- Directed by: Koji Hashimoto
- Written by: Fred Dekker, Akira Murao, Hideichi Nagahara
- Stars: Keiju Kobayashi, Ken Tanaka, Yasuko Sawaguchi
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 43 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhnPJ9wLTFI
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
You thought he was gone forever, but spoiler, after 9 years away, Godzilla returns. They left out the silliness this time, and the far out aliens, and they take things seriously in this one. It’s still all practical effects, with a guy in a rubber suit knocking over models, but everything looks much better than those of the 50s, 60s, 70s. There are some slow places, but if you’re a Godzilla fan, this is a decent one to check out.
Spoilery Synopsis
We open with men on a fishing boat dealing with stormy seas; they’re having a rough time. As they approach a rocky island, they see some large creature breaking out of the rocks…
We cut to a man on a small sailboat listening to radio reports of all the missing ships from last night. He comes across a much larger boat that seems to be abandoned. Once aboard, he finds mummified bodies. He also encounters a strange slug-like creature that attacks him; giant sea-lice. It turns out, there’s only one survivor aboard the ship, and he talks about the giant, fire-breathing monster that came from the island.
Later, at home, Goro Maki, the man from the sailboat, calls his story into the newspaper, but they don’t believe him. Okamura, the man from the fishing boat, tells the professor his story as well, but the professor seems to believe him. The professor shows him old photos of Godzilla, and he makes a positive ID. Godzilla must have been disturbed by the recent volcanic activity in the nearby islands.
Maki complains that the editor won’t print his story, but the government has forbidden them from telling the public about Godzilla. Maki then goes to the science institute and talks to Professor Hayashida. The professor lost his parents in Godzilla’s attack thirty years ago. He meets Okamura’s sister, Naoko there.
Meanwhile, a Soviet submarine detects something large approaching. They think it could be a new kind of American sub, and they fire torpedoes at it. Something then tears the submarine in half. Soon after, the Soviets prepare to declare nuclear war. To prevent the war, the Japanese Prime Minister makes the Godzilla sightings public; it wasn’t the Americans.
Maki goes to see Naoko, who blames him for publishing the story. The politicians and military talk about their ability to fight Godzilla. They could use the “Super X” a secret weapon built to defend the capitol. Godzilla is sure to come; Japan has his favorite food: nuclear energy.
Godzilla soon reaches land and starts a rampage. Maki and his film crew rush to witness his attack on a nuclear power station. As he rips out the core of the reactor, we see the tired old lizard recharge himself.
The professor tells Okumura to visit a geologist friend of his, Minami, who reports that they can make a volcano erupt when needed if they can get Godzilla to go there. America and the Soviet Union both want to use nuclear weapons against Godzilla. The Japanese government discusses whether or not that’s a good idea or if it will even work.
Godzilla is moving toward Tokyo now. Everyone panics to get out of town. The professor tells Maki that the plan to use cadmium bullets on Godzilla isn’t going to work, but it’s better than using the nukes. The army all lines up at the coastline, waiting. Soon, they unleash everything they have against the monster, but Godzilla has radiation breath that can bring down fighter planes– and everything else.
A Russian missile boat is severely damaged, and the captain is killed. Something seems to be going wrong with their nuclear weapon controls. A countdown begins.
The professor has been studying bird migrations and thinks the right sound might make Godzilla’s homing instinct kick in and lead him away from Japan. He gets it all set up, but they can’t get out of their building since all the elevators are locked down.
The Super-X weapon takes off, it’s a kind of flying fortress. It fires the cadmium bullets, which do slow down Godzilla a bit.
Meanwhile, the Russian ship fires a nuclear missile from space after the automatic countdown. They have to evacuate the Shinjuku District before it all explodes. Maybe the Americans can shoot down the missile. Nobody knows what to do.
Super X reports that Godzilla is down but not dead. Okamura helps the professor out of the building with a helicopter, but the winds are too strong, so Maki and Naoko are left behind.
The Americans shoot down the Russian missile just over the city. The effect makes the sky turn red and shock waves spread out everywhere. Super-X is forced to land and radioactive lightning strikes Godzilla. Super X is all out of cadmium, and their regular weapons don’t do much against him.
Way out in the Pacific, the professor hooks up his device to a huge antenna and starts broadcasting bird calls toward Japan. An idea he came up with the mesmerize and attract Godzilla.
Godzilla finally shoots down Super-X and then drops a skyscraper on it. He’s just about to step on Naoko and Maki when he hears the call of the birds. He pauses, turns around, and heads the other direction. He hits the ocean and keeps on going, leaving the ruins of Tokyo behind.
On the volcanic island, Godzilla shows up as the professor and Okumura wait for him. He walks right up to the volcano as the men set off the charges that cause the volcano to erupt. They all watch as Godzilla sinks into the lava and, we assume, melts to never be seen again.
Brian’s Commentary
There’s none of the previous childishness or silliness in this one. The mood here is about our characters ominously waiting for Godzilla to do something. It’s very slow and suspenseful as everyone discusses and worries about what to do. It’s all taken very seriously.
The special effects, soundtrack, and even the miniatures are much improved over the older films. It’s still from the pre-CGI days, so everything is still done with miniatures and a man in a rubber suit, but it’s all still somehow visually improved over what came before.
It had been nearly ten years since the previous film in the series, and a lot longer since any of it was taken seriously. Although this one had some slow points, it was overall a really good reboot.
Kevin’s Commentary
Godzilla returns, but after that ending we’ll never see him again. This was an improvement in effects, despite it still just being a guy in a rubber suit. The effects are more realistic, the explosions and models are improved. The story was a little talky in places, but it gets the job done. All in all, this was a decent reboot.