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Film: Godzilla 1985 (Gojira)
Year: 1984
Director: Koji Hashimoto and R.J. Kizer
Writer: Hideichi Nagahara, Lisa Tomei and Straw Weisman
Starring: Raymond Burr, Ken Tanaka and Yasuko Sawaguchi
Review:
This was a film that my father had on the VHS tape for. I don’t know why, but this is one that I didn’t watch growing up. My sister and I tended to go to the more whimsical versus films. When compiling my list of horror films for 1985, this is one that I knew I saw. It wasn’t until doing a bit of research that I realized, I’ve not seen the Japanese version and goes by the title, The Return of Godzilla. I do need to check that one out soon. This is a Voyage through the FiVes rewatch.
Synopsis: 30 years after the original rampage, a new Godzilla appears and attacks Japan.
This film begins in the ocean. We on are a fishing vessel and there is a man that is scared, Hiroshi ‘Ken’ Okumura (Shin Takuma). The waters are rough and the boat is swaying. We then see something extremely large move. The boat is attacked by whatever it is.
We then see a newspaper reporter, Goro Maki (Ken Tanka) on a sailboat. He boards the vessel and finds that everyone is dead. That is until he finds a man hiding in a closet with a knife clutched in his hands. It turns out to be Ken. He’s shocked, but Goro learns the ship was attacked by a giant monster. There’s something lurking in this room as well. It is a large sea louse. Goro stabs it, killing it just in time.
Goro takes him back to land. He relays again that they were attacked by Godzilla. Prime Minister Mitamura (Keiju Kobayashi) decides to keep this a secret for national security. Goro tries write about it, but he is told by his editor, Gondo (Kei Satô), that he must bury the story. It is suggested by Kitagawa (Takenori Emoto) to follow the story until he can release it.
This then leads Goro to Dr. Hayashida (Yôsuke Natsuki). He’s an expert on Godzilla. His parents were killed during the original attack. He’s dedicated his life to studying him as a biologist. Working with him is a Naoko Okumura (Yasuko Sawaguchi). She is the sister of Ken. He walks with her after leaving, letting slip that her brother is alive. She goes to see him.
We then shift to a Soviet submarine. They are attacked by Godzilla under the water. Due to tensions with the United States, the Soviets believe it was the Americans. Tensions rise, forcing Mitamura to diffuse this situation by releasing that it was Godzilla. A new kaiju emerges.
Ministers from the US and the Soviet Union meet with Mitamura. They decide what to do. General Goodhue (Warren J. Kemmerling) is called in along with other members of the military. The US wants to use nuclear weapons. Mitamura is adamant that they are not used as it is the new policy of Japan. There is a slip-up where a Soviet missile is launched. A joint effort goes into effect to stop it. The Japanese Defense Agency deploys the ship, Super X, to deal with Godzilla, who attacks Tokyo. Stakes rise as this beast heads for Tokyo. Dr. Hayashida might have a way to defeat this beast if they can lure it to a nearby volcanic island.
That is where I’ll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I’ll start is that I don’t hate the concept of this film. Toho knows that Godzilla is a cash cow. They’d run through what they could in that original run so they decided to reboot. I love that they’re acknowledging that the original attack happened. This is a direct sequel to that one. What is funny in this version is that it is follows the American, Godzilla: King of the Monsters. That is the one they edited in Steven Martin played by Raymond Burr. They get him back to reprise that role.
Since I haven’t seen the Japanese version yet, this will just be a review of what I saw. I personally could do without the scenes involving the American military. It tonally isn’t great. There are times when the military feels like they’re in charge. The lesser ranked feel like they’re here for comedy relief. I did enjoy it when Steven rebuttals things they said since he’s a de facto expert having survived years ago. You can tell these scenes are just tacked on though so it doesn’t mesh as well as it could.
Let’s then get into what we come to these films for, the kaiju. The suit doesn’t look as good, but my guess that’s due to better cameras and color. That’s not to say that it is bad as any stretch. The original was benefited from black and white. The model cities feel like miniatures. They’re just a bit too stiff. This is me nitpicking though. I still prefer this to the CGI that is used today. Another part that I love is returning to the darker tone. Godzilla is a villain. They do soften this a bit though to bring up the message that this monster has returned due to the human’s fighting and use of nuclear power. The beginning of this is also a mirror with a fishing vessel getting inadvertently attacked and then a survivor being the harbinger of doom. That was a good touch.
I want to finish discussing the acting performances. Burr is fine in this cameo role. That’s another aspect mirrored to King of the Monsters that feels like homage. Tanaka works as our lead and plays well off Sawaguchi. Takuma works as that harbinger I said. The Japanese and Soviet characters were all fine. They develop the important parts of the story. I’m not as big a fan of the US military characters. Tonally they just feel off trying to go back to the darker take. The guy in the kaiju suit is great though.
All that is left then is filmmaking. I do think that the cinematography and framing are good. I’ll say briefly that it doesn’t look as realistic as the original film. Still the kaiju suit and miniatures are good. I do like the message here about the dangers of war and use of nuclear power. I did want a bit more with the ending, but how they defeat Godzilla is fine. What I like there is that Dr. Hayashida discovers something with dinosaurs and this giant monster that correlates to birds. The problem I have there is that this takes a backseat to things so it gets lost. I do like using the Defense Agency and Super X. Those are fun aspects. This is made well enough.
In conclusion, this film works for the most part. There are good messages and commentary. I like taking Godzilla back to being a destructive force of nature. Being a direct sequel to the original, that makes sense. There are subtle jabs at the US and Soviet Union, who were at the height of the Cold War. I also like pointing out the dangers of nuclear power and weapons. This is made well with the cinematography, framing and practical effects. I do wish they would have incorporated in the original theme as it is iconic. The soundtrack here is still solid as was the sound design. My biggest issue is the tone. The Japanese part goes back to the original with a darker feel, but the tacked on American characters feel whimsical as most are bumbling. Burr is fine with his performance and the rest of the cast are solid. If you’re a fan of the original, this falls short but a solid enough follow up.
My Rating: 6.5 out of 10