The Return of Godzilla

A fishing vessel is lost at sea, and the lone crew member who survives reports that a giant creature attacked the boat. Godzilla is back, three decades after his first appearance, drawn to Japan and to the radioactivity generated by nuclear power plants. As he makes landfall and moves inland, the authorities try one weapon system after another against him, including a flying craft designed to counter the monster. Meanwhile, Soviet and American pressure turns the crisis into an international standoff, pushing Japan toward secrecy about what is really happening off its coast.

Koji Hashimoto directed, working from a screenplay by Hideichi Nagahara. The film was made at Toho with Tomoyuki Tanaka among the producers, and it was followed the next year by Godzilla 1985, Hashimoto's second directing credit. Keiju Kobayashi plays Prime Minister Seiki Mitamura, Ken Tanaka is the journalist Goro Maki, and Yasuko Sawaguchi, Shin Takuma, Yosuke Natsuki and Eitaro Ozawa round out the main cast.

Produced for about 6 million dollars, the film took in roughly 11 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.8 out of 10 from about 1,730 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 7.2 out of 10 from roughly 350 votes. A 103-minute Japanese production, it belongs to the action, horror, science fiction and thriller genres.