Godzilla: King of the Monsters is almost in cinemas, as of writing, and is coming out in to celebrate Godzilla's 65th anniversary. 65 years, countless comics and video games, 34 movies, and two more movies on the way (King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong) the King of the Monsters has become a pop culture icon. Originating as a haunting allegory for Japan's post-war nuclear nightmares Godzilla has changed repeatedly going from Japan's tormentor to its protector, from a force of nature to the friend of children, and from nuclear to environmental allegories. One of my original ideas for my history undergraduate thesis was to actually look at how Godzilla has reflected Japanese, and at times American, worries, and we did a blog post about this topic here. After so many movies it can be difficult to know where to begin - in December 2018 I vowed to watch every movie in order of release before the release of the newest one and I still am not finished (albeit part of that is due to me being busy with my undergraduate thesis, and I've been really dragging my feet about watching the three anime movies). Hence, I thought a nice little list of my own recommendations would be nice. I want to also give a shout out to the fantastic James Rolfe of Cinemassacre for doing his own version which I would definitely recommend watching here - I had this post planned in early April but was debating whether to actually write it, but his video was so good it confirmed my commitment to actually writing it. Would highly recommend.
A Note on Continuity
Other than the sheer number of movies, one of the biggest tasks for a new Godzilla fan is making sense of the various continuities. Luckily, you can watch any Godzilla movie out of order and the plot would make sense - imagine it like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, skipping one entry will leave you confused by a plot point or two but you'll be able to catch up fast. Also, the Godzilla franchise is a shared universe. Several weapons, monsters, and, occasionally, characters debuted in non-Godzilla films made by the same company (Toho). Two of the most iconic monsters of the Godzilla franchise - Mothra and Rodan - debuted in their own movies before meeting Godzilla, and in the 1990s Mothra got its own film series called Rebirth of Mothra. Toho in 1973 made its own version of Ultraman called Zone Fighter which featured several Godzilla monsters, including Godzilla himself. Incidentally, Ultraman was created by Tsubaraya Eiji - the man who helped create Godzilla - and some of the kaiju (giant monsters) that Zone Fighter fought were old Godzilla costumes with added extra parts.
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| The friendlier design of Godzilla for the later Showa movies |
The simplest movie to explain is the original 1954 classic - almost all successive series position themselves as sequels to this original. The first series is the 'Showa series' starting with 1955's Godzilla Raids Again and ending with 1975's Terror of Mechagodzilla. In Japan, periods of time are named after the reign of the emperor, so these movies were released during the reign of the Showa Emperor. All these movies are sequels, but you can largely watch them in any order seen as for almost all of them the only recurring character is Godzilla. The only two movies which are sort of 'out of continuity' are 1968's Destroy all Monsters, set in the 1990s so is chronologically last in the Showa series, and 1969's All Monsters Attack which is set entirely in the imagination of a Godzilla loving child. These movies are often known for their cheesiness with bad acting, goofy costumes, Godzilla slowly turning from villain to hero, and wobbly sets - and that is why they are so beloved. The second series, Heisei, ignores the Showa series, and positions itself as a direct sequel to the original. Gone is the cheesiness, the tone is mostly darker, Godzilla is an intimidating villain or anti-hero, and each movie somewhere there is an allegory or message. Some fans refer to this series as either the 'Second' series as it can get a bit confusing when looking at the Heisei era. The first film in the Heisei series actually came out during the reign of the Showa Emperor, and as the Heisei Emperor only abdicated this April meaning that King of the Monsters is actually the first actual post-Heisei Godzilla movie. After the Second series ended with 1995's Godzilla vs. Desotroyah there was the brief TriStar series. The 1998 American made Godzilla was hated by both Godzilla fans and non-fans, so plans for a sequel were scrapped - if we count the decent animated series which ended in 2000 then the TriStar ended in 2000. The disaster of Godzilla (1998) inspired Toho to immediately release a new movie, Godzilla 2000, starting the Millennium series. Each of these (bar two) are direct sequels to the original, and largely had new directors experimenting with Godzilla - this produced both successes, like GMK, and failures, like Godzilla X Megaguirus. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla brought some non-Godzilla Showa movies back into continuity, and is the only in the Millennium series to have a sequel with Godzilla: Tokyo SOS. The final entry, Godzilla: Final Wars, was intended as Godzilla's swansong coming out on Godzilla's fiftieth anniversary, and exists in a vacuum - it has no prequels or sequels in terms of continuity.
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| The Heisei Godzilla |
There would not be another Godzilla movie for a decade until Legendary's Godzilla in 2014. This started the 'Monsterverse' and includes Kong: Skull Island in preparation for 2020's Godzilla vs. Kong. However, a Japanese series co-exists with the Monsterverse. In 2016 Shin-Gojira, or Godzilla Resurgence, was released and is a standalone movie - right now we don't know if there will be a sequel, or if Toho will start a new series. Finally, we have the, thankfully, completed anime series. They exist independently of all other Toho kaiju movies, and exist in their own continuity. I would recommend the World War Z like prequel novels, but the anime movies themselves aren't the best. Now that continuity is out of the way, we can get into the movies I most recommend.
Godzilla (1954)
There is no doubt that you have to start with the original. Although not all of the acting and effects have lasted the test of time, most still hold up today. Tsubaraya Eiji can be credited for revolutionising special effects, and Steven Spielberg cited him for paving the way for Jurassic Park decades later. A haunting tale of the horrors of nuclear weaponry coming back to haunt Japan has been discussed many times, and was almost what I wrote about for my undergraduate thesis. I what recommend the Japanese version over the American. It was common at the time for foreign movies to be edited for American audiences, and the American version - Godzilla: King of the Monsters! - made quite drastic changes. An American journalist called Steve Martin, played by Raymond Burr, was edited in, at times quite clumsily, and harsh allegories and denunciations were completely left out. Consequently, the American version is not only shorter, but also a shallower movie - especially as the smart and organised Dr Yamane is given a goofy voice. They would repeat this with 1984's The Return of Godzilla - the, fairly conservative, American distributing company inserted comical characters, goofy voices, obnoxious product placement, and removed allegories and internationalism. They would have butchered the Japanese version even more if not for Raymond Burr, in a stellar performance, putting his foot down. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! is not a bad movie, it feels very much like a Japanese take on The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (which inspired Godzilla), and Burr's narration over Godzilla's destruction of Tokyo creates a feeling of dread. The Japanese version is just far better - a deep, allegorical meaning mixed with revolutionary special effects creating a cinematic classic.
Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
This is not to be confused with the Heisei 'remake' - Godzilla vs. Mothra - and you may see it referred to as Godzilla vs. the Thing. This was the big clash between Toho's monsters - Mothra had been introduced beforehand in her own movie, and Godzilla had appeared in three other movies, including his infamous battle with King Kong. A staple of most of Mothra's appearances the movie takes an environmentalist and a quasi anti-capitalist stance as a company, Happy Enterprises, claims an unearthed egg of Mothra in order to make money. Godzilla raises from the earth, after being buried by a hurricane, and starts devastating Japan, so Mothra has to fight him. Good special effects and interesting human characters it is the first of the many times that Godzilla and Mothra shared the big screen.
Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster (1964)
My personal favourite of the Showa series this not only introduced Toho's greatest villain, the three-headed dragon King Ghidorah, but it also brought together Toho's three biggest monsters. Naturally, Godzilla and Mothra returned - although Mothra remains a larvae - but the pterosaur Rodan joins them. It also has a fantastically zany plot. Millennia ago a monster destroyed Venus, some translations Mars, and the remaining Venutians travelled to Earth where they bred with humanity. A princess, descended from the Venutians, wakens her alien side as this monster begins its way to Earth, just as assassins try to kill her! On top of this, Rodan emerges from Mt. Aso, where it had been buried since Rodan, and Godzilla rises from the sea. The princess and her new friends manage to get Mothra to try and unite the other two monsters as the awe-inspiring Ghidorah arrives. Tsubaraya's effects are just superb with intricate miniatures being realistically destroyed by kaiju, and the costume design of Ghidorah is fantastic. The clumsy looking costumes of Godzilla and Rodan add to the charm. This was also the first time when Godzilla wasn't firmly a villain, and it began a trend when the movies were aimed at a younger audience. The monster fights are more choreographed and with instances of humour, and there is even a little dialogue between Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan. The English translation adds more humour as Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan argue about whether to help humanity, with Mothra's fairies translating, and apparently Godzilla has a foul-mouth. 'Oh, Godzilla, what terrible language' says Mothra. Prepare for a few references to this movie in King of the Monsters: Michael Dougherty is a Godzilla fan and the new movie features these four monsters.
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
This is not a good film, but you have to see it. Made on virtually no budget it features clumsy costumes, bad acting, shaky sets, and enough cheese to make a fondue. Like The Room or Birdemic it is a classic 'so-bad-it's-good' movie, perfect for a bad movie night. A scientist, his kid brother, and friend create an Ultraman-esque robot called Jet Jaguar which is captured by an undersea race angered by nuclear testing, so they unleash a cockroach monster Megalon onto Japan. As Godzilla comes to save the day the undersea people use an alliance with aliens who send their scythe-wielding chicken-cyborg Gigan to ally with Megalon. Made on such a low budget it recycles a lot of scenes from prior Godzilla movies - an American reviewer praised the effects not realising that the destruction scenes were actually from Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster. As a result, as the monsters are fighting or stomping around the time of day changes regularly. Hilariously bad and super cheesy it is a classic. Also, Jet Jaguar has his own song...
Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
My personal favourite of the Heisei series it is a sequel to 1984's The Return of Godzilla - a critical and financial bomb Toho was reluctant to bring back Godzilla, and decided to take note from the Showa series. While Return was more realistic, (as realistic as a Godzilla movie can be), and darker vs. Biollante introduced a more fantastical plot with a new monster. A tale detailing the fears over genetic modification and terrorism a grieving scientist merges his deceased daughter's DNA with that of a rose and Godzilla inadvertently creating a new kaiju - Biollante. Bio-terrorists, meanwhile, threaten to release a sleeping Godzilla if the Japanese government does not give them the monster's DNA. This movie also introduced the psychic Saegusa Miki, and she would become the most recurring human character in the Godzilla series appearing in all future Heisei movies. One of my favourite scenes in the series - at Miki's psychic school children are drawing, and when asked to show their drawings each one turned out to have drawn Godzilla. As the adults look fearful the famous Godzilla theme plays. Finally, the design of Biollante is fantastic. One of the things that cannot be denied about the Heisei series is the quality of the kaiju designs and the special effects, and vs. Biollante is a perfect example of this.
Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
My favourite in the series, after the original, it reinvents many of the Godzilla monsters, and reflects a current issue in Japan. With fantastic special effects it also is directed by Kaneko Shusuke who reinvented the other giant monster Gamera. GMK happens to be one of the most political entries to the series; when it was made prime minister Koizumi Junichiro created controversy by visiting the Yasukuni Shrine who honours the war dead, including over 1,000 war criminals. Japan's memory and outright denial of its imperial and wartime atrocities has been the centre of culture wars, so GMK came out during a spike in these debates. It was not the first time that Godzilla had been caught in wartime controversy - Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah in its time travel plot featured a non-mutated Godzilla saving the Imperial Army from American GIs. In GMK the souls of those killed by Japan during the Second World War, angered by Japanese war crime denial, attach themselves to the remains of the original Godzilla and attack Japan. However, the guardians of the land - Baragon, Mothra, and Ghidorah - awaken to fight Godzilla. Godzilla's design in this movie reflects the dark origin of the monster - he has pale white eyes of the dead.
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)
Of course, Godzilla basically had a live-action mecha anime in the early-2000s. The staggering success of the mecha anime Neon Genesis Evangelion reinvigorated the anime industry, and mecha, in particular, became a popular genre. Mechagodzilla, called Kiryu in this movie, offered a way for Godzilla to fight a mecha. Lieutenant Yashiro Akane is a pilot helping remotely co-pilot the new Kiryu - a giant robot using the bones of the original Godzilla to fight a new Godzilla. Straight out of Evangelion when hearing the roar of Godzilla the bones inside Kiryu go mad and start attacking Japan once more. Akane is a great character and her actress, Shaku Yumiko, does a stellar job. The effects are great and the design of Kiryu is perhaps my favourite of any other incarnations of the robot. If you like anime you will like Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. It is the only one in the Millennium series to have a sequel - Godzilla: Tokyo SOS was released in 2003. Good, but not as good as its predecessor, Mothra threatens to attack Japan if they do not lay Godzilla's bones to rest, and saw a cast member from Mothra return. Another fun fact about these two movies, they are canon with some Showa movies including Rodan and even War of the Gargantuas.
Godzilla (2014)
Of course, to watch the sequel you have to watch its predecessor. Legendary's movie I can triumphantly call a Godzilla movie - Godzilla is intimidating, fights another monster, and serves as an allegory (natural disasters and climate change). Bryan Cranston and Ken Wantanabe are naturally fantastic, and the design of the kaiju are really good. However, it does have its flaws. The film is slow at times, it shies away from wanting to openly show the kaiju, the secondary cast is somewhat uninteresting, and the last act is very dark - you struggle to actually see it. Luckily, early reviews of King of the Monsters have, at the moment of writing, seem to suggest that this is the opposite in the new film.
Godzilla: Resurgence (2016)
The most recent live-action Godzilla movie it again returns back to allegory. Instead of a radiated dinosaur, Godzilla is now a rapidly evolving organism mutated thanks to pollution and radiation from nuclear waste dumping in Tokyo Bay. Godzilla's last form (he takes four in the movie) is truly intimidating - I would say it ties with GMK's design for the most terrifying Godzilla. It is also the first Japanese Godzilla movie to use CGI over practical effects, but, surprisingly, the effects are really good. The destruction scene adds so much detail that previous films often overlook - such as tiles falling from roofs as Godzilla walks. CGI also allowed more creativity with what they could do with Godzilla, so they even turn Godzilla's tail into a weapon. Only with 'Kamata-kun', (the fan name for the second form), does the CGI seem poor. It does fall apart with the lengthy human scenes which largely comprises of meetings. This was a satire of the government's bureaucratic and lacklustre response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster and tsunami - very apparent with the destruction scenes. If you go in knowing this it makes the movie better, if not it makes the human scenes drag.
Other Godzilla Media?
If you want to more Godzilla media you have plenty of things to choose from. A good animated series was released to tie-in with the 1998 American movie - the creators were genuine fans of Godzilla so the cartoon is far better than the movie. There are books, both fiction and non-fiction, concerning Godzilla - the prequel novels to the anime series are very interesting, but are unfortunately only in Japanese at the moment. For non-fiction, there are several recommendations. William Tsutsui's Godzilla on My Mind (2004) gives brief reviews of all the movies which were out at the time, details the impact on pop culture, and the history of the fandom. However, at times his writing can be cringe-worthy, and he gets the plot to GMK wrong. The Official Godzilla Compendium by J.D. Lees and Marc Cerasini I would highly recommend. Although out of date now, it was written in 1998, it goes into detail about previous movies and the monsters featured in it. Finally, if you like comics read Godzilla: Rulers of Earth by IDW Publishers - a love story to Godzilla fans it features just about very monster featuring aliens, undersea civilisations, and plenty of monster fights.
Thank you for reading and I hope you found it interesting. For future blog updates please see our Facebook or catch me on Twitter @LewisTwiby.
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