Marking 30 years since the kaiju first burst onto the world stage, this film plays as a direct sequel to the 1954 original, kicking off a brand-new series.

In the last film of the Showa era, proceedings begin on a fishing boat in torrential waters off the coast of Daikoku Island; discovered abandoned, it harbours a lone survivor who saw it all as well as a giant sea fungus, Shockirus, bloated by exposure to radiation. As events unfold, biology expert Hayashida (Yōsuke Natsuki) concludes that Godzilla has returned. After gathering energy by attacking a nuclear power plant, Godzilla then appears in Tokyo Bay, where the elite regiment of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces is waiting.

Set during the Cold War era and released in the wake of successful creature features like King Kong, Alien and The Thing, The Return of Godzilla touches on the nuclear crisis of the time – the attack on a Russian submarine is believed to be the work of the US – and the nuclear arms race more broadly. The film features incredibly detailed models and ‘returns’ Godzilla to his original role as a reminder of the dangerous consequences of nuclear technology: an animal turned nuclear weapon by the carelessness and destructiveness of humans.

“Toho Studios was always good at throwing cinematic anniversary parties … The Return of Godzilla continues these exemplary milestone achievements, as it’s a fantastic companion piece to the original Gojira.” – Life Between Frames

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