Godzilla Movie Guide

This page was originally written long before there were sources of information such as Wikipedia and Wikizilla.

Quick Glossary

There are several problems if you are interested in Godzilla.

The first is that any websearch will mainly turn up hits for the Hollywood movie.

Second is that many Godzilla movies have very similar titles. Some have several alternate names. Reading the plot synopsis often doesn't help much since about half of them seem to be about UFO-aliens controlling monsters.

The real problem is even more bizarre. Despite world-wide interest in the films and 2004 being the 50^th anniversary of the first film many of the titles are out of print or only available in VHS.

Some titles have never been made available while some were but have now been withdrawn.

While copies of the 1956 “Godzilla, King of the Monsters” can be easily found finding a copy of the 1954 original, “Godzilla”, proves to be nearly impossible. The 1956 movie is the American release of the 1954. As well as being dubbed in English it also has extra scenes with Raymond Burr playing an American journalist called “Steve Martin”. Despite these extra scenes this version of the movie is actually shorter. Some of the cut material apparently includes important plot points so the Japanese version actually makes more sense.

For a long time the 1954 movie and the 1955 sequel “Godzilla Raids Again” were not available on DVD. I managed to find copies on CD-R. Don't ask me where, the guy who sells them gets hassled by Toho. This begs the question, “If there is so obviously a market, why don't Toho make a legal version available?”

Update Jan 2005. I've found a “50th Anniversary” DVD with both Godzilla 1954 and 1956 on it being offered for sale. The story, however, becomes increasingly bizarre. When I enquire about this I'm told this is not yet in stock. Toho have apparently released the anniversary DVD with minimal publicity and a year late !??

The Anniversary Edition was finally released in 2005 and I'm pleased to report that some of the hard/impossible to get other titles are beginning to appear on DVD.

As I've said, titles of the movies can be confusing. To reduce confusion I'll also refer to titles by [number]. With the exception of Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956) none of the movies are remakes. Godzilla 1985 and Godzilla 2000 are both different movies to each other and to Godzilla 1954/56. Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 1974, Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 1993 and Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla 2002 have quite different plots, etc.

There are claims that “Godzilla: Final Wars” [28] is a remake of “Destroy All Monsters” [9], or at least very similar in plot.

Movies are divided into three series: Showa, Heisei and Shinsei. Heisei series begins with Godzilla 1985 and is a direct sequel to the 1954/6 movie –i.e. it acts like all of the events of the other Showa-series movies never occurred. The original Godzilla died in '54 and this is the first appearance of a second Godzilla. Godzilla 2000 does the same in ignoring the events of the previous series other than the first movie.

In the Shinsei-series King Ghidorah isn't from outer space, and is a spirit-guardian of Japan!

This page is not intended as an in-depth review of the Godzilla movies but as a quick guide to help identify particular movies.

Showa Series

The first of the movies and a classic of cinematography by any criteria. Stirring music, a dark, brooding atmosphere and some acceptable performances from the human actors. The battles and city stomping scenes actually look a lot more realistic than some of the later colour movies. Even if you are not into Godzilla (and have read this far!) this is a must for any good DVD collection. Finding it, however, was a problem. Toho –what were you thinking?

They thought they'd gotten rid of Godzilla but it turns out there is another one. Not only that but another monster called Angillas turns up too. Angillas and Godzilla are enemies in this movie. In later movies they are buddies.

This movie retains all the atmosphere of the previous one and is a very worthy sequel.

In one battle the monsters stomp historic Osaka castle and this must have been quite a memorable, moving and possibly disturbing scene for Japanese audiences.

I do find the bit where the pilot does the kamikaze act rather unconvincing and cliched. Whenever a Japanese screen writer seems to be stuck for an idea the solution seems to be to have someone kill themselves! This is the only fault I can find with this movie, however. In some respects I prefer this to the first. It has more action and a less gloomy ending.

This movie was released as “Gigantis the Fire Monster” in the US, apparently because the distributors didn't secure rights to use the Godzilla name. Near impossible to find on DVD.

This is the same movie as [1], dubbed in English and with the Raymond Burr scenes. This pretty much launched the career of Mr Burr.

Despite the extra scenes this is a shorter movie and some of the absence of some of the scenes cut from the original may make understanding the main characters' motives difficult.

Confession –I got this version on the same disc as [3], but have yet to watch it to see how it compares to [1]. I did start watching this but became too distracted by how the Burr scenes had been slotted into the earlier footage. It's a bit like watching “Dead men don't wear Plaid” (with the other Steve Martin, oddly enough). The back of the head Burr is talking to is not the same actress as in the other shots etc.

Unlike the original, this is widely available on DVD.

First of the colour G-movies. Also the first G-movie I ever saw.

This one is a little more light-hearted than the previous movies but Godzilla is still the bad guy.

There is a myth that there are two versions of the ending of this movie. Godzilla wins in the Japanese version and King Kong in the American release.

The whole plot of the movie is about Godzilla trying to destroy Japan and Japan using King Kong to stop him, so Kong loosing would be a bit of an own goal!

It's also claimed the fight is a draw. On my DVD Godzilla disappears under the sea and Kong swims for home, so one for Kong.

Japanese audiences liked Kong so he went on to star in his own series of Japanese movies.

This is the first appearance in a Godzilla movie of Mothra. There seems to be more depth to Mothra than other Kanji. What is the deal with the island and the twin fairies? Mothra has her own series of movies and some of this is explained in the first.

Mothra's egg washes up in Japan. She wants it back but it has become a tourist attraction. Then Godzilla turns up and only Mothra can save Japan, but will she want to, given how greedy humans have treated her egg and island?

First appearance of King Ghidorah a.k.a. Ghidra, and various other variations of spelling.

Ghidorah was to become the most frequent foe of Godzilla. Space aliens are involved in this one but are actually trying to warn humanity for a change and Ghidorah is acting on his own. Mothra and the fairies turn up and this is also the first appearance in a Godzilla film of Rodan. We also learn that monsters can talk to each other.

A space mission makes contact with an alien civilization who are being attacked by Ghidorah, who they call “Monster Zero”. Can they borrow Godzilla and Rodan to fight him?

But it's really a plot to use the monsters to conquer the Earth.

First saw this under the title “Ebirah, Terror of the Deep”, so Godzilla turning up was a surprise. This is one of my favorite Godzilla movies. Ideal for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Ebirah is a giant lobster thing, although the name apparently means “Shrimp”. This has some great comedy moments such as Godzilla taunting Ebirah with the claw he just ripped off or Godzilla attacked by “Red Bamboo” aircraft and set to hip music so it looks like he is dancing.

This one is also set on a south sea island and turned out to be a much more enjoyable movie than I expected.

A group of scientists is experimenting with weather control and dodging the giant mantises that live there. The mantises find a giant egg that hatches into a baby Godzilla, “Minilla”. Soon the bigger version arrives, summoned by the baby's calls.

Whether Godzilla is really Minilla's parent is never answered.

Set in the future, all the world's monsters have been imprisoned on an island where they can do no harm. This is just too much temptation for a bunch of aliens who want to use the monsters to conquer the Earth.

The Aliens in this movie turn into rocks if the become too cold.

Nothing like as good as the title suggests. Little boy learns to stand up to bullies. Godzilla fight footage mainly from other movies.

It is impossible to pick a best Godzilla movie but this one is without doubt the worst.

Godzilla (created from mankind's nuclear weapons) fights a poisonous monster created from mankind's pollution.

Aliens try to take over the world by controlling monsters – in this case Ghidorah and Gigan. In this one the aliens are cockroaches (attracted by all the rubbish and pollution in the previous movie perhaps?).

Godzilla and Angillas talk to each other in English though you may find it hard to follow their accents.

Seatopia, an ancient undersea civilization gets miffed about undersea nuclear testing so send a very big insect.

Big G fights alongside a giant Power Ranger-type robot. Gigan turns up to even the odds, sent by the Seatopian's allies, the Black Hole aliens. These guys are only mentioned in this movie but turn up in the next two movies as the guys behind Mechagodzilla. The big fight looks a lot like a wrestling tag-match.

Said to be one of the weirdest and funniest of movies, I wasn't that impressed. Pretty obviously a movie of the hippy psychedelic early-seventies.

Aliens are trying to take over the world, this time using a robot Godzilla. This movie is actually superior to some of its ilk. Plot revolves around trying to awake an ancient guardian spirit called Kingseesar and finishes in a really nice battle.

The aliens from the previous movie give it another go. This one is a bit run of the mill and not as good as [14].

A classic moment of any Godzilla movie is when a monster trashes the air force. This one is really disappointing. The planes are Phantoms and they move way too slowly.

Heisei Series

The movies of the Heisei assume that the events of [2-15] have never occurred. This is a direct sequel to the 1954/1956 movies. I say the 1956, since Raymond Burr is in the English version, repeating his role as “Steve Martin”, a witness to the original Godzilla attack on Japan.

My copy is the Japanese language version and Raymond Burr is not in it. The title has the date 1984 rather than 1985.

A direct follow on from the previous movie. A Scientist tries to blend Godzilla's cells with those of a rose to create more hardy plants that can grow in the desert. Instead a monster is created which he believes contains the spirit of his dead daughter.

Ghidorah has appeared in several movies so far but this is the first to give him billing against Big G.

This one involves time-travellers who are trying to conquer the Earth by controlling monsters.

Everyone laughs at a soldier because he claims he saw a dinosaur during the war but as the movie progresses you realise that the existence of Godzilla is public knowledge. This does make you wonder why everyone finds the Soldier's claims so unbelievable and mock him.

Not only do you get Ghidorah in this movie but MechaGhidorah too!

It's hard to believe this movie was made as late as 1991 since the special effects on the Android running are particularly poor. Despite that it is still a fun movie and well worth the watch.

Original Japanese title was “Godzilla vs Mothra” –this has been changed in later releases to avoid confusion with [4]. Involves “Battra”, a sort of bad-boy (bad-girl?) Mothra.

Sometimes offered as “Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II” to avoid confusion with [14].

An egg is found on a remote island, which hatches into a baby Godzillasaurus, the type of dinosaur the big G is believed to have mutated from.

In this movie Mechagodzilla is built by Japan's Anti-Godzilla task force based on the 23<^rd century technology salvaged from Mechaghidorah in [18].

A space monster (other than Ghidorah for a change) fancies attacking Earth. This one is formed from Godzilla cells that got into space in movie [19] or [20], passed through a black hole and evolved into a semi-crystalline monster (hate it when that happens!).

Humans try to use the Mogera battle machine to fight the monster.

An ancient life-form is reawoken and fights Godzilla for the right to stomp Japan.

This was supposed to be the final Godzilla movie with the big guy being destroyed by an animal form of the “Oxygen Destroyer”. However, baby Godzillasaurus has been mutated and there is a hint that the cycle will start once again.

Hollywood Series (TriStar)

Amazing that Hollywood has only made one G film and waited so long!

Many G-fans don't like this film but it did stir up fresh interest in the big guy and without that we may not have had the Shinsei films made.

Good bit of advice I was given was that as long as you don't think of this as a Godzilla movie it is not a bad monster movie. The script is not without wit and originality and Jean Reno and Matthew Broderick give good performances.

Many fans refer to the movie and the monster as GINO (Godzilla In Name Only).

In this movie the monster is a state of the art computer animation, Hollywood failing to appreciate that part of the charm of a Godzilla movie is that it IS a man in a rubber suit. They also made the monster look too much like something from Jurassic Park. Godzilla is a mutant so would not look too much like any known dinosaur. He is also 200 foot tall and weighs around 20,000 tons, and these features alone would change his proportions if he was just a bigger dinosaur. He'd have great big thick legs, just like the real Godzilla.

Little known piece of trivia: although attacks by monsters on cities such as New York are mentioned in some movies such as Monster Zero the real Godzilla has never attacked any American city. He seems to prefer Japan, although has appeared in Hong Kong. Rumour has it that Sidney will be on the menu in the next movie [28].

Shinsei Series

Like the 1985 movie the new series assumes that all the previous events did not happen other than the original movie. Also, all of the movies in this series are supposed to be “stand-alones” so do not necessarily relate to the other movies in this series.

The plan with the Shinsei is to reinstate Godzilla as a bad-ass and get away from the “kiddies friend” aspect. Changes included a new monster suit and Toho have struck the right balance. It is still recognizable as Godzilla, but a really pissed-off Godzilla with nastier spines and teeth.

The intention of the Japanese makers was to return to the darker flavour of the early movies but Tri-star the American distributor decided they wanted a movie that was more camp and jokey. For this reason the dialogue in the American version is apparently often different to the original Japanese. For this reason I've ordered the Hong Kong release.

A submarine finds an ancient meteor beneath the sea and reactivates it with its searchlights. The object flies about, blows up some helicopters, trashes a building and takes great interest in Godzilla, wishing to use his regenerative powers to regain its organic form and refurbish the Earth to its liking.

A great moment is when the lighthouse-keeper sees the ship passing by his window while he is at the top of the tower.

A black hole firing weapon is created to destroy Godzilla. A test firing causes a dimensional rift though which a giant prehistoric dragonfly visits.

Part of the plot does involve a cute little kid, but fear not, he disappears when he is no longer relevant to the plot.

This has some very nice scenes such as the massed Meganura on the side of the building (which will probably remind you of countless camping trips). The final battle is good although Megaguirus' flying is not even remotely convincing.

This was the first of the Shinsei series that I saw. Quite simply, wow!

Production is very slick, and the new Godzilla suit looks very menacing. Some of the early scenes before the monsters appear have an atmosphere that reminds you of “Ring” or “The Blair Witch Project”.

Mothra has nothing to do with South Sea islands and King Ghidora finally gets to play the hero as an ancestral defender of Japan, which is quite a turn around! This change in character for Mothra and Ghidorah was a little too drastic for me and is my only criticism of this film.

There is a nice little dig at the Hollywood movie near the start. One character says something like:

Sometimes called “vs”, so there is room for confusion with the other two movies of similar title.

Japan builds Kiryu, a cyborg Mechagodzilla using the DNA of the original killed in 1954. This is probably my favourite of the Shinsei so far, with a great battle scene and “Thunderbirds”-type aircraft. The main female character does seem a lot like the girl in [24], however.

This movie is a direct sequel to [26], the first of the Shinsei movies to be directly related to another. There are also references to Mothra attacking Tokyo 43 years before, which refers to the events of the original 1961 Mothra movie.

This movie is set nearly a year after the events of [26]. In this movie we learn Kiryu was built around the bones of the dead Godzilla, not just its DNA. (Nit-pickers will point out that the bones appear to dissolve at the end of [1] so it is unlikely that there would even be DNA.)

The two fairies turn up and declare that the bones of the original Godzilla must be returned to the sea. If not Mothra will do something Japan will regret. In this movie Mothra reverts to her traditional role as protector of Infant island and the ecosystem.

While Mothra's demands are considered, the living Godzilla returns. Kiryu is not fully repaired. Does Japan use it and possibly have to face both Godzilla and Mothra or will Mothra help against Godzilla?

Be warned that some of the Special Editions offered do not have English sub-titles.

The crew of the Gotengo battle the Xiliens (back from [6]) and the monsters they control. This is a really fun, action-packed movie. Godzilla makes easy work of a GINO-look-alike. The fate of Sidney Opera House always makes me chuckle.

Toho claim this will be the final ever Godzilla film, but we have heard that before and if Godzilla has proved one thing, it is that he/she is very difficult to kill!

Reiwa Era (2016-present)

The success of Legendary's Godzilla movie prompted a new series of Japanese-made Godzilla movies.

Shin Godzilla sees Godzilla revert to his original role as Tokyo-stomper.

The first of a trilogy of animated films.

An exiled humanity tries to recolonize Earth in the far future.

Sequel to Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters.

The returning colonists attempt to defeat Godzilla using a Mechagodzilla.

Final part of the animated trilogy.

Ghidorah is summoned to defeat Godzilla.

Suppose 1954 was not the first appearance of Big G?

A black and white version, “Minus One/Minus Color” has also been released.

Monsterverse/Legendary Pictures (2014-present)

The first of Legendary Picture's “Monsterverse” series. This time Hollywood gets it right!

Godzilla visits America. The optimism award goes to the SWAT team that shoot at Godzilla with 9mm SMGs from hundreds of metres away.

King Ghidorah challenges Godzilla for dominion over the Earth. This movie has a giant flying machine reminiscent of the Super X aircraft in the Heisei movies.

I loved the moment they slipped the Godzilla fanfare in!

A sequel to Kong: Skull Island (2017) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).

Kong bows to no one, but Big G tolerates no monkey business!

The Apex Corporation takes Kong to the Hollow Earth.

All is not well down in Hollow Earth. On the surface, Godzilla seems out of sorts too.

If you websearch for Godzilla DVDs this often turns up. Some descriptions give the impression that this a compilation of Godzilla fights: it isn't, but it is a rather well researched documentary of monster movies, including such rare footage as Douglas Fairbanks.

It's worth having for some of the rare additional stuff such as “The Lost World” narrated by Arthur Conan Doyle himself, the “Godzilla rap” and the legendary “Godzilla vs Bambi.”

It's a rare Godzilla movie that has the big guy as the only monster. Often one gets the impression that the other monsters are more than just “Spear carriers” and have stories of their own. There may be a wealth of monster movies that we will never see in the West.

Rodan is a common character in Godzilla movies and the movie of the same name is not that hard to find.

This movie is about a giant supersonic pteranodon- to tell you any more would be to spoil it. Worth the watch.
Note: I've encountered copies of this movie under the title “Godzilla vs Rodan”. Godzilla has fought against and alongside Rodan in several movies but he is not in this movie.

If there is any one character in the Godzilla movies that hints of a more detailed background, it has to be Mothra.

These two Mothra movies both post-date “Godzilla vs Mothra” [G-movie No.4] by a considerable margin. These are both childrens' films. The second is the more watchable, though the first is by no means bad. And you get to find out the names of the fairies.

This 1961 movie is to the best of my knowledge the first appearance of Mothra.

On an island used for a nuclear test scientists are surprised to find the natives alive and well. They also encounter the Fairies.

A greedy explorer kidnaps the Fairies and puts them on the stage. The unhappy Faeries summon another of the Island's secrets, its guardian, Mothra, who heads for Tokyo.

The News Editor in this film is Takashi Shimura who also appeared in a different role in the first Godzilla film and is best known in the west from the movie Seven Samurai.

The success of Godzilla caused other film companies to become interested in monster movies. Gamera is possibly the best known of these alternates in the west, partially because Daiei, the studio that created Gamera was later taken over by Toho.

There were seven original movies between 1965-1971 and many of these Gamera movies are very juvenile orientated, so I have no interest in them even if they were easily available. In the 90's Daiei, now a subsidiary of Toho, decided to relaunch Gamera using some of improved special effects used in the new Godzilla movies.

Below are accounts of those I have:

The first in the series, this has several inventive ideas such as the link between Gamera and the flying saucer or why Gamera attacks oil refineries. Because you get to understand Gamera's motivations this makes him less menacing than Godzilla.

This movie does have an irritating little boy who sadly does not get eaten or even the clip round the ear he so richly deserves.

Not to be confused with the G-films of similar title. There is also a different Gamera film called “Attack of the Monsters”. This is an immediate sequel to Gamera the Invincible and the first of the series in colour.

Greedy explorers unleash a terrible monster so it's “come back Gamera, all is forgiven”.

The native girl in this looks a lot like the native girl in Son of Godzilla, but as far as I can work out from the credits it isn't her.

This is the first of the new Gamera movies and sees him in combat with Gyaos, a civilization destroying bird monster. Gyaos was a monster in at least one of the earlier Gamera movies.

Gamera fights an invasion by an insectoid swarm life-form from outer space. A more original movie than it sounds.

Plot of this one is rather involved but basically a girl whose family were killed during the battle between Gamera and Gyaos blames Gamera and finds her own monster.

My copy of the DVD includes a spoof commentary by the giant turtle and tentacled monster that play the title roles.