Current Events > Let's talk Godzilla. With over 35 movies, what are your favs?

(+) Yeah! (+)

In the past year I've gotten really into Godzilla, and have been slowly working my way through all of them. I'm a little over half way through them, now having seen all of the Showa era (except OG Zilla vs Kong), half the Hesei era, Minus One, Shin Godzilla, and a couple of the American ones. I love long running franchises like this where you can see how much they've evolved over time, and how the tone and stories can be so vastly varried and different from one another.

I love the darker and more serious ones like the original, Minus One, and Shin Godzilla, but at the same time, I do also love the silly and derpy ones as well. Hot take, but I do actually love Son of Godzilla. Googly eye Godzilla taking on the challenges of single parenthood is so goofy but also really fun and charming IMO.

Also love Godzilla vs Hedorah, which is both really silly yet also really dark at times, I think capturing the range of tone in Godzilla movies in one film better than most.

Still have a lot more to watch, but if I was going to do a top 5, it'd have to be:
5.Son Of Godzilla (I know, I'm sorry.)
4.Godzilla vs Hedorah
3.Shin Godzilla
2.Minus One
1.Godzilla (1954)

Godzilla vs Biolante is a very close 6th place, but Son of Godzilla is peak cheezy Godzilla and I can't help but love it. Need to finished the Hesei era, but the further I go the harder the Japanese movies are to find easily. I've heard Destroyah is a really good one, that's high on my list to watch next.

Oh, also love OG Godzilla vs Mothra. I almost gave up on the franchise after Raids Again, but Mothra pulled me back in. I didn't expect Mothra to be such a genuinely compelling and sympathetic Kaiju.

Godzilla vs Biollante is my fav

Oh and Godzilla vs Destoroyah

In no particular order

The OG
Godzilla vs Mothra OG
Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla OG
Ghidorah the three headed monster
Godzilla vs King Ghidorah
King Kong vs Godzilla
Godzilla vs Space Godzilla
Godzilla 2000
Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla
Godzilla Final Wars
Shin Godzilla
Godzilla minus one

The more I think about it, I really should bump Son of Godzilla for Mothra vs Godzilla. It's objectively a better film, and is the one that kept me plowing through the older Godzilla movies.

But Son also has weather controlling machines, possibly my favorite female lead in the Godzilla movies I've seen, and Manilla being dumb and getting the shit kicked out of him half the movie. It's a toss up >_>

Godzilla minus one was my first godzilla movie and I'm wondering if I should finally check out shin godzilla which people heavily praised the past near decade.

I've seen every movie, but I'm primarily a fan of the Showa series. My favorites are the original 1954, Invasion of the Astro Monster, Destroy All Monsters, the first Mechagodzilla, and Shin.

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack is my favorite!

Minus One was the best Godzilla movie, fairly easily imo. Basically what Dark Knight was to Batman.

Godzilla 1998
JUST KIDDING!

King Kong vs Godzilla (1962)

Only vaguely in order because it's too difficult otherwise:

Destroy All Monsters
Son of Godzilla
Godzilla vs Hedorah
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
Invasion of Astro Monster
Godzilla vs Gigan

Cinematically speaking most of these aren't considered the best movies but they are the ones I re-watch the most by far and I love and cherish them.

I grew up on the Showa era so my fondness for them is sky high but I enjoy all the eras. Definitely miss the days of some guy in a rubber suit though, there's a certain charm to it that can't be matched but Minus One and Godzilla(2014) were both excellent top tier G-movies regardless.

Showa era is just so damn charming. Are most of them silly and goofy? Absolutely. Are the production values great? For the most part no. But just the idea that these guys wanted to tell fun crazy sci-fi stories and were willing to wrestle in hot, heavy rubber suits to make it happen? I love it.

Minus One is easily the best Godzilla movie for me, and it isnt even close imo. Not only is it the best in the entire franchise, it might be in like my top 10 movies of all time period. Definitely my favorite movie of 2023, and 2023 had some absolute bangers overall so thats saying a lot.

saspa posted...

Godzilla minus one was my first godzilla movie and I'm wondering if I should finally check out shin godzilla which people heavily praised the past near decade.

I thought the same thing (except Minus One wasnt my first Godzilla movie), so I went to see Shin Godzilla when it got rereleased in theaters last month. I went in with huge expectations since I loved Minus One so much, I knew it would be a different take and experience overall, but since it has pretty much the same level of praise as Minus One for a modern Godzilla movie, I still expected a lot and hoped to enjoy it as much in its own way.

Massive disappointment for me unfortunately. I get what the movie is going for, the whole political satire and how the government incompetently responds to threats, but its execution and narrative just didnt land for me at all. Still has some interesting stuff in it and I liked the design of Godzilla along with its cool/unique (but very few) action scenes, but I just dont think its anywhere near as good as Minus One.

GMK, Biollante, Shin Godzilla, Minus One, Terror of Mecha Godzilla, Hedorah and original Vs. Mothra are my favorites. The MV Godzilla movies are also dear to me.

I love Shin Godzilla, but yeah, if you're expecting it to be similar to Minus One you're gonna be let down. I think they're both great takes on Godzilla, but they are radically different in style and themes. They're both on the darker side for Godzilla standards, but that's about where the similarities end.

Bump

I'll always have a soft spot (and the Criterion collection) for the Showa era but I kind of find them the least rewatchable. The fights are always fun but, even for the time, most of them were made on a budget and there's a ton of padding and boring or weird characters. I think Heisei is my favorite era with millennium close behind. The legendary-verse gets more fun with each movie but are overall just kind of dumb spectacle. Shin and Minus One are absolutely fantastic but the Reiwa era is weird because it's not really an era. You've got these two unconnected movies and some unconnected garbage anime over the course of a decade and counting. We really need a "canon" Godzilla back. Minus One is getting a sequel but doesn't really feel like the kind of universe where we're eventually gonna be getting stuff like Mechagodzilla or Gigan.

Top 5 in release order:
Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
GMK
Shin Godzilla
Godzilla: Minus One

I really like this atomic breath comparison:
https://youtu.be/JJv1AcFvSjg

I love Mothra vs Godzilla, Godzilla vs Hedorah, Terror of MechaGodzilla, VS Biollante, GMK, and Tokyo SOS.

I actually don't care much for the Heisei era overall. It's got some high points but Biollante is the only one I enthusiastically like. It's kind of crazy to me to compare Godzilla's 90's movies with the Gamera trilogy from the same decade. Like Godzilla was ok but that big goofy turtle was running laps around him, quality-wise.

Oh and regarding the more recent stuff. Shin was ok but I don't feel compelled to revisit it. Kamata-kun was probably my favorite contribution. >_> Minus One was of course fantastic, really hoping the sequel brings in another kaiju though because it's been a long time since we saw a Toho VS movie and the "Monsterverse" is just not scratching my itch.

Heisei I used to love as a kid but now there's a bit too much beam shooting. Millennium Era is like super mid aside from GMK or Final Wars...with Final Wars being obnoxious trash for the most part. The Megaguirus final battle is peak and Kiryu itself is pretty great.

Top 3:

Godzilla
Godzilla Minus One
Shin Godzilla

The original from 1998 is my favorite but Minus One is pretty good too.

SomeLikeItHoth posted...

The original from 1998

:/

I've only seen a handful of them, so I'm not the guy to ask.

But I did want to point out, Smog Monster actually does have some really effective camera work.

specialkid8 posted...

I'll always have a soft spot (and the Criterion collection) for the Showa era but I kind of find them the least rewatchable. The fights are always fun but, even for the time, most of them were made on a budget and there's a ton of padding and boring or weird characters. I think Heisei is my favorite era with millennium close behind. The legendary-verse gets more fun with each movie but are overall just kind of dumb spectacle. Shin and Minus One are absolutely fantastic but the Reiwa era is weird because it's not really an era. You've got these two unconnected movies and some unconnected garbage anime over the course of a decade and counting. We really need a "canon" Godzilla back. Minus One is getting a sequel but doesn't really feel like the kind of universe where we're eventually gonna be getting stuff like Mechagodzilla or Gigan.

Yeah.... I don't even necessarily mind if they keep doing one offs like Shin and Minis One, but at least have them reintroduce other Kaiju.

I've only watched a couple of the new American films, and they're fun enough but definitely feel shallow. Hard for me to get invested in them.

Top 5 in no particular order:

Godzilla '54
Godzilla: Minus One
Shin Godzilla
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Final Wars

I tend to prefer the Heisei era because it's a consistent story arc whereas they kind of just did whatever in Showa and Millenium. Heisei Godzilla's design is also one of my favorites. But the Showa movies are generally pretty fun too. And Millenium has a couple really good ones. I think the first 4 on my list are definitely the best films in the franchise. Final Wars on the other hand isn't for everyone, but it's one of my favorites for sure.

i've only ever seen the american 98 movie

i never quite understood how since Godzilla is from the Pacific, how it ended up in New York of all places

ROBBAN posted...

i've only ever seen the american 98 movie

i never quite understood how since Godzilla is from the Pacific, how it ended up in New York of all places

Because 98 was a badly written movie.

>_>

If you have any interest in Godzilla, Shin and Minus One are good contemporary gateways in. The original also, but I know not everyone loves going back to black and white movies.

ROBBAN posted...

i've only ever seen the american 98 movie

i never quite understood how since Godzilla is from the Pacific, how it ended up in New York of all places

All you need to know about that movie is this....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPxhdo4HDgg

1998 with the Ferris Bueller actor, ofc my favorite is everyone's least liked, linear story telling with a unsuspecting plot twist, love story, and patriotic themes (although from the prospect of the French allies)

Grew up with watching the showa movies on tv when I was younger. Hunting down the heisei vhs tapes were a thrill.

Godzilla Minus One is my favorite by a significant margin (2023) and probably my favorite movie that year.

After that. Godzilla King of the Monsters (2019) is one of the few movies I went to theatres to see twice. It probably comes second despite too many annoying humans being present.

I also liked Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002). Interesting dynamic with Akane going on. A pity there isn't much of that in the sequel.

What I don't like are several of the movies with eccentric, weird space aliens. Just...feels like low grade science fiction at that point. Not my cup of tea.

lifespeedrunner posted...

1998 with the Ferris Bueller actor, ofc my favorite is everyone's least liked, linear story telling with a unsuspecting plot twist, love story, and patriotic themes (although from the prospect of the French allies)

Nah that movie is pretty good. The only bad part is Godzilla's weird head and the fact we never got a sequel.

Charged151 posted...

Godzilla Minus One is my favorite by a significant margin (2023) and probably my favorite movie that year.

After that. Godzilla King of the Monsters (2019) is one of the few movies I went to theatres to see twice. It probably comes second despite too many annoying humans being present.

I also liked Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002). Interesting dynamic with Akane going on. A pity there isn't much of that in the sequel.

What I don't like are several of the movies with eccentric, weird space aliens. Just...feels like low grade science fiction at that point. Not my cup of tea.

I get why it wouldn't be for everyone, but I kinda love how batshit those ones are. Just fully embraces the sci-fi b movie cheese and runs with it.

Bump

Lets see. I enjoyed Ghidorah the three headed monster, vs Hedorah, vs MechaGodzilla, Terror of MechaGodzilla, vs Biollante, vs King Ghidorah, vs MechaGodzilla 2, vs Destroyah, G2k, x MechaGodzilla, Final Wars, Shin Godzilla, King of the Monsters. Honestly I liked them all in some form or another. More intrigued by the cut projects.

I've seen every godzilla film --- for me, KOTM is my personal fave. It has pretty much everything you need. Imo KOTM was way better than the two Kong/godzilla crossovers. New empire lacked a really threatening bad guy.

Shin Goji and Minus One are both really good in terms of serious films. Minus one had a really good message/themes.

hitokoriX posted...

I've seen every godzilla film --- for me, KOTM is my personal fave. It has pretty much everything you need. Imo KOTM was way better than the two Kong/godzilla crossovers. New empire lacked a really threatening bad guy.

Shin Goji and Minus One are both really good in terms of serious films. Minus one had a really good message/themes.

I still need to watch KOTM, but someone having seen all of them having an American film as their fav is surprising to me, not gonna lie.

I need to check it out.

JKwaffle posted...

I love Shin Godzilla, but yeah, if you're expecting it to be similar to Minus One you're gonna be let down. I think they're both great takes on Godzilla, but they are radically different in style and themes. They're both on the darker side for Godzilla standards, but that's about where the similarities end.

I mean I get that they are different takes, and I did go in expecting that, I just wasnt satisfied with Shin Godzillas execution. I was hoping to still like Shin Godzilla as much as Minus One (quality wise), but in its own way.

I actually really like the idea and premise behind Shin Godzilla, focusing on the governmental response and the satire behind all that. I just think its presented pretty badly, its way too dry and not engaging enough. From what I heard and just knowing its premise beforehand, I knew it was gonna mostly focus on dialogue and meetings and planning stuff etc etc, but they just didnt try to make it interesting at all, which I feel like is possible.

Maybe Ill have to give it a rewatch and see if I like it more, sometimes thats what it takes for me to like a movie I didnt enjoy the first time around. Especially dialogue heavy ones, like Oppenheimer for a recent example.

Oppenheimer is actually a (very vaguely) similar movie that I think does the heavy focus on board meeting scenes in a much more entertaining way. But I also disliked that movie the first time I saw it, it took me a couple rewatches to get more out of it and really enjoy it like I do now. Hoping its the same for Shin Godzilla.

Man just thinking about it again, Im not looking forward to going through that dry narrative again lol. But Ill give it another shot.

DavidZ2844 posted...

I mean I get that they are different takes, and I did go in expecting that, I just wasnt satisfied with Shin Godzillas execution. I was hoping to still like Shin Godzilla as much as Minus One (quality wise), but in its own way.

I actually really like the idea and premise behind Shin Godzilla, focusing on the governmental response and the satire behind all that. I just think its presented pretty badly, its way too dry and not engaging enough. From what I heard and just knowing its premise beforehand, I knew it was gonna mostly focus on dialogue and meetings and planning stuff etc etc, but they just didnt try to make it interesting at all, which I feel like is possible.

Maybe Ill have to give it a rewatch and see if I like it more, sometimes thats what it takes for me to like a movie I didnt enjoy the first time around. Especially dialogue heavy ones, like Oppenheimer for a recent example.

Oppenheimer is actually a (very vaguely) similar movie that I think does the heavy focus on board meeting scenes in a much more entertaining way. But I also disliked that movie the first time I saw it, it took me a couple rewatches to get more out of it and really enjoy it like I do now. Hoping its the same for Shin Godzilla.

Man just thinking about it again, Im not looking forward to going through that dry narrative again lol. But Ill give it another shot.

I guess I can see that. I kinda loved the absurdity of the constant board meetings, wasting time to move to room after room, arguing about qualifications and promotions, and just completely ignoring the world threatening issue that was destroying everything around them until it was too late. Felt very much a parallel to stuff like climate change and other modern scary issues that dont get taken seriously. It was a little silly and disjointed, but to me that felt like the point.

I like them all. even saw the shin rerelease a couple weeks ago

My personal favorite is 85.

Yazarogi posted...

I like them all. even saw the shin rerelease a couple weeks ago

My personal favorite is 85.

Thats Return of Godzilla, right?

I like elements of it, but it did feel like it dragged a lot to me. Liked Godzillas design and the moments hes crashing through the city, but otherwise was kinda forgettable to me. I should give it a rewatch though.

Bump

I like Shin Godzilla the best.

I hate Minus One because it's right wing propaganda and apparently people outside Japan don't realize that and even if you show them all the evidence from domestic critics to the director literally making other right wing propaganda movies and being friends with a neo-Nazi author they just ignore you. It's a well made movie, but the lack of media literacy makes me hate it more than if it was just well made right-wing propaganda and understood as such.

ssjevot posted...

I hate Minus One because it's right wing propaganda and apparently people outside Japan don't realize that and even if you show them all the evidence from domestic critics to the director literally making other right wing propaganda movies and being friends with a neo-Nazi author they just ignore you. It's a well made movie, but the lack of media literacy makes me hate it more than if it was just well made right-wing propaganda and understood as such

The movie has the point of governments of Japan not caring at all for the lives of its citizens and also criticises WW2 conduct such as forcing its citizens to be kamikaze pilots. That seems like messages the right wing wouldn't want to push.

Not a film but man did I love Singular Point. It's an absolutely amazing Sci-Fi story that I think a lot of people either didn't get or are too hostile about AI to understand.

As for the "media literate" take on Minus One; I assume it's just anger about "Yamato Damashii" which seems very stupid. Sounds like a US Censor banning manga themes in post war Japan.