The dialogue tries to give Godzilla some higher meaning, but it doesn't know what it wants that to be.
Godzilla 1985
Japan · 1985
Rated PG · 1h 27m
Director R.J. Kizer, Koji Hashimoto
Starring Raymond Burr, Ken Tanaka, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Shin Takuma
Genre Action, Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror
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Originally released in Japan as "The Return of Godzilla" in 1984, this is the heavily re-edited, re-titled "Godzilla 1985". Adding in new footage of Raymond Burr, this 16th Godzilla film ignores all previous sequels and serves as a direct follow-up to the 1956 "Godzilla King of the Monsters", which also featured scenes with Burr edited into 1954's "Godzilla". This film restores the darker tone of the original, as we witness the nuclear destruction of giant lizard terrorizing Japan.
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What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Heavily laden with antinuclear messages, bad dubbing and worse dialogue, Godzilla 1985 is a pale imitation of the original film, a calculated bit of cinematic nostalgia that leaves one yawning. [20 Sep 1985, p.J]
Washington Post by Rita Kempley
A trashy Japanese production with special guest Raymond Burr. [27 Sep 1985, p.25]
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
The fatal flaw in Godzilla 1985 is that it is a bad movie with aspirations of being a good bad movie.
New World Pictures has been promoting the film not so much as a fright show but more as a campy romp (the comic trailer was more entertaining than the picture); unfortunately, it doesn't work very well on either level. [01 Oct 1985, p.E1]
The New York Times by Vincent Canby
Though special-effects experts in Japan and around the world have vastly improved their craft in the last 30 years, you wouldn't know it from this film.
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