User Reviews

The Return of Godzilla is the first film that in the second series - or Heisei era - of Godzilla films and functions as a direct sequel to the original 1954 film, ignoring all other films in-between. The film tries to emulate the potent anti-nuclear allegory of the original, updated to reflect then-contemporary nuclear fears and anxieties - namely the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union that threatened to break out into a full-scale nuclear war. In many ways, it is just as somber as the original film due to its moody atmosphere and darkly lit cinematography with deep shadows.

The overarching plot concerns Godzilla being awoken by volcanic activity and returning to menace Japan 30 years after its initial rampage with the main focus being on a scientist, his assistants and the Japanese government attempting to navigate the geopolitical ramifications and determine a means of stopping the monster. It's a strong premise, and for the first time allows the series to explore the real-life implications the appearance of a giant radioactive monster would cause. The segments with the politicians discussing the impact of Godzilla's activities are actually my favorite parts of the movie, even more so than the parts featuring Godzilla himself, as it allows for some interesting political commentary on Japan's role in global politics and feel like a spiritual predecessor to Shin Godzilla in many ways.

However, while I found the scenes with the politicians compelling, the scenes following the main human characters are a bit of a letdown. Goro Maki (Ken Tanaka), Naoko Okumura (Yasuko Sawaguchi) and her brother Hiroshi (Shin Takuma) are all a bit bland and forgettable; particularly disappointing is Tanaka as Maki, a reporter, as his role starts off interesting but the script runs out of things for him to do in the second half of the film once his character's main conflict - his frustration over the government's decision to keep Godzilla's return a secret - is resolved. There's also a half-hearted romantic relationship between Maki and Naoko that isn't developed well or all that consequential to the story. It's the supporting cast, namely the Prime Minister (Keiju Kobayashi) and Prof. Hayashida (Yosuke Natsuki) who are carrying the weight acting-wise in the film and their characters have much more depth as a result. Kobayashi's performance makes the pressure the Prime Minister feels over his country's situation tantalizing real. Natsuki as Hayashida is essentially a rehash of the Dr. Yamane character from the 1954 film although his backstory - both his parents were killed by Godzilla in 1954 - adds an interesting twist to his character. Fans of classic Japanese cinema may also note many prominent actors from other Japanese films making small appearances in the movie, such as Hiroshi Koizumi as a geologist, Kei Sato as a newspaper editor and Eitaro Ozawa and Mizuho Suzuki as cabinet ministers.

One final review note on the plot, I admit to becoming a bit confused trying to figure out if this Godzilla was the same Godzilla that attacked in 1954. The script seems to imply that it is the same Godzilla, despite the fact that the Godzilla in the 1954 film was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer. The final film in the Heisei era, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah retcons this to state that this was in fact the second Godzilla to attack Japan. It's a minor quibble all things considered.

Koji Hashimoto is the director of the film and while his work is a bit dull and workmanlike at times, he doesn't really do anything wrong from a technical or artistic point of view either. Suffice to say, direction isn't one of the movie's strengths but it's hardly a detriment either.

In terms of the special effects and Godzilla himself, there are some high highs but also a few disappointing aspects. In terms of highs, the miniature work is fantastic as are the optical effects. However, the decision to use a large cybertronic Godzilla for several shots looks a bit...off, especially when compared with shots of the actor in the suit. And while the effects used to show the aftermath of an attack by a mutated sea louse on the crew of a fishing boat are eerie and striking, the sea louse itself does not really convince.

Another major positive in the film's favor however is the music by Reijiro Koroku. It gives off a mournful vibe that strongly invokes a sense of tension and dread, especially whenever Godzilla shows up. The only minor blemish in terms of the film's soundtrack would be the song used for the closing credits which I feel clashes a bit tonally with the rest of the film. The cinematography by Kazutami Hara is fantastic, complimenting the dark feel of the movie very well. In terms of editing, Yoshitami Kuroiwa's work is satisfactory though I due think the sequences of the human leads trying to escape from a skyscraper damaged during Godzilla's rampage could have been shortened without sacrificing much, as they become somewhat problematic from a pacing point of view.

Overall, I feel like The Return of Godzilla is as a whole greater than the sum of its parts. While several aspects of the film are a bit of a mixed-bag, the highlights - namely the character of the Prime Minister and Kobayashi's performance - elevate the whole movie. It gets a solid 8/10 from me and is well worth seeking out if you are a fan of Godzilla, monster movies or science fiction in general.

THE RETURN OF THE GODZILLA saw the return of the ultimate Japanese kaiju franchise after a decade of inactivity following the release of the final film of the original series, TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA. This film was posited as a remake of sorts of the original film, seeing Godzilla himself returning to form as the villain of the hour, a blood-hungry and destructive force of nature bent on wiping out Japan. Truth be told, it's something of a disappointment, a remarkably average and almost bland kind of movie that simply goes through the motions.

It starts off very well, with the crew of a ship attacked by a Facehugger-style parasite in scenes straight out of a horror film, but the film then becomes very ordinary, offering just the kind of thing we've seen before without updating it in any way. The lengthy climax is particularly inert, with Godzilla standing around for ages and the writers seemingly at a loss for what to have him do. There are fun escape-the-ruins shots which reminded me of a '70s disaster flick as our human heroes strive to avoid the destruction, but the rest is entirely routine. Thankfully the series would return properly, with a bang, once the 1990s hit.

This 1984 movie titled "Gojira", which oddly enough carries the English title "Return of Godzilla" (makes no sense in translation terms) wasn't really one of the better titles in the "Godzilla" franchise.

The storyline was actually rather pointless, to be bluntly honest. It was essentially just about the people in the movie, as Godzilla came to snatch a nuclear reactor, went on a half-hearted rampage, and then was swallowed up in a volcano. Yeah, that was essentially it. Godzilla wasn't even fighting any other kaijus in this movie.

I must admit that the storyline was really, really weak, and I was actually dozing off a couple of times throughout the course of the movie. It just felt like a shameless cash-in on the "Godzilla" fame and harvest some money quick and easily.

The effects in the movie were adequate. Take into consideration that the movie was made in 1984. Funny to see that they still were using miniature scale models in the "Godzilla" movies in the mid-1980s.

"Return of Godzilla" was a flaccid movie experience, hence I am rating it a mere four out of ten stars. It is a "Godzilla" movie, after all, so that does count for something in favor of the movie.

He 16th film in the Godzilla franchise, this was the last film produced in the Showa era and the first film in the Heisei series. It is at once a sequel to the original 1954 Godzilla and a reboot. The King of the Monsters would return to his roots as an enemy of human beings, if only for a few movies, and it was jarring for kids who grew up with the cute and cuddly version.

Directed by Koji Hashimoto and written by Shuichi Nagahara with a story by Tomoyuki Tanaka, this begins with the Yahata Maru caught in strong currents off the shores of Daikoku Island and a creature that makes its way out of a volcano. Godzilla is not the only creature, as there are also gigantic sea lice called Shockirus.

In the universe of this movie, the Godzilla attack of 1954 happened and people are aware of the kaiju. They are not, however, in the know that it may be back. People are in total fear of Godzilla, with an example being that Professor Hayashida refers to him as a living, invincible nuclear weapon. The Japanese government finally has to reveal that there is another kaiju when it destroys a Russian submarine and almost starts World War III.

Other countries want to nuke the monster but the Japanese government asks them to keep from doing that and allow them to use their new SUPER X weapon and its cadmium shells, which can slow down the nuclear reactor inside Godzilla. Of course, the Russians have set their nuclear weapon to fire automatically on Tokyo but can't stop the countdown. The American counter-missile destroys it, an EMP pulse stops SUPER X and brings Godzilla back to life. That said, you can always defeat a kaiju - at least for the end of the movie to happen and before it comes back - by blowing it up inside a volcano.

Special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano said, "We went back to the theme of nuclear weapons, since that was the theme of the original film. Japan has now learned three times what a nuclear disaster is, but at that time Japan had already had two. The problem was that Japanese society was gradually forgetting about these disasters. They were forgetting how painful it had been. Everyone in Japan knew how scary nuclear weapons were when the original movie was made, but it wasn't like that by the 1980s. So in those meetings, we decided to remind all those people out there who had forgotten."

This was the first Godzilla movie since 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla. There was a rumored color remake in 1977, The Rebirth of Godzilla, as well as Godzilla vs. The Devil and Godzilla vs. Gargantua. There was a push in Godzilla's 25th anniversary to make a new movie and series creator Tomoyuki Tanaka wrote Resurrection of Godzilla that had Godzilla fight Bakan, a shapeshifting monster and dealing with nuclear waste. Steve Miner and Fred Dekker almost made a stop-motion 3D movie as well, but budget kept getting in the way of these new movies. It took the 10,000 members of the Godzilla Resurrection Committee to make the movie happen.

Godzilla was back, even if it wasn't exactly a box office success. There's always America, right?

This Godzilla Film is Probably the Worst Godzilla Movie from The Heisei Era. That Being Said, It might even be one of my least favourite Godzilla movies of all time. WHY DO PEOPLE THINK THAT THIS MOVIE IS GOOD? IT'S NOT! (Ok, well I did watch the American Dub, lmao) The only good Thing About this awful movie is when Godzilla fell into the Volcano, and that's it. The Godzilla Suit Looked Awful and Goofy. It looks like Showa Godzilla Had taken Drugs after battling Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus. The Movie is long and Boring. The Cast was so boring and awful, that I actually fell asleep during the movie, ON A GODZILLA MOVIE!! Also, This movie was not an amazing Sequal as it fails to its Classic predecessor Godzilla 1954. I mean I get it, it's Meant To be Godzilla's Grand Return, but really it isn't, Literally even the OST Of this movie was Unsettling and awful. Overall, Without compelling characters or heart, The Return Of Godzilla stomps on everything that made the original a classic. Final Score: 1/10, Grade F+, 1 Star, This movie May Bear the Distinction of being the Dullest Movie Ever Made About a Giant Beeg Boi Lizard.