King Kong Lives (1986)

[Lycurgus1985]

Alan Smithee,

To address the the box office success thing, a movie does not have to make back 3x it's budget to be consider a success.  If it even makes back all its' budget, or a little over it, it's considered a success.

[Just Plain Horse]

Shadowphile wrote:

> Two comments:  
> A number of people going to see Titanic were shocked when the
> boat sank.  This says something about the lowest common
> denominator but what it says I shudder to contemplate.
>
> Godzilla 2000 was a much better film that the Matthew Broderick
> Godzilla.  It harkened back to the days of a guy in rubber suit
> stomping model buildings.  I thought it was a brilliantly done
> mastepiece for recreating the style of the older movies so
> perfectly.

I saw Godzilla 2000 in a theater (during its brief stateside run) and it remains one of my all time favorite movie-going experiences. I knew from the getgo that the American remake was going to be crap; Why? I've compiled a short list of possible reasons

*Because we cannot fathom things of such an awe-inspiring nature as an enormous creature rampaging through the crowded cities of man. Even during the 50's- when rampaging monsters where the rage- Americans just couldn't really get into it. Remember 9/11? (What? You haven't forgotten it?) This is the kind of carnage the Japanese were able to imagine decades beforehand... while we thought we were safe in pretending it was simply "impossible".

*Look at films like The Amazing Colossal Man, The Giant Gila Monster, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The Giant Claw, The Land Unknown and The Beginning of the End (to name a few). Now compare them to lesser monster films of the Far East like Dogora, The Mysterians, Godzilla vs. Monster Zero, Gamera vs. Barugon, Godzilla vs. Megalon and even Frankenstein Conquers the World. With the exception of Them!, very few stateside movies have managed to capture the power and spectacle the Asian films have effortlessly... nevermind the annoying cliches of the era. (made a comparision? Now add Rodan, GMK and Godzilla:Tokyo SOS into the mix)

*American studios are obsessed with remaking and (supposedly) recapturing the power of an original film. That's why Jaws, Psycho, and Poltergeist films have all had three or more sequels (need I even bother to mention the Friday the 13th and Halloween sequels? I'd better get an adding machine first...). Why make three Austin Powers films? Why did the Dukes of Hazzard film even get off the ground? Why is there now a set of Batman movies that nobody is even going to buy? No imagination, just nostalgia and a desire for a quick buck.

*After the original King Kong came out, a sequel (Son of Kong) was rushed into production that same year... ever see it? It ain't half as good... we spend more time following Carl Denham and listen to him go on about his glory days than we do with any giant apes or dinosaurs. Leave it to the Japanese to be wily and determined enough to steal Willis O' Brian's idea and pit Kong against Godzilla and revitalize a dying monster.

*Since King Kong vs. Godzilla, Kong has made (including the upcoming film) 4 films (two remakes, one direct sequel... and another Japanese film, King Kong Escapes). Godzilla has made another 26 films (one remake, two direct sequels to other films... and one American film...).

[Shadowphile]

An interesting fact about Godzilla vs King Kong.  Depending on where the movie was released (Japan or USA) the winner of the battle was different.

In Japan, Godzilla won

In the USA, it was King Kong.