Release Anniversary: 12/09/95 – Godzilla Vs Destroyah!

Greetings, Goji-holics!

Toho Month at Draconic Verses continues with the anniversary of the original theatrical release of the final film of the Godzilla Heisei Era, Takeo Okawara’s GOJIRA TAI DESUTOROIA (1995) (aka GODZILLA VS DESTROYAH).

The saga that had begun almost 11 years (to the day) with Koji Hashimoto’s GOJIRA (1984) (a.k.a. RETURN OF GODZILLA & GODZILLA 1985) comes to a literally explosive end.

Godzilla is nearing critical mass as he and his “son” (Godzilla, Jr.) Face off against a creature that has evolved from a molecular byproduct of the Oxygen Destroyer used on the original Godzilla back in 1954 (in the Heisei Era, there were no occurrences of Godzilla between the events documented in Ishiro Honda’s original GOJIRA (1954) and the 1984 reboot) by Dr. Serizawa. This is why the creature is called Destroyah.

Akira Ifukube’s score is absolutely brilliant, highlighted by the Requiem that plays as Godzilla melts down there by adding to the drama of the moment.

It had been announced that this would be the final entry in this series, supposedly in deference to the forthcoming American version to be released in 1998, but with the promise of a future chronicle, perhaps with the focus on Jr. who emerged transformed as a new, fully grown incarnation of Godzilla, having absorbed all of the nuclear energy and radiation put out by his predecessor’s explosion. Like the majority of the Heisei era films, this never saw a major US theatrical release. If you haven’t done so already, you need to pick this up. No Godzilla collection is complete without this historic entry.

Original title: GOJIRA TAI DESUTOROIA (GODZILLA VS DESTROYAH)
Original release date: 12/09/95
Director: Takeo Okawara
Music: Akira Ifukube
U. S. Release date: released on home video 01/19/99
Godzilla played by: Kenpachiro Satsuma