Hello, Kaiju Lovers! History repeats itself in both MIFV and the Godzilla franchise, because Nate is once again dedicating an episode to a heavily re-edited Americanization of a G-film “starring” Raymond Burr: the notorious Godzilla 1985. Podcaster/writer Ben Avery and YouTuber Autistic Lizard Pro, who both have nostalgic ties to this movie, join him to discuss whether Roger Corman’s New World Pictures helped or hurt The Return of Godzilla (1984) when they imported it. Spoiler warning: Nate says “hurt,” but his guests disagree! Is “Mr. Martin’s” epic speech enough to overcome the poorly-done Regan-era “joke” about evil Soviets? They ask the Legal Action Team’s Raymund Martin, who reads “Uncle Steve’s” speech. The great debate is on!
Additional Music: “Ghost Planet/Steve Martin’s Theme” by Christopher Young
Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3!
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This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors.
Timestamps:
- 0:00-14:17: Introduction
- 14:17-53:29: Synopsis and Production History
- 53:29-1:18:06: Discussion: KOTM56 vs. Godzilla 1985
- 1:18:06-1:28:32: Discussion: Raymond Burr, Special Effects, Stock Footage, and New Dialogue
- 1:28:32-1:30:46: Raymund’s Recollections and “Uncle Steve’s” Speech
- 1:30:46-1:38:16: Discussion: Raymond Burr, Part 2
- 1:38:16-1:58:54: Discussion: The Evil Soviets and New World’s Other Changes
- 1:58:54-2:14:43: Discussion: “7 Things Godzilla 1985 Did Better” by Anthony Romero (Toho Kingdom)
- 2:14:43-2:29:36: Critical Reception and Roger Ebert’s 1-Star Review
- 2:29:36-2:37:14: Final Thoughts on Godzilla 1985
- 2:37:14-2:38:05: Culture Box Ad – Retro Rewind
- 2:38:05-2:56:37: Outro (listener feedback, housekeeping, etc.)
- 2:56:37-end: Credits
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Bibliography/Further Reading:
Barr, Jason. The Kaiju Film: A Critical Study of Cinema’s Biggest Monsters. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 2016.
Ebert, Roger. “Godzilla 1985.” RogerEbert.com. Originally published in The Chicago Sun-Times 20 Sept. 1985. https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/godzilla-1985-1985.
Galbraith IV, Stuart. Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films: A Critical Analysis and Filmography of 103 Features Released in the United States, 1950-1992. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 1994.
“Godzilla 1985.” IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087344/.
“Godzilla 1985.” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godzilla_1985.
Homenick, Brett. “GODZILLA ATTACKS THE NEW WORLD! Producer Tony Randel on Bringing ‘Godzilla 1985’ to American Shores!” Vantage Point Interviews. 26 June 2018. Updated 19 March 2021. https://vantagepointinterviews.com/2018/06/26/godzilla-attacks-the-new-world-producer-tony-randel-on-bringing-godzilla-1985-to-american-shores/.
Kaijuvision Radio, Episode 22: Godzilla 1985 (US) (1985) (Asset Price Bubble, Japan Airlines Flight 123, Chernobyl). https://youtu.be/ervL-zgZAsI?si=xkhgX9EAhQVYEq9S.
Kalat, David. A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series (2nd edition). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. 2017.
Lees, J.D. and Marc Cerasini. The Official Godzilla Compendium. Random House. 1998.
LeMay, John. The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies, Volume 2: 1984-2017. Bicep Books, 2017.
“Return of Godzilla, The.” Toho Kingdom. https://www.tohokingdom.com/movies/return_of_godzilla.htm.
“Return of Godzilla, The.” Wikizilla. https://wikizilla.org/wiki/The_Return_of_Godzilla.
Romero, Anthony. “7 Things Godzilla 1985 Did Better Than The Return of Godzilla.” Toho Kingdom. 30 Nov. 2018. https://www.tohokingdom.com/blog/7-things-godzilla-1985-did-better-than-the-return-of-godzilla/.
Ryfle, Steve, and Ed Godziszewski. Godzilla: The First 70 Years. Abrams, New York. 2025.
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