All 33 Live-Action Godzilla Films: Ranked (Part 2 of 3)

Here is the second of three parts ranking the Godzilla films. For the first part look here.

Solid Kaiju Fare part 2

#22: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

Plot: Eco-terrorists steal a device, developed by international monster confrontation agency Monarch, that can communicate with and draw out the Titans (the name for the giant monsters). Crackpot scientist Dr. Emma Russell believes the Titans will restore environmental balance to the world and save it from humanity’s depredations. The terrorists release King Ghidorah from Antarctica. They learn that he is actually a powerful alien entity that can call out all the other monsters at once, causing the destruction to unfold far beyond what they planned. Godzilla, with some assistance from Mothra, seeks out Ghidorah. There’s also heavily melodramatic family drama.

Mini-Review: The second Godzilla film from Legendary Pictures addressed the criticism that there was hardly any monster action in the 2014 entry. To compensate, the filmmakers threw in a ton of monsters and longer battles (though much of it is partially obscured by rain, snow, and other weather factors to save work on CGI). The monster action in this film is fantastic. King Ghidorah, who had taken a severe downgrade in threat level since his iconic first appearance, is restored to a world-destroying demon. Rodan also benefits, as CGI allows him to do all sorts of mid-air stunts that would be difficult for suits and wires. What holds this film down is the overwrought family drama. Kyle Chandler as the dad is hilariously breathy and angry about everything (he’s also annoyingly written to be right about everything). Vera Farmiga as the mother is supposed to be a tragic figure, but she comes off as a genocidal lunatic who tries to garner sympathy with crying. The only human character that’s really good is Ken Watanabe as Dr. Serizawa. Aside from the eco-terrorist plot, which is handled poorly, everything else would make for a standard Toho film. It’s the Hollywood special effects which give this a special flavor.

#21: Godzilla and Mothra: Battle for Earth (1992)

Plot: A meteor strikes earth, causing a string of natural disasters. One of the resultant storms uncovers a giant egg. The Marutomo Company sends a team to collect it for their profit-laden motives. It turns out that the egg belongs to Mothra, a benevolent protector in the form of a giant butterfly, and her small twin fairies, the Cosmos, warn that Battra, an edgier and darker version of Mothra, will shortly awaken as well. As the protagonists try to save the egg from the clutches of the Marutomo Company, Godzilla also returns.

All 33 Live-Action Godzilla Films: Ranked (Part 1 of 3)

The Godzilla series from Toho Studios is one of the longest-running cinematic franchises in history. Only the James Bond series has had more consistent theatrical releases since its start (the Godzilla series boasts more live action films at 32, but there have been some rather lengthy breaks). Godzilla himself, a dinosaur mutated by nuclear radiation into a destructive fire-breathing titan, is one of the most recognizable characters in the word, as his Stegosaurus spins give him a distinctive silhouette. I was introduced to the character at the age of ten or eleven when I found a series of children’s books on movie monsters at the library. While checking out some of the movies I became hooked on Godzilla in particular and have been a fan since.

Godzilla has gone through numerous changes in his storied filmography. He started off as a serious and tragic representation of Japan’s experiences with nuclear weapons and wartime devastation, but has also been an antihero, flat-out villain, and cartoonish superhero. Brought to life by director Ishiro Honda and special effects master Ejji Tsuburaya, he helped launch the Kaiju genre. His thirty plus movies run the gamut from legitimate masterpieces to flat-out dreck. This is my attempt to rank all the live-action films (I couldn’t muster the will to rewatch the anime trilogy, which has some interesting ideas but is given over to dull pacing and overlong philosophical waxing).

I sometimes use the term Kaiju. Kaiju refers to the genre of giant monster movies. Many say the terms only applies to Japanese or Asian monster movies. I should also list the eras of Godzilla films with dates so you can understand some of the other references I make.

Showa Era (1954-1975) The Showa Era began with the first Godzilla film and spawned numerous Kaiju and sci-fi films. Its financial and creative peak was the early to mid-sixties. Going into the 70s the Japanese film industry went into a depression as TV took over. The Godzilla series fell into campy fare, just starting to get better before the franchise was put to rest.

Heisei Era (1984-1995): The Heisei Era started with Godzilla’s return in 1984. It took some time for sequels to develop and then fans got one new movie a year. The Heisei series was noted for its attempt at a solid continuity instead of the loose universe of the Showa Era. The movies took on a more serious tone even with the later introduction of fantastical elements like time travel.

Millennium Era (1999-2004): Also known as the Shinsei Era, this period began in response to Tri-Star’s blasphemous take on Godzilla. It went the opposite direction of the Heisei Era by allowing each director to retool the continuity for his own purposes. This resulted in some good new takes, but also confused moviegoers. The series was not as financially profitable as the Heisei series and was given a big finale with Godzilla: Final Wars.

Reiwa Era (2016-present): This era began with best picture winner Shin Godzilla. Despite the movie’s box office and critical success, Toho has yet to make any more live-action features, focusing on anime instead.

American: Tri-Star Pictures created the much maligned Godzilla in 1998. Legendary Pictures is currently taking a much more well-received (if still critically mixed) crack at the Big G.

With so many movies to choose from this was a very difficult task. My opinions will probably change in the future, especially in the middle rankings. Since there are 33 films, I will release the ranking in three parts of 11 films each. Our first entry is actually not in the rankings.

Off the List

Godzilla (1998)

Plot: French nuclear weapons testing in the Pacific mutates an iguana into a massive dinosaur-like beast. For some reason it chooses to cross Central America and go all the way to New York City, where it immediately causes chaos. While the US military inadvertently causes more damage in while trying to destroy the creature, a scientist who specializes in radiation and mutation discovers that it’s pregnant!

Mini-Review: Tri-Star Pictures gained the rights to make an American Godzilla movie in the 90s. Fans were excited to see a Hollywood-budgeted Godzilla film with CGI (still very new at the time), and early concepts for the film looked pretty good. Then Roland Emmerich and his producer Dean Devlin, fresh off their smash success with Independence Day, got the gig. The problem is that they did not respect or understand the character. They tried to create a more realistic animal and turned Godzilla from a nigh-indestructible god of natural destruction into a T-Rex rip-off who runs away from the military, doesn’t breathe fire, and gets killed by mere missiles. Fans were pissed, while many non-fans and critics blasted the movie for simply being dumb.

I took this film off the list because technically it’s better than several other Godzilla films, but it’s still the biggest bastardization of the character and concept. Taken as a non-Godzilla film (the spines and roar are still there), it’s actually an enjoyable dumb 90s action flick. The special effects team can’t seem to decide what Zilla’s size is, some of the main characters are weak and unlikeable, and Emmerich fails to really give the asshole characters proper comeuppances (he turned his nemeses Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, famed movie critics, into an incompetent mayor and his yes man; The real-life critics dunked on him for not actually having their characters suffer a comically horrific death). The legitimate positives are Jean Reno as a French foreign agent and David Arnold’s awesome musical score.

Saturday Morning Junk

#32: All Monsters Attack (1969)

Plot: A young lower-class and somewhat neglected boy, Ichiro, fantasizes about trips to Monster Island to escape his real life where he’s constantly tormented by bullies. In the dream world he befriends Godzilla’s son Minya. Together they watch Godzilla pummel other monsters via stock footage from previous films. Minya has his own bully, a red-haired abomination named Gabara.

Tombstone (1994)

Composed by Bruce Broughton

The year 1994, during a short-lived mini-renaissance of the western genre, saw two movies focused on legendary lawman Wyatt Earp. Kevin Costner’s three hour biography, released at the end of the year, was a box office bomb. Its rival, Tombstone, opened up half a year earlier to fair but not smashing success. It’s run on Cable TV saw it rise in popularity. It’s a tighter two hours and only focuses on Wyatt Earp’s time in and around the Arizonan mining town of Tombstone. This includes the famous Gunfight at the OK Corral and the Vendetta Ride. Wyatt Earp just wants to make money, but is drawn into violence by the actions of the Cowboys, a gang of cattle rustlers. It’s quite a good film, being largely accurate while condensing two years of events into a narrative that flows well. It’s also got a great cast. Kurt Russell plays Wyatt Earp while Sam Elliot and Bill Paxton portray his brothers Virgil and Morgan. Val Kilmer also gives a widely popular performance as Doc Holliday, Wyatt’s cool and not entirely scrupulous friend who’s literally dying of tuberculosis throughout the story. Others include the likes of Powers Boothe, Steven Lang, Terry O’Quinn, and Michael Biehn. Even Charlton Heston shows up for one brief part. The composer was Bruce Broughton, who infused a score that exhibits masculine power, but also has quite a bit of tender and light-hearted material as well.

Bruce Broughton was not new to westerns. His previous big entry for the genre was Silverado, which featured a rousing theme for a fun throwback to pre-deconstruction westerns. Tombstone is a more serious and dark film, not shying away from the blood and the brutal nature of criminal activities. While Broughton reflects this different tone with aggressive dissonance and eerie ambience, this doesn’t stop him from abandoning sweeping or heroic melodies.