Savior of Destruction: Thoughts on the GODZILLA Franchise
Giallo Julian
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After the Tremors Retrospective, I thought I’d be done with lengthy articles for a while. I failed to consider that when it comes to ranting about things I like, the off button tends to get stuck. Oh well! For as long as I can remember, the King of the Monsters has been a part of my life. From kindergarten all the way to college, I would seclude myself in my room on Friday nights to watch several Godzilla flicks in a row… oh yeah, I partied hard.
These are the movies that introduced me to monsters, horror, science fiction, heroes, and villains. Godzilla isn’t just a man in a rubber monster suit: he’s a deeply loved character that has been a mainstay my entire life, and I wouldn’t be anywhere close to the person I am today without him… okay, I’m done with the mushy stuff. We’re here to talk about giant monsters, not my giant feelings.
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In case you didn’t know, this franchise has spanned over 30 films, separated into four eras: Showa, Heisei, Millennium, and Reiwa. That’s not including the American flicks; Toho (the company that owns Godzilla) prefers to consider them as their own thing (known as the MonsterVerse). After the travesty of the 1998 American attempt, I understand their caution.
Now, I need no solicitation to go into a deep dive about every single Godzilla (Goji) flick … but I value y’all’s time, so I’m going to keep it simple. I’ve picked my favorite film from each era, and will talk a bit about why I like them. A lot more manageable, and I don’t need nearly as much coffee… not that I’m going to drink any less, just that I don’t need it. With that said, let’s stomp our way to the first entry on the list!
1. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
(Showa Era; Directed by Jun Fukuda; Starring Masaaki Daimon, Kazuya Aoyama, Reiko Tajima; 1974)
“Ape-like aliens build a robotic Godzilla to destroy Japan, and the true Godzilla may not be powerful enough to destroy it.” – via IMDB.
I’ll admit, it feels a little sacrilegious not to put 1954’s Gojira here… but I feel that’s a given. Of course that’s numero uno on most people’s lists, and I want to put attention on another important flick Americans like me associate with Showa Goji: Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. The first appearance of the Metallic Menace that’ll continue to duke it out with our Atomic King for many tales to come!
This movie has everything you would ever want out of a kaiju flick: titanic battles between gigantic beasts, aliens planning to take over the world, miniature cities being destroyed by explosions, the whole shebang!
Mechagodzilla is one of the most powerful monsters Goji has ever faced, armed to the teeth with lasers, missiles, jet packs, force fields, you name it. Big G must team up with another monster (King Caesar) to stand a chance against the metal monstrosity, and they still get their ass kicked for most of the fight. Mecha-G even makes Goji bleed at one point… profusely!
Plus, Mecha-Goji’s theme song slaps.
Great monster fights, a killer soundtrack, and a human plot that isn’t all terrible make up for an exciting kaiju romp that I highly recommend to anyone interested in the franchise.
You can watch it digitally on HBO Max. Physical copies are hard to come by unless you buy the Showa Godzilla Criterion Collection, which (if you ask me) is worth it.
2. Godzilla vs. Biollante
(Heisei Era; Directed by Kazuki Ohmori; Starring Kunihiko Mitamura, Yoshiko Tanaka, Masanobu Takashima; 1989)
“Desolate by the loss of his daughter, a geneticist creates a monstrous new mutation.” – via IMDB.
When it came to the Heisei Era, the tone shifted back to a darker nature… at first. While they eventually added some lightheartedness back in, the first two entries embraced the dour atmosphere of the original film, attempting to bring Goji back to his more serious roots. Sure, 1984’s The Return of Godzilla was pretty successful at doing so, but I feel it was 1989’s Godzilla vs. Biollante that really hit what they were aiming for.
This is Godzilla by way of horrific mad science, expressing the dangers of not only the misuse of nuclear power, but of genetic tampering as well. Seriously, some scenes feel right out of an 80’s creature feature, especially the part where several gunmen fight gooey, green, toothy tentacles.
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The story? Well, a scientist’s daughter dies from a terrorist attack, and after mourning her death, he manages to find a purpose to move forward with his life… that being to take his daughter’s DNA, mix it with rose and Godzilla cells, then see what happens. Care to take a wild guess about what occurs next?
If you answered everything goes smoothly, then you’d be right if you consider a giant plant monster wrecking stuff as smooth (which I do). Coupled with this, the very same terrorists blow up the volcano Godzilla was trapped in (long story), releasing him to menace Japan once again. Eventually, the two titans meet, locking themselves in several ferocious battles involving a lot of atomic breath and biting action. These are some of my favorite fights out of the franchise; they’re just so brutal, I love it! Also, the film’s soundtrack is bangin’. Surprise, surprise.
If you want a Godzilla flick that plays itself completely straight*, this one’s right up your alley. I’d even argue it has one of the best (if not the best) human plots in the entire series, though one could argue that’s not incredibly hard to do.
I would love to tell you where to watch it, but I can’t find it anywhere digitally and physical copies go for beaucoup bucks. You’re on your own this time, I’m sad to say!
*As straight as a Godzilla flick can be.
3. Godzilla: Final Wars
(Millennium Era; Directed by Ryûhei Kitamura; Starring Masahiro Matsuoka, Rei Kikukawa, Don Frye; 2004)
“Godzilla’s fiftieth Anniversary project, in which Godzilla travels around the world to fight his old foes and his allies plus a new, mysterious monster named Monster X.” – via IMDB.
When it comes to the Millennium era, it seems like everyone has a different favorite. Some prefer the (somewhat) return-to-form of Godzilla 2000, the movie that brought Goji out of retirement to save face after Tristar’s “adaptation”. Others prefer Godzilla: Tokyo SOS for the return of Mothra and the kickass redesign of Mechagodzilla. Both choices are completely valid, along with any other favorites from this period. Art is subjective, after all!
Anyway, the right answer is Godzilla: Final Wars, purely for how awesome it is. Let me elaborate.
After a fight with the Gotengo, Godzilla ends up frozen in Antarctica for decades, well into the near future of 2XXX. “Mutants,” humans that have cool Matrix powers, appear all over the world and are brought together to make the Earth Defense Force (EDF…no, not that one): a private superpowered army used to fight kaiju. Everything is going pretty well, no complaints… until a bunch of giant monsters appear at once! Also aliens! Something something, humanity wakes up Godzilla and he goes on a kaiju killing spree. Like a slasher, but hundreds of feet tall.
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One thing I like about this flick is that when it comes to the human plot, they decided to just throw in a bunch of shootouts and string-fu fights instead of the usual conversational exposition these films are known for. You watch humans fight, then you watch monsters fight; not a bad combo. For some, it might get a tad exhausting after a bit, and the few talking parts there are tend to disrupt the pacing. The disruption isn’t too bad to me, though, since those scenes aren’t long and are eventually followed by Godzilla wrecking a dozen monsters in a row.
A fantastic soundtrack, decently choreographed fight scenes, and plenty of rubber-on-rubber monster action makes for a fantastic kaiju feature that, while not the franchise’s best, is pretty damn enjoyable. What more can one really ask for?
Watch it digitally here or get it physically here.
4. Shin Godzilla
(Reiwa Era; Directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi; Starring Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara; 2016)
“Japan is plunged into chaos upon the appearance of a giant monster.” – via IMDB.
The best film in the Reiwa Era… not a real high bar when your only competition is the Godzilla anime movies, but still. After the success of Gareth Edward’s Godzilla back in 2014, Toho decided it was time to bring Big G back to his homeland after a 10-year vacation. However, they wanted to do something different. Something fresh. Something involving the creator of the hit anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, which I hear is a great show… I wouldn’t know, I haven’t watched it. I’ve heard the theme song, and it’s definitely a bop. Anyway, back on topic, Shin Godzilla is one of the best Goji films I’ve seen.
Unlike most of the other movies, which put all their weight into the monster fights and skim on the human conflict, this one focuses primarily on the human element. How would a government react to the improbable threat of an indestructible beast of towering proportions attacking a densely populated city? Well, in this flick (which was inspired by some real life elements), not too freaking well. Between the red tape of bureaucracy and the craziness of the situation, the amount of response to the crisis initially is little more than zero. It takes a lot of teamwork and risks before they’re finally able to make actual progress in combating the unprecedented threat.
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I can see this film’s more reserved nature not being everyone’s cup of tea, which is fair. It can be a bit slow at times, and those in it for the monster might be a bit disappointed. It takes everything completely serious, and tackles issues more relevant to this day and age compared to the other films. I personally like it, being a true return to form among the likes of the original film that started it all.
Also, speaking of things that make it stand out from the rest, HOT DAMN! That Godzilla design! It’s like Goji after he was left in the oven for way too long. Like a walking piece of burnt bacon that took a soak in the rain, all dry and wet at the same time… I love it! It’s one of the more horrific designs for the Monster King, focusing a lot on the body horror aspect of it all. It’s not everyone’s favorite, but I really dig it.
Everything about this film is well thought out and meaningful, at least more than a lot of the rest. Which, might I say, makes it great to bring up in a film study class. Nothing better than sounding pretentious while talking about a monster flick, am I right?
Also, the score’s awesome. Had to fit that in somewhere.
Watch it digitally here or get it physically here.
5. Godzilla vs. Kong
(Monsterverse; Directed by Adam Wingard; Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall; 2021)
“The epic next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse pits two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against one another – the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong – with humanity caught in the balance.” –via IMDB.
Bonus round!
So, I originally started writing this article before Godzilla vs. Kong came out (taking my sweet time, I know), and wanted to put Godzilla: King of the Monsters in this place. However, that all changed after I saw the new flick, and let me tell you something… yes. A hundred times yes. This is the Monsterverse movie I was waiting for!
Naturally, King of the Monsters got knocked down a peg, and this fantastic homage to the old Showa romps of old took it’s rightful place as my favorite Monsterverse flick. I mean, c’mon… this movie has everything you could want in a throwback Godzilla feature. Fantastic kaiju fights, buildings being blown up and crushed apart, human scenes that don’t overstay their welcome and exist just to get to the good stuff; it’s all here!
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Now, I know a lot of y’all think the narrative is… how do you say… “stupid.” To this, I say… that’s fair… but also that it’s not the dumbest plot a Goji movie has ever had. Compared to the “ambition” of some of the others, this one seems like rocket science. You know, like the one time the Seatopians (ocean people) sent a giant beetle with drill hands to attack us surface-dwellers, so we made a size-changing robot to help Godzilla fight it… I could list others, but I feel I’ve said enough. Besides, in regards to Godzilla vs. Kong, it all makes sense in the world it takes place in. In this universe of giant monsters and quasi-science, of course it does.
I don’t want to talk too much more about it since it just came out, so I’ll just say that it’s worth a watch if you’re a Godzilla fan!
You can catch it on HBO Max until the end of the month, or (maybe) your local theater.
Well, there you go! My favorite Godzilla flicks from each era! Granted, my favorites tend to change often, so don’t expect these choices to be the same tomorrow. Truth is, there’s a lot of fun films in this franchise, and its sometimes hard to choose between them.
Until next time. Ciao, friends!
Categorized:Editorials News
