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.
Koji Hashimoto directs, his first and last time in the role. His experience in the genre dates back to 1962 taking part in King Kong vs. Godzilla as a third assistant director. It shows with a keen eye for how shots need to be placed to disguise miniatures and their defects, though he’s lacking when it comes to pacing. Scenes can drag on longer than they should. There’s a lot of information being thrown at the audience and time wasted is time lost in the story.
Reijiro Koroku composes his only score for a Godzilla film, and it’s a masterful one. Haunting, epic, and even moving, the music integrates into the on-screen action perfectly. Scenes in which destruction or off-screen loss of life is prevalent are especially powerful.
Brought to the US a year later, Godzilla 1985 underwent extensive editing, even going so far as to change critical plot points to make the Russians far more aggressive. Inserted scenes included Raymond Burr reprising his role as Steve Martin, the reporter who gave United World News the scoop on Godzilla’s first rampage in 1954. These changes butcher the film, playing for camp rather than the serious angle intended by the Japanese original.
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