Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956)

83% of critics liked it
(23 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(8,388 ratings)

Filmed in 1954 as Gojira, this grandaddy of all Japanese giant-reptile epics was picked up for American distribution two years later, at which time several newly filmed inserts, featuring Raymond Burr as reporter Steve Martin, were rabetted into the original footage. In both the Japanese and… More Filmed in 1954 as Gojira, this grandaddy of all Japanese giant-reptile epics was picked up for American distribution two years later, at which time several newly filmed inserts, featuring Raymond Burr as reporter Steve Martin, were rabetted into the original footage. In both the Japanese and American versions of Godzilla, the story is basically the same: a 400-foot amphibious monster, brought back to life by underwater nuclear testing, goes on a rampage in a tinker-toy Tokyo. The authorities look on in vain as Godzilla proves more powerful than the army, navy, and air force, while paleontologiist Dr. Yemane (Takashi Shimura) rails against the destruction of a unique scientific find such as Godzilla. Finally, an enigmatic scientist (Akihiko Hirata) reluctantly steps forward to destroy the beast with his newly-discovered creation, the Oxygen Destroyer, dreading all the while that his weapon may unleash a danger even greater than Godzilla. Though Godzilla is apparently disintegrated in the climax, this didn't prevent Toho Studios from grinding out an endless series of sequels with the title character becoming less destructive and more lovable with each subsequent film. Hampered by a low budget which precluded stop-motion animation, special-effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya was forced to rely upon an actor (Haru Nakajima) in a rubber Godzilla suit. Incidentally, the name "Gojira", a combination of "gorilla" and "kujira", is Japanese slang for "big clumsy ox" and was allegedly the nickname of one of the Toho stagehands. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 18 min.
Directed By: Ishirô Honda, Terry O. Morse
Genres: Horror, Art House & International, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Apr 27, 1956 Wide
On DVD: May 5, 1998
Studio: Vestron Video

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Granddaddy of all Japanese monster films.
Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
It's hard not to chuckle at the fiftieth cutaway to an oddly passive Burr after watching a scene from the Honda original, but this cut shouldn't be dismissed either.
Rob Humanick, Suite101.com
Compared to the "Japoteurs" propaganda that was barely a decade out, it's an astonishing leap forward.
Charles Cassady, Common Sense Media
Giant-monster drama is stiff, dated but still a classic.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
It looked really good when I was in grade school. Now it's beyond retro.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Carlos M

The debased Americanized version of the original Japanese film, re-edited to include Raymond Burr as reporter Steve Martin. It is relatively well done but has inconsistencies, bad re-dubbing and a lot of terrible exposition, with Steve annoyingly narrating all the time what we can… More
The debased Americanized version of the original Japanese film, re-edited to include Raymond Burr as reporter Steve Martin. It is relatively well done but has inconsistencies, bad re-dubbing and a lot of terrible exposition, with Steve annoyingly narrating all the time what we can easily see.
Chris W

This is the Americanized version of the original Godzilla film. While not a terrible piece of cinematic entertainment, I felt rather let down, and suspect (since I haven't actually seen it) that the Japanese original (which came out two years before this one) is probably far… More
This is the Americanized version of the original Godzilla film. While not a terrible piece of cinematic entertainment, I felt rather let down, and suspect (since I haven't actually seen it) that the Japanese original (which came out two years before this one) is probably far better. The story (if you need to know it), concerns a giant reptiallian creature who emerges from the sea surrounding Japan and raises all manner of hell and devastation. In this version, it's told in a documenatry style format and is presented from the view of an American journalist in Japan named Steve Martin. He was only passing through Japan for some fun while headed to Cairo for business, but gets stuck there after the giant monster starts attacking. I kinda liked the format here, though research tells me that the big differences between this version and the original is that this one takes footage from the original and splices new footage of Raymond Burr as Steve Martin into it. Also, this version is shorter and a bit more PC as a way of making it more watered down for American audiences. The biggest changes being dubbing it into English, and removing all references to the atomic attacks at Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the firebombing of Tokyo. Okay, so maybe at the time people worried about appeasing WWII veterans, so they removed some material to ease the guilt or whatever. I don't like that because I've always found Godzilla to be fascinating because it's about the byproducts of nuclear horror from a country who experienced actual nuclear horror and devastation firsthand. Removing the references and showing Japan struggling in the aftermath of a huge disaster (but at the hands of a fictional monster) lessens some of the emotional impact, as well as the effects of history on the public conscience. All that scholarly rambling aside, this is still an okay movie though, like I said, the original version is probably far better. Unlike some of the later films though, this one comes off as far more scary and serious, with a more somber tone, aided by the grainy black and white cinematogrpahy and dramatic music.
AJ V

This is the original (American version) Godzilla movie. It's pretty cool, and Perry Mason's Raymond Burr is in it too. A really good monster movie. It's much better than it's sequels.
Steven V

Great movie. Godzilla still stands head and shoulders above every subsequent version. The original Godzilla is really a quite serious film with a well-developed plot.
Juan C

the classic that started it all! the monster from hell's first debut! a face like this is something you'll never forget! a smart 50's monster film! A+
Christopher B

The one I grew up with. I haven't seen this in a long while, but after finally seeing the Japanese version I'm very curious to revisit it. As a side note, before I saw the Japanese version, this was a five star film.
Anthony V

See the Japanese version. It's better.