My understanding of Godzilla, King of the Monsters! was that it was the USA's first outing with the titular monster. I was kind of mistaken.You see Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is not an original US made movie. Now we all know the US have a long history of making inferior versions of foreign films but here is something else entirely.Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is merely a compressed version of the original Japanese Godzilla (1954). No I mean literally, it IS the Japanese movie but with a few additional scenes added. These scenes star Raymond Burr (Perry Mason) as a reporter who has travelled to Japan to get the story of this giant monster.So 90% of the movie is just the original Japanese one and 10% is American footage. And this was released as a US Godzilla film!? What an absolute crock!I simply couldn't believe what I was watching. It's fairly interesting how they managed to integrate Burr into the movie, but this simply isn't a new film. It's like watching a directors cut with a few additional scenes!Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is one of those movies that simply should never have existed.The Good:Raymond BurrThe Bad:The whole fact it exists is a bit of a jokeThings I Learnt From This Movie:I'm very glad this trend of ripping entire movies and modifying them didn't catch onPerry Mason walking just doesn't sit right with me

Years ago, I worked for an older gentleman who tried to get his young sons to watch this after seeing the most recent "Jurassic Park" movie in the theaters. "Dad, that's just a man in a rubber suit", they told him upon spotting the giant lizard at the 28 minute mark when it first pokes its head over a hill. Whether or not that is true, they couldn't finish it, yet for those of us who grew up on these hokey but fun science fiction films (or the Japanese TV series "Ultraman"), it is total fun. There are two "Godzilla's" listed of this film, the original Japanese 1954 version, undubbed and probably with no subtitles, and the re-edited version where the future Perry Mason/Ironside and veteran film noir villain Raymond Burr narrates as a Chicago reporter stationed in Tokyo the goings on of this giant fire breathing creature that doesn't seem related to the dinosaurs, and if it is, gained the power to throw fire out of its larynx at will somewhere along the march of time.A mixture of a variety of quality of effects makes this both hokey at times and quite amazing, yet irregardless a master of special effects for its time. Certainly, some of the models for the city of Tokyo look completely fake, with a toy helicopter the most obvious, and a few of the buildings looking as if they were made out of Lincoln logs or tinker toys or some Japanese set designer's kid's erector set. But much of it is lifelike looking, and that is where the impact is felt here, with the genuine look of fear on each character's face quite noticeable. The mix of the original footage from the 1954 Japanese release and the American re-production is extremely well done, and for the most part, the dubbing is fine too, although there is one scene where someone is talking in English without their lips actually moving. There are some poignant moments concerning the scientist who comes up with a way to try and deal with the aggressive monster, and the film does seem to wrap itself up without the need for a sequel. So while this is far from perfect technically (don't even compare it to recent standards of movie special effects), it is riveting from start to finish, never slowing up for unnecessary romance or cute kids or overly talky exposition. If you see any classic science fiction monster film and are not into black and white movies, this is perhaps the one you should pick.

The atomic age Sci-fi movies were all the rage in the 1950's. Godzilla King of the Monsters is no exception. Opening scene is a dismal setting. Destroyed Tokyo, with flames and flattened building for miles. In one of the remaining skyscrapers we see a demolished office with a fallen beam on our star narrator Raymond Burr as he is almost beyond recognition with dark smudges covering his face and tattered clothes. In Burr's opening remarks he's lucky to be alive after what he saw. Burr plays U.S. News reporter Steve Martin who a few days earlier, was en-route to Cairo, Egypt when he was to stop over and catch up with an old friend Dr. Serezawa. Upon Steve Martin's landing in the Tokyo Airport he is met by two Japanese officials for questioning. The two officers asked if he saw anything unusual while in the air. Martin like most of the passengers saw nothing.Meanwhile 10,000 feet below a Japanese freighter was totally destroyed with no survivors with some sort of heat ray. The distress signal from the freighter wireless were all the Japanese coastguard could go on at the time. No survivors. Another ship is destroyed with one survivor who was washed up on Odo Island as the traumatized victim describes the sea beast who destroyed his ship. This prompts the press and the Scientists to travel to Odo Island. A large radioactive footprint is discovered and then the ominous pounding and the Earth begins to shake. Then the large shrill and moans as the locals run for the hills . I had no problem with the dubbing and added scenes with Burr from the Japanese original two years earlier. For me the narrations were clear, concise and correct. The sound effects used in the film were for the most part startling with the thunderous thuds of the monster's walk. The moans were just as frighting. Your imagination can only conjure up what kind of horrible creature could do such damage. About 20 years later the same movie was re-released and colorized. Big mistake. Other Godzilla movies were made and are still produced as the franchise continues. Still captivates me to this day. I even watched this movie in Spanish featured on the local UHF Spanish language channel WNJU TV located in Linden Newark,New Jersey, Featured as " El Mundo Del Terror". I still argue that Godzilla is better than the British production of Gorgo. You decide!

American reporter Steve Martin (an earnest and engaging performance by Raymond Burr) covers the story of a lifetime after a giant prehistoric monster gets reawakened from its centuries of slumber and goes on a rampage in Japan. While this version isn't as bleak and somber as the Japanese original, it's nonetheless still pretty grim and admirably serious in tone, with the added character of Martin incorporated into the main narrative in a clever and convincing way by making him more of an active participant than a passive observer (the Big G even knocks a building on Martin at one point!). Although the love triangle amongst the three main Japanese characters is less prominently featured and the film hence nowhere near as poignant as the original, the American version still registers as a good film in its own right due to the overall respectful treatment its given by director Terry O. Morse and screenwriter Al C. Ward. Moreover, the scenes of Godzilla destroying Tokyo are truly terrifying, the dubbing is generally acceptable (in a nice touch, whole portions are still presented in Japanese), Akira Ifukube's robust score hits the rousing spot, the special effects hold up quite well, and residual traces of the pertinent central message about the dangers of atomic bombs and radioactive fallout can still be discerned throughout.