The Return of Godzilla (1984)

The sixteenth film (and first in the Heisei era) was a deliberate attempt to return the series to its origins. It successfully made Godzilla scary again. No longer something to be mocked, Godzilla is total fucking destruction.
The first proper reveal of the rejuvenated kaijū is impressive, with newly added facial animatronics enabling it to have nuances like never before.
An intimate human story exists alongside and outweighs a larger political one. Foreign powers get involved, forcing Japan to take a stand on two fronts.
The last act feels like it could've been tightened up in comparison to what came before. As it stands, it resembles a disaster movie, but I see no reason why it can't be perceived as such. Godzilla is a force of a particular nature, after all, a personification of a monstrous event.

4 calling birds out of 5