Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #471 in VHS
• Released on: 1997-09-30
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Formats: Color, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Running time: 91 minutes

Amazon.com
In celebration of the 30th anniversary of the original Godzilla film, the lizard king returned to the big screen after a decade of inactivity for this 16th Godzilla feature. Originally released in Japan in 1984 as The Return of Godzilla, this modern sequel sweeps away decades of sequels and even recaptures the awe and grandeur of the original film, while adding modern technology and increased military firepower. But let's not get too carried away: this is ultimately a classic Japanese monster movie, and the best moments are the Big G's rampages through Tokyo, knocking over buildings and crushing cars and trains underfoot. It's still a guy in a suit stomping through lovingly detailed miniatures, and by American standards it'll always have that delightfully cheesy camp element, but this painstakingly crafted affair is one of the easier such efforts to take seriously. And fear not, you can't keep Godzilla down for long: he returns in Godzilla vs. Biollante. American distributor New World Pictures dubbed and trimmed the Japanese version while adding new American scenes featuring Raymond Burr, who reprises his role as reporter Steven Martin from the original Godzilla. The videotape also features Marv Newland's goofy animated short spoof Bambi Meets Godzilla. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

GREAT
One of the best Godzilla films ever was made in 1985. Ten years transpired after the last Godzila film, "Terror of Mechagodzilla", which pitted Godzilla quite unfairly against one of his most hated foes, Mechagodzilla, and a gigantic dinosaur creature, Titanosaurus, which joined forces with Mechagodzilla and his alien creators. I, myself, am a tremendous G-Fan, and when I saw this movie at the end I started to cry. Since no Blockbuster Video stores or Suncoast Video stores in my area had "Godzilla vs. Biollante" in stock (or even heard of it), I didn't know there was a whole new series after this film. I was a little kid, and had seen every Godzilla movie there was---from the original 1957 movie to the 1975 movie. I loved each and every one of them, and my family had also grown an interest in Godzilla and kaiju (Japanese giant monster). Well, Godzilla basically returns, because this film strangely takes place after the original, in which Godzilla is allegdly destroyed by Dr. Seragawa and his Oxygen Destroyer machine. However, he returns, and after killing sailors on a ship out at sea, the Japanese press and public at large find out about his existence and immediately evacuate and panic. Public chaos erupts, and the Japanese military force combined with the goverment and the United Nations joins together to create an aerial foe for Godzilla--a ship called Super-X. Godzilla comes ashore after destroying the Japanese Air Force's jets at sea, then destroying the bayside squad of the army. A professor who's parents perished at the hands of Godzilla uses a special device to lure Godzilla to a volcano across the sea, after Godzilla lays wreck to most of Tokyo and kills a drunken man who is one of the main protagonists in the film, along with a woman who almost lost her brother to Godzilla if it wasn't for her new "boyfriend" who befriended the professor. Altogether they cheaply lure poor Godzilla to the volcano and he falls in upon dentonation of lots of dynamite placed around the volcano. Godzilla falls in the volcano, and melancholy music plays.....and Raymond Burr, as Steve Martin from the original Godzilla, tells viewers the "moral of the story". This was a great film, I just think it could've had a better story than Godzilla being reawakened after being attacked by Super-X in downtown Tokyo, and then woken up by a Russian nuclear missile that was stopped and caused lightning to re-energize the 328-foot tall King of all Monsters.

Be prepared for emotions
This movie is plain sad - and, I don't mean the movie in general - this is a {Class A} Godzilla movie, however, the only Godzilla movie that brought me to tears. Yes, I know it is only a movie, and Godzilla is just a man in a rubber suit - but, still... the ending sequence of the movie, where a flock of birds are made to lure poor Godzilla into a volcano, to supposedly die, well, it's just damn heart-wrenching!!! I swear, I cry every time at the end, and of course the ending music's sad as well, just makes it hard not to cry. Yes, I'm a 37 year old woman, and I cry to a dang Godzilla movie - so, I can't help it. The only other movie that makes me cry is at the ending of Dot and the Kangaroo - so, there you go.

Godzilla 1985 -- Edited to Death
Have some patience and wait until the original Japanese version makes it to the States like has been happening for Godzilla's 50th anniversary. The American version was edited to death and the movie makes a lot less sense than it does in the original (yeah, even for a G-flick). The scenes with Burr are ridiculous and only further complicate the plot with his useless "mystical" (re: vague and poorly-written) commentary.

A new American release will also likely feature the original Japanese language soundtrack with English subtitles and remixed sound on DVD.

Hang in there and wait for a better release than this.