The Return of Godzilla (1984)

After a nine year absence, Godzilla returned to the big screen in Japan with an all new grim and dark atmosphere, updated effects and without any extra monsters to fight.  It's a very good looking movie, but it's also rather boring.  And by rather I mean really.  It's got some good music, though.

I've said more than once that there's only one solo Godzilla movie needed, and that was the first one in 1954.  This is a sequel to that movie, and none of the other "Showa" movies are acknowledged in this new timeline.  Of course, this movie was made in the Showa era (1926-1989) but that doesn't matter to some fans.

It was brought over here by New World Pictures and released in 1985, with a lot of tinkering which both helps and hinders the movie.  So they come out about the same overall. It's hard for me to even want to watch either version, since they are mostly just "there".  G 85 was a financial success for New World, especially since their version showed up on TV a lot after it's theatrical run back in the mid to late 80s.

Godzilla mostly walks around Tokyo knocking the buildings down.  The most fun to be had is the battle with Hedorah the Super X, which actually succeeds in stopping Godzilla for a short time.  I'd forgotten how lousy the cybot Godzilla actually looked. 

It's funny, this movie has a really high rating among a lot of Godzilla fans, when it takes part of it's plot from VARAN, THE UNBELIEVABLE and then ends with Godzilla being lured by bird sounds into Mt. Mihara.