It might come as a shock to some just how many Godzilla movies there are. The series officially began in 1954 with the somber and genuinely frightening original film, with dozens of sequels following in the subsequent decades. Various movies do belong to various continuities, and especially in recent years, there’s been an increase in Godzilla movies made in the U.S. With close to 40 films at this stage, it’s natural that some are a little under the radar – or underappreciated – compared to others.
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
The series is only getting bigger, what with 2023/2024 releases like the Japanese Godzilla Minus One, the Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. As such, now is as good a time as any to highlight some lesser-known Godzilla movies deserving of more love, at least before they disappear further beneath the ever-growing pile of kaiju media. These are some of the best that tend to get overlooked, starting with the good and ending with the surprisingly great.
10 ‘Terror of Mechagodzilla’ (1975)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
Image via Toho
A more than solid sequel to the slightly more celebrated Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), Terror of Mechagodzilla unsurprisingly gets both Godzilla and his robotic counterpart in the ring for a rematch just one year after their first encounter. It’s notable for being the final film of Godzilla’s original run, known as the Showa Era (1954-1975), and also for being the very last feature film ever directed by Ishirō Honda, who’s well-known for directing numerous early Godzilla movies, including the 1954 original.
Beyond Godzilla and the titular Mechagodzilla, a third monster known as Titanosaurus joins forces with the latter, ensuring the film ends with a battle featuring Godzilla trying to take down both foes. It does much of what Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla did, but not quite as well, ultimately showing that the series taking a nine-year-break following Terror of Mechagodzilla might’ve been for the best… though it admittedly does deliver some fun and schlocky sci-fi action for fans of this series.
Watch on Max
9 ‘Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters’ (2017)
Directed by Kobun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita
Image via Toho
In the late 2010s, there were three Godzilla anime movies released on Netflix, starting with 2017’s Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters. The other two entries aren’t really worth watching, even for fans of the series, but this one does have some things to offer people in need of a Godzilla fix. It helps that the premise set up here is pretty cool, taking place 20,000 years in the future, with humanity returning to a desolate Earth that’s been taken over by a gigantic version of Godzilla, hoping to reclaim it.
Even though it’s decent, no one would call Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters an all-time great anime movie or anything, but it’s serviceable and at least partly lives up to the premise. Still, perhaps some of the appreciation is linked to the hope that films #2 and #3 – called Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle and Godzilla: The Planet Eater respectively – will continue to build things up in a satisfying way… and regrettably, they really don’t.
Watch on Netflix
8 ‘Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah’ (1991)
Directed by Kazuki Ōmori
Image via Toho
Of all the various Godzilla movies, there’s an argument to be made that Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is one of the absolute most strange and out-there, but that’s also what makes it so endearing and memorable. In essence, it’s a Godzilla movie where time travel plays a large role in the story. It’s about aliens visiting Earth and telling humanity that the world’s problems can be erased if they go back in time to prevent the creation of Godzilla.
This does end up happening, and of course, there are unforeseen consequences, because it wouldn’t really be a time travel movie if the whole traveling through time thing went smoothly. While the human storylines in Godzilla movies can sometimes get a bit dull, the human vs. alien conflict in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah is campy and entertaining in all the right ways, and the monster action – when it hits – is suitably explosive and silly. It’s a good time all around, that’s for sure.
7 ‘Godzilla 2000: Millennium’ (1999)
Directed by Takao Okawara
Image via Toho
After a miserable and largely terrible 1998 Godzilla movie made in Hollywood (one that missed the mark in every possible way), it fell on Toho Pictures in Japan to redeem the monster and the series that carries his name. As such, Godzilla 2000: Millennium (sometimes just called Godzilla 2000) came about, and ended up being the first Godzilla movie in what became known as the Millennium Era.
This era of Godzilla movies can prove divisive, and Godzilla 2000: Millennium certainly isn’t one of the best that said era has to offer. Still, it’s miles better than 1998’s Godzilla, and does work to modernize Godzilla by bringing him (almost) into the new century. The fate of the world hangs in the balance of a showdown between the titular monster and a new foe called Orga; a strange alien creature who does have a fairly cool design. It’s a no-nonsense Godzilla movie that isn’t exceptional, but ends up more than delivering the goods.
Watch on Hulu
6 ‘Godzilla vs. Gigan’ (1972)
Directed by Jun Fukuda
Image via Toho
The Godzilla movies that came out toward the end of the Showa Era have a certain goofy charm to them that does sometimes mean they won’t be for everyone. The budgets were being reduced as this era came to a close, and the series was also, for better or worse, chasing younger audiences more often than it used to. As such, you get movies like Godzilla vs. Gigan, which fans of the series might well find themselves fond of, even if critically speaking, something like this one’s not technically great.
Godzilla vs. Gigan is known as the one where Godzilla and Anguirus speak to each other using speech bubbles, which is the kind of thing you’re either going to love or find very stupid. The pair of monsters work together to take down Gigan, a strange cyborg/monster combination that also appeared in 1973’s infamous (yet kind of gloriously stupid) Godzilla vs. Megalon. The movie’s low-budget and a bit all over the place, but its highs are very enjoyable, and at just 89 minutes, it doesn’t waste too much time, either.
Watch on Max
5 ‘Godzilla vs. Megaguirus’ (2000)
Directed by Masaaki Tezuka
Image via Toho
After the release of the decent (but potentially underwhelming to some) Godzilla 2000: Millennium in 1999, the Millennium era continued the following year with the even more divisive Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. This one probably wouldn’t qualify as anyone’s favorite Godzilla movie, but at the same time, it is more than a little over-hated. It sees humanity taking drastic steps to combat Godzilla, which inadvertently ends up unleashing a beast known as Megaguirus that could be even more dangerous.
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus is filled with CGI effects that look incredibly dated, which could well be a significant obstacle for some when it comes to trying to enjoy the film. But Godzilla’s enemy here is a novel one, as Megaguirus is a giant bug also aided by swarms of smaller bugs, and the movie has a fairly constant stream of action and dumb spectacle. It doesn’t represent the series at its best by any means, but in no way is it deserving of being skipped over or written off entirely.
Rent on Apple TV
4 ‘Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.’ (2003)
Directed by Masaaki Tezuka
Image via Toho
Released between one not-very-good American Godzilla movie and one reasonably good one (from 2014), Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. was the second-last Godzilla film of the Millennium Era. It also serves as a sequel to 2002’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, which was a 21st-century take on that iconic robotic foe. While Tokyo S.O.S. might be worse by a fraction, it picks up right where that other film left off, making both essential viewing to get the whole story.
It helps, of course, that both movies are a good deal of fun, with Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. also bringing the iconic Mothra into the fold. Like with Terror of Mechagodzilla, this 2003 movie gives Godzilla and Mechagodzilla an entertaining and destruction-filled rematch, and the film is overall so fast-paced that a good deal of flaws are relatively easy to miss or at least willingness dismiss. It’ll prove fun for those who don’t mind these kinds of modern Godzilla movies that incorporate some CGI special effects.
Rent on Apple TV
3 ‘The Return of Godzilla’ (1984)
Directed by Koji Hashimoto
Image via Toho
The Return of Godzilla kicked off the Heisei Era of Godzilla movies, and was released nine years after the Showa Era ended with Terror of Mechagodzilla. It aims to bring back the darker tone found in the 1954 original, and is largely successful in that regard, making Godzilla an unstoppable force of nature who seems more willing to cause destruction than save humanity, which is what the iteration of Godzilla toward the end of the Showa Era often seemed to want to do.
Cold War paranoia also plays a part in The Return of Godzilla, with the stakes feeling appropriately apocalyptic and a resurrected Godzilla being even more terrifying than before. It was given a solid American-produced re-edit/English dub in 1985 called – fittingly – Godzilla 1985, but Godzilla purists should stick to the version known as The Return of Godzilla, which succeeds in being one of the series’ most intense and horror-heavy.
2 ‘Godzilla vs. Hedorah’ (1971)
Directed by Yoshimitsu Banno
Image via Toho
Perhaps like The Return of Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Hedorah is also a Godzilla movie that feels like it combines science fiction with horror, but it’s a different, weirder kind of horror on offer in this 1971 film. Godzilla having to fight a giant alien creature might not sound like anything too novel by series’ standards, but the titular Hedorah is certainly a unique foe for Godzilla, given it resembles a mass of toxic sludge that’s a stand-in for the damage that comes from environmental destruction and pollution.
Beyond the main premise and primary monster showdown, Godzilla vs. Hedorah is also odd because of how psychedelic it gets, how much it emphasizes music, the fact it incorporates some animation, and for having one scene where Godzilla flies. It’s a bizarre and borderline trippy movie at times, but this also might be a factor as to why it’s a cult classic, and sometimes held up as a fan-favorite Godzilla movie (or at least one of the series’ most underrated).
Watch on Max
1 ‘Godzilla vs. Biollante’ (1989)
Directed by Kazuki Ōmori
Image via Toho
Speaking of beloved fan-favorite Godzilla movies that aren’t particularly well-known outside the core fandom: Godzilla vs. Biollante. This was the second movie of the Heisei Era, and some would argue the best, thanks to it featuring a seamless blend of horror, action, science fiction, and thrills. It’s also a Godzilla movie where the human storyline – centering on themes of grief and losing a loved one – is unexpectedly emotional, and also tied directly to the monster plot.
Biollante is one of the best and most distinctive foes in any Godzilla movie, being created out of human DNA, plant cells, and some cells from Godzilla himself. The special effects used to bring Biollante to life look incredible, and the film’s narrative – while not perfectly told – hits harder than most Godzilla plotlines. It’s up there as one of the series’ best, and certainly the one that feels the most overlooked (again, outside core Godzilla fans, who tend to really love this one).
NEXT: The Best Giant Monster Movies That Don’t Feature Godzilla or King Kong