Ranking Every Godzilla Movie
All Godzilla movies ranked from best to worst, in the (not so) humble opinion of a lifelong fan. Includes different versions of certain films.
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- DirectorTakashi YamazakiStarsDarren BarnetNelson LeeEllPost-war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.The Godzilla movie that won an Oscar - and very deservedly so. A triumphant achievement in both storytelling and visual effects, and a new high for this long-running series.
My Score: 5/5 - DirectorIshirô HondaStarsTakashi ShimuraAkihiko HirataAkira TakaradaAfter a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.A powerful anti-nuclear allegory which just so happened to kick off the entire kaiju genre. 70 years later, it remains one of the all-time greatest.
My Score: 5/5 - DirectorShûsuke KanekoStarsChiharu NiiyamaRyûdô UzakiMasahiro KobayashiA reporter, notorious for working on pseudo-documentaries, must uncover the legend of the three guardian monsters who must rise to defend Japan from the vengeful spirits within Godzilla.The lauded director of the Heisei Gamera trilogy brings his signature style to the Godzilla mythos with darkly epic results.
My Score: 5/5 - DirectorIshirô HondaStarsAkira TakaradaYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiWhen opportunistic tycoons refuse to return Mothra's egg to Infant Island, its people must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help when Godzilla arises near Nagoya.The second best Showa film after '54, offering just about everything you could ask out of a Godzilla film.
My Score: 4.5/5 - DirectorHideaki AnnoShinji HiguchiStarsHiroki HasegawaYutaka TakenouchiSatomi IshiharaJapan is plunged into chaos upon the appearance of a giant monster.A fresh take on the Godzilla story that's as much political and cultural satire as it is a kaiju movie - and all the better for it.
My Score: 4.5/5 - DirectorKoji HashimotoStarsKeiju KobayashiKen TanakaYasuko SawaguchiThe Japanese government suppresses news of Godzilla's return as political tensions increase between the US and USSR, both of whom are willing to bomb Japan to stop the monster.The first of the Heisei series boasts some of the franchise's most impressive special effects work and beautiful music.
My Score: 4.5/5 - DirectorIshirô HondaStarsYôsuke NatsukiYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiA detective protects a princess who prophecies Earth's destruction by a powerful alien dragon, which Mothra and her fairies - aided by Godzilla and Rodan - must battle against.Perhaps the quintessential Godzilla film, featuring the first battle royale, the debut of Ghidorah, and Honda, Tsuburaya and company at the peak of their craft.
My Score: 4/5 - DirectorIshirô HondaNorman TokarStarsTadao TakashimaYû FujikiKenji SaharaThe advertising director of a pharmaceutical company seeks to boost the ratings of their sponsored TV program by capturing King Kong, who breaks loose and battles a re-emerged Godzilla.This classic clash of the titans makes the wise choice not to take itself too seriously and delivers one of the most enjoyable outings in the genre.
My Score: 4/5 - DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsKatsuhiko SasakiTomoko AiAkihiko HirataAn Interpol investigation uncovers a shunned biologist and his daughter, who are involved in an alien plot to use Mechagodzilla and Titanosaurus to defeat Godzilla and wipe out humanity.A swan song to the Showa series masterfully directed by Ishiro Honda, featuring some of the best action and drama in the whole long series.
My Score: 4/5 - DirectorYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsAkira YamanouchiToshie KimuraHiroyuki KawaseA toxic, ever-evolving alien life-form from the Dark Gaseous Nebula arrives to consume rampant pollution, threatening to destroy all life in its wake unless Godzilla is able to stop it.The strangest entry in the series, and I mean that in the best way possible. Hedorah is the best Godzilla villain, fight me.
My Score: 4/5 - DirectorMasaaki TezukaKazuki ÔmoriStarsYumiko ShakuShin TakumaKana OnoderaA new Godzilla causes the JSDF to construct a cyborg countermeasure from the original monster's remains. The beast's restless soul is discovered to inhabit the machine as the pilot must learn to find value in her own life.Featuring an instantly iconic revamp of Mechagodzilla, a fantastic climactic battle and one of the series' best protagonists, this one is a definite winner.
My Score: 4/5 - DirectorJun FukudaStarsTadao TakashimaAkira KuboBibari MaedaA reporter stumbles upon weather experiments on a tropical island, discovering giant mantises, a castaway woman, and an infant monster that Godzilla must learn to raise as a son.Folks love to hate on Minilla but this is Jun Fukuda's best Godzilla movie, by far. It's a fun, light-hearted romp set to a wonderfully diverse score by Masaru Sato.
My Score: 4/5 - DirectorIshirô HondaTerry O. MorseStarsRaymond BurrTakashi ShimuraMomoko KôchiAn American reporter visiting Tokyo becomes a witness to the city's destruction by a dinosaur-like beast awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing.Some may call it a bastardization but this re-edit of Godzilla '54 manages to be a great film in its own right, carried largely by an earnest performance from Raymond Burr.
My Score: 4/5 - DirectorKazuki ÔmoriKoji HashimotoKenjirô OhmoriStarsKunihiko MitamuraYoshiko TanakaMasanobu TakashimaDesolate by the loss of his daughter, a geneticist creates a monstrous new mutation.The case can be made that this movie is too ambitious for its own good, but that's often to its benefit. Biollante is among the most unique kaiju ever and one of the best executed onscreen.
My Score: 3.5/5 - DirectorIshirô HondaStarsNick AdamsAkira TakaradaJun TazakiAstronauts encounter the Xiliens, who ask Earth to rid their planet of "Monster Zero", but when one astronaut romances a mysterious woman, he uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.This movie could benefit from a bit more Godzilla, but it's still a lovable sci-fi classic featuring some of Tsuburaya's best effects work.
My Score: 3.5/5 - DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsAaron Taylor-JohnsonElizabeth OlsenBryan CranstonThe world is beset by the appearance of monstrous creatures, but one of them may be the only one who can save humanity.The only good American-made Godzilla movie! Far from flawless but visually epic and very entertaining.
My Score: 3.5/5 - DirectorTakao OkawaraKazuki ÔmoriStarsMasahiro TakashimaRyoko SanoMegumi OdakaThe United Nations assembles the ultimate weapon to defeat Godzilla, while scientists discover a fresh pteranodon egg on a remote Japanese island.The best of the 90s Godzilla movies, delivering on explosive action set to an excellent Ifukube score. It's very Heisei - for better and for worse.
My Score: 3.5/5 - DirectorJun FukudaStarsMasaaki DaimonKazuya AoyamaReiko TajimaAn Okinawan prophecy appears to foretell Earth's destruction at the hands of Godzilla, only for the true Godzilla to reveal his doppelganger as a mechanical alien weapon.Mechagodzilla's debut film is flawed but fun. The real star is a jazzy Sato soundtrack that's one of my personal favorites of the series.
My Score: 3/5 - DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsAkira KuboJun TazakiYukiko KobayashiIn 1999, a race of she-aliens, the Kilaaks, brainwash Earth's monsters into attacking major cities, prompting a team of astronauts to stop the invaders while the monsters battle Ghidorah.The end of the Golden Era of kaiju cinema, bringing everyone together for one big shindig. There's plenty I can pick apart but this one still brings me great joy.
My Score: 3/5 - DirectorJun FukudaStarsAkira TakaradaKumi MizunoChôtarô TôginFour men searching for one's brother are shipwrecked on Letchi Island, where they encounter Godzilla, a monstrous lobster, and terrorists who have enslaved the natives of Infant Island.Fukuda's first Godzilla movie is a refreshingly light-hearted island adventure. Nothing too special but a fun watch all the same.
My Score: 3/5 - DirectorTakao OkawaraStarsTakehiro MurataHiroshi AbeNaomi NishidaAn independent group of researchers actively track Godzilla as a giant meteor is discovered. The mysterious rock begins to levitate as its true intentions for the world and Godzilla are revealed.The first of the Millennium series is far from a masterpiece but still washed the vomit taste of GINO from our mouths... and also told a pretty good story with a great Godzilla redesign.
My Score: 3/5 - DirectorMasaaki TezukaIshirô HondaStarsMisato TanakaShôsuke TaniharaMasatô IbuJapan creates an artificial black hole device to trap Godzilla forever, but a test of the device creates new foes for Godzilla, car-sized dragonflies called meganula and their queen, Megaguirus.An innovative if somewhat messy movie that has lots of great ideas but never fully follows through. Great final battle though!
My Score: 3/5 - DirectorTakao OkawaraIshirô HondaKoji HashimotoStarsTakurô TatsumiYôko IshinoYasufumi HayashiThe aftermath of the Oxygen Destroyer brings forth Destoroyah, a beast intent on killing Godzilla, who is on the verge of a nuclear meltdown.The one where Godzilla dies!!! Beyond that tragic climax and a cool villain, it doesn't have much going for it.
My Score: 2.5/5 - DirectorKazuki ÔmoriKoji HashimotoStarsKôsuke ToyoharaAnna NakagawaMegumi OdakaTime travelers use Godzilla in their scheme to destroy Japan to prevent the country's future economic reign.The plot makes no sense and it tries too hard to ape popular American sci-fi movies of the time. But hey, Mecha King Ghidorah is cool and it's nice to hear new Ifukube compositions.
My Score: 2.5/5 - DirectorMichael DoughertyStarsKyle ChandlerVera FarmigaMillie Bobby BrownThe crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.This movie is exactly what Americans think all Godzilla movies are. It's loud, it's dumb, it's pretty enjoyable if you turn your brain off.
My Score: 2.5/5