WKMT #65: I Like to Make Polls Occasionally

[Alpha OTS]

If it weren't for this forum, I probably never would have seen Gorgo. Its not the best kaiju movie by a long shot, but it is a unique blend.

[Henry88]

[Silver Kamen]

[Henry88]

and I here the sound of crickets chirping.

[klen7]

I bought the bluray on Tuesday so I could participate (at least that's the excuse I made when I ordered it ) ...but it still hasn't arrived

[lhb412]

Hey, I just watched this film a few weeks ago. I get to participate in one of these!

Not the best giant monster flick, but a solid one elevated by a great monster design, some beautiful cinematography, and a clever central concept. I was introduced to this film via the trailer included in the VHS 'Fantastic Dinosaurs of the Movies.' I think it rather disappointing that they gave up the twist in the trailer!

Blu-Ray was pretty great. A more extensive restoration is unlikely, and the restoration featurette shows just how superior this one is to previous releases. Some great extra features, too. VCI has a spotty reputation on the Blu-Ray front, but the two of there's I own (this and the Alistair Sim Christmas Carol) are great.

[Psycho Soldier]

Gorgo is indeed pretty solid. I'd seen clips of it in a couple places as a kid before I saw the movie itself: once in an episode of "The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat," and then in a dinosaur documentary hosted by Gary Owens and Eric Boardman. Maybe it's because of those that I always remember the mother Gorgo's attack on London. I think that's one of the best city destruction sequences ever, up there with the original Godzilla's attacks on Tokyo. It really feels like a reckoning day for humankind.

Outside of that, Gorgo is good. The characters are alright - not the most interesting bunch, but enough so to carry the human side of things. I think lbh hit the other points well enough.

I'll be sending a PM shortly to the next potential thread-starter.

[Psycho Soldier]

Sorry, just double-posting because the person I PMed hasn't responded yet. If no new thread or response turns up by the time I've had supper, would anyone care to volunteer?

[klen7]

Perhaps one of our new members?

[Xenorama]

if they don't want to do one let me know, I'll give ya some weird monsters to watch...

[klen7]

From the man that brought us Caltiki!

[Henry88]

[klen7]

says the man that brought us Zaat!

[Psycho Soldier]

Just sent a PM to lbh. We'll see what happens, but the next thread might be a bit late, so I apologize for that.

[Henry88]

[Alpha OTS]

[Psycho Soldier]

Right, so neither kiryugoji04 nor lbh have answered my PM's to them. Are you guys okay with taking this week off from the polls? If one of them gets back to me tonight, we can get it underway and lose the extra day or so. Otherwise, I'm fine with leaving things alone until next Monday.

[Henry88]

[klen7]

My bluray finally arrived for this..

[Silver Kamen]

[klen7]

Haven't checked it out yet, probably won't get a chance until the weekend. I've seen it on VHS and wore out my copy of Hollywood Dinosaurs so i know the movie. Its just been 15+ years since I saw it last

[Henry88]

Bruticus have you got a response from one of them yet?

[Psycho Soldier]

[klen7]

So i watched Gorgo this weekend for the first time in many years.. so heres my lists of things i noticed

- Gorgo and Ogra have less "hand" functionality than Orga, but at least Orga had a design that would limit that
- This movie has so many things we've seen before including a reporter that has nothing to do with the movie (G:KoM)
- The compositing on a lot of the destruction sequences looks pretty bad, not 50ft woman bad, but noticeable
- I love the "twist" that Gorgo is a baby and their is something much bigger and meaner out there
- The eyes on the creatures are great, a lot of the destruction sequences are great
- The size between Ogra and Gorgo is incredibly inconsistent, sometimes he comes up to her knee, sometimes hes the size of a finger
- The child character... was odd... also i think this may constitute kidnapping
- There are some neat ideas (like the mutant fish) that don't get explored

So its a mixed bag. The original things in the movie, like the set up with the archaeologist trying to keep things on secret, the locations, the mother-child, all work incredibly well.
The things we have seen before like plot points already used in Kong or The Lost World, drag it down a notch. I'd give this movie 3.5 mutated fish out of 5

Also, I watched the VCI Bluray, and they actually had a decent number of extra features. I guess living with Toho DVDs has really brought down my expectations of extras on monster movies.

[Silver Kamen]