VividSimon Simply Perfect

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

SanEat A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

jefuab This a review of Godzilla 1984, the UK version, which to my knowledge is the same as the Japanese original but with English dubbing.I found the slow pace of the film quite negative. The special effects are really competent but I don't feel that the ambitions of the filmmakers went in the right direction. Musically the film is quite boring and I at least expected the iconic Godzilla Main Theme to come striding out (it does in the trailer) but unfortunately not.Godzilla does a lot of damage but could have done a lot more. Too many scenes of him just standing there daydreaming.The dubbing in the UK version is terrible. It sounds like they had 2 or 3 actors in to try doing different voices (and accents) and at one point the Prime Minister is voiced by a totally different actor.The anti-nuclear message is very clear in this film; clear to the point of becoming a protest speech. Even the climax built no suspense for me.I will give the film 4/10 because Godzilla is well done.

DeathOnHoliday When it came time to release Godzilla in the USA in 1954, American producers dubbed over the Japanese, re-edited and added entire new scenes, and they did the same thing to this film in 1984. This was the norm for these monster movies from Japan, which I think is a bit of a shame. The dubbing of any film is distracting, but it's a shame that in America Godzilla movies have a reputation as being comically badly-dubbed. So watching any of these films in their original, un-effed-around-with versions, is a treat.I saw the American version of Godzilla 1985 when I was younger, and I really didn't care for it. But after recently watching the original Japanese version with English subtitles, I would definitely recommend this film as one of the best of the bunch. So in conclusion, if you ever decide to watch Godzilla or Godzilla 1985, if the characters are badly dubbed and you see Raymond Burr, stop watching and find the Japanese versions instead. You won't regret it.

Scott Baldwin (Meven_Stoffat) While I was never alive until the 1990s, I do get a kick out of the Godzilla movies of old. Sure, they look awful cheesy nowadays as they're either polystyrene monsters or a man in a rubber suit, but I'm able to empathize with the audiences of that age and realize that back then they were the real deal. Ultimately the most highly regarded among fans is the 1984 movie entitled "The Return of Godzilla" (though in Japan originally called Gojira, but later re titled to avoid confusion with the 1954 movie). The film is also set in Japan during the Cold War and attempts to return Godzilla back to his more horrific roots, as a reminder of why nuclear weapons are bad. There's a lot to love about this movie but there's also just a tad too much to hate about it, which is why I find myself split down the middle on this one. It is no secret that the 1970s/1960s Godzilla movies were truly bad at times but were guilty pleasures- but to see this film try to make Godzilla a terrifying natural disaster again is very refreshing. With the dark atmosphere enhanced by its Cold War setting and obvious allusions to the tensions between the US and Russia, sadly what really squanders this film's potential is the horrible direction. The plot is simple and effective, but there's too much of a dissonance between the writers' script and engaging storyline (the government discovers that Godzilla is attracted to birds calling and sets up a sound signal to lure him to a volcano for him to fall into), and that's a problem. In fact, it's almost as if the director thought he was directing a different filmThe attack scenes have tons of potential to be terrifying and sadly they're ruined by threadbare and lazy direction. When Godzilla takes his stroll through Tokyo, we don't get the impression that this event is terrifying mostly because while it's obvious that so much detail went into the suit and the miniature sets, the scene as a whole feels static. In fact, there's also an animatronic Godzilla used for setups and it's easy to tell which scenes use the animatronic Godzilla. Those scenes look oddly too mechanical. And while the finale will jerk some tears from the audience, it's really the only scene that has any impact. Which is a shame because the film could be terrifying. In fact, luckily the goal of making us scared of Godzilla was achieved five years later with Godzilla Vs. Biollante, which is a truly exceptional film.

Horrorfan1995 In the 1980's, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka had plans to make another Godzilla movie. Instead of making a sequel to 1975s Terror of MechaGodzilla, he decided to reboot the series. This film takes place directly after the 1954 Gojira taking place 30 years later, ultimately ignoring the sequels from the 50s to the 70s. In Japan, the movie was called Godzilla, in the US it's known as Godzilla 1985, but I like to call it by its international title, The Return of Godzilla.The story may be simple, but it works. It's essentially the plot of the first movie with some differences. For one thing, this is the second Godzilla creature to attack Japan. Another thing is the addition of the new flying weapon, the Super X used to stop Godzilla and ultimately failed. The major difference is the setting, the first movie was in 1954, this one is in 1984, a whole 30 years since he original attack.The acting is really well done, and the effects look spectacular. My only minor nitpick has to be the animatronic close ups of Godzillas face. It's a unique idea, but it suffers from the fact that the head doesn't resemble the suits head.Speaking of the suit, I love what they did with is suit, it resemble the 1954 Godzilla minus the ears and tiny pupils that made him look more like an animal.I can safely say it's one of the best Godzilla films I've seen in a while. It really is worth watching. Only problem, like most American fans, it's very hard to see this film mostly because it never got a US DVD release, it was released theatrically in the US and was released on VHS in the US, but never got a DVD release. Thankfully I own a bootleg of the movie which also comes with the US release, Godzilla 1985.Now my quick thoughts on the US release, it's the same as the original release in Japan, but with a lot of differences. One major difference is the inclusion of Raymond Burr, returning as Steve Martin from the US release of Gojira (Known as Godzilla King of the Monsters). There were also minor scenes cut from the film I.E. Goro calling his editor from an island, and Hayashada and Naoko making a wave generator. The most controversial change was the scene where the Russian submarine officer Colonel Kashirin valiantly attempts to stop the launch of a nuclear weapon. New World edited the scene (and added a brief shot of Kashirin pressing the launch button) so that Kashirin actually launches the nuclear weapon.It's an OK release, but the Japanese version is much better.My Rating - The Return of Godzilla (Japanese Release) - 10/10. Godzilla 1985 (US Release) - 6/10