Film Critic ranks all 34 live-action “Godzilla” films from worst to best
Godzilla minus one It is the No. 1 film at the domestic box office, holding the top spot on the box office charts for most of this week, after debuting at No. 3 last weekend. Renaissance: A Beyoncé Film And The Hunger Games: Song of Songbirds and Snakes. For your information, Godzilla minus one He was in second place on Friday, trailing hunger Games Complementary on Saturday and Sunday. Now is the perfect time to present my ranking of all 34 live-action Godzilla films from worst to best.
Mass destruction occurs in “Godzilla Minus One”
Source: Toho Studios
Thanks to rave reviews and strong audience ratings, the latest giant monster movie (declared one of the greatest films of the year) is already the highest-grossing Japanese live-action film in North American history.
My ratings for the Godzilla film series – only the live-action entries, since I haven’t seen the animated films and they honestly weren’t interesting enough for me to seek them out any time soon – will of course reflect my rating. Their own tastes, judgments, and views on cinema, giant monster movies, large-scale filmmaking, and all sorts of basic preferences for storytelling and cinema. This means that these are my choices based on my opinions, not anyone else’s. If my choices don’t match yours, that’s okay, you’re sure to find someone else with a list more to your liking.
I appreciate both the original and earlier depiction of Godzilla as a force of pure destruction and terror, as well as his later depiction as an anti-hero who causes chaos but also defeats worse monsters that threaten the world. Eventually, Godzilla became a heroic protector of Japan and Earth, and the films transitioned from horror-disaster thrillers to action-packed sci-fi spectacle full of humor and downright camp.
Getting down to silly camp has its perks, and can be a lot of fun when done right and well. Children can enjoy the brightly colored rubber costumes and cheap, small-scale models that monsters trample all over, and adults can revisit their childhood this way while also getting a dose of sarcastic humour.
But still, while I can appreciate a lot of these straight sci-fi movies featuring Godzilla, they are my least favorite in the series. Some of this is due to qualitative issues with storytelling and characterization, some of it is due to more ridiculous visuals and costumes – and the fact that Godzilla and the other monsters would occasionally dance or engage in other great comedic displays undermined their status and prestige. Feeling dangerous or threatened. There’s also the fact that my age and moviegoing experiences are rooted in more modern sensibilities, so I realize I have biases and preferences stemming from that upbringing and length of viewing.
But a key part of my preferences stem from specific themes in Godzilla — themes that can seem contradictory and that represent wildly contrasting worldviews — and which films represent those contrasting themes.
The depiction of Godzilla evolved as the relationship between Japan and the United States evolved over time, so what had been a giant destructive monster that reflected the immorality of atomic war and embodied tragedy and grief became a powerful, powerful hero whose atomic capabilities defended Japan and saved the Earth.
The thematic switch may have been more enjoyable for fans who focused more on the action spectacle and B-movie fun of brightly colored rubber-suited monster battles, but it wasn’t able to retain the immensity of historical memory and the voices of a nation screaming their desperate warning to the world. The complex nature of Japan’s struggle with its own war guilt infuses the best Godzilla films with a nuanced self-identity and questions about honor, sacrifice, and the price individuals pay for their collective choices—and the choices of the leaders who lie to them. they.
That’s why I prefer Godzilla films that depict the creature as a destructive force that must be stopped, and in which the human characters are dominant and the attention. Brutal attacks, destruction, action and visual effects are always part of the equation, and of course I find them exciting and interesting when they’re done right and well; But I’m not looking for “disaster porn” when I watch these films. Rather, I consider the reactions of people caught up in the crisis to be the most convincing.
That’s not to say there aren’t some action-oriented sci-fi scenes at the top of Godzilla’s list, but even then the films tend to put time and effort into human stories, and when Godzilla is given a more heroic role, that’s what it is. It helps if the monster gets its own character and arc.
Likewise, when films play broadly like some of the other best kaiju films and use certain elements in common with my favorite kaiju pictures – pacific rim For example – I enjoy it more (although these later films didn’t invent Those elements or metaphors, I’m just pointing out recent examples of mixing elements in this particular way that I’ve been exposed to elsewhere first).
However, I prefer the horror/disaster movie Godzilla the most, as the “creature of chaos who happens to destroy a creature worse than chaos” anti-hero is my second preference, and as you note, anti-hero sci-fi heroes are my least favorite (although there are… A few of them are highly entertaining and sometimes even among the franchise’s best entries).
So, without further ado, here’s our countdown and ranking of all 34 live-action Godzilla films, from worst to best!
34. All monsters attack
33. Godzilla (1998)
32. Son of Godzilla
31. Invasion of the astronomical monster
30. Godzilla vs Megalon
29. Godzilla raids again
28. Godzilla vs. Spacey Godzilla
27. King Kong vs. Godzilla
26. Godzilla vs. Gigan
25. Its scent, the terror of the depth
24. Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
23. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
22. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
21. Ghidorah, the three-headed monster
20. Godzilla 2000: Millennium
19. Destroy all monsters
18. Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: An all-out assault of giant monsters
17. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
16. Mechagodzilla terror
15. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
14. Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
13. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
12. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S
11. Godzilla: Final Wars
10. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
9. Godzilla: King of the Monsters
8. Godzilla vs. Hedorah
7. Godzilla vs. Biollante
6. Godzilla returns
5. Godzilla (2014)
4. Godzilla vs. Kong
3. Shin Godzilla
2. Godzilla (1954)
1. Godzilla minus one
Here, dear readers, are my picks for the best and worst Godzilla giant creature features.
I’m sure some of my choices are controversial – some of the beloved entries in the series from the late 1960s (eg Destroy all monsters) ranks lower in my estimation than most other lists, while other films with more mixed receptions (including e.g. Godzilla vs. Hedorah) appear at the top of my list. But I hope fans will appreciate my explanation of the selection process and my own preferences that contributed to the rankings.
If you’re not familiar with most of the Godzilla film series (I’ve seen several of these films, but had to revisit some of them last week to prepare to write this article), I suggest starting with the original 1954 film. Godzillaand then watch Godzilla minus one, Godzilla returns, Godzilla vs. BiollanteAnd Godzilla vs. Kong For nice “flavor samples”.
Keep in mind that the films are usually not directly related to each other, having been rebooted multiple times and relying on either no continuity at all or loose continuity, with relatively few true direct sequels here and there. Additionally, there’s a difference between the Toho Godzilla movies and the Hollywood Godzilla movies (the Hollywood movies are #33, #9, #5, and #4 on my list), where the Hollywood movies are all part of a shared MonsterVerse of continuity, with the exception of the bad 1998 indie film.
A final word of recommendation for the AppleTV+ streaming series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, which continues and fills in the gaps of the Legendary Pictures MonsterVerse continuity. It’s a great movie with good characters and excellent actors in a great sci-fi horror world. If you like a Godzilla movie with more sci-fi, anti-hero or outright heroic elements, then this series – and the MonsterVerse movies in general – will appeal to you.
Next year comes Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire To round out the MonsterVerse, while having great continued success Godzilla minus one It will undoubtedly include more Toho sequels, so whatever your preferences for Godzilla and giant monsters, you’ll have plenty to look forward to for years to come.
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