2024 marks the 70th anniversary of the first on-screen appearance of the one and only Godzilla, and with that timing, it's worth revisiting some of the most underrated movies in his filmography. Godzilla's history is loaded with classics that G-fans universally appreciate, like Godzilla vs. Biollante, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla, and Mothra vs. Godzilla. The radioactive lizard has also seen a revival in recent years, with Legendary's Monsterverse smashing box office records and Toho's Godzilla: Minus One winning an Oscar. However, some of the best Godzilla movies have fallen out of the public consciousness and deserve more love.
Godzilla's cinematic history has historically been broken out into different "eras" that each carry their own distinct tone and aesthetic, and each era boasts movies of varying popularity. Each era has at least one or two movies that tend to rise to the top in Godzilla movie rankings, but as a result, some very solid movies go overlooked. With global cinema set to embark on a new decade of Godzilla movies and appreciation for Big G at an all-time high, let's look back at 10 of his most underrated movies that never seem to get the love that they deserve.
The latest chapter in the Monsterverse, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, borrowed several scenes from Godzilla's long-running franchise history.
10 Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
The Second Battle Between Godzilla And His Robot Doppelgänger
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is a 1993 Japanese kaiju film directed by Takao Okawara. The film features Godzilla facing off against Mechagodzilla, a robot created by the United Nations Godzilla Countermeasures Center. As the battle between the two giants unfolds, humanity finds itself caught in the crossfire. The film stars Masahiro Takashima, Ryoko Sano, and Megumi Odaka in key roles.
Director Takao Okawara , Kazuki Ômori
Release Date December 11, 1993
Runtime 105 Minutes
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II is the perfect example of a good movie being outshined by the movies that come before and after it. Many Godzilla fans consider the Heisei Era (1984-1995) to be the best section of Godzilla's Toho history, as it includes some of the most beloved films of the franchise, including The Return of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah. That caused Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II to fall short of the recognition it deserves as one of the better monster-focused stories in Godzilla's history.
All Godzilla Movie Eras - Key Details
Era
Timeline
Number of Movies
First Movie
Last Movie
Shōwa
1954–1975
15
Godzilla
Terror of Mechagodzilla
Heisei
1984–1995
7
The Return of Godzilla
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
Millennium
1999–2004
6
Godzilla 2000: Millennium
Godzilla: Final Wars
Reiwa
2016-present
5
Shin Godzilla
Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II provides a new origin for Godzilla's mechanical reflection, and features the birth of Super Mechagodzilla, which is armed with enough power and weapons to put Godzilla on the ropes once again. Rodan features prominently in the movie, and in the process of his death he supercharges Godzilla; this leads to the introduction of the spiral heat ray, which is one of Godzilla's strongest attacks, which helps him destroy Mechagodzilla. It's a very solid entry into the Heisei canon that shows proper deference to its three main monsters.
9 Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
Godzilla's First Battle Against Another Monster
Godzilla Raids Again, the second film in the Godzilla franchise, follows the terrifying clash between Godzilla and a new monstrous adversary, Anguirus. Directed by Motoyoshi Oda, the film delves into the aftermath of the original Godzilla's assault on Tokyo, highlighting the continued struggle of humanity against these colossal threats. The narrative expands the universe by showcasing the destructive potential of a multi-monster encounter.
With the spectacular success of the original Godzilla (1954), Toho hit the gas on producing a sequel, which led to Godzilla Raids Again being released just a year later. There are plenty of nits to pick with the sequel, as it's fairly evident that some of the production was rushed. However, it does introduce both the concept of Godzilla fighting another monster, which became the bedrock of Toho's Godzilla strategy, and the monster Anguirus, who has evolved into one of the most beloved monsters in Godzilla's list of friends and enemies.
8 Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
The Apex Of Showa Era Silliness
Godzilla vs. Megalon has become somewhat infamous for featuring one of Godzilla's coolest fighting moves, and its overall silliness. The incredibly anthropomorphic Godzilla teams up with the size-shifting robot Jet Jaguar, and they duke it out with a beetle monster in Megalon, who aligns with Gigan, because why not? While many G-fans look down on Megalon for its inherent absurdity, a minority hold it up as perhaps the best representation of the middle stages of the Showa Era, which saw Godzilla become more family-friendly and, well...silly. The hate has gone overboard as more serious Godzilla movies have taken the spotlight.
7 Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth (1992)
The First Appearance Of Mothra's Dark Counterpart
The direct predecessor to Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II suffered from a similar lack of attention despite some of the strongest story-telling and monster action of the Heisei Era. Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth was a smash hit upon its release in Japan, and it's still one of the top three highest-grossing Toho Godzilla entries. Like so many movies before it, the two titular monsters carry the movie, but the introduction of Battra, a dark reflection of the Queen of the Monsters created by the Earth itself, elevates this entry into the canon.
Battra was created by the Earth when an ancient civilization tried to control the Earth's climate, and his divine purpose is to rid the Earth of humanity, which is what put him at odds with Mothra 12,000 years before the events of
Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth
.
In addition to having one of the coolest monster designs in a Godzilla movie, Battra comes in two supremely badass forms, each of which is capable of going toe-to-toe with Godzilla and Mothra. The Battle For Earth has received criticism for its overly complex story, but compared to some of the other entries in the 1980s and 1990s, it's not all that complicated. It's one of the better movies in which Godzilla plays the role of the villain, and deserves more modern-day recognition.
6 Ebirah, Horror Of The Deep (1966)
A Unique Entry That Offers A Refreshing Change Of Pace
Poor Ebirah was done dirty by Toho nearly 40 years after his original appearance in Godzilla: Final Wars, as the massive lobster was killed by a handful of superhumans with laser guns as opposed to falling under the atomic breath of Godzilla. However, he has a cult following among G-fans thanks to his first appearance, which featured a far more self-contained story than the typical high-stakes battles that Godzilla engages in. It takes place around Infant Island as opposed to mainland Japan, which provides a welcome change in setting, and has plenty of fun Showa monster action.
5 Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
The Debut Of One Of Godzilla's Fan-Favorite Adversaries
Godzilla vs. Gigan, released in 1972, involves Godzilla uniting with Anguirus to defend Earth from the evil space monsters Gigan and King Ghidorah. Directed by Jun Fukuda, the film follows manga artist Gengo Kotaka, who uncovers an alien plot to conquer Earth using the extraterrestrial creatures. The film is a part of the Shōwa era of the Godzilla franchise and features special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano.
Director Jun Fukuda , Yoshimitsu Banno , Ishirô Honda , Shûe Matsubayashi
Release Date March 12, 1972
Runtime 89 Minutes
Gigan has one of the better monster designs in all of Toho's history, and as a result, he has had a lasting influence on Godzilla's greater legacy; he got a pair of awesome upgrades in Godzilla: Final Wars largely due to his popularity. His first appearance in Godzilla vs. Gigan positioned him as a very legitimate threat to Godzilla, as he manages to draw a shocking amount of blood from Big G during their battle.
The debut of one of Godzilla's most threatening and awesome enemies deserves far more recognition.
Godzilla vs. Gigan has one of the more entertaining final battles, which is set in a Godzilla-themed amusement park and features Godzilla teaming up with Anguirus. It was mainly lost in the latter stages of the Showa Era, which historically has been dominated in the public's memory by Mechagodzilla's first two appearances, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla. However, the debut of one of Godzilla's most threatening and awesome enemies deserves far more recognition.
4 Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
Familiar Monsters Meet For Top-Notch Fights
Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. had the unfortunate position of directly preceding Godzilla: Final Wars, which is recognized near-universally as one of the most fun and memorable entries in Godzilla's history. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. features the return of Kiryu, the upgraded version of Mechagodzilla that debuted in Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla. The sequel places Millennium Godzilla in a battle royale against Kiryu and Mothra in both her larval and imago forms, and while those are familiar players, the fight sequences in Tokyo S.O.S. are among the strongest in the modern Godzilla movies.
3 Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
A Stripped-Down Return To Classic Godzilla Plots
The Millennium Era hasn't aged particularly well with many Godzilla fans, with the exception of Godzilla: Final Wars and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. However, the advanced melding of special effects and tokusatsu made for some very fun visuals and fight scenes, and that's readily apparent in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus. Megaguirus isn't the strongest monster Godzilla has ever faced, but the ultra-fast flying queen insect has a terrific creature design and a simple, effective backstory.
Megaguirus is the queen insect of the Meganulon species, which was actually first featured all the way back in 1956's
Rodan
, a stand-alone Toho feature that didn't involve Godzilla.
While many of the Heisei and Millennium movies featured convoluted, over-the-top plots to bring the monsters at their center together, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus features an easy-to-follow explanation for its villain, and ignores all previous Godzilla movies except for the 1954 original. The powers and abilities of Megaguirus lead to some unique fight scenes, and ultimately yields a simple yet entertaining Godzilla movie that hearkens back to his simpler one-one-one battles of yesteryear.
2 Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
An Absurd Plot Makes For An Entertaining Entry
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) is a Japanese kaiju film featuring a battle between Godzilla and King Ghidorah. Visitors from the future warn of Earth's destruction and propose a plan to stop Godzilla's revival, leading to a dramatic confrontation between the iconic monster and the three-headed Ghidorah.
Director Kazuki Ômori
Release Date December 14, 1991
Runtime 103 Minutes
Speaking of convoluted plots, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah features a ridiculous story based heavily on nonsensical time travel science. Time travelers from the future (who aptly call themselves Futurians) journey back in time in an attempt to keep Godzilla from ever being created so that he can't destroy Japan in the distant future, but it's revealed that their real plan is to create King Ghidorah to destroy Japan in the present day so it can't evolve into an economic superpower.
The futuristic Mecha-King Ghidorah remains from
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
were narratively reverse-engineered in the next movie in the franchise,
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
, and used as the basis for the technology that gave birth to the new Mechagodzilla.
After even more absurd time travel shenanigans and twists/misdirects, the time travelers eventually return to the future and bring the cybernetic Mecha-King Ghidorah to the present day. Predictably, Godzilla handles business against the robotic version of his archnemesis. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah was largely ignored as too complicated by many G-fans, but if you turn your brain off and just roll with all the time-travel nonsense, it's a wildly entertaining entry that sees Godzilla duke it out with Mecha-King Ghidorah, which is enough to earn it more love than it gets.
1 Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002)
An Upgraded Mechagodzilla And Plethora Of Toho Callbacks
Another modern-day entry that ignores all Godzilla canon aside from the 1954 original, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla gives the robotic kaiju a more interesting backstory. The version of Mechagodzilla known as Kiryu was actually built around the bones of the original Godzilla that was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer in 1954. Kiryu is one of the best iterations of Mechagodzilla, and one of the highlights of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla is Kiryu's "driver" Akane (Yumiko Shaku).
Generally speaking, the 2002 movie is one of the higher quality movies from a story, acting, and effects standpoint. It's flown under the radar because it's often lumped in with the other, more forgettable entries in the Millennium Era, like Godzilla 2000: Millennium. In reality, it's a very strong entry in the canon that is loaded with callbacks to other classic Toho movies and memorable fight moments. It deserves to be recognized among the best of the classic Godzilla movies.
The Godzilla franchise, spanning over six decades, follows the adventures of the titular kaiju, a colossal, prehistoric sea monster awakened and empowered by nuclear radiation. Originating in Japan, Godzilla has evolved from a destructive force of nature to a protector of humanity, battling various other giant monsters, including iconic foes like King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Mechagodzilla. The series explores themes of environmental destruction, nuclear anxiety, and human resilience. With numerous films, TV series, and an expanding universe, Godzilla remains a cultural icon, captivating audiences worldwide with its epic battles and compelling narratives.
Created by Tomoyuki Tanaka , Akira Watanabe
First Episode Air Date November 17, 2023
Cast Akira Takarada , Momoko Kôchi , Akihiko Hirata , Takashi Shimura , Anna Sawai , Kiersey Clemons , Ren Watabe , Kurt Russell , Wyatt Russell
Video Game(s) Godzilla , Super Godzilla , Godzilla (1990) , Godzilla: Unleashed , Godzilla: Monster War , Godzilla: Battle Legends , Godzilla: Save The Earth , Godzilla: Monster of Monsters! , Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee
English (US) ·