Godzilla : 3 of 5

Sometimes there's just nothing better than a rubber-suit monster movie, so when I saw that the newly-restored original Japanese version of Godzilla was playing at the Paramount, I had to go! Most people know that when Godzilla was released in the US, several scenes were cut and replaced with new scenes of a young Raymond Burr as a reporter narrating things. I had never seen the true original, and it's definitely much better without the editing! I liked the stark opening credits (all kanji!) that roll over nothing but several minutes of Godzilla roars, and then the cool music kicks in (definitely a good score). I think Godzilla looks a little funny here, because sometimes his head seems a little squashed, but overall the effects are pretty cool considering it was made in 1954. Of course the miniatures look silly, but they are still super-detailed, and I also like the way Godzilla glistens in the moonlight. Some of my favorites scenes are when hundreds of high school girls sing a song for peace, and another when some guy says "Kuso!" ("Damn!", or worse) about seven times in a row while he's watching Godzilla trash things. This movie actually shows Godzilla die, since he's turned to a skeleton by the amazing Oxygen Destroyer (whose creator kills himself so it can never be used for evil), but then the main scientist gives the moral - if we keep testing H-bombs, another Godzilla will appear!