He's the biggest and baddest of them all. Godzilla is perhaps the most iconic giant monster of them all (neck-and-neck with King Kong), yet so few people -- even sci-fi fans -- have seen more than one or two Godzilla films, if that! Well, we at The Sci-Fi Block have gone and watched every single Godzilla movie ever made (even the elusive Godzilla vs. Megalon, Godzilla vs. Biollante, and the 1984 Godzilla), so if you're one of the uninitiated, then consider this your crash course in the Godzilla franchise. This is a big franchise (including the American remake, twenty-nine installments!) with a lot of bad entries but a number of good ones, too. So pull up your Netflix queue and add a few of these to the list. And if time is scarce, at least add one of the top four. That's where they get really good.
(Be sure to stick around this month after the countdown. May 2009 is Godzilla month at The Sci-Fi Block. We'll be featuring one new Godzilla review per weekday from end of this countdown until the end of the month.)
This movie is lots of fun. There is just enough mystery in the plot to keep us interested until the monsters arrive (an above-par accomplishment for the Godzilla franchise), and when they do show up they fight for a long time. You gotta love Gigan's torso saw, and it's good to see Godzilla and Anguirus teaming up, too. Too bad most of the fighting takes place in what is essentially an open field.
This is a very cool Godzilla film, featuring the baddest looking incarnation of Godzilla ever, as a red-glowing, walking atomic bomb (in a more literal sense than usual) and a truly demonic antagonist. There is also lots of action and tons of destruction followed up by a slightly epic, if nonsensical, ending. Don't miss this one.
We know, we know. Most people consider this film to be a certified piece of crap, including the Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew, who lambasted it in back in 1991. But in this case, they chose a target that wanted to get shot at. Godzilla vs. Megalon is so simply funny that it's almost impossible, on some level, to truly dislike. Just watch half the moves during virtually any fight scene. And what's up with the way Megalon walks?!?! If you ever get the chance, don't let this film's reputation dissuade you from watching it. Ridiculous, yes, but ridiculous on purpose.
Not really a remake, sort of a direct sequel to the original, and the only Godzilla sequel to feature no monsters other than Godzilla himself, Godzilla (1984) is well worth your while. Filled with red hues and despair, this was the first, and arguably the last, Godzilla film to bring back a serious tone since the very first sequel, Godzilla Raids Again, and it works well. Simply put, this movie made Godzilla terrifying again.
Not to be confused with Ghidorah: The Three-headed Monster, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is a gigantic mish-mash of time travel and giant monsters. The characters go back and forth in time what must be at least three times, and we also get to see Godzilla in dinosaur form (more dinosaur-ish form, that is). There are really, really bad special effects to the point of being enjoyable, too. Ultimately, this is a silly and stupid Godzilla movie, in the way that Godzilla fans love.
This is one of the weirdest Godzilla films but also one of the best. It features Japanese hipsters partying in the face of impending death and every once in a while presents us with random little cartoons! It has a cool monster, an ecological message, some funny music, and a very protracted fight between Godzilla and the title antagonist. Godzilla fights a pollution monster. Need we say more?
How can you not like a movie called Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla? This movie has everything everybody in the world wants in any kind of entertainment ever: a giant monster (Godzilla), a smaller giant monster doing funny moves (Anguirus), a demon-monster with horns (King Caesar), and what is perhaps the coolest monster in the eternal history of all monsters: Mechagodzilla, a giant robot version of Godzilla, with rainbow-laser rays, rocket boosters in his feet, and plenty of other tricks up his sleeve. Nothing could make this film better ... except for the fact that Godzilla and King Caesar team up against Mechagodzilla and there's lots of destruction and buildings and other stuff and -- we have to stop there or we risk exploding your head!
Godzilla Raids Again is the first Godzilla sequel and as such is not nearly as different from the original as the films would quickly become. One of the best things about it is that it captures much of the feel of the first. There is something about it being in black and white that gives it a much more serious feel. It's more like a documentary of monster attacks than a movie about them. Of course, the overall serious tone of the film helps, too (despite a few moments of silliness). Most importantly, this film did the franchise justice -- something that approximately fifty percent of Godzilla films cannot claim. All in all, serious tone + first appearance of another monster (Anguirus) + long monster battle + competent plot = win.
Godzilla: Final Wars is the last (for now) of all Godzilla sequels, and it is the king of all Godzilla sequels. Not only does this one have the longest monster roll call; it also has the most (and some of the best) action out of all Godzilla films, as well as the best production value. Even the non-monster action is pretty good! This film starts strong, then builds to an awesome string of showdowns pitting Godzilla against the best monsters of the franchise (though where's Mechagodzilla?!). It's so full of awesome you won't know what to do with yourself.
There are some really cool Godzilla sequels out there, but none of them come close to the original. Gojira is not only the best Godzilla movie, it is a great movie period, still without a doubt one of the best Japanese science fiction films of all time. Don't let the tone of the sequels fool you. The original Godzilla is a dark, serious, frightening, and nigh perfect catharsis of what was at the time Japan's greatest fear: atomic destruction. If you haven't gotten around to watching this yet or if you've seen only the Americanized version, Godzilla: King of the Monsters!, you are doing yourself a great disservice.
