Gojira (1984)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Directors:

Koji Hashimoto
R.J. Kizer

Writers:

Shuichi Nagahara (writer)
Tomoyuki Tanaka (story)

Release Date:

23 August 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Your favorite fire-breathing monster... Like you've never seen him before!

Plot:

Thirty years after the original monster's rampage, a new Godzilla emerges and attacks Japan.

Plot Keywords:

Godzilla | Monster | Gojira | Submarine | Radiation Revived Monster

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Ken Tanaka	...	Goro Maki
Yasuko Sawaguchi	...	Naoko Okumura
Yosuke Natsuki	...	Dr. Hayashida
Keiju Kobayashi	...	Prime Minister Mitamura
Shin Takuma	...	Hiroshi Okumura
Eitarô Ozawa	...	Finance Minister Kanzaki
Taketoshi Naitô	...	Takegami, Chief Cabinet Secretary
Mizuho Suzuki	...	Foreign Minister Emori
Junkichi Orimoto	...	Director-General of the Defense Agency
Hiroshi Koizumi	...	Geologist Minami
Kei Sato	...	Chief Editor Gondo
Takenori Emoto	...	Desk Editor Kitagawa
Sho Hashimoto	...	Captain of Super X
Nobuo Kaneko	...	Home Affairs Minister Isomura
Kunio Murai	...	Secretary Henmi

Also Known As:

Godzilla (International: English title)
Godzilla 1985: The Legend Is Reborn (USA)
Godzilla: 1985 (USA) (closing credits title)
The Return of Godzilla

Runtime:

Germany:82 min | Japan:103 min | USA:87 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese | Russian | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-11 (DVD) | Finland:K-14 | Australia:PG | Spain:13 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Company:

Toho Company

Trivia:

Godzilla was brought to life using several different techniques: Two prosthetic "suitmation" costumes (one for land scenes, and the other for water), a full-sized "dummy" (for the scenes where Godzilla pops out of the water), a 3-foot model (the concept maquette), various appendages in a variety of sizes (including a tail prop, and a full-size Godzilla foot prop), and the one most expensive effect for the monster in the film, the 20-foot tall animatronic "Cybot Godzilla," which was manipulated by computers. Toho had heavily promoted the Cybot Godzilla in the press, and had hoped that this would be the ultimate technique to use for the film. But it could not be used to create full shots of Godzilla walking (since the prop was plugged onto a set of fixed legs/tail), so Toho compromised by using the classic "suitmation" technique, especially for nostalgic reasons.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Godzilla picks up the train car he lifts it up to his eye so he can look inside. When the camera cuts back to a full body view, he is holding it at waist level (US version only).

Quotes:

[Japanese version]
[to Godzilla, who's outside the window of the building]
Bum: What are you doing here? You have the rest of Shinjuku to play with!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Suburban Commando (1991)

My first Godzilla movie

This Godzilla (Gojira) film holds a special place in my heart, for it is the first Godzilla movie I've watched. When I was a little kid, I was a dinosaur fanatic. My mom used to rent a dinosaur cartoon movie (made by some unknown studio) and I would watch it all the time. However, when that movie was unavailable for rental, my mom introduced Gojira to me. The film was titled "Godzilla 1985" and understandably, as I didn't understand subtitles back then, it was the US version of the Japanese 1984 film (the one with Raymond Burr in it). Though I heard the original Japanese version contains numerous scenes that were cut from the US version, the US version is still pleasant to watch. I would never have thought that this movie would lead me into years of collecting Godzilla and other Toho sci-fi movies, and even soundtrack CDs. The video version of this movie I rented included the short "Bambi Meets Godzilla" cartoon. Poor Bambi!

I think Shuichi Nagahara wrote a nice screenplay, depicting suspense, humor, power, and politics. Koji Hashimoto did a good job directing(keeping the plot intact), and Teruyoshi Nakano did great on the special effects (probably his best work). Reijiro Koroku provided a terrific music score, creating what I think is one of the best non-Ifukube scores.

Even though this movie features Godzilla only, it remains one of my all-time favorites. The scenes of Godzilla rising out of Tokyo bay, rendering the military helpless, and causing a path of destruction in Tokyo as citizens run for their lives are powerful. The scene where Godzilla derails a train with people still in it is still appalling for me to watch. I used to fast-forward the sea louse scene, for it scared the heck out of me. Now, the scene it pretty tamed to watch. The part where Godzilla falls inside the volcano was sad to watch, and aroused my sympathy in the monster. When the character Professor Hayashida said that "when mankind falls into conflict with nature, monsters are born," I think it is a really moral message (thinking back that it was nuclear bombs that brought Godzilla's wrath). And, the part where Burr said at the climax of the film that hints Godzilla is a natural force better explains Godzilla's purpose.

Overall, a great way to revive the Godzilla series after a 9-year hiatus, and a great introduction to the Godzilla "Heisei" series, which ran from 1984-1995. Also, it is a great introduction for me into the world of Godzilla.

Grade A