Film (1985; vt Godzilla 1985). Toho/New World. Directed by Kohji Hashimoto, R J Kizer, starring Raymond Burr (in US version), Keiju Kobayashi, Ken Tanaka. Screenplay Shuichi Nagahara, Lisa Tomei, from a story by Tomoyuki Tanaka. 120 minutes, cut to 91 minutes USA and 87 minutes UK. Colour.
The original screenplay from Gojira (1954) is not credited, but this is effectively a remake of the first film; although it purports to be a sequel, it ignores the other 14 sequels as if they had never happened. Again the radioactive giant Dinosaur attacks ships, then destroys Tokyo. Again footage starring Burr as a reporter is spliced in for the US market (the US/UK versions are half an hour shorter than the Japanese). The plotting is dire; its main genuflection to modernity is the Japanese opposition to US and Russian insistence that Gojira should be nuked. The dialogue and characterization of this Monster Movie are laughable; but the special effects are better than the first time around. [PN]
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