Godzilla 1985
Seen it?1985 | 87 min | Action, Science Fiction, Thriller
Weeknight WatchWhy it’s a Weeknight Watch
It made about 50 times its budget, but just 20% on Rotten Tomatoes and little lasting buzz held it back. Fine if it's on; don't plan your night around it.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for anyone who likes to be kept guessing, sci-fi fans and action fans. Audiences love it more than critics do: a crowd-pleaser first.
- The mood
- Tense.
- The pace
- Fast-moving, at 1 hr 27 min.
- What might put you off
- Rated PG: scary moments. Worth a look first if you have very young kids.
- Critics were cooler on it than audiences.
Originally released in Japan as "The Return of Godzilla" in 1984, this is the heavily re-edited, re-titled "Godzilla 1985". Adding in new footage of Raymond Burr, this 16th Godzilla film ignores all previous sequels and serves as a direct follow-up to the 1956 "Godzilla King of the Monsters", which also featured scenes with Burr edited into 1954's "Godzilla". This film restores the darker tone of the original, as we witness the nuclear destruction of giant lizard terrorizing Japan.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsWeak
20% on Rotten Tomatoes, 31 on Metacritic
- AudiencesSolid
6.8 out of 10
- AwardsNot counted
No real honors on record. Nominated for 2 Razzies, the "worst of the year" awards. Razzies don't count toward the rating.
- Box office & staying powerStrong
$10 million worldwide on a $200K budget; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactBelow par
About 33K people sought it out in the past year
Trailer
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Cast & crew
Directed by R.J. Kizer, Koji Hashimoto
- Raymond BurrSteve Martin
- Keiju KobayashiPrime Minister Mitamura
- Ken TanakaGoro Maki
- Yasuko SawaguchiNaoko Okumura
- Shin TakumaHiroshi "Ken" Okumura
- Warren J. KemmerlingGeneral Goodhue
- James Scott HessColonel Raschen
- Travis SwordsMajor McDonough
- Eitarō OzawaFinance Minister Kanzaki
- Taketoshi NaitōTakegami, Chief Cabinet Secretary