The Godzilla franchise consists of 36 films and counting, with a new "Godzilla shared universe" on the horizons, inspired by the staggering success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Which is a bit peculiar, seeing as Godzilla already functioned as a shared universe.
The Godzilla films make up the longest-running movie franchise in history and it will probably hold that title forever, especially since Godzilla always finds a way to be relevant. As one of the most known pop culture icons and the epitome of "the big screen," Godzilla has definitely made his presence known. Without further delay and before Godzilla Vs. Kong hits cinemas, here's a look at 10 of the best entries in the entire franchise.
Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster (1964)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters serves as a quasi-remake of this film's concept. Here, Mothra, Rodan, and Godzilla rumble amongst themselves before deciding to team up against the golden three-head dragon, King Ghidorah.
The film hosts very impressive practical effects for its time, and the inclusion of so many iconic kaiju at once means a lot of monster action is to be had. Oddly enough, it's also one of the few films in the franchise that has a good, and perhaps better, English dubbed version.
Destroy All Monsters (1968)
Destroy All Monsters is akin to a game of Super Smash Bros. where the weaker players struggle to take down the best player in the lobby and manage to do so with overwhelming numbers rather than skill, per se. The film actually isn't that fantastic, but what works out is the fact that it managed to get so many kaiju together into one movie, which was groundbreaking at the time.
The human storyline is weak, but the monster scenes are great. The story is simple enough: Aliens attack by mind-controlling kaiju, and when the humans undo their work, the aliens unleash Ghidorah as a last resort, who proceeds to get dunked on for the rest of the movie by seven other kaiju. It's not a fair fight whatsoever.
Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
Mothra's ridiculous. She's a giant moth who somehow briefly holds her own against armored dragons and radioactive lizards, and dies in nearly every time she appears in a movie, survived by her larvae.
In Mothra vs. Godzilla, Godzilla is the baddie, no question about it. In order to stop Godzilla from rampaging in Japan, the humans ask the twin fairies that sort of watch over Mothra for their help in getting Mothra to defend Japan. She does, but (of course) dies in doing so, leaving her larvae to have to defeat Godzilla, which it does. It's silly, but it's a good movie that introduced a kaiju with their own solo film into the Godzilla universe.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
Godzilla has died a lot, but his real death in the Heisei period's finale in Godzilla vs. Destoroyah was his best swan song. While literally melting down due to the mass radiation in his body, Godzilla has to fight the deadly Destoroyah, who holds the unique prestige of having the most fun name to say out loud in the Godzilla franchise.
The film actually had Godzilla lose to Destoroyah and it's up to the Japanese armed forces to win the day, which they do (bizarre, considering they could never beat Godzilla). When all is done, Godzilla passes away and passes his life force into his son, living on through the little Godzilla, Jr.
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is a really weird movie, which is saying something for a Godzilla film, but it's weird in the best ways. The film is notably the first appearance of King Ghidorah in the Heisei period but unlike Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster, the spotlight isn't shared by multiple kaiju. Here, it's just Godzilla and Ghidorah.
There's time travel, aliens, and MechaGhidorah, making for a strange but enthralling film that's balanced with an engaging story and great practical effects.
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
Teaming up the two most iconic kaiju in cinema was a brilliant idea. It was the primate vs. the reptile, the king vs. the god, the West vs. the East. The film is a pretty good monster brawl, and certainly one of the sillier entries in the franchise, but that isn't a bad thing. The film has a lot of intentional laughs thrown in for the human story, and this was clearly meant to be an entertainment bonanza.
Each kaiju gets their fair share of screentime, and seeing Godzilla pummel Kong in their first outing with ease gets the elephant in the room over with become a rematch. Of course, this film is due for a remake in the American "Monsterverse," slated for release sometime in 2020.
Shin Godzilla/Godzilla: Resurgence (2011)
Shin Godzilla is essentially a back-to-roots remake of the original Godzilla, but this time around, rather than analyze the nuclear destruction Japan suffered, the film looks at the government handling and response to the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster following the massive Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disasters.
The film touches on the horror element, making Godzilla pretty disgusting and not making him "awesome" so much as downright dangerous and monstrous. The film suffers from a little too much talking and obvious on-the-nose messaging, but sometimes a big loud message is better than a subtle one no one picks up on and learns from.
Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla (1974)
Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla has a little bit of everything; aliens, lots of kaiju, one of the Big 5 (besides Godzilla), cool scenes, goofy scenes, and the film goes by quickly.
There are few other words that do it justice beyond "fun." There's a pretty pointless prophecy, plotholes left and right, and a lot of goofs, but they add to the film's charm rather than detract. And of course, MechaGodzilla is actually genuinely cool.
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
Quick: Think of a movie that culminates into a climactic showdown against an alien in a franchise with over 20 movies that includes the subtitle "war" in the title. What? Infinity War? No, the answer is Godzilla: Final Wars, which really seals the argument that Toho was doing the "shared universe" idea decades and decades before Marvel came along. Final Wars is a movie made for fans, combining various ideas, characters, and kaiju from all the previous Toho properties up to that point, some of which weren't even originally Godzilla related.
To make a very long story short, alien forces invade Earth and control kaiju around the world, and it's up to Godzilla and a few human friends to revoke their passport. The movie is outrageously over the top (perfectly in line with many Godzilla films) and packed to the brim with action. It was intended to be Godzilla's final outing and it certainly went out with a bang. It functions like a better version of Destroy All Monsters.
Godzilla (1954)
It'd be unfair to put the original film anywhere else, and it's not solely for the fact that it was the first film in the Godzilla franchise. The original 1954 Godzilla actually has something to say and isn't just a display of kaiju power. Sure, a lot of the other films in the franchise are trying to say something sometimes, but none do it as clearly and smoothly.
Director Ishirō Honda noted, "I took the characteristics of an atomic bomb and applied them to Godzilla." How do you fight a nuclear bomb? There's not a lot you can do. Godzilla is a symbol of the nuclear holocaust the Japanese endured, and the film serves as a perspective from their angle. It's a dark and dreary movie, one that's pretty rife with human suffering, and the audience cares because the humans are well-developed. The film is exactly what many great films are: an artistic perspective on a human experience.