Akira Takarada, Momoko Kochi, Takashi Shimura

Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships explode and are sunk. At first the authorities think its either underwater mines or underwater volcanic activity. The authorities soon head to Odo Isla...( read more  read more... )nd, close to where several of the ships were sunk. One night, something comes onshore and destroys several houses and kills several people. A later expedition to the island led by paleontologist Professor Kyohei Yemani, his daughter Emiko and a young navy frogman Hideto Ogata soon discover something more devastating than imagined in the form of a 150 foot tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well. Can the monster be destroyed before it is too late and what role will the mysterious Serizawa play in the battle?

Flixster Users

88% liked it

5,996 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

56 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Ishirô Honda

Release Date: January 1, 1956

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DVD Release Date: July 28, 2006

Stats: 534 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (534)


  • June 1, 2008
    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...( read more) 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 "climax" underwater is rubbish. There is some attempt at intelligence as there is a clear analogy between Serizawa's aquatic doomsday weapon and the ethical dilemmas thrown up by the atomic age, but it lacks the character dynamics and pathos of King Kong, and the effects are considerably inferior despite the fact that Kong was released over two decades earlier. As a whole it's really only worth it for the nostalgic and those wanting a good laugh at the expense of some dodgy model effects.
  • August 3, 2007
    The original classic, it doesnt get better than this
  • July 9, 2009
    Not saying it's a bad movie, because it's not, but Godzilla is just so clearly a man in a suit that I couldn't get it out of my head. Also, how an "oxygen destroyer" did what the movie claims it does will haunt my brain for decades.
  • March 22, 2008
    The Japanese version of the original Godzilla is a minor classic, strewn with symbolism regarding the horrors of nuclear holocaust.
  • February 1, 2008
    A seriously great monster movie.
  • November 23, 2009
    This movie was the Japanese attempt to tell the story of World War II without admitting their own guilt in starting the war or the atrocities committed by the Japanese army. They could show the suffering of the Japanese civilians by having the cities of Japan destroyed by a giant...( read more) fire breathing radioactive dinosaur that rises mysteriously from the sea. Gojira is in fact the good old US of A. No sea going dinosaur ever burned Japanese cities and spread radioactive fallout across the landscape. It was the U.S. Army Air Force. But the Japanese didn't want to offend us since we were protecting them from communist invasion from Korea. Therefore they had a giant lizard do it in the movie. Although the monster was supposed to have been created by an H-Bomb blast, the United States is never mentioned in the movie. They never even show an atomic blast. The Japanese version is hard to follow even with the English sub-titles. The Japanese actors seem so serious and occasionally angry. I guess it lost something in translation. The version released in America was totally recut and dubbed into English and extra scenes with Raymond Burr added and scenes that might offend U.S. audiences deleted. The added scenes are obviously out of place and don't fit the Japanese story. The Japanese actors seem to be acting their hearts out but the English dialog seems flat and unemotional. Godzilla is actually seen in about 30 percent of the American version. Since the Japanese version is longer Gojira is in 25 percent of the original version. In the Japanese version you get to see more of Gojira destroying Tokyo. Sometimes all you see is his head. In the U.S. version there is about 13 minutes of Godzilla smashing cardboard miniatures of a Japanese city. The Japanese version has 14 minutes of Gojira destroying Tokyo landmarks. By using black and white film and keeping everything slightly out of focus it's not as obvious as in later Japanese monster movies made in color and filmed in sharp focus.
  • September 30, 2009
    This film has a great start. Like, from the very first scene we know about Godzilla (unlike King Kong, we get to know him 40 minutes later).

    There was many talking about him from the beginning, and until the 20th minutes we get see him. On the 30th minute, the film got boring an...( read more)d dull.

    The movie should've been more about the monster rather about humans (since they are mostly shown). It seems like the titular character is a supporting one, and is part of this film's SUBPLOT.
  • September 28, 2009
    its godzilla its classic you know why and if you dont ,go out and watch it now ...
  • August 6, 2009
    awesome moviemaking!
  • July 2, 2009
    Gorija, or as many people know it as Godzilla, is quite the enjoyable monster movie. A man in a dinosaur suit destroying a plastic city what more could you ask for when it comes to a classic black and white film. Sure the effects don;t look amazing but for 1954 they sure do. The ...( read more)monster looks exceptionally well made for the release date too. The whole movie is a must see for any fan of classic monsters.

    The acting. . . some good, some bad. In every scene she is in it looks like actress Momoko Kochi looks like she is trying to hold back laughter and she constantly has a fading smile in the movie. The other actors do quite the good job in the film as distressed victims of a radioactive effect. That's right, the bomb brought Gojira to life.

    This movie is actually quite allegorical. It contains so many political references. It wasn't just a low budget monster movie, it had a message and a punch to deliver to the screen.

    The scene in which Gojira terrorizes and virtually destroys Tokyo has got to be one of the best black and white effects I have seen. He melts radio towers with his fire breath, he tears the clock off of a tower, steps on some bridges, crushes houses with his monstrous tail, and not to mention crushes hundreds of escaping civilians.

    Yes this movie comes highly reccommended especially for true classic fans and monster movie fans. I think any one can sit down and enjoy Gojira for what it is, a monster movie with political references.

Critic Reviews


July 2, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

This is a bad movie, but it has earned its place in history, and the enduring popularity of Godzilla and other monsters shows that it struck a chord. full review

June 4, 2004
David Edelstein, Slate

The most emotionally authentic fake monster movie ever made. full review

May 7, 2004
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

A collective metaphor and a collective nightmare, a message film that says more than its message, that captures, with a horrified poetry, the terrors that stomped through the minds of people 50 years ... full review

View more Gojira reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • Dunther
    October 20, 2008
    This film is from 1954, unlike this page says...
  • SiouxsieP
    March 1, 2007
    *Ahem*

    I'm a female and I rated this film. (Rather highly, I might add.)
  • davefilkins
    September 24, 2006
    No females have rated this film yet... is anybody here surprised?

    Yet, I find it quite sad because Gojira was one of the first films of its time to have the main female character (Emiko) as the one who really "saves the day." After all, it is she who makes the decision to betray the trust of Dr. Serizawa, leading to the decision to unleash the oxygen destroyer on on Gojira which results in the protection of Tokyo (and presumably, the world as well). So, is she supposed to be the hero? Heroine? I mean, saving the world - isn't that worth at least a little bit of credit?

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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  • What was Godzilla's original name ?   Answer »
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