Godzilla has been the star of countless classic kaiju clashes over his 70-year career, but mixed in with the classics are a handful of movies that can be safely skipped over. Since Godzilla first made landfall in Japan in 1954, he has evolved into one of the most famous movie characters of all time. The greater Godzilla franchise has several important movies that define the character, his enemies, and the important themes that the radioactive monster has played a role in communicating.
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However, there are also several that are of very little importance to Godzilla’s overall legacy. Godzilla’s movie timeline has been reset many times, and as a result, some movies wound up being of little consequence. Others, particularly from Godzilla’s family-friendly Showa Era in the 1960s-1970s, are overly silly and campy, making them difficult to even enjoy at times as Godzilla cuts through extremely weak monsters. As legendary as Godzilla is and as epic as some of his movies are, there are some movies that can simply be skipped by hardcore Godzilla fans and newcomers alike.
Related All 11 Monsters Created By Godzilla
Godzilla has fought countless monsters in his 70 years on the silver screen, some of which he played a direct or indirect role in creating.
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10 All Monsters Attack (1969)
One Of The Most-Maligned Showa Era Movies Takes Place In A Dream
Even Godzilla’s most skippable movies often have at least a few redeeming qualities, but All Monsters Attack is extremely hard to defend, and most hardcore G-fans have designated it as the worst Godzilla movie ever. For starters, the main monster action takes place in the dreams of a little boy who is frequently bullied. As a result, he dreams about Godzilla’s young son Minilla, who is also tormented by a bully, the incredibly forgettable Gabara. The weak story that follows sees Minilla eventually overcome his bully (with Godzilla’s help of course), just as the young boy does in real life.
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All Godzilla Movie Eras – Key Details |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Era |
Timeline |
Number of Movies |
First Movie |
Last Movie |
|
Shōwa |
1954–1975 |
15 |
Godzilla |
Terror of Mechagodzilla |
|
Heisei |
1984–1995 |
7 |
The Return of Godzilla |
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah |
|
Millennium |
1999–2004 |
6 |
Godzilla 2000: Millennium |
Godzilla: Final Wars |
|
Reiwa |
2016-present |
5 |
Shin Godzilla |
Godzilla Minus One |
|
Legendary |
2014-present |
5 |
Godzilla |
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire |
All Monsters Attack was initially pitched, based on its title and promotional materials, as Godzilla and his son taking on a horde of familiar Godzilla enemies and the newcomer Gabara. What audiences got instead was a silly, childish story that featured very little real monster fighting. Perhaps the greatest crime of All Monsters Attacks is its copious amount of reused footage from other Godzilla movies.
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9 Godzilla Vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
A Forgettable Villain Makes For A Forgettable Movie
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5/10 Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla Not RatedSci-FiActionAdventure
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla is a Japanese kaiju film directed by Kensho Yamashita. Released in 1994, the film features Godzilla facing off against a formidable new enemy, SpaceGodzilla, a cosmic monster spawned from Godzilla’s cells. Amidst their titanic clash, the film also follows the efforts of a human team developing a robot counterpart, M.O.G.U.E.R.A., to assist in the battle against the extraterrestrial threat.
Director Kenshô Yamashita , Takao Okawara , Kazuki Ômori Release Date December 10, 1994 Writers Kanji Kashiwa , Hiroshi Kashiwabara , Shinichiro Koboyashi Runtime 106 Minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi
Depending on who you ask, some folks will claim that SpaceGodzilla has one of the coolest monster designs in the Godzilla franchise. Others will decry his design as yet another (somewhat lazy) altered version of Godzilla, which is especially egregious considering that Godzilla just fought his robotic doppelgänger in the previous movie, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II. SpaceGodzilla has a somewhat confusing array of powers, many of which are simply different variations on the energy beams that dominated Heisei Era battles.
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Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
plays as an unnecessary stop on the way to one of Godzilla’s very best movies, the 1995 classic
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
.
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla doesn’t do much to progress the overall Godzilla lore, although it does mark the first appearance of what many consider to be the best Godzilla suit in Toho’s history: the MogeGoji/DesuGoji design. Ultimately, SpaceGodzilla is a forgettable villain with a forgettable backstory and motivation. The movie plays as an unnecessary stop on the way to one of Godzilla’s very best movies, the 1995 classic Godzilla vs. Destoroyah.
8 The Return Of Godzilla (1985)
A Dark Pivot Away From Showa Silliness With Little Heart
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The Return of Godzilla ActionDramaHorror
The Return of Godzilla, released in 1984, marks the resurrection of the iconic kaiju as it threatens Japan. Amid escalating tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union, the Japanese government suppresses news of Godzilla’s return to avert potential nuclear conflict.
Director Koji Hashimoto Release Date December 15, 1984 Writers Fred Dekker , Akira Murao , Hideichi Nagahara , Ryûzô Nakanishi , Shin’ichi Sekizawa , Tomoyuki Tanaka , Hiroyasu Yamaura Runtime 103 minutes Main Genre Action
After 1975’s Terror of Mechagodzilla, Toho took a nine-year break from producing Godzilla movies. When Big G made his triumphant return to the big screen, it was in the aptly-named The Return of Godzilla, which traded in the Showa Era camp for a darker, more brutal version of Godzilla. While the deadly and dangerous version of Godzilla that dominated the early stages of the Heisei Era was a refreshing change of pace, the movie in which he first appeared was not as well-received.
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The Return of Godzilla was marked by inconsistency in special effects, dialogue, and acting, with Godzilla even seeming to change in overall size to suit each moment in the movie. The Americanized version, Godzilla 1985, might be even worse thanks to some of the narrative changes and hastily-inserted Raymond Burr in an effort to evoke the original movie. It’s an extremely poor attempt at recreating what made Godzilla’s original appearance so impactful.
7 Son Of Godzilla (1967)
Godzilla And His Unimpressive Offspring Battle Some Bugs
Godzilla has been given a “son” on multiple occasions throughout his movie history, but the first instance came in 1967’s Son of Godzilla. It featured the debut of Minilla, the smooth-bodied juvenile version of Godzilla himself, although curiously, he was never described as the biological offspring of Godzilla. Theoretically, that would imply the existence of a female Godzilla somewhere, or that Godzilla reproduces asexually, which is simply not a necessary in-universe plot device.
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Godzilla’s adoptive son Minilla made three appearances in Godzilla movies:
- He debuted in Son of Godzilla and battled Kamacuras and Kumonga alongside his father
- He participated in the final battle against King Ghidorah in Destroy All Monsters
- He adventured around Japan with Kento and Samon Taguchi before convincing his father not to attack the Gotengo in Godzilla: Final Wars
No matter his origins, Minilla is a largely unloved minor monster in Godzilla lore, and Son of Godzilla is part of the reason. The silly monster undergoes “Godzilla training” so that he might be able to defend himself, and ultimately he and Godzilla do battle against a Kamacuras (after Godzilla kileld two others) and Kumonga. The action is bad, the Godzilla suit is perhaps the worst in the franchise, and it adds virtually nothing to the overarching Godzilla narrative.
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6 Godzilla (1998)
Tristar’s Interpretation Takes The ‘God’ Out Of ‘Godzilla’
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Godzilla PG-13ActionSci-FiThriller
In the aftermath of nuclear testing, scientist Nick Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick) is enlisted to study the origins of a monstrous creature wreaking havoc in the South Pacific. As the creature rampages through New York, Nick and a team race to stop its offspring from hatching. Amid chaos and betrayal, Nick’s mission becomes personal as he battles the creature to save the city.
Director Roland Emmerich Release Date May 20, 1998 Studio(s) TriStar Pictures , Centropolis Entertainment , Fried Films , Independent Pictures Distributor(s) Sony Pictures Releasing Writers Dean Devlin , Roland Emmerich Cast Matthew Broderick , Jean Reno , Maria Pitillo , Hank Azaria , Kevin Dunn , Michael Lerner , Harry Shearer Runtime 139 Minutes Budget $130-150 Million Main Genre Action Expand
After the Heisei Era, Toho put Godzilla on ice for five years so that Tristar could make its American Godzilla adaptation. Unfortunately, it wound up being a major misfire littered with terrible acting, poorly-received changes to Godzilla’s backstory and characterization, and a silly plot set in a New York City that inexplicably had rain every single minute of the entire movie. Godzilla was explained as an irradiated marine iguana that came to New York to nest, and was killed by regular jet plane rockets to the side.
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In Toho’s 50-year anniversary film
Godzilla: Final Wars
, Godzilla was pitted against many of his past friends and foes, including Tristar’s Godzilla. The monster was named simply ‘Zilla’, and Toho’s Godzilla made comically short work of him as a tongue-in-cheek poke at Tristar.
Putting aside the acting and dialogue, Godzilla might have made for a perfectly acceptable kaiju or monster movie in the same vein as Cloverfield or The Host, but not as a Godzilla movie. It currently carries the lowest Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score of any Godzilla movie with an abysmal 20%. Simply put, the creature at its center had none of the majesty or gravitas that Godzilla had established over 40+ years on the big screen, making this movie completely skippable in the greater Godzilla filmography.
5 Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
The Hastily-Produced Sequel To Godzilla’s First Movie
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9/10 Godzilla Raids Again ApprovedActionSci-Fi
Godzilla Raids Again, the second film in the Godzilla franchise, follows the terrifying clash between Godzilla and a new monstrous adversary, Anguirus. Directed by Motoyoshi Oda, the film delves into the aftermath of the original Godzilla’s assault on Tokyo, highlighting the continued struggle of humanity against these colossal threats. The narrative expands the universe by showcasing the destructive potential of a multi-monster encounter.
Director Motoyoshi Oda , Ishirô Honda Release Date May 21, 1959 Writers Takeo Murata , Shigeaki Hidaka , Shigeru Kayama Runtime 82 minutes Main Genre Action YouTube Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7r5phrQ-Csg Expand
Upon seeing the success of Godzilla, the producers of the original attempted to immediately follow it up with a sequel, and rushed another movie into production. As a result, Ishirō Honda, the director of Godzilla, was unavailable due to a scheduling conflict. The result was a movie that looked…well, like it had been rushed into production. It lacked the drama and terror of the original, and was riddled with inferior effects work. While it did mark the first time Godzilla fought another monster (and introduced fan-favorite monster Anguirus), this movie is a money-grab, not a major addition to Godzilla’s legacy.
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4 King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)
Godzilla Steps Into Another Kaiju’s Role For A Memorable But Unimportant Clash
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King Kong vs. Godzilla ActionAdventureComedy Sci-Fi
King Kong vs. Godzilla is a 1962 Japanese kaiju film directed by Ishirō Honda. It marks the first time iconic monsters King Kong and Godzilla appear together onscreen. In the film, Godzilla emerges from an iceberg and begins rampaging through Japan while King Kong is brought from a remote island, leading to an epic battle between the two titans. The film blends genres of science fiction and action, creating a landmark crossover event in monster cinema.
Director Ishirô Honda , Norman Tokar Release Date August 11, 1962 Studio(s) Toho Co. , Ltd. Distributor(s) Toho Co. , Ltd. , Universal Pictures Writers Willis H. O’Brien , Shinichi Sekizawa Runtime 97 Minutes Franchise(s) Godzilla , King Kong Main Genre Adventure Expand
With the release of Legendary’s acclaimed Godzilla vs. Kong, Toho’s 1962 movie King Kong vs. Godzilla got a fresh set of eyes. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it any more important to Godzilla’s history. Originally envisioned as a King Kong-centric movie in which the giant ape would battle the giant version of Frankenstein’s Monster later seen in Ishirō Honda’s Frankenstein vs. Baragon, producers swapped in Godzilla and rewrote the story. What resulted was a somewhat ridiculous monster showdown that received average reviews despite its record-breaking attendance in Japan.
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The Godzilla suit is actually regarded as one of the best in the Showa, but the Kong suit is an atrocity, which makes the massive ape hard to take seriously. Between the dialogue and silly characters, King Kong vs. Godzilla comes across as more comical than anything else, especially given some of the fight scenes (including Kong’s famous ‘Eat Your Vegetables’ move, depicted above). It’s become somewhat of a cult classic for hardcore Godzilla fans, but ultimately it isn’t among Godzilla’s best adventures.
3 Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep (1966)
A Campy Showa Adventure Of Little Significance
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There isn’t much actually wrong with Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, but there also isn’t anything at all that stands out about it. The island-set clash between Godzilla, Mothra, a one-off monster now affectionately referred to as “Giant Condor”, and a massive lobster has some fun fight scenes and marks a refreshing change of pace from the city-based battles of the previous Showa films. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything that makes this movie a necessary watch, and Ebirah has since been played as a joke, as he was killed by human supersoldiers in Godzilla: Final Wars.
2 Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
A Dull And Familiar First Chapter In A New Era
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Following Tristar’s resounding failure in 1998, Toho restarted the Godzilla franchise with Godzilla 2000: Millennium, which ignored all previous Godzilla movies but the 1954 original. The new Godzilla design was reflective of the advanced tokusatsu effects that were available at the time, as was the design of Godzilla’s enemy, the hulking monstrosity known as Orga. Toho once again tapped into the notion of Godzilla fighting a version of himself, as Orga is technically a mutated version of an attempted Godzilla clone.
The movie isn’t notably “bad” in any major way, it’s simply familiar. There isn’t any new ground broken as far as the overarching narrative, Godzilla’s powers, or the character himself are concerned, and the movie plays as a dull retread of superior Godzilla movies from the past with a fresh coat of paint. Godzilla 2000: Millennium is far from the worst of the modern Godzilla movies, but it’s easy to skip over.
1 Godzilla Vs. Megalon (1973)
The Silliest Representation Of Showa Era Camp
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Some Godzilla fans will undoubtedly disagree with how skippable Godzilla vs. Megalon is largely thanks to its inherent silliness. Fan-favorite character Jet Jaguar makes his only appearance in a Godzilla movie, and he helps Godzilla defeat two of his most uniquely designed foes in Megalon and Gigan. It features Big G at his most anthropomorphic, as he shares a handshake with Jet Jaguar, gives the peace sign, and one of Godzilla’s coolest moves, a gravity-defying, flying drop-kick. It’s the perfect movie to showcase the family-friendly camp of the mid-Showa Era.
While it may be entertaining as a so-bad-it’s-good sort of way, it is far from essential viewing in the greater Godzilla filmography. It looks even worse when you consider that it was immediately followed by Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, which many G-fans regard as the best Showa movie, and a top Godzilla film overall. Godzilla vs. Megalon means absolutely nothing to Godzilla’s legacy, and in some ways betrays the very best parts of the monster’s historical characterization.
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Source: Rotten Tomatoes
Godzilla
The Godzilla franchise, spanning over six decades, follows the adventures of the titular kaiju, a colossal, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. Originating in Japan, Godzilla has evolved from a destructive force of nature to a protector of humanity, battling various other giant monsters, including iconic foes like King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla. The series explores themes of environmental destruction, nuclear anxiety, and human resilience. With numerous films, TV series, and an expanding universe, Godzilla remains a cultural icon, captivating audiences worldwide with its epic battles and compelling narratives.
Created by Tomoyuki Tanaka , Akira Watanabe First Film Godzilla Latest Film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire First Episode Air Date November 17, 2023 Cast Akira Takarada , Momoko Kôchi , Akihiko Hirata , Takashi Shimura , Anna Sawai , Kiersey Clemons , Ren Watabe , Kurt Russell , Wyatt Russell TV Show(s) Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Expand