Godzilla: King of the Monsters!

Well it literally is a different animal from Ishirō Honda's seminal 1954 movie about the giant atomic lizard who wakes up in a bad mood. Here the American version clips the atmosphere considerably (and the running time), craftily edits Raymond Burr into Honda's movie and of course removes the anti-American sentiment that once existed. Yet the film did prove to be very popular with English speaking film fans and further enhanced the growing appeal of all things Godzilla like.

As it is it's a decent enough film, especially if you have never seen Honda's original. For sure it's still creaky in that "man in rubber suit" way, but the iconic creature is still thrilling as it goes about its merry way destroying some carefully constructed model workings. The nuclear war heedings are still there and there's much fun to be had, intentional or otherwise. Its pale in comparison to the original, but it's not a stinker either. 6/10

I prefer English versions in most cases but this is kinda silly having Steve Martin (Raymond Barr) in it and not speaking Japanese. Otherwise this is still a spectacular Godzilla film! The destruction is great and effects were incredible for it's time.

The abuse and destruction unleashed on this Japanese city Tokyo is nothing short of epic in stature. The city, through the various romps of the titular character, literally swirls in flames, buildings fall at amazing speed , and just about every human form of transportation is reduced to rubble. This is the setting for much of the film, Godzilla - King of the Monsters. Despite being nothing more than a film with a man in a rubber suit trashing a miniature Tokyo set, this first Godzilla has much going for it. It is well-paced, and the action is engrossing and climactic. I saw the Americanized version with Raymond Burr, and thought Burr did a fine job playing foreign correspondent Steve Martin. Burr really helps create and add tension in the film with his narration and through the events we see through his eyes. The Japanese actors are very good as is the direction. Really the only low-point of the film for me was the inept dubbing, particularly the Brooklyn accent given to one of the chief Japanese scientists. Quite a gem!

Just a few weeks ago, I watched the original Japanese version of Godzilla. So now, I just also watched the American-edited version with new scenes of Raymond Burr as American reporter Steve Martin narrating most of the movie with some of the Japanese scenes dubbed in English. Other than those new scenes, the movie has most of the same narrative with only a few scenes cut out. Burr as the reporter is quite effective when narrating or talking into a tape machine meant for his boss to receive. And it's mainly because of that narration that I'm giving this version called Godzilla: King of the Monsters! an 8 while I gave the original version a 7.

In its original form, GODZILLA (GOJIRA) was meant as an analogy for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, ending Japan's involvement in World War II. The monster was a representation of nuclear holocaust and its aftermath. Director Ishiro Honda was ingenious in his use of the big lizard as a metaphor for his nation's greatest human tragedy.

Before it could be shown in the United States, big changes had to be made, including the addition of actor Raymond Burr as an extraneous character, and to provide voice-over narration. Burr's character would tell us what was "really" going on. Perhaps, distributors were afraid that American audiences were simply too dense to understand Honda's vision. More than likely, they didn't get it themselves!

GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS was born.

Unfortunately, much of the story's devastating power was lost in the process. Even so, the Americanized version still packs a punch. Honda's idea shines through, and Burr isn't bad in his role, just unnecessary. If this is the only version you've ever seen, then it's advisable to watch the original for some context...