Rio Theatre

This November, Janus Films and Japan’s Toho International Inc. joined forces to celebrate the 67th Anniversary of the iconic franchise by presenting the world with a beautifully remastered, 4K restoration of director Ishirō Honda‘s original 1954 Kaiju classic GODZILLA (a.k.a. “Gojira”).

GODZILLA is the undisputed roaring granddaddy of all monster movies. It’s also a remarkably humane and melancholy drama, made in Japan at a time when the country was reeling from nuclear attack and H-bomb testing in the Pacific. Its rampaging radioactive beast, the poignant embodiment of an entire population’s fears, became a beloved international icon of destruction, spawning almost thirty sequels.

One of the longest-running series in film history began with Honda’s grim, black-and-white allegory for the devastation wrought on Japan by the atomic bomb. As his visual metaphor, Honda uses a 400-foot-tall mutant dinosaur called Gojira, awakened from the depths of the sea as a rampaging nuclear nightmare, complete with glowing dorsal fins and fiery, radioactive breath. Crushing ships, villages, and buildings in his wake, Gojira marches toward Tokyo, bringing all of the country’s worst nightmares back until an evil more terrible bomb — capable of sucking all the oxygen from the sea — returns the monster to its watery grave. The original 1954 film is chilling, despite some rather unconvincing man-in-a-suit special effects, and brimming with explicitly stated anti-American sentiment.

“Seen afresh in this cut, with Honda’s pulp poetry restored, this ballad of destruction reveals itself as one of the most exciting, enjoyable and moving of them all.” (Time Out)

#MonsterMonday, November 29
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change.
Advance tickets $15 HERE | $15 at the door

Advance tickets are recommended for all shows to ensure seating. Online sales for every screening automatically end 1 hour before any given showtime.

*Minors permitted in the balcony. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service and main floor seating.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office.
*If you are looking to redeem your tickets to either a canceled Rio Theatre screening or a Rio Theatre gift certificate, please email <[email protected]> with info including your name, canceled receipt number, gift certificate info, what you are wanting to see and when, and we can make the switch for you in advance. Alternately, you can bring this information with you to the venue, and we will do our best to help you at the box office.

In accordance with the Province of British Columbia’s current PHO from the Ministry of Health, all eligible patrons must present their proof of vaccine status for entry. No exceptions.

GODZILLA “Gojira” (Ishiro Honda, 1954 / 96 mins / PG / Japanese with English subtitles) When a seemingly indestructible fire-breathing monster is created as a result of the testing of American nuclear weapons, the government takes help from a reclusive scientist to kill the monster.

#Monster Monday! Godzilla (2021 Restoration) 67th Anniversary Screening

Godzilla, a weapon of science, a great battle of wonder and terror!

1954 | Japan | Ishirō Honda | Japanese (ja)

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