Top 10 Godzilla Movies

 TOP 10 GODZILLA MOVIES

Since his explosive debut on the big screen in 1954, Godzilla has become not only an icon of Japanese culture but a bonafide cinema superstar. The subject of the longest running franchise in movie history, numerous video games, comics, graphic novels, cartoons, hit songs for likes of Blue Oyster Cult and Eminem and even the recipient of a star on Hollywood's illustrious walk of fame, the undisputed King of the Monsters has certainly left a sizeable footprint in the modern filmgoing psyche. But with nearly 40 feature films under his extraordinarily large belt, the question is to ask, what are the best? In other words, what are the biggest, most precious jewels in the King's mighty crown? Well, having spent the last month or so watching every movie to feature everyone's favourite radioactive reptile, including the dreadful 1998 Roland Emmerich disaster, the tepid Netflix anime trilogy and the Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. duology, I'm ready to answer that question. So without further ado, let's don our uncomfortably heavy dinosaur suits, prepare the unconvincing polystyrene and cardboard city sets and countdown the 10 best Godzilla movies ever made. 

KING KONG VS. GODZILLA (1962) -

While this may not have been the first film in the series to pit Godzilla against another giant creature, the  third entry in the original Showa series is certainly the one to make the monster fight a staple of the kaiju picture. With two of the biggest titans of the silver screen duking it out over the course of an hour and a half, 'King Kong vs. Godzilla' is a terrifically fun movie that doesn't take itself at all seriously in the same way it's two predecessors did at instead fully indulges itself in many entertaining battles between the definitive monster of the West and the definitive monster of the East. 

GODZILLA, MOTHRA AND KING GHIDORAH : GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001) -

Boasting some of the best character designs, creature effects and destruction scenes to be seen in the Millennium series, this 2001 epic is not just a mouthful to say. Sharing the screen with two of his most famous adversaries as well as a couple of other big screen monsters, Godzilla's appearance in this movie is certainly the most threatening seen up to this point and while 'GMK' is still an enjoyably daft creature feature, it is also one of the most violent in the entire series - with many on screen deaths of both kaiju and human seen throughout.

GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE (1989) - 

Certainly one of the more unique entries in the franchise, the second film in the Heisei era is also one of my personal favourites. Pitting Godzilla against a bizarre plant/monster/human hybrid, this enjoyable monster mash features one of the lizard's most interesting and most fearsome enemies to date, the result of a competition held by Toho Studios to create a new creature for Godzilla to fight. A truly underappreciated movie in the series.

SHIN GODZILLA (2016) -

Buoyed by the astonishing success of Gareth Edward and Warner Bros.' 2014 American reboot, Toho decided to re-invent their most famous star for a new generation - and the result was truly spectacular and unforgettable. Not only serving as an unexpected change-up to the traditional kaiju formula but also as a biting satire of Japanese politics, 'Shin Godzilla' was a huge critical success in it's native Japan, deservedly earning numerous accolades including the Best Picture award at the 40th Japan Academy Film Prize ceremony as well as a helping of other prestigious trophies. 

DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968) -

For their ninth movie, Toho pulled out all of the stops to create the biggest monster movie of all time, uniting nearly a dozen of their most famous beasties for the royal rumble to end all royal rumbles. utilising the already well-worn plot of the creatures falling under the control of aliens, 'Destroy All Monsters' is a non-stop series of beat-em-ups and smackdowns with some of the best model work and scenes of carnage seen in the original Showa series.

GODZILLA VS. DESTROYAH (1995) - 

The year 1995 saw a number of sad and tragic deaths in the entertainment world but few received as much press coverage and worldwide mourning as that of Godzilla himself. For their 40th anniversary, Toho announced to a shocked public that the final film in the Heisei series would indeed feature the end of their most iconic character and the climactic 'Godzilla vs. Destoroyah' certainly held up to that dismaying promise. It may have the same kaiju fights, scenes of destruction and intense fight sequences which one would expect from a traditional Japanese monster movie but where the film really succeeds is in it's melancholic atmosphere which it manages to sustain up the final moments of the inevitable death of the King of the Monsters. A surprisingly effective and emotive film which should tug on the heartstrings of any Godzilla fan.

MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA (1964) -

What is a King without a Queen? Having made quite an impression in her debut solo appearance in the aptly named 'Mothra' (1961), the world's most popular giant lepidoptera was paired with the world's popular fire-breathing reptile for this bold, beautiful and hugely enjoyable creature feature. Acting as a sharp satire about the entertainment industry as well as a romping creature feature, 'Mothra Vs. Godzilla' is not only one of the best films in the original series but one of the greatest monster movies ever made. 

GODZILLA : KING OF THE MONSTERS (2019) -

Despite it's resoundingly negative reviews, Mike Dougherty's triumphant sequel is one of my absolute favourite blockbusters of recent years. Bringing together Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan and King Ghidorah for the first time in many decades to spectacular effect, 'Godzilla : King Of The Monsters' is a nostalgically-rich, adrenaline-fuelled love letter to the many millions of fans who have continued to make this austere series one of the most popular in movie history - an aspect which was most definitely overlooked by the many stiff-upper-lipped critics of the world. 

GOJIRA (1954) - 

Coming in at a very close second is the film that started it all - Ishiro Honda's 1954 monochrome classic which singlehandedly jumpstarted the entire monster movie craze. Unlike later sequels which would revel in fun and chaos, 'Gojira' is a very serious film, acting as a stark metaphor for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings which had devastated Japan just a decade prior. Compared to the pictures that followed in it's wake, the movie doesn't boast particularly great special effects but what it lacks in awe and destruction it succeeds in creating a very thoughtful, meditative and often moving experience which stands out as a definitive movie in the science fiction genre as well as a pivotal benchmark in Japanese cinema.

GODZILLA (2014) - 

'Gojira' may have forged the King's mighty crown but it's brightest gem, in my opinion, is the first entry in Legendary Picture's terrific Monsterverse franchise which effortlessly combined all of the elements I love about Godzilla movies to create the perfect monster flick. Bringing together an A-star cast, gorgeous cinematography and the most dazzling of modern special effects, director Gareth Edwards' 2014 opus brings Godzilla roaring into the 21st century while still carefully maintaining the anti-nuclear themes and larger than life ideas prevalent in the very best films in the series. Thrilling, exciting, evocative and downright beautiful to watch, 'Godzilla' is the ultimate culmination of 60 years of cinema history - rounded off with the best, most invigorating final act in modern blockbuster history. 

While it's easy to dismiss these movies simply as dumb creature features, it is impossible to deny the impact that these and the many other films in this most long-lasting of franchises have had on the world of the motion picture. They have inspired numerous generations of directors, writers and producers and have continued to provide billions of people such as myself with hours upon hours of unadulterated entertainment. I eagerly await the release of Adam Wingard's highly anticipated series finale 'Godzilla Vs. Kong' and the many other monstrous treats Toho and Legendary have for us in the years and decades to come. Long live the King!

With many thanks to Jordan King whose kindness and generosity provided the inspiration for this post.