Watch Godzilla 1985 For Free

Sadly Over-hyped

Instant Favorite.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Despite bringing back director Ishirô Honda and toning down the child-friendly antics that were plaguing the series, 1975's "Terror of Mechagodzilla" was a financial failure and the big guy was put on waivers for a decade. His triumphant return in 1984, his 16th outing, was a big-budget, one-monster show that was very much a return to the roots of the series (literally, as all of the intervening sequels were ignored as well as was the obvious death of the monster at the end of the original). As in the '54 version, the story opens with an attack on a ship, from which there is a single survivor, who claims to have seen a giant monster. People are generally disbelieving (which seems odd, as only 30 years have passed since Tokyo was first flattened by a giant monster), but come around when Godzilla wades ashore and destroys a nuclear power plant. Although nods are made to environmental concerns, the background issue in this film is the cold-war, as the Soviets and the Americans push to be allowed to use nuclear weapons against the monster. The Japanese prime minster is all quiet dignity, reason and principles while the Americans and the Russians blustering war-heads, which led to accusations of anti-Americanism in the Reagan-era U.S.A. (at one point in the discussion about using nuclear weapons near Tokyo, the American representative says "This is not time to be talking about principles", a line apparently changed in the American version of the film). Most of the special efforts are very good, with Godzilla back destroying cities rather than thrashing around on some inexpensive deserted island set, and although he's increased in height to 50 meters, he himself is dwarfed by Tokyo's towering (but apparently fragile) skyscrapers. Some of the back projection sequences are weak and the diminished scale of the city models limits the details that enhanced the realism of the sets in earlier films, but overall the film looks good. The Godzilla suit is excellent, very saurian and predatory looking, with internal mechanisms that allow for more facial expression than earlier versions and, in addition to the usual tanks and missiles, the JDF deploys laser cannon (nicely done) and the first of a series of improbable looking flying fortresses, the X1 - all of which is effective and exciting. The film's score, although not as good as Akira Ifukube's iconic original, is quite good, especially the ominous opening music. I watched a subtitled Japanese version of the film and parts of an English-dubbed version (but not the American release, which I've read has a number of alterations). The dubbing in the version I saw was not very good, with poor syncing and sometimes silly sounding voices (esp. the Russian ambassadors 'accent'). Remakes of classics are rarely classics themselves (1959's "Ben Hur" notwithstanding), and this incarnation of Godzilla is not as good as the 1954 original, but it is a watchable and entertaining film in its own right, both for fans and for the uninitiated.

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.

Synopsis: This movie like the title says Godzilla returns. This time they bring in American and Russian military to the scene. A Russian submarine gets attacked and they blame the Americans for the happening. When they figure out that this is Godzilla returning back they want to use atomic warfare on it. But like the original Godzilla movie from 1954 the Japanese still have not forgotten the Hiroshima bombing and refuse to let the Russians and Americans use atomic bombs on Godzilla. They want to find another way to stop him.Actors: These actors are not the best I have seen but did a fairly good job in this movie. Ken Tanaka have not been playing in any big things that I think people outside of Asia would know of. Yasuko Sawaguchi have acted in a bit more known works, like Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989), she have also been in another Toho Company monster movie called Orochi the Eight-Headed Dragon (1994). Yosuke Natsuki on the other hand may be the one who have played in most notable movies of these actors. The most well known movie he have starred in may be the Akira Kurosawa movie Yojimbo (1961), He have also been in other monster movies like Beauty and the Liquid Man (1958), Dagora the Space Monster (1964), Gihdorah the Three-Headed Monster (1964). Keiju Kobayashi have also been starring in a lot of movies but most of them not very well known outside of Asia. Maybe most known for his role in Kurosawa movie Sanjuro (1962). I actually think he did the best performance of the actors in this movie as the prime minister. Cinematography: The sets here are all good like you expect from the Toho Studios when creating monster movies. The charming fact of the movies they make is what I mean is good cinema when you keep away from CGI at most. Like rockets from military wagons and planes they have created it themselves and it does not look very real but it looks cool. When you see they fire on Godzilla it is very cool scenes. The only CGI in most Godzilla movies are the radioactive breath that comes out of the mouth of Godzilla. I don't know if we should call it CGI actually but it is the closest to it you get in these movies. They create miniature versions of the cities and then the monster can go rampage there and it looks cool. And take note of what I say, it is not very good looking like wow but it looks cool and charming effect. Outside of all these bad CGI effects we get from Hollywood movies. One cool thing to take in mind before seeing this movie is a scene where a helicopter gets blasted down you see a billboard in the background of the Ghostbusters logo.Music/Sound: The music is nothing very special in this one but the sound in Godzilla movies is always a treat. The roar of Godzilla is the best monster sound ever. The only thing that comes near may be the sound of the T-Rex in Jurassic Park, and that sound was inspired by the sound of the original Godzilla movie. Costume/Make-up: In costumes I guess the only thing that can be mentioned is always the costume of Godzilla. It is a man inside that monster and that is what I love so much about the monsters in Asian monster movies. Not a computer generated monster but as close to the real thing that you can get and the costume is very good and detailed. The only other costumes to mention might be the ones that the military uses and well they are as they should be.Summary: This is the first real sequel since the original Godzilla movie from Toho. And the first Godzilla movies since the original where he do not meet another monster to fight. The directors of this movie Koji Hashimoto and R.J. Kizer have not done much in main directing but many other movie related jobs. This movie is very good in the way that they wanted to take Godzilla to where he started if they succeeded or not is for each and everyone to decide. It may be a better watch for those loving the concept then the normal viewer. If you want the typical Hollywood way of movies stay away. If you like monster movies and foreign movies go for it. I liked it very much so this review may give you a bit of what to expect. Or point you in direction of other movies in the same genre.

Almost a decade after 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla, Toho finally launched a new Godzilla movie to kick off the Heisei series of Big G films. Terror of Mechagodzilla was to be the last Godzilla film for a while, but there were actually a couple of proposals between it and Return of Godzilla. Godzilla vs Gargantua was proposed for 1978 but never happened, and Godzilla vs Asuka Fortress was to be for 1979. I think Toho made the right decision. If nothing else, it certainly created quite a build up for this film in 1984 (or 1985 for us Americans).If you disliked the campy and more child-friendly Godzilla flicks that had succeeded the dark original, you'll appreciate Return of Godzilla greatly. The dark, somber theme coincides with a much more menacing, far less campy Godzilla. Godzilla is bigger and looks ferocious. His atomic ray (along with other special effects) have been upgraded considerably, although there are still the oft-mentioned quirks with the mechanical head and other here-and-there's. The earlier part of the film with the Shockirus, a mutated louse that feeds on people by sucking them dry, adds a jumpy scene or two and tells the audience right away that this isn't your kid-friendly Godzilla's Revenge movie.The plot is also fairly topical, something that couldn't be said for a lot of Godzilla movies. No goofy looking aliens, no underground communities, but we do have the Cold War and Russian-American tensions. The only somewhat larger flaw I found with the American version as compared to the Japanese version was the cut explanation for the Shockirus. I suspect it would have been nice to have that scene, but you can't have everything.Toho did a pretty good job, both in the movie and in returning Godzilla to his roots. They continued this excellence with the film's sequel five years later, 1989's Godzilla vs Biollante.