Episode 115: ‘Godzilla 1985’ | Ft. Ben Avery and Autistic Lizard Pro | Godzilla Redux

Hello, Kaiju Lovers! History repeats itself in both MIFV and the Godzilla franchise, because Nate is once again dedicating an episode to a heavily re-edited Americanization of a G-film “starring” Raymond Burr: the notorious Godzilla 1985. Podcaster/writer Ben Avery and YouTuber Autistic Lizard Pro, who both have nostalgic ties to this movie, join him to discuss whether Roger Corman’s New World Pictures helped or hurt The Return of Godzilla (1984) when they imported it. Spoiler warning: Nate says “hurt,” but his guests disagree! Is “Mr. Martin’s” epic speech enough to overcome the poorly-done Regan-era “joke” about evil Soviets? They ask the Legal Action Team’s Raymund Martin, who reads “Uncle Steve’s” speech. The great debate is on! For full shownotes, including a bibliography of sources, check out this episode's blog on the MIFV website: https://monsterislandfilmvault.com/index.php/2026/09/24/episode-115-godzilla-1985-ft-ben-avery-and-autistic-lizard-pro-godzilla-redux/.  Additional Music: “Ghost Planet/Steve Martin’s Theme” by Christopher Young Check out Nathan’s spinoff podcasts, The Henshin Men and The Power Trip, and Henshin Power V3! We’d like to give a shout-out to our free MIFV MAX patrons on Patreon: Cordell Stevens, John Pannozzi, Jacob Heron, Cool Cat Videos, Bransbow, Sean Sullivan, Frankie Wolf, Russel Hale, FRIEN Jadge, Bob Hard, ArtsieSteph, Robert O’Brien, DD Chief, Kaye, Nobody, The Indiscrite One, Clayton Warden, Enigma, Dave Blanken, Patrick Greenlaw, Mikki, Josh Baughan, Shane Cochran, Francis Chopin, and Geek 3D Art. You, too, can join MIFV MAX on Patreon to get this and other perks starting at only $3 a month! (https://www.patreon.com/monsterislandfilmvault) Buy official MIFV merch on TeePublic! (https://www.teepublic.com/user/the-monster-island-gift-shop). NEW MERCH NOW AVAILABLE! This episode is approved by the Monster Island Board of Directors. Timestamps: 0:00-14:17: Introduction 14:17-53:29: Synopsis and Production History 53:29-1:18:06: Discussion: KOTM56 vs. Godzilla 1985 1:18:06-1:28:32: Discussion: Raymond Burr, Special Effects, Stock Footage, and New Dialogue 1:28:32-1:30:46: Raymund’s Recollections and “Uncle Steve’s” Speech 1:30:46-1:38:16: Discussion: Raymond Burr, Part 2 1:38:16-1:58:54: Discussion: The Evil Soviets and New World’s Other Changes 1:58:54-2:14:43: Discussion: “7 Things Godzilla 1985 Did Better” by Anthony Romero (Toho Kingdom) 2:14:43-2:29:36: Critical Reception and Roger Ebert’s 1-Star Review 2:29:36-2:37:14: Final Thoughts on Godzilla 1985 2:37:14-2:38:05: Culture Box Ad – Retro Rewind 2:38:05-2:56:37: Outro (listener feedback, housekeeping, etc.) 2:56:37-end: Credits Podcast Social Media: MIFV Linktree: https://linktr.ee/monsterislandfilmvault Nate’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nathan_marchand MIFV is a member of PodNation (https://podnation.tv/) MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 10 tokusatsu podcasts! (https://blog.feedspot.com/tokusatsu_podcasts/) MIFV is one of Feedspot’s top 20 monster podcasts! (https://podcasts.feedspot.com/monster_podcasts/) www.MonsterIslandFilmVault.com #JimmyFromNASALives, #MonsterIslandFilmVault, #kaiju, #daikaiju, #giantmonsters, #godzilla, #godzilla1985 © 2026 Moonlighting Ninjas Media