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.

• Joey S

  
  The definitive monster movie, Godzilla (or Gojira as it's known in Japan) has not aged perfectly, but it's still incredibly fun and exciting 56 years later. This movie could never be matched by any other monster movie, not even by the countless sequels and remakes it… More
  The definitive monster movie, Godzilla (or Gojira as it's known in Japan) has not aged perfectly, but it's still incredibly fun and exciting 56 years later. This movie could never be matched by any other monster movie, not even by the countless sequels and remakes it spawned. If you're looking for some campy destructive fun, this is the movie to watch.

• Bryan D

  
  The original film is a masterpiece. The American version has famous actor Raymond Burr edited into the Japanese footage....which makes the Japanese version far superior to the edited US release. Either version is still good fun and this is the kaiju movie that STILL rules them all.

• Matthew Y

  
  The bad English dubbing and the edited insertion of American actor Raymond Burr detracts from the serious tone of the actual Japanese film but adds the fun campy nature that was the series bread and butter for decades. I'm not sure how I'd feel about the film had I never… More
  The bad English dubbing and the edited insertion of American actor Raymond Burr detracts from the serious tone of the actual Japanese film but adds the fun campy nature that was the series bread and butter for decades. I'm not sure how I'd feel about the film had I never seen the original 1954 version Gojira but considering how superior that version is its hard to be too warm to this Americanized version. All in all the heavily edited allegory of the atomic bomb and its devastating effect on Japan basically cut the film down at its knees and it's nothing more than a generic 50's giant monster movie.

• 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.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings