Duel of the Iron Fist was made and released before Bruce Lee took the world by storm, so the fight choreography in this movie is not the best, not saying that it is the worst either. Bruce Lee would later provide the formula for martial arts choreography. Duel of the Iron Fist is still worth viewing. The story is great, the acting is great and the fights are entertaining. It stars both David Chiang and Ti Lung, who are 2 of the better actors in Kung-Fu Cinema and it's directed by my favorite martial arts director Chang Cheh. So if you love old school Shaw Brothers than view this flick, if your'e expecting something like Jackie Chan or Jet Li, look elsewhere
A YOUNG STREETFIGHTER RETURNS HOME TO FIND OUT WHO KILLED HIS GODFATHER. GREAT STORYLINE AND GOOD FIGHT SCENES. IF YOU LIKE OLD SCHOOL MARTIAL ARTS MOVIES, YOU SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEMS ENJOYING THIS MOVIE. IT EVEN HAS AN ENDING I DIDN'T SEE COMING.
For those not in the know, this was the second martial arts film shown in America (Yes, even before the late, great Bruce Lee's Golden Harvest classics became available). Being a Shaw Brothers movie directed by the greatest HK director ever, Chang Cheh, this film has its merits, but considering the talent behind it, it's somewhat disappointing in the choreography department. It has a decent story with good performances by Ti Lung & David Chiang, arresting visuals by Chang Cheh, glossy cinematography by Kung Mu-To, but what is up with the sloppy choreography by Tang Chia?! Being an old-school fan who saw this on a rainy Saturday afternoon as a kid, I can be forgiving (to be fair, it does have an action-packed ending including a bamboo pole duel between David & Lung in the rain), but I do NOT recommend this for younger fans raised on Jackie Chan or Jet Li. If you're a fan of Shaw Brothers (like me) and/or Chang Cheh (like me), then you probably already saw this movie and can decide for yourself. If you're not familiar with the aforementioned names, then I suggest you check out some later Chang Cheh films he made with the Venoms. They never disappoint!
Do not be fooled by the change of title, this is NOT Duel Of The Iron Fist...not entirely.The VHS version of this classic film is called Duel Of The Shaolin Fist, and is edited for TV, minus much of the fight scenes, especially the final one. It's at least in wide screen, which is a plus. It clocks in at 90 minutes.This DVD version clocks in at 98 minutes, but is full screen (meaning that we get to miss the sides of it all, including half their faces, at times). In addition, the ending is once again cut out of the film.When will we be able to get the full-length, uncut version, in glorious wide screen? I doubt that I'll live long enough to see it again.Awful work on this fantastic film. Don't waste your money.
Although the movie is decent, the quality of the dvd is not, it has problems with sudden freezes at times, que quality of the picture is below standards and the ending of the movie is cutoff so there's no ending scene. A very dissapointing dvd.
The Return of Godzilla or Godzilla 1984 is one hour and forty – four minutes long and was released in theaters on December 15th, 1984. The main story is Daikoku Island erupts and don’t you just know it to your amazement a new Godzilla appears. As usual the monster heads to Japan for some quick nourishment and its traditional rampage of what ever city it is near. This Godzilla is meaner looking then the past Godzilla of years gone by. At least with the old version you could bring that one home to the folks and maybe go out on a dinner date. Also, this is the first Godzilla movie in nine years. The last Godzilla movie was the Terror of Mechagodzilla which was released in March 15, 1975. The special effects of this movie are great for the era of that time. Finally, this is the first Godzilla movie since the original back in 1954, that the big guy does not do battle with another monster. The Return of Godzilla or Godzilla 1984 gets an AAAA++++.DVD ExtrasA. Play MovieB. Languagesa. Englishb. Japanese with English SubtitlesC. Scene SelectionsD. Theatrical Promo 2 minutesE. Also Available from Kraken Releasinga. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep 2 minutesb. Godzilla vs. Gigan 2 minutesc. Godzilla vs. Hedora 2 minutes
I was very very excited to receive this disc. Godzilla 1985 was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw, I was about 6 years old at the time and it blew me away. Now some 32 years later I finally get to see the original Non Raymond Burr added, non english dubbed, unedited, and non story altered Japanese original. Most of the movie is unchanged but its really obvious where the story was changed to make it more palatable to American audiences in the mid 80s. And the movie is so much better with the original dialog and english subtitles. While modern Kaiju movies are great with their abundance of CGI there is always something great about a guy in a suit stomping on models and fighting with toys. Practical effects are always going to have a realism that CGI will never match. Although there are a few shots of a giant robot godzilla foot that were kinda laughable and its pretty obvious why those were never tried before, never tried again, and edited from the US release.The video and audio quality are really good for an old Godzilla movie. I'm thoroughly impressed with this disc. The ONLY thing I would like is for one day the American Godzilla 1985 to be available to watch as well just because it was my first movie. But if I had to choose between the two, I'd take this one any day.
From Godzilla 1985, for the first time, G-fans see Big G's POV shot hearing him growling, then stomping his way through a fog bank, he sees one of Japan's nuclear power plants up ahead and moving towards it. At the power plant, a security guard comes to see what was stomping but he's startled seeing a huge green taloned foot stomps down before him cracking open the pavement. He's suddenly terrified looking up at who's standing in front of him, looking further up, it's Godzilla bearing down at the guard, he screams his iconic roar at him. Now for the first time, a U.S. release of Return of Godzilla by Kraken Release with Godzilla 1984 is a kaiju 90s treat for for G-fans. I hope Kraken will include the end credits for Return than Classic Media's fade to white editing. Looking forward to this. With a rehash version of Godzilla 54 in Resurgence coming soon, I already have SH Monsterarts Spit Fire Godzilla 2014 figure added to my Big G collection. My Godzilla has no bounds.Love the director's cut from Return of Godzilla! What a difference it is from scenes that were re-editted and cut to Godzilla 1984 with Raymond Burr reprising one is famous roles as news reporter Martin next to Perry Mason. It's understandable nowadays why Gojira and Return were re-editted due to the politics of WMDs with Raymond's inserted scenes when they are also there as an English interpretation and story extension of the films.The visual quality is so much better than before! We finally see Big G green as ever with those big close up head shots. Return was made on a big budget $6.25 million. Director Koji Hashimoto wanted the film to be as believable as possible to King Kong's first remake as well as reminding Japanese society about the dangers of nuclear weapons with art of disaster scenes, a large scale Godzilla foot stomping down and a 1/40th scale replicated set of Tokyo for Godzilla's increased height and sized up to high rise buildings.
This review is for the Blu-Ray edition of 'The Return of Godzilla' released by Kraken Releasing in 2016This movie is also called 'Godzilla 1984'. The 'Godzilla 1985' edition is not shown on this release.This movie was made in 1984 on the 30th anniversary of the original Godzilla movie. Previously there had been 15 Godzilla movies, the last of which had been filmed in 1975. That era was knows as the 'Showa' era. The new era that begins with this movie and has a total of 7 movies which ended in 1995 is called the 'Hesei' era.This movie assumes that all 14 of the Godzilla sequels from the 'Showa' era did not take place. This is an alternate universe in which only the first movie happened.This movie was release in theaters in the United States in 1985. More on this below.BLU-RAY: The picture is not that great. Honestly some of the standard edition DVD's from the Toho Master Collection have better picture quality than this movie. I'm not saying it's terrible. There aren't any spots, rips or tears or anything like that. The colors just aren't that vibrant and the picture is soft throughout.HOW WAS THE DUBBING?: The international dubbing for Toho movies is almost never good. This movie is no exception. The Soviet ambassador sounds just awful. Many of the other's sound terrible also. The leads aren't too bad, but that's to say that they are average.EXTRA'S: You get some previews from other movies by Kraken Releasing and you get the trailer for this movie. That's it for extra's.WHAT ABOUT THE SUBTITLES? You don't get subtitles which annoys me especially in a movie like this. With these movies that are originally in the Japanese language, the subtitles are usually different than what is being spoken. The reason for this is that when being dubbed, the voice actors try to use words that match the movements of the actor's mouth's. So they aren't always giving you a direct translation.*****LOTS OF SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT*****PLOT/SUMMARY: At the open of the movie we see what is footage of a volcano and/or earthquake that ultimately is waking up Godzilla.Soon afterward, a reporter, Goro is out sailing and he comes across a deserted fishing ship. He finds one survivor, Hiroshi, on board along with a giant sea louse which together they kill.Goro writes a story but is forced to keep it secret. He then visits Professor Hayashida who parents were killed in Godzilla's appearance in 1954. Coincidentally, Hiroshi's sister, Naoko is working for the professor. She does not know that Hiroshi is still alive. Hiroshi is a witness to Godzilla and the government doesn't want to start a panic so they are suppressing the truth. Goro tells Naoko the truth and she rushes to the hospital to be with her brother.Shortly thereafter, a Soviet submarine is sunk by Godzilla. The Soviet's blame the United States for the sinking. Both sides prepare for nuclear war. The Japanese Prime Minister intervenes and lets the world know that it was Godzilla that sank the submarine. Both the Soviet's and the Americans want to use a nuclear bomb to stop Godzilla. The Japanese Prime Minister refuses to allow this. The Soviet's end up accidentally launching a missile and the Americans shoot it down before it can do any damage.Godzilla ends up attacking a nuclear power plant. He uses the reactor to feed off of. When a flock of birds takes off, Godzilla becomes distracted and follows them. Professor Hayashida believes that Godzilla instinctively follows the homing signal given off by the birds. He believes that they can use that to their advantage to trick Godzilla into following the signal to a volcano and then detonating an explosive device at the volcano and trap Godzilla in it.Meanwhile, the Japanese self defense force has revealed it's latest weapon, the Super X. Godzilla attacks Tokyo and the JSDF can't stop him. The Super X fires cadmium shells into Godzilla's mouth. This slows down his heart enough to render him unconscious. Unfortunately, a storm caused by the exploding missile's causes an electrical storm that revives Godzilla. Godzilla battles Super X and destroys it. Godzilla follows the homing signal toward the volcano that Professor Hayashida has made.PRODUCTION: As stated about this is the first movie from the 'Hesei' era which lasted from 1984 to 1995.After the 'Hesei' era ended, Toho handed off Godzilla to the Americans and every fan of Godzilla knows how that turned out. It lasted one movie and they took Godzilla back. Toho released 'Godzilla 2000' in 1999.-Toho used a life sized foot for Godzilla in some of the scenes. Most of these scenes were deleted in the American release, Godzilla 1985. I think they should have left those scenes in but I can understand why they didn't. The foot doesn't look very good in most of the scenes.-The 'Godzilla 1985' version barely made $4,000,000 in it's U.S. release but it was ultimately enough for a minor profit for the distributor, Roger Corman's New World.-The giant sea louses were and idea left over fro...
BOTTOM LINE: This Godzilla movie is a sort of holy grail among the G-faithful, since the "international" version of this particular film has never been legally available in the States. While it's interesting to see the original uncut version of the film, it's still a ho-hum affair. Godzilla himself doesn't get to do a whole lot of rampaging beyond his singular Tokyo Bay entrance and his stroll into Shinjuku. Fans like myself will want it for sure, but the disappointing lack of extras and the shockingly mediocre quality of the supposed "hi-def" transfer left a foul taste in my mouth. 3 STAR movie, 2 STAR Blu-ray (YMMV)THE STORY: A volcanic eruption awakens Godzilla from his undersea slumber and he rumbles forth to menace Japan once again. Lots of stuffy Japanese government officials wring their hands, frown and worry aloud while a soapy quadrangle involving the lone survivor of a freighter that Godzilla attacked, the man's sister, a headstrong reporter and a moody "bioscientist" keep the pot boiling away, hogging most of the film's 103 minute runtime. After a few brief military VS Big-G battles, the Charles Bronson-esque looking scientist makes a convenient "huh?" discovery, and everything is wrapped up all nice & tidy... at least until the next film in the series, (which was far more interesting and exciting) - 1989's GODZILLA vs. BIOLLANTE.THOUGHTS: Ignoring all the films that came before it, save the '54 original, this mid-80's update/reboot re-invigorated the long-running film series, but instead of putting the radioactive reptile front & center, it tortures us with a tedious melodramatic romance that pretty much goes nowhere. Poor Godzilla gets shoved to the wayside for most of the film. The generally decent visual F/X work here is more of the same from then in-charge special effects honcho, Teruyoshi Nakano, who gave us the blood-spurting & explosion-filled G-films from the 1970's. The design of Godzilla is a nice change from the cringe-worthy puppydog-eyed superheroic superlizard we endured in the previous few films. The Big G looks suitably menacing and is once again given three prominent rows of dorsal spines. The large (by GODZILLA movie standards) budget allowed the Toho F/X boys to attempt a few interesting things, such as constructing a 15 foot tall, fully animatronic "cybot" Godzilla used in several shots, and a full-scale Godzilla foot (which looks exactly like what it is: an uncooperative crane & cable-actuated rubber wrapped prop). The English-language "International" version was dubbed by the same listless crew of somnambulistic voice actors who did most (if not all) of the 1970's G-films. Once again we're subjected to monotone script readings instead of engaging, emotional voice acting (except when it isn't appropriate - of course). Those laughably irritating mispronunciations "Godziller" and "Godzilly" are found scattered throughout the picture, too. *SIGH* (Give me the glory days when AIP coughed up the dough for quality dubbing from the gang at Titra/Titan productions.) Still, the biggest letdown of this release remains the absence of the New World Pictures version - "GODZILLA 1985" - which brought Raymond Burr back as beloved United World News reporter, 'Steven Martin.' The full-length Japanese/International version we're given here is sorely lacking without Burr's somber presence and stentorian voice-over narration ...especially during the film's fiery finale. Perhaps some day...THE BLU-RAY: In a word? Sad. This is a long-awaited "lost" entry in the G-cannon that many fans, both hardcore & casual, have been wanting & waiting for years... decades even. I'm sorry to say that the quality of the transfer is a HUGE letdown. The features & benefits of the hi definition format are given no chance to shine with this release; the overall quality looks & sounds like any run of the mill thrift store DVD. Only a handful of shots approach proper razor sharpness. Most are frustratingly soft and the film itself looks scratchy, with the color scheme being muddled and over-saturated. Did the archival crew at Toho NOT do a proper restoration of this film? The quality of the transfer acquired by Kraken Releasing would certainly suggest this; especially when compared to Kraken's excellent Blu-rays for GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER, GODZILLA VS. GIGAN and GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH. The only bonus feature included for THE RETURN OF GODZILLA / GODZILLA 1984 is the original Japanese trailer for the film, along with Japanese trailers for the aforementioned three G-titles offered in hi-def by Kraken. It's nice to have this on home video, but it could (and should) have been sooo much better.
The Return of Godzilla brings the King of the Monsters back to being an allegory for nuclear warfare during the continuation of the cold war between the United States and Russia. With updated special effects for its time, it is an enjoyable film and I recommend it along with the reedited version, Godzilla 1985.
I'll be upfront, the five stars is a bit biased, but I think it's an "earned biased." Can that be a thing? We're making it a thing. Anyways, dear god how long did we Americans have to wait? No I'm serious, this was the only Godzilla movie to never see an official DVD release in America. This movie was practically released everywhere else but the U.S. Which if you are like me was heart breaking. Godzilla 1984 (Return of Godzilla) was the first Godzilla movie I've seen before getting into the franchise leaving the second movie being the infamous 1998 that everyone hates, but after that I couldn't get enough and started renting Godzilla movies as much as possible. But it was all thanks to the '84 film that I'm at all into the series. So after all these years, was it worth the wait to get the Blu-Ray release? Truth being it would be more worth it if we got this YEARS ago, but technically speaking, yes it was worth the wait with some minor disappointment. Don't worry this movie doesn't disappoint, I'll explain what I mean.Now assuming if you're like me where you state that this movie too was your first movie of the franchise, more than likely you remember the 1985 American Edit that starred Raymond Burr. I can tell you for a fact that this isn't that version, but it does still contain an English Dub as well as the original Japanese cut with subs. With that being said, you'll not only relive moments in this movie, but you'll get some new experiences as well. However with that said you won't see or hear any of the Raymond Burr moments, which even a hardcore G-Fan would say is slightly disappointing. More specifically never getting to hear the amazing ending speech Burr gives regarding Godzilla. The 85 edit might of had a lot of useless shots that were in no way needed for the movie, but even in an uncut / unaltered movie like this, the speech was not only powerful but fitting.So I confirm that this won't be the exact same as you witnessed before, does that mean that you should skip it? No because as I said that you not only relive moments, you get some new experiences. Also we waited years for this movie and would probably be a sin to any Godzilla fan to not get it. Anyways, some of the moments you'll experience include more of the chemistry between the reporter and the lead female. You also get more of the discussion between using Nukes on Godzilla between America, Russia, and Japan. In short a lot of the unedited stuff is stuff you probably won't care for in a Godzilla movie, but is better than seeing a random shots of American actors discussing if they should help Japan only for Raymond Burr's character to say "No." Which reminds me, some of the edits that were made on Godzilla made him seem a bit of a jerk, well more of an aggressive killing machine I should say. Like when the scientist was testing his machine to lure Godzilla which works only for Godzilla to charge at the building. . . At least that's what happened in the edit. Here Godzilla arrives at the building more on his own, Godzilla never attacks the building holding the main characters. The edit version gave me some nightmares when I was a kid with that scene and in this version, I mean I still remember getting frighten but the impact is not as strong. But when you first see Godzilla, don't matter which version, that always sends chills down my spine.We waited forever for this movie, and it may not be the edit that we all witnessed years ago but it's still the same movie that got many of us in the franchise. I love this movie even if it doesn't have Raymond Burr in it. If you're a Godzilla fan and have yet to see this movie, get this movie whenever you can. Unless this movie falls into a familiar fate as Son of Godzilla or Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla in which case I hope does not happen. I'll feel bad if this movie ends up reaching the +$100 price range.
Godzilla 1984 came out (in Japan) roughly a decade after the last Godzilla movie to have been released before it, "Terror of Mechagodzilla" from 1975. This movie is what is known nowadays as a "soft reboot." They imply that at least a couple of the previous Godzilla movies have happened, but it is unclear how many, and the reference to not having seen Godzilla in "30 years" early in the film implies that, in this film's past, only the first 2 or 3 have occurred. Most experts will tell you only the original Godzilla is in this new film's continuity, but Godzilla is shown escaping from an island, where he had been buried "30 years ago" -- and this is the ending of Godzilla Raids Again, not the first movie. At any rate, it doesn't really matter, because as long as you understand that Godzilla is a giant destructive monster powered by radioactivity, and that he has trashed Japan before with his monster powers, it's all you need to know for this film.In terms of the movie itself, it is pretty good. Compared to the 15 movies of the prior period (the 'Showa' period), this one ranks up there with some of the better ones. The directing is strong and clearly takes inspiration from the Godzilla installments by Ishiro Honda. The music is also reminiscent of the Honda films rather than the Fukuda movies, which had livelier (and often rather ridiculous-sounding) scores. Here, as in the Honda Godzillas, the music is dramatic and haunting. The Godzilla suit has been updated, mostly for the good, although some of the articulations of the puppet head, in close-up, look a little fake. Overall the suit is, I would say, a substantial upgrade. The story is interesting and the characters are decent. The acting is nothing to write home about but then, it generally isn't in Godzilla movies, excepting the original. If you like Godzilla this is well worth a watch. It is a fine reboot, and does justice to the character and the franchise, and is a reasonable setup for future Godzilla movies, many of which have gone on to become classics in their own right, such as Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.In terms of the blu-ray, you can choose either Japanese language with English subtitles (which is the version I have watched), or English dub. The subtitled version is good, although a few times the subtitles go by too fast to read. I never had to pause and go back though -- it only happened a few times and it was easy enough to tell what was going on despite missing a line or two. Sometimes, however, the subtitles are written over the Japanese kanji characters (such as when characters are speaking Russian), and this makes the English impossible to read. The print is a good quality and looked excellent on my 49" XHD TV, despite this being a Blu-ray and not XHD disk. Sound quality is excellent. Overall this is a high quality transfer to disk.
Came quick and in good condition. Works perfect and will look good in my collection
This is a fantastic Godzilla movie! Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t know what they’re talking about! GET THIS!!!
So in 1984, Return of Godzilla hit the stage. It is a very good film for its time. It struggled with many themes some that carried over into the recent Godzilla movie, Shin Gojira.One of those themes being, the americans wanting to launch a nuke at Godzilla which would also hit all of Tokyo. Obviously, if you have seen any of the others after it you could guess what happened.Now in the Americanized Version (more like Cold War Version), many of the scenes were changed with scenes of Raymond Burr.Now the one biggest change they made was when one of the Russian went back to the carrier, he actually was trying to stop the nuke countdown. Just as he was, Godzilla attacked. He still tried to reach for the controls to stop the nuke but the explosion of the ship killed him... That is what happened in the original 1984 movie.Now Americans with their pettiness back then, they edited it to turn "Russian trying to stop the nuke and dies" into "Russian launches nuke and dies".The reason for that edit was "Conservatives Leanings" and because they wanted to paint Russia in bad light and US in a good light.Thankfully I would hope we are past those days of pettiness.Now this version released by Kraken Releasing.It is the Japanese Version with Subtitles. Toho and Kraken Releasing had a hard time getting the distribution rights to the Japanese Version alone. And its almost impossible to figure out if they can actually sell the Americanized version here.Now this dvd does have an English track, it it isn't exactly amazing but thats because the english dub track was made for countries that didn't get Americanized Version but instead got the Japanese Uncut.The movie is worth the money though.It retackles themes showning Gojira, regarding Nuclear Weapons and such. But it also allows Godzilla to have his own flick. Today he only has 3 flicks where its him vs Humans. (Thats of course if you don't count the terrible American take of godzilla known as Godzilla 1998.)Back then, he only had one film where it was hin vs Humans. Until this movie was released.I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes Kaiju movies and never got to see the original Japanese movie, Godzilla 1984.
I'm just overjoyed that we here in the west can finally get this movie on Blu-Ray. It's been held up in legalities and rights issues for decades. I think the last US release was VHS. Even better, we actually get both the Japanese version (very good) and the somewhat changed American version (unintentionally hilarious in all the wrong ways.)The Return of Godzilla/Godzilla 1985 was the first reset of the Godzilla movies. After a decade of no new movies it was a direct sequel to the original 1954 Gojira, and ignored all of the "Showa" era movies. It returned Godzilla to being a dark destructive force of nature, instead of the goofy children's hero he had become. The movie also has some great Cold War themes and plots. Well the Japanese one does. The American one is more Dr. Strangelove by way of a Dr. Pepper commercial (so wish I was joking.) The effects work was outstanding for the time and holds up extremely well. While far from the best of the "Heisei" era Godzilla films, it was a decent start.If you do get this, I strongly recomend the original Japanese version. The American rework seems custom designed for MST3K.
A great movie finally brought to blu-ray and DVD and its well worth the wait, if you have not bought this and your a Godzilla fan, well get to it!That said I will be saying some things that many may not agree with.First off the sub is fine and the actors did well enough given the martial and what they were doing, the dub however, to me is inferior to the original. The dubbers sound wooden and really don't put much into their roles as the original release did and the lack of Raymond Burr is really felt. though more on that in a sec.The only real flaw with this to me, beside the goofy shots of Godzilla in some parts, is the shot that really do nothing for the film and seem to serve to pad out the film.As for what I mean by Raymond Burr, the character he plays is Steve Martian in original American dub of Godzilla and reprises his role for the original release Godzilla 1985, and while i will agree the most of my fellow reviewers that the additions in the 1985 release were not truly needed, Raymond I feel was. As his character, Mr. Martian as he is called in the original 1985 film and how will be referring to him from now on, was a survivor of the original attack and though out his scenes offers a different prescription then all the other characters. This really come into play, with what most fans, myself included remember about this movie, the ending monologue.All the characters from all sides see Godzilla as a threat, as an enemy to kill or defeat, Mr. Martian see him in a different light, as a creature of mans hubris, a creature of great power. a creature to respect and pity, a creature of nature. The ending with Mr. Martian full encases an old quote from Ishiro Honda himself "Monster are tragic beings. They are born to tall, too strong, too heavy. They are not evil by choice."As the charcters watch Godzilla from all sides as the music swells and Godzilla scream falling into the volcano like an old sage you hear his voice "Nature has away of sometimes showing man of just how small he is. She occasionally throws up terrible offspring's of our pride and carelessness to remind us of how puny we really are in the face of a tornado, an earthquake, or a Godzilla. The reckless ambitions of Man are often dwarfed by their dangerous consequences. For now, Godzilla - that strangely innocent and tragic monster - has gone to earth. Whether he returns or not, or is never again seen by human eyes, the things he has taught us...remain.
Koji Hashimoto's "The Return of Godzilla" (1984) rebooted the Toho franchise, beginning the Heisei period, which lasted from 1984 to 1995. The story follows Hiroshi Okumura, who survives Godzilla's attack on a ship, his sister Naoko, his teacher, Professor Hayashida, and reporter Goro Maki as they attempt to discover what motivates Godzilla and how they can use that to trap him in a volcano. Along the way, the Prime Minister faces pressure from Soviet and American diplomats to use nuclear weapons to combat the monster. He refuses, but the Soviets had brought a missile just in case. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force uses their new Super X weapon (a flying weapons platform) to attack Godzilla and has moderate success, but the Soviet missile accidentally launches. The Americans launch a missile and destroy it, but the ensuing EMP revives Godzilla and disables Super X. In the end, Professor Hayashida's plan proves successful.The film serves as a direct sequel to the original 1954 Gojira and ignores the subsequent Shōwa period of films (1954–1975). Viewers need only watch the original to understand the plot of "Return of Godzilla," but this film provides enough background and is relatively self-contained so it may be viewed on its own. While the original Gojira served as an allegory for nuclear power, "Return of Godzilla" amplifies this message to a level befitting the heightened Cold War tensions of the mid-1980s. In this, it resembles the original Godzilla sequel, 1955's "Godzilla Raids Again." As both serve as direct sequels to the original, there are a few comparisons beyond the message. In the earlier film, Godzilla returns after being encapsulated in ice, while here he was freed by a volcano. Both had their anti-nuclear messages heavily edited when they premiered in the U.S. And both show the triumph of scientists over the military.This DVD includes both the original Japanese film with English subtitles and the English dub. The default setting is the English dub, which is rather jarring, especially when the Japanese actors' voices are replaced with Midwestern American accents. Make sure you adjust the audio settings prior to watching it.
Receiving the original Japanese version of "Return of Godzilla" was a real treat for me.The DVD arrived in great condition. The audio and video quality were great, like I was watching it the day it was released in 1984 in widescreen format. It was a real treat to finally be able to see the original Japanese language version. To note, I haven't watched the English dub version included, so I cannot comment on that. Oddly, The only glitch seemed to be the menu screen. Maybe this was because I was actually watching it on an older tube TV, but the menu screen displayed a little bit wider than the screen, clipping it slightly. I was still able to access all menu options, but it was on odd blemish on an otherwise flawless presentation. Also, there doesn't seem to be a lot in the way of extras, just some of the original trailers. But it was enough of a treat to be able to see the original Japanese version as it was intended.As for the film itself, it was a joy to finally see it unedited. The film didn't have quite the impact I was hoping for, but the production value made it worth the viewing experience. Toho (the film company responsible for the Godzilla films) stepped up the special effects for this film after the backslide in production value from some of the previous Godzilla films. The miniatures, explosions, matting, and lighting effects all look fantastic. Though admittedly I didn't always like Godzilla's fire breathe, as it seemed they were going for the original "mist" or "spray" look used in the original 1954 film. Also it seemed to "curve" oddly at some points.But that's what this film was clearly meant as: a throwback to the grimness of the original 1954. Gone are wacky aliens, goofy science fiction gadgets, and Godzilla's status as a hero. In this film Godzilla is once again portrayed as the horror of nuclear war. This is a very grounded, realistic film that expresses concerns over the Cold War politics of the mid 80's. Though admittedly this film doesn't quite match the masterpiece level of the original, it was still very interesting to watch.I didn't find the human cast very interesting. All the actors performed well, as I believed they were facing a radioactive monster, but the plot doesn't really give them anything to do besides combat Godzilla.But, in closing I highly recommend this to Godzilla fans who want to see the original Japanese version of "Return of Godzilla" which as been unavailable in the United States until now.
Whenever people tire of a “Thing”, the winds of change often blow back strongly in the opposite direction. It seems that after the Showa-Era of Godzilla movies, followed by a long break, the public was ready to see Godzilla return to his more serious, enemy of mankind, roots. So, what we have here is a far more serious, and arguably, better produced Godzilla movie.Whether that is a good or bad thing depends on your perspective. I prefer the more lighthearted films of the Showa-Era where the producers took chances and had some fun with the Godzilla character. I like watching Godzilla strike funny poses or trip and clumsily fall into a building. That’s good “rubber suit” entertainment!Still, seeing a sillier Godzilla who talks, or fights pollution was more than many fans could stomach – especially after the more “realistic” 1954 film. But regardless of whether fans prefer a serious or more lighthearted Godzilla, the Japanese version of Godzilla 84 is a solid movie. The cast is likable, the acting is very good and Godzilla is at his most menacing.The Blu RayAs with all the Kraken Godzilla releases, the picture quality is very good. Godzilla 1984, the movie doesn’t look all that HD, but the transfer is more than watchable, especially considering how long ago the movie was made. While, for me, the movie doesn’t have the “Fun Factor” of Toho movies like Gigan, Hedorah, Mothra or Ghidorah, I’m still happy with my purchase and would recommend this Blu Ray to other Godzilla fans.
I remember the 1985 version with Raymond Burr's contributions, but never saw this original version. First of all, I don't understand some of the negative reviews about the movie only in Japanese with subtitles. The English and Japanese versions are both on this disc... Just check in the menu settings. IMO I would watch the Japanese version first as you get more of the dramatic version of the dialogue with the subtitles. I went back and forth on some scenes and the English dubbing clearly wanted the dialogue to match the actors mouth movements and not what they were actually saying. Some dialogue doesn't even match anything the actors really said in Japanese, making the dialogue sound "Godzilla Movie Cheesey". I did find it strange that the movie started out with "splatter" boat scenes and then went old school kid movie after that, but that's what was happening in the 80's. About the soundtrack... they clearly spent the remaster money on the "Godzilla Tramples The City" scenes... I thought my subwoofer wasn't working until the first Godzilla and the nuclear plant scene. The outdoor scenes look great but the darker scenes had some grain. The dialogue is clear and upfront. For the so-called Japanese Godzilla reboots, I would recommend this movie (Japanese version) and Godzilla 2000.
I am in the process of finishing my collection. And while i'm glad to have the ' Dubbed ' uncut and unedited version of this movie, I clicked buy seeing that it was the one with Raymond Burr. Good movie but not the copy I had wanted. So pay close attention.
First, this IS NOT Godzilla 1985. That movie (which includes Raymond Burr) has still not been released in the US. Don't be confused. This is the Japanese cut of Return of Godzilla.This release does include an English dub and the original Japanese with English subtitles as audio options.Japanese intertitles are superimposed with English translations. This is a first I've seen.With that said, the quality of the video transfer is great, but not fantastic. Details are a little murky for a Blu-Ray. No specifics were available about how the transfer was made, but it's not too many steps above DVD quality.As for a review of the movie itself...well, I'll just quote the review from my blog: "[This movie] cannot be described even as a decent Godzilla film. The human story is not nearly as compelling as the 1954 original that it hopes to emulate (with a scientist hoping to find a way to rid Japan of Godzilla and a bit of political drama between the US and Russia with Japan in the middle). And the Giant Monster action, coming after so many films where Godzilla has some other Giant Monster to battle, is relegated to the King of Monsters stomping on a few parked cars, destroying buildings, and picking up a commuter train as the Super X does its best to drive him away. This film simply doesn't have the emotional resonance or the historical weight of 1954's Godzilla to carry it.