I was finally able to see the original Toho version of that movie so I watched that tonight; last night I rewatched the American version, to compare the two. My Letterboxd review is below:
(Note: I am replacing a review I did last year with a new one, as this time I can talk about both the Americanized cut put out by Universal and the original Toho cut. The 3 ½ star rating applies to the original version and not the Universal version, which I'd rate as 3 stars)
It's been a long while since I had watched any Godzilla films, so I figured after “finding” the original version of the movie-which I had never seen before-I should watch them both so I can compare and contrast. The general plot definitely isn't complicated: Godzilla escapes the iceberg he was trapped in at the end of the last film he was in (Godzilla Raids Again) while King Kong is found on an island filled with many Japanese people unfortunately in blackface, where they are distracted by cigarettes and a portable radio; it isn't a highlight of the film in either version.
Anyhow, a pharmaceutical company is on the island as the owner (a MR. TAKO) wants a new mascot for his company and he hears about a giant creature on the island; really. I laugh as the “mascot” thing was used in the '76 King Kong remake, which I will watch again one of these days so I can review it here. Kong fights a giant octopus, he ends up going to Japan after being knocked out by wacky berry juice that is a narcotic known as Soma (no, not the drug that often gets abused in modern times) and the two titans end up fighting each other in an epic battle for the ages after they both tear through Japan's cities and countryside.
First, I will talk about the American version, which is what most in the West has seen. It ends up being pretty goofy with how Universal edited things and how there is “UN reporter” Eric Carter who occasionally appears, says a few things, and sometimes talks to a head of a museum to spout some nonsense about both creatures. There's also an English speaking Japanese man who is “part of the Tokyo branch” who further ties it together. The new dialogue includes such things as a character constantly complaining about the corns on his feet! Sadly, they took out most of the original score from Akira Ifukube and replaced it with random score from American movies so the soundtrack could be “more Western”. That is a shame as the OG score is pretty damn awesome, in my opinion. Still, with what you see between all those miniatures getting destroyed and the two kaiju brawling with each other, it's still a cheesy good time, if nothing else.
Now, the Japanese version. It's a few minutes longer, for starters. The American cut rearranged some things. The story is better and the OG score was great to hear in context with the picture instead of just listening to it on YouTube. Honestly, you have to hear the Godzilla Theme while watching Godzilla, there's no two ways around it. The American dialogue concerning all the talk of using a nuclear bomb, that isn't here. The special effects (especially the matte effects) looked better here; I have no idea how they could have looked clearly worse in the American version. Tako is still an annoying character in both cuts, in case you were wondering. If you can track down this, I say that you should as it is the better of the two.
Oh, and despite it being a popular rumor for decades (even in the late 90's; one day at school we talked for a few minutes about how in the original version of this movie, Godzilla wins), both versions of the film have the exact same ending. Between the original review and this new one, the stories about there being a Godzilla vs. King Kong in 2020 came out. In this day and age it's not certain with me that it'll actually happen. If it does, I hope that it's awesome. As I am a person who loved the Gareth Edwards Godzilla, that is why I would have high hopes for it.
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