The wait is nearly
over! It’s been sixty years since Godzilla first took a giant step out of the
ocean depths and squashed Tokyo. Now, the king of the monsters returns to
theaters in the American reboot coming out May 16th. Before
Hollywood showcased the beasts’ brutality, Toho, the company behind the
original Godzilla and all subsequent Japanese films that followed, brought the
character back time and time again—it seems people can’t get enough of the
scaly giant monster destroying buildings and fighting other radioactive rivals. Having
been parodied endlessly and featured in cameos for decades, Godzilla is one of
the most well known movie monsters ever. With such a long list of feature films, it’s quite a feat to watch all of them. If you wanted to know more about the history of Godzilla movies, but don’t have time to watch them all before the new one comes out, I’ve compiled a brief look at every movie, and my own thoughts on them. Here is over 43 hours of city stomping action condensed into a mere 8000 word summary. Get the Geiger counter and radiation suit, as we explore the history of the kaiju king....Godzilla!
There are twenty
eight Japanese films, divided into three eras. The names of the first two,
Showa and Heisei, were based on the current Japanese emperors of the time, and the
third, Millennium, simply because the style and story lines differed greatly from the
previous era, and it began at the turn of the millennium.
Note: you may notice
I went into more detail on some of the movies, and less in depth on others. The
ones I note as being good but don’t say a lot about are explored more fully in
my Top Ten Best Godzilla Movies list, and the worst ones I also extrapolated on
for my Top Five Worst Godzilla Movies list. Check those two lists out for more
reading on those movies.
Era 1: Showa
Godzilla (A.K.A. Gojira), 1954
Gojira is the one
that started it all. What begins as a local legend becomes a real life
nightmare, when a giant monster attacks a fishing vessel and island village,
before taking on Japan. A prehistoric dinosaur mutated by radiation from
nuclear testing, Godzilla lays waste to Tokyo before being killed by a special
weapon called The Oxygen Destroyer. This first film is definitely the most
serious, but that doesn’t diminish the entertainment value. It works as a giant
monster destruction flick, delivering action and horror, and is an allegory for
nuclear weapons. The
American version was re-edited and titled Godzilla,
King of the Monsters! An apt title indeed. Additional scenes with Hollywood
actor Raymond Burr were inserted into the film, and surprisingly enough, they
don’t degrade the quality of the film or the bleakness that much. Although most times his
character simply states what is happening, it’s not a bad American
reinterpretation of the Japanese original, with the majority of the scenes featuring
Godzilla left intact and the plot not as radically altered as you might expect.
Though I prefer the original Japanese version, both are worth watching. The American version perhaps works as a better introduction to the series for non-fans, rather than
the original with the subtitles and exclusively Japanese cast,
but the Japanese version is the true classic.
Godzilla Raids Again,
1955
The first of many sequels and the last to be shot in black and white, Godzilla
Raids Again was released in North America as Gigantis the Fire Monster, for some reason. His name isn’t
Gigantis, it’s Godzilla goddamnit! Why take Godzilla out of the title entirely?
Maybe because this is technically a new Godzilla monster, since the original
was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer in the first film. Anyway, Godzilla returns to attack Japan, but this time he’s not alone. He encounters
another radiated dino called Anguirus, and they instinctively battle. This
sequel tries to maintain the darker tone of the first film, but even here, as
early as this second entry, the focus shifts more
toward the monsters and action than the atmospheric horror. Unfortunately,
this is a sub-par follow-up to the original. Some of the fight scenes between
Godzilla and Anguirus are done with puppets, which look hilarious. There’s an adequate
amount of city destruction, but not much quality monster battling. Luckily,
there would be a lot more of that in store in future sequels. Godzilla gets
trapped under ice at the end, and there he would remain for a few years before
returning to fight one of the most famous giant movie monsters (aside from Big
G himself, of course).
King Kong vs. Godzilla,
1962
One of the best of the Showa era, King Kong vs. Godzilla is a riot from start to finish, with some of
the best monster fight scenes of the entire series. Godzilla emerges from an
ice berg and attacks Japan—apparently drawn there by instinct, since it was his
home back in the Jurassic period. King Kong, who is an island God from Faro
Island, is brought back to civilization, where he takes on the rival lizard.
Unlike the original great ape, this Kong is of equal size to the
massive Godzilla—though looks more like a fat Sasquatch than a gorilla. He proves to be a formidable foe, though, and
gives Godzilla a run for his money. There are numerous memorable moments, from
Kong fighting off a giant octopus on Faro Island, to Godzilla blasting Kong in
the chest with his atomic breath, and who can forget Kong shoving a tree into
Godzilla’s mouth? This is one of the best battles in any of the earlier Godzilla
films. Unfortunately, the unaltered Japanese version has never been made available in North America.
Mothra vs. Godzilla,
1964
This was the last film in the Showa era to truly depict
Godzilla as a villain, and the first to pit him against the giant moth Mothra,
who starred in her own film prior to this. A great storm washes the egg of
Mothra ashore, along with Godzilla, who emerges from the ground in one of
his coolest first reveals of all. Two miniature twin girls plead for Mothra’s egg to be returned to
Infant Island, or the larvae will cause destruction when it hatches. Of course
no one listens, and momma Mothra is soon on the loose, trying to defend her
young. Godzilla and Mothra have some pretty entertaining battles, mostly with
Mothra dive bombing Godzilla in the face and causing hurricane force winds with
her wings. However, just like how most real-life battles between a lizard and an
insect go, Mothra fails to defeat Godzilla, and he continues on
his unending rampage. The egg hatches, revealing a pair of larvae that
cocoon Godzilla and send him out to sea. Though not as crazy as King Kong vs. Godzilla, it’s
entertaining in its own right, as is one of the best Godzilla movies.
Ghidorah, the Three
Headed Monster, 1964
Released the same year as Mothra vs. Godzilla, this entry brought back Godzilla and Mothra,
brought in the giant Pteranodon Rodan (who had starred in his own film), and
introduced who would become Godzilla’s arch nemesis: King Ghidorah. Rodan
emerges from the volcano where he was thought to have been killed at the end of
his debut film, and Godzilla emerges from the sea as per usual, but they
start battling each other before King Ghidorah even shows up. Ghidorah arrives
on earth in a meteorite, which is actually an egg. He begins wreaking havoc, so the Japanese government ask the miniature twin fairies of Infant
Island if Mothra (in larva form) can help. Mothra shows up and talks to Godzilla and
Rodan, trying to convince them to not fight each other and instead team up to
take down Ghidorah. Wait, back up, did I say talk? Yes, this is where the series ceased to be aimed at adults
and attempted to cater more toward children, by making Godzilla a good guy and
the monsters act more human (including translated monster speech). The trio of giant monsters teams up to kick
Ghidorah’s ass back to space, which they do successfully. Even though this
movie shifts to less mature themes, Ghidorah proves to be a formidable villain, and
it’s immediately clear why he became Big G’s number one enemy.
Invasion of Astro-Monster,
1965
More of what made the previous Godzilla flick so great is brought back for the next installment. A space
ship journeys to Planet X—which, as the astronauts quickly discover, is
inhabited by intelligent humanoid beings called “Xians”. They ask for earth’s
assistance with ridding a resident giant monster that is terrorizing their
civilization: none other than King Ghidorah. The Xians borrow Rodan and
Godzilla from earth and pit them against Ghidorah. It soon becomes apparent the
Xians are not so friendly after all, when they show up on earth and unleash all
three giant monsters on Japan, which are now under mind control. This triple
threat causes lots of destruction, before scientists broadcast an alarm sound
which disrupts the mind control. Godzilla and Rodan try to kill Ghidorah, but all
three of them fall off a cliff into the sea. Only Ghidorah emerges, and
flies back to space. This is the first
Godzilla movie to introduce an alien race, and it has plenty of the awesome
monster battles that have come to be expected, but having Godzilla attacking
Japan once again, and the return of King Ghidorah, makes this entry even better
than the previous film.
Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster,
1966
Up next is a sea faring adventure featuring a giant killer
crustacean. A huge lobster called Ebirah is causing mayhem off the coast of a remote island, and it’s up to
Godzilla to defeat him. A terrorist organization called the Red Bamboo has set
up a facility to manufacture heavy water, using island
natives as slaves. They also use a chemical to keep Ebirah at bay, who usually
destroys anyone venturing too close to the island. A group of people are
shipwrecked by the large lobster, and they discover what the sinister
organization is up to. They also discover Godzilla, who’s asleep within the
island’s mountain. Godzilla finally wakes up, and he’s mad. He battles Ebirah and
they play volleyball with a boulder (?) before the lobster escapes to the depths. Then a
giant bird randomly attacks Godzilla, which only makes him angrier. He destroys
the terrorists’ facility, setting off a self destruct device which plunges the island into chaos. Godzilla battles Ebirah again, and this time
successfully defeats him. After the natives are freed, they summon Mothra, who
shows up to save everyone from the rampaging reptile. The two monsters aren’t
able to have much of a battle before the island explodes, but both the monsters
and the people escape unharmed. Although it’s not the best of the Showa era,
it’s definitely not the worst either. The battles are a little underwhelming,
but I like the suspenseful buildup to Godzilla’s eventual reveal, and it’s nice to
see a different setting.
Son of Godzilla,
1967
Some call it one of the worst Godzilla movie, some call it one of the best. Either way, it’s
definitely the one where the series takes a major turn toward goofy. Godzilla
adopts a son, who looks less like him and more like a mutated child’s doll
with leathery skin. This infant came to be known as Minilla, and he lacks the
skills or power of his father. Godzilla saves him from a group of giant radioactive
praying mantises, which were created by a malfunctioning weather-controlling
system. Godzilla trains Minilla on an island, making this the second movie to
take place on an island. He teaches him how to use his radioactive breath, and
discovers when Minilla is put under stress, he can emit a proper beam, but
otherwise he's more docile by nature than his adoptive dad. Together they
battle Kumonga, a giant spider with a webbing attack similar to what Mothra can
do in larval form. It ends with the island being plunged into a mini ice age,
and the father and son duo going into hibernation. This movie has its ups and
downs, but it certainly lacks some of the qualities of the greater Godzilla
movies, such as city stomping and military retaliation. That’s not to say it
isn’t entertaining. There are many hilarious scenes, such as Godzilla stomping
Minilla’s tail to get him to produce more than a smoke ring, and Minilla
getting the crap kicked out of him by the giant mantises. The
monster-on-monster fights aren’t too bad, and overall it’s a fun time, even if
it’s more for kids and adults.
Destroy All Monsters,
1968
After the childish antics in Son of Godzilla, Toho
made a smart decision in trying to bring the Showa series to a close with an epic kaiju
showdown. Set in 1999—at the time of this release, that was the future—earth’s
giant monsters have all been rounded up and now live on an island called
Monsterland. There’s Godzilla, his son Minilla, Rodan, Gorosaurus from Toho’s King Kong Escapes, Anguirus, and many
more. A race of aliens called Kilaaks take control of the
monsters, similar to what was done in Invasion
of Astro-Monster, and make them destroy earth. This widens the scope of the
film in a way that had yet to be done in the Godzilla series, by having monsters scattered over the whole planet, rather than just Japan. Once the monsters are free of the mind control, the Kilaaks unveil their secret weapon: King Ghidorah! The finale is
a completely one sided battle at the base of Mount Fuji between the three-headed dragon and almost every other monster on earth. It's basically a fight of seven to one. While it’s exciting to see all these giant monster stars in one movie, it’s a
little disappointing that they all fight Ghidorah at the end. Given that it
only took the combined effort of two or three monsters to take him down in the
past, it’s quite obvious right away how it will play out. They do lay a serious
beat down on him though, with every monster showcasing their unique fight
styles and powers. Though it doesn't get truly awesome until the end, there are enough monster moments throughout to make
it mostly worthwhile.
All Monsters Attack,
1969
Instead of leaving Big G on a high note, Toho made the grave
mistake of making another movie. However, this one doesn’t even fit in with the established timeline. It follows
a young boy named Ichiro, who has social issues and is constantly antagonized
by a bully at school who he nicknames “Gabara”. Ichiro is able to enter a dream
world where he is on Monster Island, inhabited by giant monsters that include
Godzilla and his son, Minilla. Minilla can shrink down to Ichiro’s size and
speak to him. Together they observe Minilla’s “popa” fight Ebirah
the Lobster, Kumonga the Spider, and Kamacuras, the giant praying mantis from Son of Godzilla. The fights go beyond
just a highlight reel of stock footage. The entire sequences are literally copy
and pasted from their original films. Ichiro finds out Minilla has bully
problems too. A monster named Gabara (hey, see a connection?) attacks Minilla
and hurts him using an electrical grasp attack, so both Minilla and Ichiro have to
man up and take on their bullies. The most disappointing aspect of the movie is
that none of it ever actually happened, since it took place in a dream world. Stock
footage makes up the bulk of the Godzilla scenes, and the child friendly themes
are extremely annoying to anyone over the age of eight. Gabara is a tacky
enemy, the whole concept is uninspired, and the entire movie is an utter failure. If you’ve seen Godzilla
vs. the Sea Monster and Son of
Godzilla, then you’ve seen the highlights of All Monsters Attack. Aside from the final fight, there isn’t much
here that’s new, and there isn’t much else worth seeing.
Godzilla vs. Hedorah,
1971
This acid trip of a Godzilla
movie is somewhat of an improvement over the last, but still has its fair
share of flaws and bizarre aspects. While the original Godzilla was a cautionary tale about nuclear testing, this one is about
the threat of pollution. A big-eyed slime ball called Hedorah invades Japan.
Made out of sludge, garbage, and toxic waste, he feeds off the noxious smoke
pumped out by factories. Godzilla comes to clean up the mess, but Hedorah
slowly grows larger and more powerful. He's an interesting villain, but
doesn’t do a whole lot of city destruction, and mostly just slimes Godzilla as
an attack. Godzilla beats the crap out of him in the end, and saves humanity.
This is a confusing, convoluted Godzilla
flick that struggles to target a specific audience. At times it feels like a
kids movie, with animated sequences and a scene with Godzilla flying using his
atomic breath, at other times it’s targeted at drug addicted hippies (it was
the seventies, after all) with characters hallucinating, and other times it’s
straight up horror, as Hedorah turns people to skeletons. It's as if they threw scraps of several different ideas all into this one movie. The tone is inconsistent,
the music is goofy, and in general, it’s just weird film.
Godzilla vs. Gigan,
1972
In an attempt to jazz up the rapidly decaying series, old monsters are
brought back and a new villain is introduced. Alien cockroaches (which take on
human form and wear orange suits like they were just let out of prison) arrive
on earth and set up headquarters in a giant Godzilla tower—the main attraction
of a new theme park for kids. Godzilla and Anguirus, who are residing on
Monster Island, suspect treachery is afoot, so Anguirus goes in to investigate.
Godzilla and Anguirus talk to each other, but not like in Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster where it’s in a monster language.
Here, they speak in English (apparently this doesn’t happen in the original
Japanese version). As if that’s not dumb enough, their voices sound warped, like
a scratched record effect. The Martians make their monsters attack Japan, to
help them invade and take over earth. One monster is King Ghidorah, and the
other is newcomer Gigan, a giant cyborg. It’s two-on-two, as Godzilla and
Anguirus battle Ghidorah and Gigan, although Anguirus keeps getting hurt and
running away scared. The final battle is epic, but unfortunately much of it is
stock footage. In some ways, this entry is even more inconsistent than Godzilla vs. Hedorah. It’s mostly kid
friendly, if you exclude the swearing and moments where Godzilla and Anguirus
gush blood from their wounds. It’s a messed up movie, but Gigan makes for a
memorable villain, and the new fight scenes make the movie somewhat worthwhile.
Godzilla vs. Megalon,
1973
Continuing the string of sucky sequels, Godzilla vs. Megalon again attempts something new, but basically
fails in most regards. A new robot hero called Jet Jaguar is introduced, who
looks a lot like Ultraman, the hero of a Japanese TV series that aired during
this time. The reason is likely because Toho had a contest for fans to submit their
own idea for a hero to appear in the next Godzilla flick, and some kid just
copied what he had seen on TV. Jet Jaguar can grow to be huge,
which is perfect to help Godzilla in another two-on-two monster match. The
underwater world of Seatopia is angry with all the nuclear testing that has
been conducted over the years, so they rebel against the people of land by
sending their giant monster Megalon to rough things up. He’s basically a giant
beetle with drill-like hands. He’s also one of the lamer villains
to take on Big G. In fact, Godzilla is hardly the star of this film, acting
more like a sidekick to Jet Jaguar. When the two monsters gang up on Megalon,
the Seatopians give the cockroach aliens from the previous film a call and ask
if they can borrow Gigan. Apparently it’s no problem, because Gigan promptly
teams up with Megalon, and the fight is mega-on (I know that joke was bad, but
it seemed fitting given what I'm talking about). The final fight between the four
monsters is the undisputed highlight of the entire movie. What occurs
during the latter part of the brawl is a unique and unforgettable moment. While
Jet Jaguar restrains Megalon, Godzilla jumps and flies through the air over a
huge expanse of ground, kicking Megalon in the stomach. This occurs not once,
but twice. Despite a fun tag-team finale, this movie is yet another
disappointment in the Showa series, filled with stock footage and extra silly-looking
monsters.
Godzilla
vs. Mechagodzilla, 1974
Finally, after a number of subpar entries with repeated uses
of stock footage and bizarre monsters, there was a good Godzilla movie again. Mechagodzilla—an alien-built robot
designed to destroy Godzilla, along with the rest of the planet—arrives on
earth unannounced. At first it looks like Godzilla is attacking Japan, until he
encounters Anguirus and breaks his jaw King
Kong style. Anguirus has been Godzilla’s ally in past films, so this is the
first indication that an imposter is on the loose (the second and third being
his roar and atomic breath are different). The real Godzilla pops up, and soon it’s
Godzilla vs. Godzilla. But peel away the fake skin, and Mechagodzilla’s true
form is revealed. After getting injured, Godzilla gets struck by lightning a
bunch of times—as if things aren’t bad enough for him. Luckily, it gives him temporary
magnetic powers that come in handy later. The film culminates in a battle
between Mechagodzilla and the duo of Godzilla and King Caesar, a lion god and
protector of Japan. He doesn’t do much in the final battle except get hurt and
cower a lot, but he eventually helps Godzilla defeat the mechanical titan of
terror. Godzilla rips Mechagodzilla’s head right off, and King Caesar returns
to hibernation. This is one of the best entries in the Showa series, thanks to
a creative and formidable villain, an increased budget allowing for greater set pieces, and a more consistent tone.
Terror of
Mechagodzilla, 1975
A direct sequel to the previous film and the one that
concluded the Showa series, Terror of
Mechagodzilla was the first Godzilla
film since Godzilla vs. Hedorah to not
have him team up with another monster. The space men from the black hole who previously
brought Mechagodzilla return to rebuild the cyborg, and we are also introduced
to a new villainous monster. A mad scientist takes control over the sea beastie called
Titanosaurus. Apparently he’s a Sauropod (long neck dinosaur), but he just
looks like a T-rex mixed with a sea horse. One of his only attacks is
unfolding his tail and fanning the city, destroying it with wind, similar to what Rodan does. Titanosaurus’ roar sounds like an elephant mixed with a cat mixed
with a duck. He’s not the silliest monster ever to face Godzilla, but
definitely an oddball. This final entry in the series isn’t quite as
entertaining as Godzilla vs.
Mechagodzilla, but it still has lots of monster destruction and a decent
final battle. The stakes are high, because last time it took the combined
effort of Godzilla and King Caesar just to take out Mechagodzilla, and this
time its Mechagodzilla teamed up with Titanosaurus against the solo Godzilla. Considering
Mechagodzilla is the only monster in the film’s title, you would expect him to
be in it more and kick a lot of ass, but he doesn’t appear that often and, when
he does, he mostly relies on only using his finger missiles, instead of the wide range of attacks he had before. Having said that,
the battles are still great, and Godzilla once again rips Mechagodzilla’s head
off and saves the day (though this time he doesn’t rip his head off completely
and Mechagodzilla keeps fighting for a short time). After the monsters are
defeated, Godzilla sets off into the ocean, and this would be the last time audiences
would see him for nearly ten years, until his triumphant return.
Era 2: Heisei
The Return of Godzilla,
1984
The second Godzilla
series began in 1984. Simply titled Godzilla
in Japan, it’s often referred to as The
Return of Godzilla to avoid confusion with the original, and its North
American title was Godzilla 1985. Ignoring
all the films that took place after the 1954 original, Godzilla 1985 threw away the child friendly tone of the subsequent
sequels and acted as a direct sequel to the original, though still takes place
thirty years later. This is one of the few Godzilla films with a well-known
altered American version, which includes several scenes with Raymond Burr
reprising his role from Godzilla, King of
the Monsters! This one doesn’t feature any other giant monsters except Godzilla, and returns the monster to his roots as a villain out to destroy Japan. Though
darker and bolder than the later Showa era entries, it’s still not the
best. The quality
varies from scene to scene. Godzilla’s revamped look is great—more faithful to the
original design than previous Godzilla’s. Some scenes were filmed with a giant
robotic head of Godzilla, which often suffers from looking like just that: a
robot. Though he doesn’t fight a rival, Godzilla faces off with Japan’s flying
war machine called the Super X. The movie is slow to start, but once Godzilla
shows up, there’s some great city destruction. All the models and miniatures
are more detailed, and the overall scale is larger. It’s not a bad reboot for
the series, but pales in comparison to the original, which it tries to be similar to.
Godzilla vs. Biollante,
1989
Following up Godzilla’s rebirth, Godzilla vs. Biollante is one of the more interesting and unique
films in the franchise. Using rare Godzilla cells, a scientist creates a triple
hybrid of a rose bush, Godzilla, and a woman. The creature grows enormous, just
as Godzilla escapes from the volcano which he was trapped in at the end of Godzilla 1985. After being assaulted by
Big G, Biollante “flowers”, and reveals her hideous, lethal
true form. Meanwhile, the Japanese Self-Defense Force is still trying to defeat
Godzilla, this time using the Super X II, now equipped with a reflector shield that repels Godzilla’s atomic breath. Godzilla
vs. Biollante manages to maintain the more serious tone re-established in Godzilla 1985, while bringing back the giant
monster battles that were sorely missed before. This time around, Godzilla
looks much better, and there’s even more awesome city destruction. Biollante is
a neat villain, though she’s underused, and the final battle is brief. Because
of her great size and inability to move very much, her fights with Godzilla
aren’t as exciting as what we’ve seen in the past, but her special abilities
and Godzilla’s use of atomic breath heighten the fun.
Godzilla vs. King
Ghidorah, 1991
Godzilla returns to take on his arch nemesis in this crazy
time travel adventure. People from
the twenty third century go back to 1991 to warn Japan that Godzilla will
destroy the world in the near future, and that he must be stopped. These
‘Futurians’ go back in time (along with some people from 1991) to World War II,
and erase the dinosaur which became Godzilla from existence, only this proves
problematic when they return to the present and discover King Ghidorah has
taken Godzilla’s place as the number one threat to earth. Godzilla is brought
back to defeat King Ghidorah, but when Godzilla turns his attention back to
destroying Japan, the Futurians resurrect Ghidorah in the future as Mecha King
Ghidorah, and bring him back to fight Godzilla again. The giant monster action
takes a while to get going, but it’s cool seeing the dinosaur version of
Godzilla before he became giant and mutated back in WWII. Once Godzilla shows
up, he kicks some serious ass. Though the pacing is a bit inconsistent, it still offers plenty of fun action, a unique plot, and an awesome reinvention of King Ghidorah.
Godzilla and Mothra:
The Battle for Earth, 1992
With the success of King Ghidorah’s killer revival, Mothra
was the next classic monster to be tackled. Given a new origins story and a giant
monster counterpart, Godzilla and Mothra:
The Battle for Earth, or simply known as
Godzilla vs. Mothra, is just as good as the previous film. A trio
of explorers discover the miniature twin fairies—now referred to as the
Cosmos—as well as the giant egg of Mothra on an island. They find out an
ancient civilization tried to control the planet’s climate, so Battra was
created to stop them. Battra is basically an evil version of Mothra, so Mothra was subsequently created to
defeat him after he started getting out of control. Now, with recent climate
changes, Battra and Mothra are back, and this time Godzilla is caught in the
middle. After being temporarily defeated, Battra realizes Godzilla poses a
bigger threat than Mothra, and so the two beastly bugs team up and take out the
radioactive reptile. The battle showcases full scale destruction and tops
anything Mothra ever did in the Showa era. Battra also doles out some beatings;
at one point he gets a Ferris wheel and smashes it over Godzilla. Though not as
balls to the wall crazy as Godzilla vs.
King Ghidorah, Godzilla vs. Mothra
is a great dose of giant-monster-action-fantasy, and Battra is a pretty cool new
villain, as well as a good foil for the more peaceful Mothra.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
II, 1993
Continuing the Heisei era hot streak, Mechagodzilla was the
next villain to be revamped, and it made for yet another exciting adventure.
Mechagodzilla is depicted as a hero this time, having been built by humans
using the remains of Mecha-King Ghidorah. Rodan also returns, though he is an enemy to Godzilla and Japan this time. An egg is discovered on an island,
which Rodan and Godzilla fight over. Neither end up getting it, and it’s sent
to a research center, where the egg hatches and reveals a Baby Godzilla. He
looks much less cartoony than Minilla from the Showa era, though still not very fearsome. By studying Baby G,
the scientists discover Big G has a second brain in his tail, and if Mechagodzilla can attack this weak
spot, he can be defeated. Baby Godzilla is used as bait, Mechagodzilla is sent
in, Godzilla shows up, and Rodan returns, which makes for a titanic battle and
thrilling third act. Mechagodzilla becomes Super-Mechagodzilla, Rodan becomes
further mutated into Fire Rodan, and Baby Godzilla runs off with his father
into the sea at the end. Though a little slow in the beginning, the final battle is one of the best in all
of the Heisei era. In regards to the title, this isn’t a direct
sequel to the Showa era film Godzilla vs.
Mechagodzilla. It is a sequel to the previous Heisei era film (Godzilla vs. Mothra), but it’s also the
third time Mechagodzilla has showed up, so you think they would have called Terror of Mechagodzilla this title
instead, and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
would be Terror of Mechagodzilla. But I’m
looking too far into this. Moving on!
Godzilla vs.
SpaceGodzilla, 1994
After a streak of quality Godzilla adventures, the solid Heisei era run finally hit a speed bump with
the questionable entry Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.
It isn’t clearly identified, but is implied that either Biollante or Mothra
carried some of Godzilla’s cells into space, where they mutated in a black hole
to become SpaceGodzilla. Unfortunately, instead of rebuilding the superior
Mechagodzilla, a new robot is built, called M.O.G.U.E.R.A., which looks comparably lame
and is half as powerful. It can’t stop SpaceGodzilla, which shows up on earth
and captures Baby Godzilla. Baby looks more like Minilla now than he did
before, which is a further disappointment. SpaceGodzilla takes over Fukuoka with his giant
crystalline structures, but Godzilla manages to save the day once more. Though
not a terrible Godzilla movie, it is
largely hit and miss. This is even true of SpaceGodzilla’s appearance. Overall
he looks cool, with two giant crystal spikes jutting out of his shoulders and a
long dragon-like tail, but his head looks quite similar to Biollante’s, and he
has a stupid looking crystal crown on his head. The battle scenes are mostly
sub-standard. Godzilla keeps falling over, and Space Godzilla just stands there
while he does his attacks. This is debatably the weakest film of the second series.
Godzilla vs.
Destoroyah, 1995
After the somewhat disappointing previous entry, Toho
decided to put Godzilla to rest once more, and ended the Heisei era on a high
note. Thus far, Godzilla had only ever officially died once, and this would mark the
second time the king of the monsters lost his life. Big G’s heart, which
scientists explain is basically an organic nuclear reactor, is going into
meltdown mode. This means when Godzilla’s heart detonates, it will be a great
enough explosion to not only kill him, but also destroy the entire planet, which is glimpsed in a hypothetical future scenario.
Godzilla’s son shows up again, and this time he actually looks like an infant
Godzilla rather than the cartoony Minilla or Baby Godzilla. While Godzilla’s
body goes berserk, a new monster shows up, having been created by the Oxygen
Destroyer which killed the original Godzilla. It begins as multiple car-sized
crustaceans, but quickly grows into its full form: Destoroyah. Godzilla and
Destoroyah have a couple skirmishes, and Godzilla Junior gets pummelled by the
superior foe, eventually getting killed in action. Godzilla avenges his son’s
death by destroying Destoroyah. As Godzilla melts down, the military uses
freeze rays to lessen the devastation. Though Godzilla dies,
the energy from his dead body goes into his son, bringing him back to life and
making him grow into a new adult Godzilla. With great effects, unprecedented
plot twists, and a thrilling finale, it’s a rock solid Godzilla film, and a great conclusion to the second series.
American Reboot from Tri-Star
Godzilla (1998)
Tri Star attempted to bring Godzilla to western audiences by essentially remaking and
reinventing the character. Unfortunately, what we got was a disservice to the
character and an all around disappointing film. Godzilla (or Zilla, as it’s
become known by Toho and fans in general, because it took the ‘God’ out of ‘Godzilla’)
attacks New York, and a team is hired by the
military to help them take the monster down. One of the biggest problems with
this movie is that the army actually succeeds. Zilla is killed with
missiles—goddamn missiles!—and a large portion of the film is devoted to Zilla’s
clutch of eggs hatching in Madison Square Garden, which is like a weird mix of Jurassic Park and Independence Day. What ultimately makes this such a disappointment is how much of a
far cry this film is from a classic Godzilla flick. Zilla is more like a giant
T-rex/iguana hybrid than the traditional Godzilla, he doesn’t have atomic
breath, he doesn’t fight another monster, and he just isn’t Godzilla. The
old saying that comes to mind is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Godzilla was reinvented nearly beyond recognition, and fans
would agree he wasn’t broken before this reinvention.
Era 3: Millennium
Godzilla 2000,
1999
After the abysmal American attempt, Toho had to remind
the world that Godzilla was still the king of the monsters, and did so by
kick-starting the Millennium era with Godzilla
2000, a quintessential Godzilla film
that reaffirmed why Toho does it best. Serving as another reboot, Godzilla arrives to cause some major city destruction. It’s back
to basics with Godzilla mainly depicted by a guy in a suit—something that still
works for hardcore fans, but is frowned upon by some moviegoers, who see cgi as
the more viable and believable method. Regardless of your stance on cgi vs.
suits, Godzilla’s new design is undeniably awesome. Though the story is run of
the mill (the main characters make up the Godzilla Prediction Network) it packs
in great action, and actually creates tension and suspense with the villain. At
first it seems scientists have found a sixty million year old asteroid, but it
turns out to be a UFO with a conniving alien inside, and its living form isn’t
revealed until the ending, when it takes some of Godzilla's cells and tries to become a clone, called Orga. Filled with all the things that
make Godzilla great, this film not only satisfies fans, it accomplishes the
goal of pointing out what the American Godzilla probably should have tried to do in the first place.
Godzilla vs.
Megaguirus, 2000
After the high expectations established with Godzilla 2000, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus isn’t quite the atomic breath of fresh air
that the previous film was, but it still manages to entertain, and delves into a
somewhat headier sci-fi concept involving black holes and ancient bugs. To try
and get rid of Godzilla for good, a new weapon is invented called Dimension
Tide, which somehow creates a mini black hole that can be fired at Godzilla
from space. When they give it a test run, a
prehistoric creature emerges. It lays an egg, and from this egg sprouts a swarm
of Meganulon, which soon progress to the next stage of their life cycle. These
vicious, giant dragonflies, now called Meganula, attack Godzilla, extract his
nuclear energy, and inject it into the submerged larvae of their hive master:
Megaguirus. No, she’s not a giant dinosaur like Anguirus, she’s a massive
flying insect from hell. Godzilla and Megaguirus have an epic battle, and after
the carboniferous creature is killed, Dimension Tide sucks Godzilla through a
black hole and he disappears. There are a couple funny
moments, like when Godzilla gets stabbed in the crotch by Megaguirus’ tail, and
when Godzilla body slams her. It’s inconsistent, but the end battle is exciting
and unpredictable enough to make it worthwhile. Not much more to say about this
one; it’s not bad, but not great either.
Godzilla, Mothra and
King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-out Attack, 2001
How’s that for a long enough movie title? While the previous
Millennium film had a silly sci-fi plot at its core, GMK: All-Out Attack is a more mythological fantasy tale. This is yet another reboot, taking place
almost fifty years after the original Godzilla,
but excluding all other films. Godzilla is resurrected by the souls of soldiers
who died in the Pacific War, and fights Baragon, Mothra, and King Ghidorah, who
are ancient earth protectors this time around. Baragon shows up first and gets
killed with relative ease. Once the other monsters show up, the final battle that takes place
grows to epic proportions. Godzilla’s look is cool
overall. He has white eyes like some kind of dino zombie, and the design is different
but close enough to the traditional look that it works. This is also one of the most powerful iterations of the king of the monsters; nothing can stop him or even slow him down it seems. My biggest problem with
the movie is Baragon as an enemy. Why Baragon? Why not Anguirus instead? Why did they think
using that rabbit-eared, burrowing, spike-nosed monster would be good? His goofy
appearance sticks out in an otherwise serious movie, but
luckily he gets pulverized by Big G. As a whole, GMK: All-Out Attack is an exciting update on the title monsters,
and packed full of awesome action.
Godzilla Against
Mechagodzilla, 2002
Continuing the unofficial Millennium era tradition, this is
yet another reboot that acts as a sequel to the original Godzilla, however it acknowledges other Toho kaiju films, like War of the Gargantuas and the original Mothra. A new Godzilla arrives to wreak
havoc in the year 1999 for the first time since the original attacked in 1954.
After the Japanese Self Defense Force fails to stop him, they begin
construction on Mechagodzilla, which is completed four years later. The movie’s
setup is made dull by extensive explanations, too many titles identifying who
is who and what is what, and, surprisingly, the use of stock footage for the
first time in a long time. Footage of Mothra
and War of the Gargantuas is shown,
as well as clips from the original 1954 Godzilla.
The oxygen destroyer scene is redone in cgi, and it
looks laughable. Luckily, almost the entire rest of the film has great special
effects. As for Mechagodzilla, which gets redesigned, it looks much better than
it did in the Heisei era. This Mecha-G is a remotely controlled robot built
over top of the 1954 Godzilla’s skeleton, which was preserved in secret for all
those decades. Mechagodzilla is renamed Kiryu for some reason, and when they
send it out to stop Godzilla with its array of super powered weaponry, it goes
on the fritz and turns on its creators, attacking the city and causing mayhem
before running out of power. The bugs are worked out, and Mecha-G takes on Big
G again, laying a thorough beat down, but again failing to kill
him. The fight scenes are all epic and appropriately over the top, but not
quite as flawless as some of the battles in previous films. On multiple
occasions, Godzilla simply stands still while missiles and lasers are fired at
him, and these moments stick out in a bad way. It may not achieve the same
level of excellence that Godzilla 2000
and GMK: All-Out Attack did, though as
a whole, this is a satisfying entry, with good music and a sufficient amount of giant monster action.
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S,
2003
Finally, after a handful of reboots and retellings, Toho
delivered a true sequel for the Millennium era, and a great one at that.
Mechagodzilla is under repair after its devastating smack down with Big G, and
trouble is brewing once more. The miniature twin fairies from Infant Island are
back, and bring with them a
warning that the bones of the 1954 Godzilla must be returned to the sea, or Japan will be under siege again. Of course no
one listens, thinking Mechagodzilla is the only thing that can save Japan, and
terror ensues. Mothra returns and fights Godzilla. She’s defeated, but an egg
she laid earlier hatches two Mothra larvae, which head for the battlefront.
Mechagodzilla fights Godzilla once again, and the Mothra larva help. In the end, they cocoon Godzilla, and
Mechagodzilla overrides its human controls again, but instead of going crazy,
it grabs hold of Godzilla and flies to the Japan Trench, where it dives down to
the depths to destroy itself and Godzilla. This sequel is yet another great Godzilla adventure, and improves upon
many aspects from the previous one. There is more of Godzilla this time around, and the fight scenes
are again excellent. The name Kiryu is thrown out and they refer to it only as Mechagodzilla, or Mecha G. The pacing is improved, the
characters are less annoying, and all in all, this a great follow-up, thanks
to all the setup being
out of the way, which is part of what made the previous film a little dull to begin with.
Godzilla: Final Wars,
2004
Finally, I’ve come to the end: the last in a long line of Godzilla films. Toho wanted the
Millennium era to go out with a bang, and did it ever. Even though the movie
sort of exists outside the continuity of many of the previous films, it doesn’t
diminish the pure adrenaline rush that is Godzilla:
Final Wars. Godzilla has been trapped in ice for years, but now he needs to
be unleashed once more to help fight an armada of giant monsters turned loose
on the world by evil alien invaders. The ‘Xiliens’ don’t have a unique or super
ingenious plan to take over earth, they simply want to do it, and what
better way than to use a kaiju army? Besides Godzilla standing in their way, a
team of mutant humans working for the Earth Defense Force are out to settle the
score as well. When there isn’t a giant monster battle going on, it seems these
mutants are delivering a whole other helping of action with high speed
motorcycle chases, kung fu fighting, and even full scale battles waged against
the giant monsters! In Destroy All
Monsters, the biggest gathering ever of Toho kaiju took place, but here,
the turnout is even more mind blowing. Classic villains like Anguirus, Gigan,
and Mothra return, and even oddball enemies like Hedorah, King Caesar, and
Ebirah make appearances. The first half of the movie is a bit jumbled,
switching back and forth from establishing the plot and reintroducing the
monsters, but once it reaches the halfway point and Godzilla is back in action,
the movie explodes with instant-classic-battles and never lets up until the
very end. It is fight after fight after fight, as Godzilla takes on his old foes.
The ending is a world-shattering showdown between the last two monsters standing.
Packed full of everything that’s ever been great about Godzilla, plus some new
exciting elements thrown in for good measure, Godzilla: Final Wars is perhaps the greatest example of cinematic fan service ever. 
And now, here we are. The American Godzilla reboot comes out May 16th, 2014. It has a lot
to live up to, and yet as we’ve seen from the 1998 Tri-Star version, might not
have a hard time topping Hollywood’s first attempt. I’m
just hoping Godzilla 2014 delivers
likeable characters, full-scale city destruction, a decent amount of giant
monster action, and accomplishes the dual tasks of paying tribute to what came before,
and paving the way for a new era of Godzilla on the big screen.
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