Summary
- Godzilla has been portrayed as both evil and a hero, with some of the best moments in the franchise stemming from its pure evil nature.
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Shin Godzilla
presented a unique take on the creature, showing its evolution and chaotic force, symbolizing nuclear warfare through its atomic breath. - Various Godzilla movies have showcased the monster’s evil acts, from mindless destruction to targeted attacks on civilians, highlighting humanity’s worst impulses.
There have been some movie moments where Godzilla has appeared seriously evil. Throughout 33 Japanese Godzilla movies and five American ones, plus numerous TV shows, comics, novels, and video games, Godzilla has played many roles. For the most part, the creature is a rampaging wild animal, causing mindless destruction. However, the movie monster has also been cast as the protagonist, and more complexly, some kind of anti-hero thrust onto the side of humanity by an even bigger monster. Godzilla was occasionally pure evil, leading to some of the best moments in the franchise.
Originating in the classic 1954 Japanese Godzilla movie, the giant beast is affectionately known as a kaiju – a giant monster. Sparking an entire kaiju genre, Godzilla has fought just as many giant monsters as it has teamed up with. The kaiju genre of Japan has turned out some of Godzilla’s most evil moments, normally resulting in the gratuitous destruction of human lives and cities. The gigantic reptilian creature, throughout its assortment of origin stories, brooks little rivalry as one of the most lethal creatures in fiction.
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10 Shin Godzilla’s First Atomic Breath Scene
Shin Godzilla (2018)
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The 2016 Shin Godzilla movie provided a unique take on Godzilla, whereby the creature evolved over many different forms, causing horrifying destruction. In an earlier form, the beast was leaking its own blood and flopping about helplessly, causing ample collateral damage, but seeming strangely sympathetic. This Godzilla was normally a chaotic force, rather than intent on humankind’s obliteration, but its atomic breath was unnecessarily lethal.
Godzilla’s atomic breath was always meant to symbolize nuclear warfare. From the get-go, Godzilla has been a powerful symbol of humanity’s worst impulses, rather than a cruel monster with deeply realized goals. This held true in Shin Godzilla, but Godzilla’s first atomic breath scene deserves a mention for the horrifying way its jaw detached to unleash disproportionately catastrophic ruin on Tokyo.
Shin Godzilla rHorror Sci-Fi Where to Watch
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The 2016 kaiju action movie Shin Godzilla reboots the franchise with the titular monster rampaging through Tokyo. Produced by Toho, the film was a box office success in Japan and preceded the reboots Shin Ultraman and Shin Kamen Rider.
Director Shinji Higuchi Release Date July 19, 2016 Writers Hideaki Anno Cast Hiroki Hasegawa Runtime 120minutes
9 Godzilla Incinerated Baragon
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
Godzilla fought triceratops-looking kaiju Baragon in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack in a ferocious bout of super-strength. Audiences were probably rooting for the kaiju Baragon, who was a Guardian Monster in the movie. Ghidorah and Mothra’s part in the Godzilla franchise was often to fight against Godzilla, and in this instance, Godzilla was causing worse problems for humanity than the other kaiju.
Toho, the production company behind all 33 Japanese Godzilla movies, released a movie in 1965 that debuted Baragon. Ishirō Honda’s 1965 movie Frankenstein vs. Baragon unveiled the beast that was to later get totally destroyed by Godzilla in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. After a long fight, Baragon went down in flames, suffering a painful death after Godzilla set it alight, winning their fight and sealing its fate.
8 TriStar Godzilla Avenging Its Young
Godzilla (1998)
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The very first American Godzilla, 1998’s poorly-received Godzilla movie, showed a radically different Godzilla to anything that had come before, but this monster unleashing terror in the movie’s climax was a fantastically evil moment. It must be said that this Godzilla was more of a giant evolved iguana than a serious representation of the Godzilla concept. It’s also important to note that this monster was normally retaliating to humanity’s attacks, rather than attacking for the sake of it.
Godzilla’s young were threatened in the later part of this movie, causing it to go crazy. Godzilla started rampaging with more rage than previously, understandably. This resulted in scenes of it running through New York City, targeting humanity more aggressively than ever before, creating a scary and memorable car chase for the protagonists.
Godzilla (1998) PG-13ActionSci-FiThriller Where to Watch
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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 Main Genre Action Expand
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7 The Hospital Scene In Godzilla 1954
Godzilla (1954)
The Godzilla of 1954 was probably the second most evil Godzilla overall, and one scene in particular of a little girl losing her mother drove this home. The very first Godzilla was a symbol of atomic warfare, and the needless misery it caused was equivalent to a resonant anti-war statement. Godzilla was portrayed as a direct result of humanity’s mistakes in this movie, but its relentless attack was one of the most effective in the franchise, to this day.
The movie showed the aftermath of Godzilla’s nuclear attack on Tokyo, which was one of the movie’s most successful demonstrations of Godzilla’s evil. The monster’s capacity to cause human pain was shown in small details, like a family crowding around a dead body. This person was revealed as a little girl’s mother, who was heartbreakingly taken away on a stretcher.
Godzilla Not RatedSci-FiHorror
A massive, ancient sea monster named Godzilla emerges from the ocean depths, awakened by nuclear testing. As Godzilla wreaks havoc on Tokyo, scientists and the military struggle to find a way to stop the creature’s destructive rampage. Dr. Serizawa devises a powerful weapon, the Oxygen Destroyer, which becomes humanity’s last hope.
Director Ishirô Honda Release Date November 3, 1954 Writers Takeo Murata , Ishirô Honda , Shigeru Kayama Cast Akihiko Hirata , Akira Takarada , Momoko Kôchi , Takashi Shimura Runtime 96 Minutes Main Genre Horror Expand
6 Nuclear Destruction In Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
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The excellent Godzilla Minus One movie showed one of the most devastating atomic breath scenes in the franchise. One of the more recent Toho movies, this 2023 picture offered a period drama and WWII story, focusing on human drama. A character-driven approach made Godzilla’s annihilation of human lives, buildings, and infrastructure more poignant than it had been in a long time in the franchise.
Godzilla’s atomic power carried a blue light in Godzilla Minus One, unlike the pink gleam of Shin Godzilla’s atomic breath. In one of the most memorable scenes in the movie, Godzilla’s fins started lighting up blue in a move alerting audiences to the laser beam that would ensue. But the way Godzilla shot its attack out of its mouth resulted in an explosion that felt more like the real-life bombs it was symbolizing than most other Godzilla assaults in the franchise, and the evil of everything the monster stood for hit home.
Godzilla Minus One PG-13ActionAdventureHorror Sci-Fi Where to Watch
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Godzilla Minus One is the first Godzilla film released by Toho since 2016’s Shin Godzilla. Minus One is a reimagining of the original 1954 Godzilla and takes the franchise back to its roots by exploring the harsh life of post-war Japan. The story follows Koichi Shikishima, a failed kamikaze pilot, who struggles with survivor guilt as a giant monster attacks the city.
Director Takashi Yamazaki Release Date December 1, 2023 Studio(s) Toho Studios , Robot Distributor(s) Toho Studios Writers Takashi Yamazaki Cast Ryûnosuke Kamiki , Minami Hamabe , Yûki Yamada , Munetaka Aoki , Hidetaka Yoshioka , Sakura Andō , Kuranosuke Sasaki Runtime 125 Minutes Expand
5 Xiliens Sent Godzilla Rampaging
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
The Xiliens, an alien race from Planet X, controlled Godzilla to catastrophic effect in Invasion of Astro–Monster. This campy Godzilla movie from 1965 gave audiences a memorable Godzilla dance, as well as evil moments. Ishirō Honda directed this flick, as well as the 1954 original and 1960’s Mothra.
Ishirō Honda directed eight
Godzilla
movies over his career.
Honda’s contribution to Godzilla was probably the most significant out of any director’s, and the varied tone of his movies proves that. Godzilla’s evil in Invasion of Astro–Monster was down to the Xiliens using mind control on Godzilla and making it attack planet Earth. This tyrannical act was an attempt to take over Earth and colonize it, making Godzilla’s attacks one of the most dangerous and consequential in the franchise.
4 Civilians Couldn’t Run Fast Enough In All-Out Attack
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
Godzilla was by far the most evil out of any movie in the franchise in Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, including pursuing individual civilians. Normally, Godzilla’s assault on cities doesn’t appear to target anyone in particular, simply annihilating huge chunks of civilization indiscriminately. However, the Godzilla of this movie appeared to have malicious intent.
Many kaiju, including Mothra and King Ghidorah, fought against Godzilla in an attempt to subdue it in this interesting addition to the kaiju genre. Godzilla’s true evil in this movie was poetic – the souls of those who had died in the Pacific War had become embedded in the monster. Functioning as a kaiju ghost story, these souls were enacting their revenge on Japan for denying its crimes.
3 Godzilla Under Kilaaks’ Mind Control
Destroy All Monsters! (1968)
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The 1965 movie Destroy All Monsters! constituted one of the best Godzilla movies, and its Godzilla targeted humans with direct malice and intent. Despite aging significantly, the special effects in this movie still communicated Godzilla’s power to ruin lives. Along with other kaji in the movie, Godzilla was under the control of an unscrupulous alien race called the Kilaaks.
Despite living on its own island, Monsterland, and existing without much issue under human supervision, Godzilla’s calm was not to last. Godzilla soon returned to the destructive giant reptile known and loved by audiences when the Kilaaks invaded and forced Godzilla, along with other kaiju, to attack Tokyo. This evil Godzilla caused extensive damage before humans managed to break the Kilaaks’ mind control.
2 Godzilla Tried To Kill Tachibana
The Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
The Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack movie showed Godzilla at its most evil, and perhaps this culminated near the movie’s climax as it assaulted the movie’s heroes. Admiral Taizo Tachibana led a team against Godzilla in this movie. Tachibana’s daughter, Yuri, was filming a docudrama throughout, creating pathos for the family at the heart of the movie.
Filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and Tim Burton all cited
Godzilla
as an influence.
This pathos was employed to moving effect as Godzilla attacked Yuri and her colleague, Takeda. But maybe the most scary was Godzilla’s atomic breath attack on Tachibana near the end of the movie, showing Godzilla’s propensity for ignoble destruction. Godzilla’s atomic breath was the source of many of its most evil moments, the trick up Godzilla’s sleeve even when it seemed defeated.
1 Civilians Protecting Children From Godzilla
Godzilla (1954)
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The Godzilla of the original movie set the scene for all the subsequent evil Godzilla moments to come, premiering a monster with perhaps more ability to obliterate humanity than any other foe or fantasy creature in cinema at the time. This Godzilla burnt huge areas of Tokyo completely, leaving behind a broken city. Ishirō Honda created a successful metaphor for society’s capacity to destroy itself.
Godzilla’s evil in this movie was best shown in moments of human drama. For instance, a mother was shown encircling her children in her arms, trying to protect them from the effects of Godzilla’s powers. Parents defended children amid the fire and collapsing buildings around them, which was all too real a depiction of the effects of war.
Godzilla
Movie(s) Godzilla , Godzilla 2 , Godzilla 3 , Shin Godzilla , Godzilla (2014) , Godzilla (1998) , Godzilla Vs Kong , Godzilla Minus One , Mothra vs. Godzilla , Godzilla Vs King Kong , Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. , godzilla: monster planet , Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) , Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla , Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) , King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) , Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II , Godzilla: The Showa Era Films , Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) Created by Tomoyuki Tanaka , Akira Watanabe First Film Godzilla Latest Film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire First Episode Air Date November 17, 2023 TV Show(s) Monarch: Legacy of Monsters Expand