Favorite to Least Favorite Godzilla Movies
My favorite G-films in order. Subject to slight alterations.
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- DirectorJun FukudaStarsMasaaki DaimonKazuya AoyamaReiko TajimaAn Okinawan prophecy appears to foretell Earth's destruction at the hands of Godzilla, only for the true Godzilla to reveal his doppelganger as a mechanical alien weapon.One of the most fun movies of them all--great special effects and an excellent match-up (Godzilla fighting his cybernetic doppelganger) surrounding a movie with wonderful camp: What makes "Space Titanium" chemically different from "Earth Titanium"? Why do the aliens need an earth scientist to rebuild their robot? Many, I am sure, see the camp in this movie as a bad thing, but I find all of these qualities endearing--and the reveal of Mechagodzilla as the rogue Godzilla in the oil refinery battle with what is Masaru Satoh's greatest musical cue? --That is the coolest scene from the entire series.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsYôsuke NatsukiYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiA detective protects a princess who prophecies Earth's destruction by a powerful alien dragon, which Mothra and her fairies - aided by Godzilla and Rodan - must battle against.One of the few instances where I actually prefer the dub--"Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster" was written as an action-comedy and the english voice-actors really play their parts well. Shining moment is where the twin fairies translate the monster argument: "Oh, Godzilla, what horrible language!"
- DirectorKoji HashimotoR.J. KizerIshirô HondaStarsRaymond BurrKeiju KobayashiKen TanakaThirty years after the original monster's rampage, a new Godzilla emerges and attacks Japan.In every way that the previous two are campy, this movie is somber. Stylistically fantastic with Godzilla dwarfed by the skyscrapers of the Japan of the mid-eighties.
- DirectorJun FukudaYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsHiroshi IshikawaYuriko HishimiMinoru TakashimaAfter a manga artist and his friends uncover a plot by his employers at an amusement park to lure aliens Ghidorah and Gigan to Earth, Godzilla and Anguirus set out to defeat them.I know its a cheaply made stock-footage film (and the right arm on the G suit is obviously sewn back on) but I always have fun watching this one.
- DirectorKazuki ÔmoriKoji HashimotoStarsKôsuke ToyoharaAnna NakagawaMegumi OdakaTime travelers use Godzilla in their scheme to destroy Japan to prevent the country's future economic reign.The idea that Godzilla's birth is inevitable is really interesting to me...and Ghidorah will always be my favorite villain.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsTakashi ShimuraAkihiko HirataAkira TakaradaAfter a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.Why so low on the list? It is just too heavy to watch consistently. An excellent, sobering film, but with less of the ease-of-viewing of the previous 5.
- DirectorMasaaki TezukaKazuki ÔmoriStarsYumiko ShakuShin TakumaKana OnoderaA new Godzilla causes the JSDF to construct a cyborg countermeasure from the original monster's remains. The beast's restless soul is discovered to inhabit the machine as the pilot must learn to find value in her own life.Ugh, I love this film but it is so disappointing watching the actors stumbling over themselves in this. I blame the screenwriters for taking an awesome premise and failing to deliver on what should be a love story between Akane and Kiryu. Could have been so much more...
- DirectorJun FukudaStarsAkira TakaradaKumi MizunoChôtarô TôginFour men searching for one's brother are shipwrecked on Letchi Island, where they encounter Godzilla, a monstrous lobster, and terrorists who have enslaved the natives of Infant Island.There is no reason why this should be so high up on my list but I have to admit that I tend to reach for this movie whenever I want to watch a G film.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsAkira KuboJun TazakiYukiko KobayashiIn 1999, a race of she-aliens, the Kilaaks, brainwash Earth's monsters into attacking major cities, prompting a team of astronauts to stop the invaders while the monsters battle Ghidorah.The duel at the foot of Mt. Fuji is enough rationalization for this one.
- DirectorKazuki ÔmoriKoji HashimotoKenjirô OhmoriStarsKunihiko MitamuraYoshiko TanakaMasanobu TakashimaDesolate by the loss of his daughter, a geneticist creates a monstrous new mutation.Biollante is a wonderfully tragic character.
- DirectorRyûhei KitamuraKoji HashimotoShûsuke KanekoStarsMasahiro MatsuokaRei KikukawaDon FryeGodzilla's fiftieth Anniversary project, in which Godzilla travels around the world to fight his old foes and his allies plus a new, mysterious monster named Monster X.Yes I know it is stylistically apart from the others, but it is such a fan-service film that I tend to overlook this departure. This one is just plain cool.
- DirectorIshirô HondaTom MontgomeryStarsTadao TakashimaKenji SaharaYû FujikiA UN reporter covers the appearance of a prehistoric monster that emerges from hibernation, while a pharmaceutical company seeks publicity with a monster of their own.First G movie I ever watched. Thank you dad.
- DirectorJun FukudaYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsKatsuhiko SasakiHiroyuki KawaseYutaka HayashiMegalon, the monster god of the vengeful underground kingdom of Seatopia, is aided by Gigan in attacking the surface world, until android Jet Jaguar teams up with Godzilla to fight them.Probably going to get a lot of hate for this one but a campy Godzilla is not a bad Godzilla and this is camp at its best. Just from a character perspective, Megalon is a fun analysis--an utter moron who damages himself and his allies from his own attacks more than his foes.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsAkira TakaradaYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiWhen opportunistic tycoons refuse to return Mothra's egg to Infant Island, its people must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help when Godzilla arises near Nagoya.Just going to say it: the Mosugoji suit is easily my favorite.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsKatsuhiko SasakiTomoko AiAkihiko HirataAn Interpol investigation uncovers a shunned biologist and his daughter, who are involved in an alien plot to use Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus to defeat Godzilla and wipe out humanity.I don't like how this movie just seems to end out of nowhere but the tag-team scenes of destruction with both MechaGodzilla and Titanosaurus are some of the coolest in the series.
- DirectorTakao OkawaraKazuki ÔmoriStarsMasahiro TakashimaRyoko SanoMegumi OdakaThe United Nations assembles the ultimate weapon to defeat Godzilla, while scientists discover a fresh pteranodon egg on a remote Japanese island.That Mechagodzilla 2 theme is one of the coolest in the Versus (Heisei) series. Plus my favorite monster makes a comeback after being absent since "Destroy all Monsters" (hint: Rodan)
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsNick AdamsAkira TakaradaJun TazakiAstronauts encounter the Xiliens, who ask Earth to rid their planet of "Monster Zero", but when one astronaut romances a mysterious woman, he uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.I am firmly in the camp that believes Ghidorah won the battle at the end--leaving G and Rodan for dead. That is why Godzilla requires resuscitation (through lightning) in the next film and why Rodan is absent until the far future in "Destroy all Monsters".
- DirectorTakao OkawaraStarsTakehiro MurataHiroshi AbeNaomi NishidaAn independent group of researchers actively track Godzilla as a giant meteor is discovered. The mysterious rock begins to levitate as its true intentions for the world and Godzilla are revealed.Cool suit design, cool new monster--first one I saw in theaters.
- DirectorTakao OkawaraStarsTetsuya BesshoSatomi KobayashiTakehiro MurataJapan is caught in the middle of a three way battle between Godzilla, the divine Mothra, and her dark counterpart Battra.I do like this film but I didn't like how the solution, for the second time in a row, was to drop Godzilla back into the ocean. The shot is nearly identical as well.
- DirectorTakao OkawaraIshirô HondaKoji HashimotoStarsTakurô TatsumiYôko IshinoYasufumi HayashiThe aftermath of the Oxygen Destroyer brings forth Destoroyah, a beast intent on killing Godzilla, who is on the verge of a nuclear meltdown.A great movie and a fitting conclusion but this one fails to get me as excited as the others.
- DirectorKenshô YamashitaTakao OkawaraKazuki ÔmoriStarsJun HashizumeMegumi OdakaZenkichi YoneyamaGodzilla is threatened by two new forces: Mogera - another UN built machine; and Space Godzilla - a beast spawned from Godzilla's particles in space.I am torn on this one--on the one hand I think Space Godzilla is really cool, but this movie has SO many dumb parts that I can't bring myself to put it higher on the list.
- DirectorJun FukudaStarsTadao TakashimaAkira KuboBibari MaedaA reporter stumbles upon weather experiments on a tropical island, discovering giant mantises, a castaway woman, and an infant monster that Godzilla must learn to raise as a son.Nothing about this film is particularly bad, but it is fairly forgettable on most days. I do not hate Babygodzilla, I just think this is a weak movie as a whole.
- DirectorShûsuke KanekoStarsChiharu NiiyamaRyûdô UzakiMasahiro KobayashiA reporter, notorious for working on pseudo-documentaries, must uncover the legend of the three guardian monsters who must rise to defend Japan from the vengeful spirits within Godzilla.An interesting take on the series and one of the scariest suit designs. Poor Baragon makes me sad every single time I watch him die.
- DirectorYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsAkira YamanouchiToshie KimuraHiroyuki KawaseA toxic, ever-evolving alien life-form from the Dark Gaseous Nebula arrives to consume rampant pollution, threatening to destroy all life in its wake unless Godzilla is able to stop it.This movie scared the pants off of me when I was a little kid. I remember waking myself up at 1am to catch it on one of AMC's Godzilla marathons.
- DirectorMotoyoshi OdaIshirô HondaStarsHiroshi KoizumiSetsuko WakayamaMinoru ChiakiScout pilots for a fishing company are startled to discover a second Godzilla, whose battle with rival monster Anguirus threatens to destroy Osaka.From a cultural perspective this movie is very interesting (from "Volcano Monsters" through "Gigantis the Fire Monster"), but as a monster movie I feel that it is less engaging.
- DirectorMasaaki TezukaKoji HashimotoTakao OkawaraStarsNoboru KanekoMiho YoshiokaMickey KogaMothra and her fairies return to Japan to warn mankind that they must return Kiryu to the sea, for the dead must not be disturbed. However Godzilla has survived to menace Japan leaving Kiryu as the nation's only defense.Immediate foul for using the plot shortcuts from GxMG and Mothra vs. G for this one. Too much of this film was recycled for me to put it higher on the list. Forgettable dialogue doesn't help either.
- DirectorMasaaki TezukaIshirô HondaStarsMisato TanakaShôsuke TaniharaMasatô IbuJapan creates an artificial black hole device to trap Godzilla forever, but a test of the device creates new foes for Godzilla, car-sized dragonflies called meganula and their queen, Megaguirus.I would LOVE to put this higher up in the list but the characters aren't very likeable and the special effects are tiring. Too bad too, since Megaguirus is pretty cool.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaKengo FurusawaStarsKenji SaharaMachiko NakaTomonori YazakiA latchkey child living in the industrial city of Kawasaki confronts his loneliness through his escapist dreams of Monster Island and friendship with Minilla.This is a great film for kids but I do not think that it is a very good Godzilla film. The kid is likeable--and how I imagine I acted as a kid (picking up cool looking pieces of machinery, sad that the parents aren't around a lot, making up imaginary adventures). As a character drama it succeeds, but as a giant monster movie I am unimpressed.