Gojira (Godzilla 1985: The Legend Is Reborn) poster & wallpaper
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Raymond Burr, Koji Ishizaka, Nobuo Kaneko, Takeshi Katô, Keiju Kobayashi ... see more see more... , Hiroshi Koizumi , Shinsuke Mikimoto , Kunio Murai , Taketoshi Naito , Yosuke Natsuki , Junkichi Orimoto , Eitarô Ozawa , Kei Sato , Yasuka Sawaguchi , Mizuho Suzuki , Yoshifumi Tajima , Shin Takuma , Ken Tanaka , Robert J. Kizer , Kiyoshi Tamamoto , Mori Mikita , Shinpei Hayashiya , Takenori Emoto , Takeo Morimoto , Tetsuya Takeda

Nearly ten years after his last screen appearance (in 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla), the Tokyo Terror stomps again -- albeit awkwardly -- in Toho Studios' highly publicized bid to reestablish the Gr... read more read more...een Guy's popularity in Japan and overseas. More a remake of the 1956 classic Godzilla, King of the Monsters than a continuation of the series, Godzilla 1985 represents an attempt to revamp the Big G with Star Wars movie technology and a more "serious" approach. Unfortunately, Toho's efforts may have gone astray, since the film resorts to exactly the same cheesy conventions that had endeared the series to bad-movie buffs around the world: flimsy cardboard buildings, inconsistencies in the monster's size from one scene to the next, and the same mock-profound commentary from Raymond Burr. The only notable additions consist of some interference from those evil superpowers, America and the Soviet Union, who both want to nuke Godzilla before he decides to direct his rage somewhere other than Japan. Though the film did manage to jump-start the franchise, spawning several high-tech sequels (continuing with Godzilla vs. Biollante and 1995's Godzilla vs. The Destroyer), its cheesiness spelled certain doom for the series in overseas markets, with minimal legitimate U.S. distribution until their arrival on video amid advance hype for Sony-TriStar's mega-budgeted 1998 version. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Flixster Users

37% want to see it

5,406 ratings

Critics

13% liked it

8 critics

PG, 1 hr. 43 min.

Directed by: Koji Hashimoto, R. J. Kizer

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Flixster Reviews (288)

  • kiriyamakazou
    April 8, 2011
    kiriyamakazou
    I saw the original Japanese version. It was fantastic. This is a reboot to the dark and destructive ways of Godzilla. Sure, I enjoyed the time spent with aliens, robots, other monsters etc. But it was nice to take it back to basics. In context of the movie, this is the first time... read more Godzilla has been spotted since the 1954 original. Here, he is a mistake of the humans, and he's here to smash shit up, not protect it. The film is more reminiscent of disaster movies of the era. The Towering Inferno sprung to mind. The film jumps around from scientists, to the Prime Minister of Japan. We get some hard issues to face, as Japan must argue with Russia and America on whether to use nuclear weapons to destroy Godzilla. The effects are incredible. A new suit brings Godzilla to life once more, plus some shots of a detailed animatronic version. The sets are remarkable in their detail and realism. This feels like Godzilla tearing through buildings, and not just models. If you want to keep your Godzilla films serious and dark, just watch the original and this.
  • kenstachnik
    February 11, 2011
    kenstachnik
    So awesome it's ridiculous. Really wish they would release this on DVD
  • skeletonking101
    January 23, 2011
    skeletonking101
    This movie disturbed the crap out of me, the action is great in the movie, but it is a forgettable godzilla movie
  • husky10000years
    December 28, 2007
    husky10000years
    This is a really good Godzilla movie. The Japanese version is actually pretty good, even if some of the Americanized editting is a mix-bag and special-effect hickups.
  • cacutshaw
    April 18, 2007
    cacutshaw
    Great updating of Godzilla and it was good to have him as a bad guy again.
  • homelessbumv2
    July 13, 2010
    homelessbumv2
    The Japanese version is actually a pretty good film, while the butchered U.S. version is some good ol' cheesey fun.
  • bobgray2000
    March 30, 2010
    bobgray2000
    The original Japanese version is a return to the dark vision of the original. Keiju Kobayashi gives a wonderful somber performance as Japan's burdened prime minister. I personally wish though that they improved the cybot head for Godzilla, as it looks pretty clumsy and doesn't m... read moreatch with heavy brow on the suit head.
  • jam233
    November 27, 2009
    jam233
    I have always though the Godzilla movies were so stupid and cheaply done. I could never get into them. Thought I would try a newer version, not any better.
  • Cvalda
    July 27, 2009
    Cvalda
    **This review is of the original Japanese version, NOT the recut American version**

    There's a lot of interesting ideas floating around in Gojira (1984), which is one of the few films in the craptastic Godzilla series that's actually worth watching. The fact that the idea... read mores never come into real focus is, of course, due to the fact that this is a film about a giant rubber mutant dinosaur destroying a decently rendered miniature Tokyo, but hey, at least it tries.

    In visual terms, the film is a pleasant surprise. The cinematography is excellent, with lots of gloomy, apocalyptic imagery. There are several shots that linger in the mind: a POV shot of the title beast as it approaches a nuclear power plant through the fog; the Japanese Prime Minister framed between two immovable stone pillars as he debates US and Russian ambassadors (a brilliantly subtle touch); Godzilla reflected in the innumerable glass windows on the side of a skyscraper. The score by Reijiro Koroku is a masterpiece of epic menace, gorgeous melody and fabulous orchestration--easily ranking alongside Akira Ifukube's legendary score for the original film (its not too hard to track down a copy of the score on web forums).

    The banal monster-meets-hipsters Cloverfield appears to have gleefully lifted a sequence near the opening here, where the main character is attacked by giant mutant sea lice that have sucked dry all the crew members of an abandoned ship.

    Alas, it can't be all good. The plot to lure Godzilla to his doom is laughably innane ("dinosaurs evolved into birds, and birds follow electromagnetic currents in the Earth, so logically, since Godzilla is dinosaur and related to birds, we can lure him somewhere using recorded bird calls!"), Godzilla himself is saddled with gigantic white googly eyes that rob him of any seriousness, and the human characters are all thinner than tissue paper.

    Despite all its many, many, MANY faults, Gojira (1984) has just enough style and just barely enough substance to still make it worth a viewing. Just try to suppress your giggles.
  • firstamb
    July 6, 2008
    firstamb
    This 1985 reinvention of the franchise is far superior to another that came along on US soild in 1998. Gozilla gets reborn to trash Tokyo again.

View All Gojira (Godzilla 1985: The Legend Is Reborn) Reviews

Critic Reviews

James Sanford
January 23, 2003
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

Stick with the originals instead

Scott Weinberg
July 25, 2002
Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com

Nah, he only seem that old.

Vincent Canby
August 30, 2004
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Randy Shulman
October 28, 2005
Randy Shulman, Metro Weekly (Washington, DC)

No review available.

Michael Szymanski
October 15, 2005
Michael Szymanski, Zap2it.com

No review available.

Emanuel Levy
December 18, 2004
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Mark R. Leeper
November 5, 2004
Mark R. Leeper, rec.arts.movies.reviews

No review available.

Oz
January 1, 2000
Oz, eFilmCritic.com

Click to read the article Full Review

February 9, 2006
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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