Godzilla (1998 film) however, was not without its supporters. Kevin Thomas of the "Los Angeles Times", wrote that the film was an "expertly designed theme park ride of a movie that packs nonstop thrills." In a slightly positive fashion, Gary Kamiya of Salon commented that "The plot is about as ridiculous as you'd expect, but for the most part its absurdities are tolerable." Joe Leydon of "Variety" contributed mildly to the positive sentiment by saying "Throughout "Godzilla", New York endures the most sustained rainfall in all of movie history. Most of the action takes place at night, but even the daytime scenes unfold
The Return of Godzilla ignores the events of the Shōwa films, placing itself in line with the darker tone and themes of the original film and returning Godzilla to his destructive, antagonistic roots. In 1985, New World Pictures released "Godzilla 1985", a heavily re-edited American adaptation of the film which included additional footage, Raymond Burr reprising his role from "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!", as well as being produced, filmed, and edited with the same techniques. The Japanese fishing vessel "Yahata-Maru" is caught in strong currents off the shores of Daikoku Island. As the boat drifts into shore, the island begins to erupt, and