Sunday at G-FEST 28 began with a debate on the much-maligned American Tri-Star Godzilla (1998). So prolific is this dispute among G fans that I covered a panel just like it about five years ago. This one featured moderators who were for and against the film and one split down the middle. I will say, the man defending the movie, Scrooge Jones, made this discussion really stand out. I first saw Jones walking around the dealer room shortly after we arrived and he’s not the kind of person you’re apt to forget. With ’80s rockstar hair, gold-tinted sunglasses, and a leopard print shirt unbuttoned down to his navel, he looked like a cross between Sammy Hagar and Kraven the Hunter. That being said, I can’t help but admire the guy. He’s 100% comfortable with who he is without giving a hoot whether you agree with him or if you’re snickering behind his back. This was never more apparent than last year when he apparently announced at a Godzilla vs King Kong (2021) G-FEST panel that the 1998 Godzilla film was better than Legendary’s 2014 Godzilla. It caused quite a stir on YouTube and, considering the kaiju catastrophe that ensued, his appearance at this symposium was the logical next step.

In truth, he made some good points regarding the significance of Godzilla ’98. He also mentioned that while it’s popular to take jabs at the film, it is far from the worst Godzilla movie out there. In Godzilla’s nearly 70-year history, it’s just one of many versions of the monster and, when you really think about it, he’s not wrong – though I’ll never agree that it’s a better flick than Godzilla 2014. 

We left the Ballrooms and decided to go downstairs and see which models won in their respective categories. 

From there we took one final stroll through the dealer’s room but, this time, left empty-handed. We returned to Ballroom A/B and caught what would prove the most fun panel of the weekend – “Kaiju Mythbusters.”

This was an entire hour revolving around longheld rumors surrounding giant monster movies. It started with one about King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) that I remember hearing and believing back when I was a kid. It was the belief that there were two ending films and, in the Japanese release, Godzilla wins the battle. I have known now for some time that this isn’t true. But I was surprised by how many other rumors were out there. For example, many believe that the ’90s monster movie Deep Rising featuring the recently deceased, Treat Williams, is a King Kong prequel. SPOILER ALERT – when the survivors of the film’s aquatic monster find themselves shipwrecked on an island, the film ends with them hearing the roar of, what many believe to be, Kong before the scroll of the end credits. As this company did not have the rights to Kong, and Peter Jackson’s was already in development, it is highly unlikely.

Another rumor is that the creepy crawly bugs featured down in the caverns of 1957’s Black Scorpion were footage from a documented, unused scene in King Kong (1933). Svengoolie will be airing this film next weekend and I’m curious if he’ll mention it during one of his segments. Apparently, this myth is also false. 

By 2 pm we were all ready to leave. During the drive home, we agreed that it was a fun weekend and we’ll come back again next year. The biggest challenge was the hot/humid walk between hotels. It seemed like once we returned to our room at Crowne, nobody felt like going back to the Hyatt for any of G-FEST’s evening activities. Thankfully, the 2024 hotel rooms and rates have already opened up and I secured our room at the Hyatt for G-FEST 29 a.k.a. the 70th anniversary of Godzilla. 

Of course, I’ll be at staying at the Hyatt much sooner than that. As soon as press “publish” on this post I’ll be returning for Flashback Weekend to assist the Svengoolie crew and have fun with my friends. I can’t wait to tell you all about it.

~Dave