Region 3 DVD Review: Return of Godzilla

After destroying an icon by crafting films aimed a child’s matinee market, Godzilla’s 1984 revival was created to return the series to its original form. While not flawless, Return of Godzilla (or simply Gojira in its native land) is by far the most critically ignored giant monster film ever crafted when viewed in its original language. It’s nearly brilliant in its depiction of the human side of an incident such as this, regardless of how absurd it may seem.

Instead of falling into a formulaic routine of a monster appearance followed by scrambling scientists looking for an answer, Return of Godzilla takes its approach in a different direction. It asks the question “what would happen if…” If a giant monster did suddenly pop up out of Tokyo bay, what would the reaction be?

Regardless of how far-fetched or ridiculous it may seem, the writers don’t craft Godzilla as a monster. In all actuality, rarely is the word “monster” spoken in the film. Godzilla is referred to as “it,” an entity which could be a stand in for a number of manmade deadly creations. This recreates the feeling and mood of the original film, keeping the creatures purpose as an after-effect of nuclear weapons, if not a direct stand-in.

Keiju Kobayashi portrays Prime Minister Mitamura. As countries begin to panic about the possibility of the creature destroying their own homes, Mitamura is faced with incredible burdens. Though dated with Cold War fears, the film creates a scenario that is as realistic as possible. Kobayashi is flawless in this role, stressed and overworked as the threat increases while the countries' firm anti-nuclear policies require a forceful stand.

The politics play out better than any other storyline in the franchise’s history. This creates additional drama as the monster nears his attack point, giving it extra weight against the human side. Every time a building is destroyed, the thought of what this would do to a country in terms of its ability to sustain itself is always present.

Godzilla himself is a lumbering beast, portrayed here by Kenpachiro Satsuma. While not his first time portraying a monster, this was his first effort inside the Godzilla suit. The oversized eyes and somewhat flat face do take away from the menacing angle of the creature, while Satsuma saves the film with a performance that sells the indestructible, unflinching angle Godzilla is known for.

Godzilla’s first sighting off the shoreline is easily the best in the series at portraying the sheer power present inside the beast. The entire dock is loaded with various weapons and troops. In one shot of his trademark radioactive breath, it’s gone. This is not only a spectacular scene to view, it gives the first impression that nothing can stop this attack, and is in line with the film’s much darker edge.

Special effects are off in spots. Toho spent a great deal of money promoting the Cybot, a massive robotic Godzilla used to increase the monster’s range of facial movement during close ups. Only a few shots go awry on camera, but the bigger issue is that a different molding was used to cover the robotics. On screen, Godzilla appears in two radically different forms. It’s not particularly well hidden either, though the Cybot does work as intended. The suit actors were never able to create the range needed to make a convincing monster previously.

The story also wraps up in the early moments. The audience is aware of how Godzilla will be eliminated within the first 20 or so minutes. It becomes a running plotline as the military sets up the trap to finish the monster, while a new Japanese super weapon keeps Godzilla stalled in the city. A sloppy connection to the original also hurts with no explanation for how Godzilla survived his death in 1954.

Article Author: Matt Paprocki

Matt Paprocki is a 12-year movie and game critic. He currently freelances for Blu-ray review site DoBlu.com and video game site MultiPlayerGames.com.

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