SKREEONK! If the original 1954 Gojira was a metaphor for the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan, then 1984’s The Return of Godzilla brings that metaphor into the era of mutually assured destruction. The greatest kaiju of all time returns to his old stomping ground causing a standoff between the USA and the Soviet Union that could end humanity. After decades of misguided attempts to make the giant lizard cutesy, the first film of the Heisei era is a world-shattering return to the series’ true horror roots, with a powerful ending that shows that the nuclear genie can never be put back in the bottle, even if it can be temporarily sealed in a volcano. – Richard Whittaker
