Summary
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Godzilla Minus One
earned the franchise its first Oscar for special effects, setting the stage for a loyal following. - Godzilla’s attacks span the globe, focusing on iconic cities like Tokyo and New York, with devastating results.
- Godzilla’s power as a metaphor for nuclear weapons shines through, creating a chilling commentary on society.
Godzilla has been through multiple iterations since its 1954 debut, but the monster’s attacks on humanity have been wildly varied, with some far worse than others. The Japanese production Godzilla Minus One became the first movie in the franchise to obtain a well-deserved Oscar for Best Special Effects, although the entire franchise has developed a following over the years, with good reason. Godzilla’s abilities and strengths have been compared to nuclear power over the years, creating a metaphor for atomic weapons and their threat to society.
Some of Godzilla’s strongest attacks were in Tokyo, of course, with the whole story originating in Japan. The 1954 original Godzilla movie, Godzilla, launched a set of movies that would have its titular monster rampaging all around the world. The Godzilla of both Japanese and American films has terrorized Japan, the States, Australia, and more unfortunate denizens of the world. With some of Godzilla’s most fearsome assaults coming from its atomic blast, no country was safe in the world of Godzilla.
Related The 10 Saddest Deaths In Godzilla’s Movies, Ranked
Godzilla’s movies have featured some surprisingly poignant deaths, from human characters to giant monsters meeting their demise in single combat.
10 The Sydney Opera House Went Down
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
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Although far from the best Godzilla movie, the Toho Pictures movie Godzilla: Final Wars was co-produced with Australian, American, and Chinese teams, and had an excellent scene of Australian misfortune. This rather ridiculous entry to the Godzilla universe had aliens setting various giant monsters – affectionately known as kaiju in Japan – on unsuspecting parts of the world. The Godzilla of the 1998 movie featured in this story, known as “Zilla,” only to be confronted with “the real Godzilla.” Zilla’s reign of terror ended in an entertaining destruction of the Sydney Opera House.
In Godzilla: Final Wars, Godzilla launched its relentless attack on humanity via some fun, action-packed battle scenes with other monsters – the collateral damage was where the real problem lay here. The movie’s plot became quite contrived and overwhelming, although it was notable for its crossover featuring multiple iconic kaiju versus Godzilla. This made for a unique cinematic experience, despite lackluster special effects. The movie’s fight choreography and high-energy sequences made this one attack on humanity hard to forget.
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) ActionAdventureSci-Fi Director Ryuhei Kitamura Release Date December 4, 2004 Studio(s) Toho Distributor(s) Toho Writers Wataru Mimura , Isao Kiriyama Cast Masahiro Matsuoka , Rei Kikukawa , Don Frye , Maki Mizuno , Kazuki Kitamura , Kane Kosugi , Kumi Mizuno , Kenji Sahara Runtime 125 minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi Expand
9 Godzilla Brought Nuclear Destruction On Tokyo
Godzilla 1985 (1985)
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This 1985 movie is far from the best of the bunch, but it did display an awful attack on humanity on Godzilla’s part. Godzilla returned to its role as antagonist after becoming a hero in previous movies, making this attack on humanity more surprising and impactful. While the movie did display Godzilla’s power to destroy humanity, it left out the political overtones that made previous movies so important. This Americanized version of events lacked the allegorical significance of the original movie.
Godzilla’s tirade in this movie focused on Tokyo, as it caused ample physical destruction of its buildings and citizens. The plot of this movie lacked some coherence in the movie’s overall narrative, but the dark tone lent the attack some thrills. Visual execution was somewhat lacking in this ’80s flick, but it was a good reminder of Godzilla’s original purpose as a character – to strike fear into the heart of humanity.
Related Godzilla: All 13 Monster Allies (& Which Movies They Appeared In)
Godzilla has several monster allies who help him in battle against various threats. Here’s who they all are, and which movies they appeared in.
8 San Francisco Was The Subject Of Godzilla’s Anger
Godzilla (2014)
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2014’s Godzilla movie emerged to a mixed reception, but one highlight was Godzilla’s attack on San Francisco, providing an almost hilarious set piece of cinematic carnage. The Golden Gate Bridge got some merit-worthy attention in this movie, with Godzilla and the army both subjecting American citizens to an unfortunate tirade of violence. As one of the more contemporary additions to the Godzilla franchise, the Gareth Edwards movie provided some updated scares on the part of the titanic monster.
The monster of 2014’s Godzilla didn’t appear to provide that much of a comment on society, like the better versions of it did, but this attack was convincing cinematically. There was something satisfying about seeing a recognizable San Francisco get brutalized by the classic kaiju, although there weren’t too many fully fleshed-out human characters to give this real emotional impact. The humans in the movie felt like afterthoughts compared to the build-up of Godzilla as a dangerous force, but this still ranks as one of Godzilla’s more destructive conflicts with humanity.
Godzilla (2014) PG-13 Where to Watch
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Godzilla is a 2014 American reboot of the popular kaiju property and the first film in Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise. The film centers around Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) who travels to Japan after his father Joe (Bryan Cranston) is detained for trying to uncover the truth about his wife’s death 15 years prior. Together they fight to survive as Joe’s conspiracy theory becomes true and giant monsters begin attacking the world.
Director Gareth Edwards Release Date May 16, 2014 Studio(s) Legendary Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures , Toho Writers Max Borenstein , David Callaham Cast Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Bryan Cranston , Elizabeth Olsen , Ken Watanabe , Sally Hawkins , Vera Farmiga , David Strathairn Runtime 123 Minutes Expand
7 Multiple Kaiju Destroyed Boston
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
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This 2019 movie placed Godzilla in the USA, causing significant collateral damage to Boston in its clash with other titans. This is an example of Godzilla playing a protagonist’s role, fighting against other worse creatures, but the damage done by the clash in this movie was impressive. Multiple kaiju took over this monster movie, with Mothra, Rodan, and King Gidorah all going head-to-head with Godzilla. The unfortunate effect this had on Boston was extensive damage to its buildings and infrastructure, with all the unfortunately expected loss of human life to go with it.
Godzilla’s power level was at a high in this movie, with its glowing, nuclear fins providing the colorful sign of the atomic misery about to befall its foes. This American monster movie, written and co-directed by Michael Dougherty, had Godzilla’s radiation levels risking a thermonuclear explosion. It was good to see the innate ability of Godzilla kept going behind this reinvention of the Godzilla myth, but the monster’s worst impacts on humanity were the intentional attacks.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters PG-13ThrillerActionHorrorSci-Fi Where to Watch
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In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters known as the Titians. Among these creatures is the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.
Director Michael Dougherty Release Date May 29, 2019 Studio(s) Legendary Pictures , Toho Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers Michael Dougherty , Zach Shields , Max Borenstein Cast Millie Bobby Brown , Vera Farmiga , Kyle Chandler , O’Shea Jackson Jr. , Bradley Whitford , Randy Havens , Charles Dance , Aisha Hinds , Sally Hawkins , Ken Watanabe , Thomas MIddleditch Runtime 132 Minutes Expand
6 Godzilla Returned To His Old Stomping Ground & Took No Pity On Tokyo
The Return Of Godzilla (1984)
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1984’s The Return of Godzilla made a permanent mark on the Godzilla name when Godzilla rampaged in Tokyo yet again, after the previous movies had really begun to carve out their niche. Reasonably early on in the Godzilla movies’ timeline, this attack on humanity was set in the original and classic environment of Japan, taking the franchise back to its roots. The antagonistic Godzilla of this movie left no room for doubt that its assault on people and their homes would have huge consequences.
The resonance of Japan’s Cold War associations were not lost in the movie’s symbolism.
Despite providing an early attempt at the kind of action and horror that is now cutting-edge in the Godzilla franchise, this movie’s heartfelt human drama made Godzilla’s attack on humanity both sad and scary. The resonance of Japan’s Cold War associations was not lost in the movie’s symbolism, which placed layers of meaning over the kaiju’s place in the world.
The Return of Godzilla (1984) ActionDramaHorror Director Koji Hashimoto Release Date December 15, 1984 Writers Fred Dekker , Akira Murao , Hideichi Nagahara , Ryûzô Nakanishi , Shin’ichi Sekizawa , Tomoyuki Tanaka , Hiroyasu Yamaura Cast Keiju Kobayashi , Ken Tanaka , Yasuko Sawaguchi , Shin Takuma , Yôsuke Natsuki , Taketoshi Naitô , Eitaro Ozawa , Nobuo Kaneko Main Genre Action
5 New York City Took A Beating
Destroy All Monsters (1968)
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This 1968 movie saw Godzilla attack New York City in one of Godzilla’s affronts on the USA. This was probably the better Godzilla attack on New York presented on screen, when compared with the Americanized 1998 redo. The original Japanese movie is a staple of Godzilla cinema, and it’s worth enduring the dated special effects for a narrative that is just as gripping as anything made more recently.
This movie provided a good run-through of some of the strongest monsters in the Godzilla world, setting the scene for many more movies to come. Godzilla’s atomic breath hit New York in this movie with devastating effect, while other kaiju attacked throughout the world. Mothra wreaked havoc on China and Gorosaurus created mayhem in France, making this a strong choice of movie for anyone looking to witness the power of kaiju attacking humanity.
Related 10 Best Fights Between Godzilla’s Allies & Villains, Ranked
The heroes and villains in Godzilla’s universe have engaged in several intense battles, many of which are fights that didn’t include Godzilla himself.
4 Godzilla Hit Hong Kong Hard
Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah (1995)
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The glowing Godzilla of Godzilla vs. Destoroyah took a notable turn towards Hong Kong in this interesting addition to the franchise. This ’90s movie directed by Takao Okawara is one of Godzilla’s best outings, with a surprisingly profound take on the death of the famous monster. Famous for featuring the death of Godzilla, this may be one of the best movies of the franchise, although Godzilla and Destroyah’s clash caused extensive damage to Tokyo, while Hong Kong received a healthy dose of Godzilla’s atomic breath.
This movie managed to create sympathy for Godzilla despite its capacity for the ruination of mankind, which was an achievement in and of itself. Despite the kaiju incinerating vast swathes of Hong Kong with its notorious power, the movie realistically portrayed the creature’s struggle, showing a side of Godzilla not often examined. Although many movies tried to show Godzilla as a protagonist, this movie succeeded in ways that many of them didn’t, focusing on Godzilla’s meltdown and ultimate demise.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah UnratedActionHorrorSci-FiDrama
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is a 1995 kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara. The movie features Godzilla facing a new adversary, Destoroyah, a fearsome creature born from the Oxygen Destroyer that was used to defeat the original Godzilla in 1954. As Tokyo faces catastrophic threats, the battle between Godzilla and Destoroyah poses dire consequences for the world. The film is a notable entry in the Heisei series of Godzilla films.
Director Takao Okawara , Ishirô Honda Release Date December 9, 1995 Writers Kaoru Kamigiku , Kôichi Kawakita , Yosuke Nakano , Shinji Nishikawa , Hideki Oka Cast Takurô Tatsumi , Yôko Ishino , Yasufumi Hayashi , Megumi Odaka Runtime 103 Minutes Main Genre Sci-Fi Expand
3 Godzilla’s Fourth Form Horrifically Attacked Tokyo
Shin Godzilla’s (2018)
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Toho Pictures’ excellent Shin Godzilla portrayed a beast with five forms, and Godzilla’s fourth form was the one to destroy Tokyo in this gripping kaiju movie. The Godzilla of Shin Godzilla took no prisoners, ruining boats, bridges, buildings, and streets and causing countless deaths and casualties. Perhaps one of the franchise’s most terrifying versions of Godzilla, this titan leaned into the horror genre to create a truly original kaiju story.
This movie felt like a companion to 1954’s original Gojira, evoking similar emotions towards the impact that Godzilla could have on humanity, and ultimately, the impact that humans have on each other. Spanning multiple grotesque evolutions, the kaiju of Shin Godzilla launched an attack on Tokyo that was nothing short of apocalyptic. The idea of human waste and thoughtlessness echoed throughout this thoughtful movie, making Godzilla’s power seem all too relevant.
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
2 Godzilla Attacked Ginza In A Franchise Standout
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
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Godzilla’s attack on Ginza in Godzilla Minus One must be one of the better-looking rampages in terms of quality and CGI, but more to the point, this movie is one of the best Godzilla movies out there, if not one of the best kaiju movies. Standing up against the movie that started it all, Godzilla, this picture’s monster attacked humanity in a scintillating show of power. The movie’s access to modern-day special effects and fight choreography elevated its themes and narrative to a disturbing display of monster potential.
Set in postwar Japan, Godzilla Minus One’s version of Godzilla was one of the most impressive seen on screen. Produced by Toho Studios and the 37th movie in the Godzilla franchise, this is Japan’s most successful Godzilla movie to date. The movie’s success is deserved, with Godzilla’s attack on Tokyo reaching epic proportions, using its heat ray to cause boundless annihilation.
Godzilla: Minus One PG-13ActionAdventureHorror Sci-Fi
Godzilla: Minus One is the first Godzilla film since the release of Shin Godzilla in 2016 in the U.S. domestic market. The film brings things back to the start as the King of Monsters returns in destructive fashion.
Director Takashi Yamazaki Release Date December 1, 2023 Studio(s) Toho Studios , Robot Distributor(s) Toho Writers Takashi Yamazaki Cast Ryûnosuke Kamiki , Minami Hamabe , Yûki Yamada , Munetaka Aoki , Hidetaka Yoshioka , Sakura Andō , Kuranosuke Sasaki Runtime 125 Minutes Expand
Related How Godzilla Minus One Made Godzilla Both Stronger & Weaker Than Ever
On one hand, the version of the kaiju seen in Godzilla Minus One is weaker than ever. But in one regard, he’s at the height of his capabilities.
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1 Tokyo Fell In 1954
Gojira (1954)
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Tokyo stood no chance against the world’s original Godzilla in Godzilla, one of Japan’s best contributions to horror, fantasy, and action in cinema. The original Godzilla blended what was, at the time, avant-garde special effects with serious storytelling to create the genesis of a new era in cinema. This release spawned the longest-running movie franchise in history, marrying an important message with huge entertainment value.
The pop culture icon explored the impact of the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, offering a compelling metaphor for the risk of war.
Tokyo was left reeling after Godzilla’s attack in this 1954 movie, especially when considering the effect of the tanks and fighter jets that were used to combat the monster. The pop culture icon explored the impact of the bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, offering a compelling metaphor for the risk of war, aggression, and weapons of mass destruction. The underlying political story also hinted at the danger presented by the USA and its colonial advance.
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.
Cast Akihiko Hirata , Akira Takarada , Momoko Kôchi , Takashi Shimura Director Ishirô Honda Release Date November 3, 1954 Writers Takeo Murata , Ishirô Honda , Shigeru Kayama Runtime 96 Minutes Main Genre Horror Expand
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.
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 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 Video Game(s) Godzilla , Super Godzilla , Godzilla (1990) , Godzilla: Unleashed , Godzilla: Monster War , Godzilla: Battle Legends , Godzilla: Save The Earth , Godzilla: Monster of Monsters! , Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Expand