Godzilla, a weapon of science, a great battle of wonder and terror! - 1h 36m - 1954
The original Godzilla is a cinematic masterpiece. Director Ishirō Honda explained "...I took the characteristics of an atomic bomb and applied them to Godzilla."
The atomic bombs had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki less than ten years prior.
Additionally, just months before the film was created, the "Lucky Dragon No. 5" tragedy occurred - US nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean poisoned a crew of Japanese fishermen.
All this culminated in a grass-roots anti-nuclear movement in Japan that garnered signatures from 1/3 of the entire country's population.
It also set the stage for the release of Godzilla.
So what do I think about the film in the 21st century? It's great! The film score is among the best. The content and pacing of the story is captivating.
You'll find yourself invested in the internal struggle of Dr. Serizawa and the fate of Tokyo. It tackles questions like:
Do scientists bear the responsibility of their discoveries?
and should you save one life when it could put others in danger?
The story starts with a mystery which transforms into a terror, and finally, hopelessness. Is there anything that can stop Godzilla, and at what cost?
Roasting Anything In Its Path! - 1h 18m - 1955
One year after releasing one of the best movies of all time, Toho released this regrettable sequel.
It doesn't really fall into the "it's so bad it's good" category because there's not much to laugh at -
It doesn't have the goofy moments that fans love about the other movies in the Shōwa era.
Instead, it commits to weak plot points (like Godzilla causing revenue loss for local business) at a crawling pace.
The climax of the movie hinges on the absurd idea that Godzilla can't walk through fire.
Another big problem with this movie is that they tried and failed to make the pilots cool.
I would have loved to see a cool fighter-pilot movie with brazen personalities, Top Gun style.
There were some cool moments with Godzilla on screen, and it introduced Anguirus, who develops into a fun sidekick later in the franchise.
Ultimately the first Godzilla sequel was just a rush to capitalize on the momentum of Godzilla 1954.
Will you win, Godzilla? Will you win, Kong? The battle of the century! - 1h 37m - 1962
If you want goofy, look no further! This movie is chock-full of memorable scenes and moments.
From the ludicrous idea that King Kong could be used as a mascot for a pharmaceuticals company, all the way down to the idea of dropping King Kong onto Godzilla from a helicopter,
this movie sticks to its guns by giving you a wild ride. You'll have a blast the whole hour and thirty-seven minutes, so crack open a red-berry juice like King Kong and enjoy Godzilla in color for the first time!
I have to mention that there's parts of this movie that definitely didn't age well. For the islanders, they legit just painted Japanese people brown and called it a day. Not cool.
If you can look past that, then you'll find a fun movie.
Nothing Like This Ever On the Screen! - 1h 29m - 1964
Mothra vs Godzilla is another great movie. Although it definitely has moments you can laugh at, the story is pretty engaging.
People say that this is the last film in the Shōwa era to depict Godzilla as an antagonist, but the real villains in the story are the humans.
First they destroyed Infant Island with nuclear tests, then they greedily used Mothra's egg as a theme-park attraction.
When literal fairies from a magic island are saying to return an egg, you listen, dorks!
Conversely, Godzilla is depicted as a force of nature than an adversary.
Mothra vs. Godzilla is heavy-handed with its themes, but in a good way! You get to see some penny-pinching, evil businessmen get it, and that's pretty fun.
The protagonists have to beg for Mothra's help, despite not being able to return the egg. Or do anything to help really. And Mothra comes through! What a legend.
It's cool that there's human-vs-human and kaiju-vs-kaiju all intertwined and interacting in one story instead of them being separate like they are in other movies.
Definitely worth a watch!
The biggest fight on Earth! Ghidorah from outer space battles Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra! - 1h 25m - 1964
This is the debut film of one of the most recognized kaiju of the series, King Ghidorah. Inspired by the Hydra and Orochi from Greek and Japanese folklore,
this iconic monster has cemented itself as a fan-favorite. Sometimes Ghidorah's heads resemble Wacky Inflatable Tube Men, but it's awesome.
They flail around chaotically, shooting lasers that tear everything up. It's kind of uncanny, which I'll say is a feature, not a bug.
How about the movie itself? It has it all!
Politically charged assassination plot? Check
The gift of prophesy? Check
Aliens? Check
Kaiju? Check
Love Story? Check (kind of?)
Ultimately, kaiju team up at Mount Fuji for a royal-rumble over earth.
Godzilla and Rodan fight the monster from outer space to save the world! - 1h 33m - 1965
Make no mistake, Invasion of Astro-Monster is a fun movie.
The story follows astronauts that investigate Planet X (on the far side of Jupiter).
The events that unfold involve global politics, spies, love, betrayal, and giant monsters!
I gotta say, the astronauts are very cool in this movie (the pilots in Godzilla Raids Again wish they could be this cool).
As much as I wish we got a new monster, they did a good job of recycling one of the best kaiju villains.
The story has some interesting twists, and it flows well. Nobody feels like a filler character, and they made all 1 hour 33 minutes count.
It feels like you're watching an OG Star Trek episode, and I dig it.
The movie was a Japanese-American co-production between Toho and UPA, and the dynamic between Akira Takarada and Nick Adams is really good.
This movie had a lower budget than some of the previous movies, with director Honda saying, "It was a vicious cycle of time and budget."
I guess budget isn't everything!
This is one lobster you don't want to order! - 1h 23m - 1966
You're telling me a shrimp fried this rice?
This is some of the best, Certified Premium Grade AA, artisan, small-batch Parmesan cheese film has to offer.
A major plot-point is that a man hitches a ride on a weather ballon that randomly drifts to the exact island he needs to get to... across the Pacific ocean.
The new Kaiju is hilariously bad, but at least you get to see him play boulder volleyball with Godzilla to the sweet tune of surf boogie.
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is a movie that knows what it is, and doubles down.
Some of the biggest criticisms of the film are that Godzilla is asleep for the majority of the movie, and Mothra is majorly hyped up only to make a few minutes of
screen time (awake that is).
That's likely explained by the fact that the script was originally written for King Kong, which would also explain why Godzilla gets powered-up by lightning.
This is also a move that makes the question "Is Godzilla the good guy?" hard to answer. It's more of an enemy-of-my-enemy situation.
Except Godzilla is also an enemy of my friend, Mothra. Kind of. Overall, this movie is a blast if you know what you're in for.
Japan's Greatest Foe Delivers an Heir! - 1h 24m - 1967
Have you ever wondered 'would Godzilla make a good parent'? If so, then this film was made for you. This story follows a team
of well-intentioned researchers trying to control the weather in an attempt to eliminate world hunger. Of course, it hints at
the familiar moral of 'the danger of new technologies'.
I think the monsters (Gimantis and Spiga) are a little underwhelming, with Spiga's only weapon being a re-hash of Mothra's web spray.
However, the puppetry for Spiga is pretty good!
The movie's real saving grace is there's some it's-so-bad-it's good factor from witnessing the class-act parenting from the King of Monsters.
Toho wanted a movie to appeal to the dating crowd by providing girls with a cute, baby monster.
They definitely failed at that by modern standards but succeeded in providing a good laugh.
I'm just going to say it - Minilla (baby Godzilla) looks like a potato, slightly mashed.
I have a soft spot for the island movies, they're simple and to-the-point. If you want to have a good time poking fun at a movie I'd recommend it.
This movie is special to me because I watched it with my brother after he told me he was going to be a dad.
I hope he does a better job than Godzilla did.
Monsters of mass destruction - 1h 28m - 1968
As you could've guessed, the strength of this movie is that it has all the monsters.
Actually, the licensing for Kong ran out shortly before filming, so Destroy Nearly-All Monsters would be more accurate.
This movie relies on the viewer having seen the other Kaiju movies and being excited about them, which if you've made it this far, is probably true!
I'd argue that's how you get the most out of all the Shōwa era movies.
The story is simple, but fun. Aliens mind-control the monsters, attack a bunch of big cities, and scheme to take over earth.
When all else fails they have the villain, King Ghidorah, to rely on!
The movie doesn't have the so-bad-it's good effect, but if you're a junkie for seeing guys fight in rubber suits like I am, this is right up your alley.
In my opinion it's worth the watch - it does what it says on the tin.
I know I'm upsetting a lot of G-fans by rating this lower than Ebirah, but I don't know what to say.
I had fun watching this movie, but I had more fun laughing at other movies.
Prehistoric Monsters Crawl Out of the Hidden Dephs of the Earth and Take Revenge Against the Living! - 1h 10m - 1969
All Monsters Attack is a unique movie, even by Godzilla standards, which is saying a lot.
You'll best enjoy this movie if you come in with the right expectations.
It's less of a Godzilla movie, and more of a child-dreaming-about-Godzilla movie.
It follows Ichiro, a lonely latchkey kid that is dealing with bullies, led by bully Gabara.
Through his dreams and imagination he is taught lessons by Minilla on Monster Island, who is also tormented by a bully (also named Gabara).
Meanwhile, in the real world, Ichiro is kidnapped and taken hostage by bank robbers. Can dream-Minilla teach him to grow a spine and inspire him to escape the robbers?
To be honest, I'm just not a huge fan of this movie. I get that it deals with issues of the day like latch-key kids and bullying, but it has a lot stacked against it.
Minilla is really annoying in how he acts. Even worse, they use an obnoxious donkey braying sound when he speaks.
Ichiro isn't very likable either - the movie ends by showing us that he is not afraid to... prank some guy painting a billboard? What a jerk.
They heavily recycle fight scenes from other movies, and none of the monster action is real (it's all a dream).
Interestingly, Director Ishirō Honda said it was one of his favorites.
Creature of Slime and Sludge Spawned by Pollution's Poison Threatens to Destroy the Earth! - 1h 25m - 1971
Godzilla vs. Hedorah has to be the most unique and polarizing Godzilla movie of the Shōwa era, maybe of all the eras.
The core story and concept are solid. Hedorah is an alien that hitched a ride to Earth on a comet.
After landing, he fed on pollution, becoming stronger and more toxic.
They stuck with that idea and had Hedorah become stronger throughout the movie, gaining abilities at each "level up".
This culminates in a dangerous battle with Godzilla at Mt Fuji.
They did a good job of making Hedorah absolutely disgusting. It makes me want to go recycle something.
So why is it so polarizing? Well, it's a really weird movie.
There are animated sections in the movie, kind of like the one part in The Holy Grail, except this isn't a bit.
It has some fatalistic themes too. With more and more people dying from Hedorah, people throw a big party at Mt. Fuji to celebrate the last day before they all die.
Godzilla basically loses to Hedorah and has to work with weaponry from the JSDF to finish him off (which is a really long and drawn-out sequence).
There are some outrageous moments at the end of the movie which could be really funny, but the vibe is all over the place.
Responses from critics and viewers were, and still are, mixed (not that I care much what the critics say).
Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka reportedly hated Godzilla vs. Hedorah, so he fired director Yoshimitsu Banno.
Apparently, Nicholas Cage said this was his favorite Godzilla movie.
Do with that what you will.
I can't really decide myself, so I've decided to celebrate it for being one-of-a-kind in a series that's already crazy.
Godzilla teams up with his friend to fight Gigan - 1h 29m - 1972
Godzilla vs. Gigan is a Scooby-Doo style adventure right up to the point where they take off the mask (surprise it actually was aliens).
There's even a "let's split up gang" moment!
The story follows a Manga artist (Gengo) hired as a concept artist for the new World Children's Land, which is a theme park that boasts a large Godzilla Tower and has a mission to promote "Absolute Peace".
Yep, not sus at all. Fortunately, Gengo's mom knows karate.
The kids of Japan love Godzilla at this point, which is crazy when you think back to the events of Godzilla 1954.
The plot is easy to follow, and the characters are lovable and goofy, and the moral of the story is said aloud.
It would make sense to call this a true children's movie, except for the river of blood that spurts out of Godzilla when he gets run over by a circular saw.
If I had one word to describe Gigan's design, it would be "Rad". He has spines, metal claws, a metal beak, and a visor that reminds me of a sick pair of pit vipers.
Did I forget to mention the giant saw on his chest? He's probably the only kaiju that can do a kick-flip.
Underground horrors attack! - 1h 18 - 1973
While many consider Godzilla vs. Megalon to be a letdown, I like it for what it is.
There's a ton of moments to laugh at.
The human plot is largely facilitated by slapping people's necks which puts them to sleep.
The Seatopians are introduced as the antagonist civilization that live underground. Subterranean nuclear tests incite them to war, and they release Megalon on Tokyo!
The Seatopians wear togas that expose a shocking amount of chest hair.
It's hilarious how impossibly powerful Jet Jaguar is, given he was just made by some guy in his living room.
The movie made an appearance on Mystery Science Theater 3000 which I still need to watch.
The MST-style viewing of cracking jokes is the way this movie should be watched for the best experience.
All that being said, I actually really like Megalon's design. He joins Gigan as the second kaiju that incorporates power tools as weapons (with his drill hands that allow him to tunnel).
He also shoots a Ghidorah-like laser from his beetle horn, which glows with a star pattern when firing.
Most impressively, he can open his mouth and shoot out an explosive ticktack like a Pez dispenser. He really does it all!
Mechanical Titan of Terror! - 1h 24m - 1974
It's impossible to give an unbiased review of this movie because Mechagodzilla is so cool.
That being said, I genuinely think it's one of the better Shōwa era movies.
I got similar vibe from this as I did from Invasion of Astro-Monster and Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, which might be due to them being like
80% the same movie. I mean how many movies so far have had aliens, kaiju, and secret agents? (Most of them).
It's nice to know what you're getting into though, and this is another entry into the Godzilla universe that follows the comfort-food formula.
While it does follow the formula, the movie also introduces two new monsters. The new "good guy" monster is King Caesar, the most agile of all the kaiju.
When he's not jumping and flipping around like a madman, he mostly just sleeps in a cave.
Yeah, actually that's all he does really, until someone stands on the beach and sings him a song.
But the real star of the show is Mechagodzilla. So, get this, he's like Godzilla, but he's a mecha (robot).
He's got a lot of weapons and can spin his head around to make a shield which is hilarious.
In my opinion, the most impressive weapons are his finger rockets. So yeah, I'd say this is worth a watch.
Metal meets monster. - 1h 19m - 1975
Mechagodzilla was so cool the aliens did a salty runback. And it went about as well as expected.
I can see why they went for it again, because this time they enlisted the help of a Japanese Steven Seagal look-alike, and a
new monster, Titanosaurus!
In my opinion, the Mechagodzilla sequel has even more personality than the original.
You have the mad scientist, Mafune, who wants to destroy humanity because his scientist friends beat him up and stole his lunch money like 40 years ago.
Then you have his daughter, Katsura, who's a cyborg.
Apparently, everyone in this movie just accepts that no one can love a cyborg because "her heart is cold". Like what?
This idea should be dispelled when the main character, Ichinose, does in fact fall in love with her.
Shocking, I know.
And you know what, Titanosaurus was the real victim in this story. He was just chilling in the ocean when a mad scientist decided to mind control him.
Then he gets thrashed by Godzilla, and when he's forced to return Interpol blasts him with a migrane ray.
Finally, when his mind control breaks he tries to flee but Godzilla runs him down and clobbers him again.
Maybe this is just the start of his own Mafune villain arc.
I won't spoil the ending, but it was such a downer and so unnecessary (in a funny way).