1962, Directed by Ishiro Honda

Now this is what it’s all about - two blokes in rubber suits beating the crap out of each other while Tokyo falls down around them.

The King Kong suit looks a bit of an embarrassment, especially next to the rather nifty Godzilla one. Its pectoral muscles are nearly down at its waist! “Bloke from a Fancy Dress Party vs Godzilla” would be more accurate.

As with many such Japanese monster movies, the US version replaces a lot of the original scenes with localised versions. This movie takes it a bit further though - the Japanese original was a satire on commercialism, but the American release removes the humourous elements entirely. This left a much inferior, serious science fiction effort.

If you’re wondering - King Kong wins. (In both versions, despite the persistent false rumour that Godzilla wins in the original Japanese film.)

Favourite bit: “They are natural enemies.” So giant gorillas and mutant lizards are natural enemies? Who carried out the research to discover that?

IMDB LINK