The Return of Godzilla
Movie, 1984, Heisei era, Set in 30 years after 1954
The Return of Godzilla is #16 of 35 in release order and #16 of 35 in chronological order in the Godzilla.
The story
After a fishing boat is attacked, the sole surviving crew member realizes it is none other than a resurrected Godzilla. However, efforts to bring the story to light are suppressed by the Japanese government amid growing political tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, who are both willing to bomb Japan to stop the monster.
The Return of Godzilla recap
Thirty years after the 1954 attack, a volcanic eruption on Daikoku Island wakes a new Godzilla, which destroys a fishing boat. The reporter Goro Maki finds the boat and one survivor, Hiroshi Okumura, but the government hides the news to avoid panic. Professor Hayashida, whose parents died in the 1954 attack, studies the creature. When a Soviet submarine is sunk, the superpowers almost go to war until Japan reveals Godzilla was to blame. Both the Soviet Union and the United States want to use nuclear weapons on Japan, and the prime minister refuses. Godzilla feeds on a nuclear plant until a flock of birds draws it away, which gives Hayashida an idea. Godzilla lands in Tokyo, where the Super X flying fortress knocks it out with cadmium shells, but an exploding Soviet missile restarts it.
The Return of Godzilla ending explained
Hayashida lures Godzilla to the volcano on Oshima Island with a bird-call signal, and a planned eruption swallows it. The Super X is crushed under a falling skyscraper, but Hayashida's signal draws Godzilla away from Tokyo, across the bay to Mount Mihara. Okumura sets off explosives at the crater, and Godzilla falls into the lava as the eruption begins. It stays trapped until Godzilla vs. Biollante.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Return of Godzilla
The Return of Godzilla is streaming on HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon.
Ratings
IMDb 6.8/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Terror of Mechagodzilla, before Godzilla vs. Biollante.
- Chronological order: after Destroy All Monsters, before Godzilla vs. Biollante.
What to watch before The Return of Godzilla
Nothing. The Return of Godzilla (1984) doesn't continue an earlier version, so it stands on its own.
Cast
- Keiju Kobayashi as Prime Minister Seiki Mitamura
- Ken Tanaka as Goro Maki
- Yasuko Sawaguchi as Naoko Okumura
- Shin Takuma as Hiroshi Okumura
- Yōsuke Natsuki as Professor Makoto Hayashida
- Eitarō Ozawa as Minister of Finance Kanzaki
- Taketoshi Naitō as Chief Cabinet Secretary Takegami
- Nobuo Kaneko as Home Affairs Minister Isomura
- Mizuho Suzuki as Foreign Minister Emori
- Junkichi Orimoto as Director-General of the Defense Agency
- Hiroshi Koizumi as Professor Minami
- Kunio Murai as Secretary Henmi
Directed by Koji Hashimoto.