Godzilla 1985 (1985)

I love this movie so much

Overrated and overhyped

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

I was really hoping that the decade in between Godzilla movies would mean that this might be a half decent flick.But it's not.I have accepted that this series has no continuity.I hate it but I have accepted it.This one pushes the limit by acting like Godzilla hasn't been seen since the first movie.People who like these movies always say things like "they were re-inventing the brand" blah blah blah.Why re-invent something that didn't work?Fifiteen times?They had the nerve to bring back Raymond Burr as the same character he played in the original(well, the American version).Not only does it not make any sense but the character is different now.Different in a bad way.He's an expert on Godzilla from seeing him one day thirty years ago,ugh.So Godzilla attacks and they do so much stupid stuff to try to kill him.I fear this may be the biggest lack of a plot Godzilla has seen so far and that's saying a lot.This is my last Godzilla movie, I have seen enough........

OK, so I'll admit that I've only seen the version that played in the US (featuring Raymond Burr), but "Godzilla 1985" is still a pleasure. As usual, the big guy stomps his way through Japan wreaking havoc, while the people try to figure out what to do. In the US version, Burr reprises his role as reporter Steve Martin (although they didn't state the name directly due to the existence of a certain wild and crazy guy).Another thing that I notice is that the diverse filmographies of the cast members. Everyone knows Raymond Burr from his TV roles and from "Rear Window". Eitaro Ozawa starred in "Ugetsu" and Taketoshi Naito starred in "The Burmese Harp", both of which dealt with the effects of World War II on Japan. Dubbing Goro Maki is Tony Plana, best known as the dad on "Ugly Betty".But above all, the movie is about the monster himself. No doubt the bombing of Hiroshima gave the Land of the Rising Sun a reason to be suspicious of nuclear weapons. Enjoyable movie.I wonder if Steve Martin the comedian ever noticed that Raymond Burr's character shares a name with him.

This attempt to update(and revive) the franchise was originally called "The Return Of Godzilla", but was dubbed and re-edited for its North American release, which serves as a sequel only to "Godzilla, King Of The Monsters"(and loose remake of original first sequel "Godzilla Raids Again"), with Raymond Burr reprising his role as journalist Steve Martin, more of an onlooker than participant this time, as he is given little to do. Our favorite big green reptile(a second one) stomps Tokyo again, though this version does have an international feel, even if some of the dubbed dialogue is dreadful. Not as bad as its reputation(contemporary reviews were harsh) though not quite inspired enough to succeed, even if it does have some impact.Like the Japanese version, this is still strangely unavailable on Region 1 DVD, though can be found on VHS. Started a second series of sequels with "Godzilla Vs. Biollante".

Almost a decade after 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla, Toho finally launched a new Godzilla movie to kick off the Heisei series of Big G films. Terror of Mechagodzilla was to be the last Godzilla film for a while, but there were actually a couple of proposals between it and Return of Godzilla. Godzilla vs Gargantua was proposed for 1978 but never happened, and Godzilla vs Asuka Fortress was to be for 1979. I think Toho made the right decision. If nothing else, it certainly created quite a build up for this film in 1984 (or 1985 for us Americans).If you disliked the campy and more child-friendly Godzilla flicks that had succeeded the dark original, you'll appreciate Return of Godzilla greatly. The dark, somber theme coincides with a much more menacing, far less campy Godzilla. Godzilla is bigger and looks ferocious. His atomic ray (along with other special effects) have been upgraded considerably, although there are still the oft-mentioned quirks with the mechanical head and other here-and-there's. The earlier part of the film with the Shockirus, a mutated louse that feeds on people by sucking them dry, adds a jumpy scene or two and tells the audience right away that this isn't your kid-friendly Godzilla's Revenge movie.The plot is also fairly topical, something that couldn't be said for a lot of Godzilla movies. No goofy looking aliens, no underground communities, but we do have the Cold War and Russian-American tensions. The only somewhat larger flaw I found with the American version as compared to the Japanese version was the cut explanation for the Shockirus. I suspect it would have been nice to have that scene, but you can't have everything.Toho did a pretty good job, both in the movie and in returning Godzilla to his roots. They continued this excellence with the film's sequel five years later, 1989's Godzilla vs Biollante.