Godzilla ( Gojira ) Movie Information

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Movie Information

Overall Rank: 2216

Average Rating: 2.8/4

# of Ratings: 100

Theatrical Release Date: 11/03/1954

Blu-ray/DVD Release Date: 01/24/2012

Language: Japanese

Genre: Drama, Horror

MPAA Rating: NR

Director: Ishirô Honda

Actors: Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Fuyuki Murakami, Sachio Sakai

Plot: A giant monster attacks Tokyo.

Logan D. McCoy - wrote on 06/03/2023

"Godzilla" was one of numerous monster B-movies from the heyday of the subgenre. But it remains arguably the most enduring, not in small part by its socially conscious allegory of the nuclear age and depiction of the national mood of a post-WWII Japan.

Indyfreak - wrote on 10/04/2019

A dark tone and solemn performances overcome weak special effects in this classic monster film. Skip the one with Perry Mason and just watch this with subtitles.

Unknown - wrote on 07/22/2012

A straight-forward giant monster flick that was topical of the time. The commentary about the age of the A and H bombs is still interesting, even if it's relevance has long passed. Though, the rest of the film is not as interesting, because it is essentially a straight-forward giant monster flick and nothing more.

Looneymanthegreat
Producer

dated and preachy, but still fun

Looneymanthegreat - wrote on 04/16/2013

I never thought I would accuse a monster movie of being preachy, but Godzilla has forced my hand. The movie was a Japanese film (I’ve never seen the American version, I’ve only seen the original Japanese release) that was released in the years after world war 2 when Japan was still recovering from the bombings that happened there. Godzilla tries to have a message about weapons of mass destruction and there effect on the world, a noble effort to say the least, but when one takes on such a heavy handed topic it is best to do so without being quite so stupid.

That’s really the main problem with this movie, it paints the nuclear crisis in terms of black and white, and I imagine that it’s easy to think of it in those terms when half your country has been blown to hell, but for a …

Yojimbo
Movie God

"Gojira" by Yojimbo

Yojimbo - wrote on 04/16/2012

The definitive Japanese monster movie sees mother nature hitting back in the form of a 150ft radioactive dinosaur after atomic tests contaminate the seas around a Japanese island. Considered something of a classic, I was curious as to how this film had stood the test of time, and the answer is...not very well! The script is just full of decidedly suspect pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo, and the characters are pretty stereotypical; only Takashi Shimura's scientist who is the only one who wants to keep the creature alive holds any dramatic gravitas at all. It's really just an excuse for a bit of mindless destruction and because the effects are so poor, the action ends up looking plain silly and rather dull. There is some nice nocturnal photography but by the same measure, the underwhelming …

Delorted
Producer

Review - Gojira (1954)

Delorted - wrote on 01/27/2008

Known to most as “Godzilla,” a giant dinosaur-like creature is brought to life through nuclear testing and destroys Tokyo, Japan. The very first in a still on-going series is “Gojira.”

Judging by the sorts of movies America was making at the time, this had to have been nothing but revolutionary. It definitely stands out as one of the most innovative and ripped-off ideas in film history. It’s amazing to watch and terrifying to hear. Of course, it’s not all that great as a movie, so I’ll have to throw in my two cents here.

As great as the action scenes are, the politics and even the main love story seem out of place today. The romance does fit in well, looking at it on its own, but the way Godzilla has taken over as such an icon, the love story seems to slow down the …