10 out of 10
Original