Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Godzilla

Original title: Gojira
  • 1954
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 36m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
43K
YOUR RATING
Ishirô Honda and Takashi Shimura in Godzilla (1954)
Three Reasons Criterion Trailer for Godzilla
Play trailer1:38
4 Videos
99+ Photos
Action EpicAdventure EpicDinosaur AdventureDisasterEpicKaijuMonster HorrorPolitical DramaPsychological DramaPsychological Horror

After a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.After a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.After a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.

  • Director
    • Ishirô Honda
  • Writers
    • Takeo Murata
    • Ishirô Honda
    • Shigeru Kayama
  • Stars
    • Takashi Shimura
    • Akihiko Hirata
    • Akira Takarada
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    43K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ishirô Honda
    • Writers
      • Takeo Murata
      • Ishirô Honda
      • Shigeru Kayama
    • Stars
      • Takashi Shimura
      • Akihiko Hirata
      • Akira Takarada
    • 335User reviews
    • 130Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 4 wins & 2 nominations total

    Videos4

    Godzilla: The Criterion Collection [Blu-Ray]
    Trailer 1:38
    Godzilla: The Criterion Collection [Blu-Ray]
    Godzilla: Deluxe Collectors Edition
    Trailer 1:01
    Godzilla: Deluxe Collectors Edition
    Godzilla: Deluxe Collectors Edition
    Trailer 1:01
    Godzilla: Deluxe Collectors Edition
    After Devastation of "Chernobyl," What to Watch Next
    Clip 3:54
    After Devastation of "Chernobyl," What to Watch Next
    Godzilla Vs. the MonsterVerse
    Clip 3:22
    Godzilla Vs. the MonsterVerse

    Photos280

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 273
    View Poster

    Top cast42

    Edit
    Takashi Shimura
    Takashi Shimura
    • Dr. Kyohei Yamane
    Akihiko Hirata
    Akihiko Hirata
    • Dr. Daisuke Serizawa
    Akira Takarada
    Akira Takarada
    • Hideto Ogata
    Momoko Kôchi
    Momoko Kôchi
    • Emiko Yamane
    Fuyuki Murakami
    • Professor Tanabe
    Sachio Sakai
    • Newspaper Reporter Hagiwara
    Toranosuke Ogawa
    Toranosuke Ogawa
    • Nankai Ferry President
    Ren Yamamoto
    • Masaji Yamada
    Hiroshi Hayashi
    • Chairman of Diet Committee
    Seijirô Onda
    Seijirô Onda
    • Parliamentarian Oyama
    Tsuruko Mano
    • Kuni Yamada
    Takeo Oikawa
    • Chief of Emergency Headquarters
    Toyoaki Suzuki
    Toyoaki Suzuki
    • Shinkichi Yamada
    Kokuten Kôdô
    Kokuten Kôdô
    • The Old Fisherman
    • (as Kuninori Kôdô)
    Tadashi Okabe
    • Prof. Tanabe's Assistant
    Kin Sugai
    Kin Sugai
    • Parliamentarian Ozawa
    Ren Imaizumi
    • Radio Operator
    Junpei Natsuki
    • Power Substation Engineer
    • Director
      • Ishirô Honda
    • Writers
      • Takeo Murata
      • Ishirô Honda
      • Shigeru Kayama
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews335

    7.643K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    8SnoopyStyle

    well made monster movie

    A freighter is sunk by an unknown force. A second ship is sent but is also sunk. Three survivors are pulled from the sea but the fishing boat also sinks. An elderly villager claims that it is the work of the legendary sea monster Godzilla. On Odo island, a giant storm swamps the village and giant footprints are found to be radioactive. Dr. Yamane postulates that Godzilla had been driven out of his underground cavern by repeated H-bomb testing. Godzilla advances on Tokyo despite the Japanese armed forces and an electric fence.

    The special effects are very effective especially considering the time. There is no hiding the miniatures but they are generally done well. The production is relatively big for a monster movie. And Godzilla's roar is second to none. It's great to see the model planes fire little rockets like fireworks at Godzilla. It even has a compelling message. It's a fine B-movie that deserves its iconic status.
    9caseyt-48511

    The Greatest Movie Monster Of All

    The original Japanese version of Godzilla is a breathtaking classic. A giant monster is awaken by the over abundance of nuclear radiation and goes on a rampage across Japan. What follows is an unforgettable experience that stands as the greatest giant monster film of all time, if one does not count King Kong that is.

    Japan was best fit to make a film about the effects of nuclear radiation since they had experience the atomic bomb first hand nearly a decade earlier. It was a powerful statement for the time. I really wish more people would give this movie a chance and realize how smart it is.

    Besides the powerful message, the film is best known for its pioneering special effects. Yes, by today's standards, the suits and miniatures are pretty archaic. But they still look great over sixty years later. The destruction that Godzilla causes is both exciting and horrifying. Few monster movies have the emotion and smarts that this one has. Of course, their is the monster himself. What a sight. The design has changed greatly over the years but this one is the most iconic of course. The menacing eyes, roar and towering size make him a sight to behold. I highly recommend checking out the behind the scenes features that talk about the making of the famous suit, it's really interesting.

    Then there's the most underrated part of the movie, the cast. Most Godzilla fans will recognize Akira Takarada as the lead. He's very good here and would continue to Star in the series for many years. The biggest name here is Takashi Shimura. He's of course best known for appearing in several Akira Kurosawa classics such as Seven Samurai and Ikiru.

    Godzilla gets a bad rep because of some mediocre to atrocious sequels with some gems here and there. But the original stands above them like a atomic breath breathing monster. Godzilla is essential cinema that can be enjoyed for many different reasons.
    8StevePulaski

    One of the only cases where we review and analyze an original work entirely different from its sucessors

    Trying to convince somebody that isn't wholly invested in cinema, or somebody simply not willing to learn about the culture, that the first Godzilla film was actually a film littered with commentary and played nothing like the idea we all have in our heads about the towering monster is a daunting and almost thankless task in itself. Once you grasp the idea of a postwar Japan that was left demilitarized and financially and structurally battered, fearful of invaders, nuclear repercussions, and the country's future in terms of basic economic prosperity, the original, 1954 Japanese film (known as Gojira in Japanese) becomes a film ripe for thoughtful dissection and analysis by just your average cinephile or history buff.

    Little needs to be explained in the way of the film's story, I feel, but the basic idea concerns the awakening of a towering behemoth thanks to prolific nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese are petrified of the destruction possible with this creature lurking around, find their government is content on hiding and obscuring facts related to the issue, and see a dissenting country in the mix of deciding what to do with the monster. While a good majority of the people, understandably, want this monster extinct and destroyed as soon as possible, Dr. Yamane Emiko (Momoko Kōchi) finds the possibility for research and analysis on Godzilla invaluable and has the ambition to try and capture him alive. Dr. Emiko is in the minority on this view, but he sees the long-term value in the creature, while the townspeople, acting on impulse and responding to an immediate conception of fear, want nothing to do with the creature.

    This ignites an idea brought on by classic Universal monster movies of the 1930's and 1940's about humans' role in these man-made disasters, or whether or not humans have the responsibility to "play God" in any way. This idea, in conjunction with relativistic looks at the Japanese mindset in the 1940's and 1950's, after the repercussions of World War II, the basic elements of human fear, and what Godzilla metaphorically represents, are all relative in analyzing this particular piece, and it may indeed be the only franchise where the first film is looked at and critiqued in an entirely different light than its successors.

    Following the boom of the Japanese film industry in the 1950's and 1960's, American activities such as golf were beginning to become prominent in Japan, along with the ubiquity of home Television sets, which saw exponential sales from a few thousands to two million during the mid to late 1960's. As a result, Japan's successful film industry became short-lived, as less and less people flocked out to the theaters due to the lack of popularity of the establishments comparative to the United States. The company that released Gojira, Toho and its director Ishirō Honda, began catering to the lowest common-denominator, not filling their follow-up efforts to Godzilla with thought-provoking commentary on Japanese culture and topical events, but instead, loading them with the kind of cheesiness and glitz expected to attract young children or a late-night audience. The Godzilla films became more concerned with the sounds-and-lights aesthetic, ridiculous and often ludicrous monsters that were totally geared towards selling action figures, and a line of comic books and video games to license the everlasting hell out of Godzilla name.

    This kind of franchise and international ubiquity obscured the original film not only for its datedness but made its justifications for social commentary laughable to those uninformed about Japanese culture at the time . This is one of the many things licensing does to hurt a brand or product in the long-term sense, for it alienates consumers because they can't seem to escape it no matter which way they turn, but the reasons for the greatness of the original product become lessened or forgotten due to the constant influx of new material related to the original work.

    Gojira may find itself crude in parts, with its assembly of miniatures optimistically passing off as a rogue monstrosity devastating a large community, or its evident aspects showcasing overacting, but it's nonetheless enjoyable on an entertainment level and thoughtful on a commentary-level. This is one of the few films that can be so relevant and topical while playing one of the most simplistic but effective instrumental tracks, and that in its own right is uncommonly beautiful.

    Starring: Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura. Directed by: Ishirō Honda.
    8claudio_carvalho

    Surprisingly Good Godzilla Film

    When seventeen vessels blow-up and sink nearby Odo Island, Professor Kyohei Yamane (Takashi Shimura), his daughter Emiko Yamane (Momoko Kôchi), and the marine officer Hideto Ogata (Akira Takarada) head to the island to investigate. Soon they witness a giant monster called Gojira by the locals destroying the spot. Meanwhile Emiko meets her boyfriend, the secluded scientist Serizawa (Akihiko Hirata), and he makes she promise to keep a secret about his research with oxygen. She agrees and he discloses the lethal weapon Oxygen Destroyer that he had developed. When Gojira threatens Tokyo and other Japanese cities and the army and the navy are incapable to stop the monster, Emiko discloses Serizawa´s secret to her lover Ogata. Now they want to convince Serizawa to use the Oxygen Destroyer to stop Gojira.

    "Gojira" (1954) is a surprisingly good Godzilla film, with well-developed story, screenplay and characters. Despite the dated effects and the behavior of Emiko, the plot is engaging and holds the attention of the viewer to the last scene. My vote is eight.

    Title (Brazil): "Godzilla"
    9dr_foreman

    Crushes its sequels like Godzilla crushes Tokyo!

    The original, Japanese version of "Gojira" is the best giant monster film I've ever seen. Some fans get carried away and call it one of the best movies ever made; I wouldn't go quite that far, but it's damn good.

    This film is quite different from the 20+ sequels that followed. Here, Godzilla is not so much a creature as he is a walking incarnation of the atomic bomb. His death ray, which became a rather amusing cartoon laser blast in later films, is here depicted as a sort of radioactive mist that sets its victims on fire. These "radioactive horror" images still resonate today - and imagine the impact they must've had on Japanese audiences fifty years ago.

    From a production standpoint, the film holds up well. Godzilla's costume is much more convincing than the silly monkey suits that featured in the 60s and 70s Toho films, and due to the grayscale photography, the model cityscapes look convincing in most shots - or at least respectable. Ifkube's music score is stirring (you know it has to be good, as they kept recycling it in later movies), and director Honda makes great use of camera angles and imaginative special effects to give Godzilla a genuine aura of menace.

    For once, the human characters don't let the side down. There's a compelling love triangle, and a dramatic sacrifice made at the end of the film that adds enormously to its emotional impact. The American version ("Godzilla: King of the Monsters") cut out much of the character development, and is thus clearly inferior; but never fear, Rialto is apparently releasing "Gojira," in all its original glory, sometime this year (2004).

    In the later Godzilla films, the destruction he causes is almost incidental. Here, it's the whole point - he's a force of nature. Impressive.

    More like this

    Godzilla Raids Again
    5.7
    Godzilla Raids Again
    Mothra vs. Godzilla
    6.5
    Mothra vs. Godzilla
    Shin Godzilla
    6.8
    Shin Godzilla
    Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster
    6.5
    Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster
    Godzilla: King of the Monsters!
    6.3
    Godzilla: King of the Monsters!
    Godzilla: Final Wars
    6.3
    Godzilla: Final Wars
    King Kong vs. Godzilla
    6.2
    King Kong vs. Godzilla
    The Return of Godzilla
    6.8
    The Return of Godzilla
    Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
    6.9
    Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
    Mothra
    6.5
    Mothra
    Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
    7.0
    Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
    Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
    6.5
    Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      An often-repeated myth is that the productions of both this film and Seven Samurai (1954) nearly drove Toho into bankruptcy. This neglects to mention a third Toho film made that year, Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954). All three of them were the most expensive Japanese films made up to that point and big financial risks for Toho. However, there is little evidence to suggest that Toho was ever at risk for bankruptcy. Toho released a total of 68 feature films that year, the most successful of which were "Seven Samurai", "Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto", and "Godzilla", in that order.
    • Goofs
      Several characters in the film, including Dr. Yamane, Japan's leading paleontologist, insist that the Jurassic Period was 2 million years ago. This is off by 143.5 million years.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Dr. Kyohei Yamane: I can't believe that Godzilla was the last of his species. If nuclear testing continues, then someday, somewhere in the world, another Godzilla may appear.

    • Alternate versions
      In the scene where Godzilla destroys the train, shots of terrified people watching were cut from the U.S. version of the film.
    • Connections
      Edited into Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
    • Soundtracks
      Prayer for Peace
      (uncredited)

      Performed by students of the Toho High School of Music

      Lyrics by Shigeru Kayama

      Composed by Akira Ifukube

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ26

    • How long is Godzilla?Powered by Alexa
    • How was the Godzilla suit made?
    • What color was the original Godzilla?
    • When was the original Japanese version first available outside of Japan?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 7, 2004 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Languages
      • Japanese
      • German
    • Also known as
      • Japón bajo el terror del monstruo
    • Filming locations
      • Toba, Mie, Japan
    • Production company
      • Toho Film (Eiga) Co. Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $175,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $562,711
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $38,030
      • May 9, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $590,796
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 36 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Ishirô Honda and Takashi Shimura in Godzilla (1954)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Godzilla (1954) officially released in India in Hindi?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.