Sunday, November 14, 2021

A Quick Look: GODZILLA 1985 (1985 - color)


   With it's mix of new and familiar, GODZILLA 1985 was a video rental staple for a good decade. I imagine any number of mom and pop outlets supported themselves almost exclusively with the rental fees from this one picture, each store stocking a minimum of three copies where most videos were stocked in single Units. The film was a high mark of the series, a good back-to-basics story concerning Godzilla's sudden re-appearance after 30 years. Raymond Burr returns, making reporter Steve Martin one of three classic characters Burr reprised in that decade (the other two being the titular characters of TV staples Ironside and Perry Mason). Sadly, it now stands as the most obscure of the series! The videos themselves are now sought after collector's items. Fortunately, since they were pressed for the rental market, most of them still play like brand new if in moderately good condition.