Godzilla 1985: The Legend is Reborn (1984)

" Godzilla is a warning. A warning to every one of us. When mankind falls into conflict with nature, monsters are born."

By the time Toho Studios released the 15th installment in the Gojira series, Terror of Mechagodzilla, in 1975, the budgets were down, the box office was down, and interest in general for the mighty Godzilla was down. Despite some great entries in the series prior to 1975, fatigue and apathy seemed to be setting in with the fanbase, with Terror having the lowest attendance out of all the films to that point. Toho made the decision to hold off on any further sequels for the time being. The intention wasn't to can the series altogether, but just to step back and see where the land lay.


Ultimately, they stepped back far enough to allow nearly 9 years to pass before delivering a new Godzilla feature. Tying in with the 30th anniversary of the original film seemed like a good idea, and a great way to reboot the series with a fresh start. By dropping the 'versus' aspect of Godzilla and his monster enemies that had dominated the sequels, it would allow the film makers to get back to the allegory that made the original film so endearing. So how does Godzilla 1985 stack up against the rest of the films in this seemingly endless saga?

Several months after a volcanic eruption, a fishing boat is seemingly attacked by a giant monster in the same area. A few days later, reporter Goro Maki (Ken Tanaka) finds the boat, intact and adrift. After boarding it, he discovers the crew dead, apart from one survivor, Hiroshi (Shin Takuma). Moments later they are both attacked by what looks like a giant sea louse which was hiding in the cupboard. Back on land, the Prime Minister is advised that Godzilla has attacked the fishing boat, but due to fears for national security, the story is quickly covered up. Unable to print a word on it, Goro is sent on an assignment to interview a scientist who is working on biology related to Godzilla, Dr Hayashida. He also meets Hiroshi's younger sister, Naoko (Yasuko Sawaguchi), who is working as a lab technition. He advises her that her brother is alive, and she rushes to the hospital to see him.

Meanwhile, Godzilla strikes again, scuppering a Russian submarine. The Russians, believing it to be the work of the Americans, plan retaliation. The Prime Minister is left with no choice but to intervene and tell them it was Godzilla. Soon after this, Godzilla attacks a nuclear reactor on an island off the coast of Japan, and seemingly drains energy from it, before following a flock of birds back out to sea. Dr. Hayashida, after witnessing this incident, figures that Godzilla's brain may be like that of a birds, hence why he responded to the bird calls.

Not long after this, Godzilla is spotted entering Tokyo Bay, and the city is ordered to be evacuated. Leaving a trail of destruction behind him, with the standard missiles doing little to stop him, the Russians decide that it's time for action and launch an atomic bomb. Will the military's new weapon vehicle, the Super X, be able to stop Godzilla before the bombs level the city for good? Or will Dr. Hayashida be able to bring Godzilla peacefully from the city and put him to bed for good?

If you saw this film when I did, ie, on release on video in the mid-to-late 80's, then the version you would have seen is most likely the 'Americanised' 1985 cut of the film. You see, the film was originally released as 'Return of Godzilla' in 1984 in Japan. It ignored all the sequels to the 1954 film, and used this new reboot as a way to link back to the original. It was then picked up by New World Pictures in the states, heavily re-edited with new footage added. Much like the original Gojira, the footage featured Raymond Burr as the 'Steve Martin' character, and it changed the tone of the film considerably. This new cut was then given cinema and home video distribution, and went on to be the version most of us grew up watching.

Since then, the original cut has become available (though I've only ever had it on bootleg), so it's quite easy to compare the two versions now. So do the two compare? Sadly, neither are stone cold classics, but the Japanese cut is the triumphant contender. The original version feels a tad overlong, with several scenes dragging on quite a bit, especially in its first half. There is a lot more drama and political discussion here than many Kaiju fans may be willing to sit through. These are minor complaints, though, as it is a welcome return to the serious 'mankind being punished' nature of the original film. The drama is good, so I never mind sitting through it, and the acting is engaging enough.

Godzilla himself looks great, and does well without the playful humour that had entered the series. The sets range from excellent to passable. The city rampage is well executed, but the earlier attack on the nuclear power station feels less than convincing. Same can be said for some of the shots involving the Sea Louse; it really does look like a piece of plastic on strings in parts. Still, once again, minor quibbles regarding the effects, they are 'good enough' for a Godzilla film, and they never detract from it. There are usually a lot of complaints in this department about this film; it's just that there was no other way to make a film like this, even on the budget Toho spent. The only other way to film the monster/destruction scenes would have been via stop motion, a la Dragonslayer, and to be honest, I don't think that would have worked very well at all. Sure, it looks like a guy in a rubber suit. But when ever has he not looked like that?

Special effects aside, the climax feels a tad clunky in places; there seems to be too many shots of Godzilla just standing there doing nothing, or of the Super X just hovering around facing the beast. Being one of the few films that feature just Godzilla by himself, the action never feels as lively as it does in many other entries, and this is evident in the latter stages of the film. The American cut, on the other hand, is much leaner, running 16 minutes shorter, in fact. Gone are some of the slightly worse looking model and effects shots, as well as some of the longer dramatic moments, but the re-editing of the Russian/American missile moment to make the Russians look like the bad guys is fairly unforgivable. I guess it was still during the cold war, so...A mention should definitely be made of the politics, as it does feature quite heavily in the film. The film makes no bones pointing towards the 'jump the gun' nature of America and Russia, when it comes to nuclear weapons, and instead show themselves to be more interested in preservation. It's no surprise, as the film makes many links back to the 1954 Gojira, which condoned heavily our race to use such destructive powers.

The worst aspect of the American cut is, of course, the new footage. It just doesn't really add anything to the film. Raymond Burr reprising his role from the original is fine, but it just doesn't feel right in the mix, in hindsight. The dubbing is also fairly atrocious, but that shouldn't be any surprise. This adds an unwelcome, cheesy feel to the film, and is one of the major reasons for avoiding this version. It takes away the fact that this film was supposed to be a return to the serious roots of the series, and not something to be laughed at by the audience. It hardly seemed worth it, in the end, as the film didn't do well theatrically, even with the changes. It meant it was nearly 15 years before another Godzilla would hit the cinemas in the States, even though Toho got back to 'business as usual' with the underrated Godzilla VS Biollante in 1989.

 Sadly, the film is now the only Godzilla film not available on DVD or Blu Ray. We could really do with a special edition that has both edits, preserving them for Godzilla fans to make their own minds up on. Myself, I generally would opt for the original cut, but it would be nice to have a non-VHS transfer of the American cut. As a kid, I loved the atmosphere of it. The opening is like a horror film on board the fishing boat, and the serious tone works well for the most part. It will always have a special place in my heart, being the first Godzilla film I watched as a child. It's just a pity the film isn't as tight as it could have been. It's definitely not essential viewing, but if you are a Godzilla nut, then no doubt you will have already seen it.