Whilst browsing through the extended Japanese catalogue of "Godzilla" movies, then I stumbled upon this 1985 movie, and released that I hadn't seen it. And that had to be rectified; thus, I tracked down the movie and sat down to watch it here in 2024.
Had I been missing out on a grand movie experience in the "Godzilla" and Kaiju universe? Hardly so. The storyline in "Godzilla 1985", as written by Hideichi Nagahara, was a pretty straightforward and generic one, even for a "Godzilla" movie. Truth be told, it was a bit of a mundane and tedious viewing experience, because you have to wait 33 minutes before getting to the point of where you actually have the star of the movie showing up. And that was just pulling the audience by the nose for far too long.
There is a whole lot of talking back and forth and political endeavors in the movie, which takes away from the destruction and mayhem that Godzilla brings about, and let's just face it, that destruction is why we watch these movies. And you need to venture 60 minutes into the movie before the destruction starts.
Of course I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "Godzilla 1985", but the majority of the actors and actresses put on good enough performances. Then there was Walter Nichols (playing American Ambassador Rosenburg), who delivered the most wooden and rigid performance I have ever witnessed. It was laughably bad. The movie has actor Raymond Burr listed on the cast list here on IMDb, but I must admit that I didn't see him on the screen.
Visually, then if you've seen any of the old Japanese "Godzilla" movies, then you know what you're in for, complete with model buildings, vehicles and people in monstrous rubber suits. Yup, "Godzilla 1985" did deliver on that account. It does have a certain charm to it, I will say that much. And personally I do like the cheesy effects in these old Japanese "Godzilla" movies, as they are made with love of the genre.
My rating of "Godzilla 1985" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.
Had I been missing out on a grand movie experience in the "Godzilla" and Kaiju universe? Hardly so. The storyline in "Godzilla 1985", as written by Hideichi Nagahara, was a pretty straightforward and generic one, even for a "Godzilla" movie. Truth be told, it was a bit of a mundane and tedious viewing experience, because you have to wait 33 minutes before getting to the point of where you actually have the star of the movie showing up. And that was just pulling the audience by the nose for far too long.
There is a whole lot of talking back and forth and political endeavors in the movie, which takes away from the destruction and mayhem that Godzilla brings about, and let's just face it, that destruction is why we watch these movies. And you need to venture 60 minutes into the movie before the destruction starts.
Of course I wasn't familiar with the cast ensemble in "Godzilla 1985", but the majority of the actors and actresses put on good enough performances. Then there was Walter Nichols (playing American Ambassador Rosenburg), who delivered the most wooden and rigid performance I have ever witnessed. It was laughably bad. The movie has actor Raymond Burr listed on the cast list here on IMDb, but I must admit that I didn't see him on the screen.
Visually, then if you've seen any of the old Japanese "Godzilla" movies, then you know what you're in for, complete with model buildings, vehicles and people in monstrous rubber suits. Yup, "Godzilla 1985" did deliver on that account. It does have a certain charm to it, I will say that much. And personally I do like the cheesy effects in these old Japanese "Godzilla" movies, as they are made with love of the genre.
My rating of "Godzilla 1985" lands on a generous four out of ten stars.