The Return of Godzilla
Original director Ishirô Honda declined Toho's offer to direct this film, opting instead to work with Akira Kurosawa on his film Ran (1985). Honda had been dishearten by what became of the Godzilla series but he did recommend that Koji Hashimoto be named the film's director. Hashimoto had been Honda's assistant director throughout the 60's and was enthusiastic to make a Godzilla film that returned to the series true origins.,When Godzilla is first seen on-screen, the camera pans up to reveal his face. The soldier who first sees Godzilla is poorly composited in this panning shot, as the panning between two do not match up with each other.,Prime Minster Seiki Mitamura: If Godzilla appeared in your countries, the US and Soviet Union, would you have the courage to use nuclear weapons in Washington, D.C., or Moscow without hesitation?,Edited from Sekai daisensô (1961),Godzilla: Love Theme
Performed by The Star Sisters,After an extended break, Godzilla as a movie force made its comeback with this the 16th Godzilla film and the first of what would be the Heisei series. It's a reboot that basically follows on from the original Gojira film of 1954. Plot has Godzilla back as a destroyer of mankind, setting its eyes on stomping Tokyo into oblivion. As Zilla goes about its destructive way, and Tokyo attempts to repel the onslaught, there's a backdrop of a diplomatic crisis reaching boiling point as the Soviets and the Americans get ready for nuclear war. Thankfully the Japanese are able to convince the sane politicians that it is in fact Godzilla at the crux of things. Can the world powers join together to defeat the mightiest of lizards?

If a Godzilla fan you could be forgiven for going into this one fearing the worst, and yet it ticks many of the boxes for those who prefer Zilla as the destroyer of mankind as opposed to the saviour of mankind that the Showa period ended up as. There's the standard amount of miniatures and sets destruction, splendidly constructed as usual, nifty effects work and a whole bunch of iconic images to take from the experience (Zilla atomic breath destruction, stomping through the city, nuclear reinvigoration, back from the dead with awesome carnage following). There's good sci-fi within as well, such as the Japanese scientists having created a super fortress known as Super X, while sometimes all you need is to hear that brilliant roar followed by lizard devastation.

This was a return to the dark roots of Godzilla, complete with anti-nuclear sentiments. It didn't reinvent the wheel, but it did restart it successfully. 7/10,