DISCOVER--the original run of Toho/Godzilla monster movies in chronological order
Geez, what a mess! But someone had to do it! The original Godzilla film appeared in 1954, and for the next twenty years Toho Studios in Japan produced a timeless run of simple, juvenile monster movies that were both cheap and charming. The franchise was revived in 1985, given a clueless drubbing by Hollywood in 1997, and then rebooted yet again by Toho for the millennium, but this list covers the original run of Godzilla films, alongside the all-important tie-in films that are part of the Godzilla universe, such as Rodan and Mothra, who later encounter Godzilla. As you can see, the problem is not just with the IMDB whimsically switching back and forth between English and Japanese titles, but all the alternate titles used over the years. Add to this the plethora of subtitles and satires and rip-offs, and all the different VHS and DVD versions, and it's a minefield.
Anyhow, if you want to watch the original run of Godzilla films and their related tie-ins sequentially, then I hope this helps. Always go with the original, always choose subtitles when available (dubs are for the kids). A chronological list of the reboots is out there somewhere under the DISCOVER pre-fix, as is a tentative list of non-Godzilla scifi from Toho (hit the see all lists logo). Feel free to offer any correct corrections with the emphasis on correct...
Anyhow, if you want to watch the original run of Godzilla films and their related tie-ins sequentially, then I hope this helps. Always go with the original, always choose subtitles when available (dubs are for the kids). A chronological list of the reboots is out there somewhere under the DISCOVER pre-fix, as is a tentative list of non-Godzilla scifi from Toho (hit the see all lists logo). Feel free to offer any correct corrections with the emphasis on correct...
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- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsTakashi ShimuraAkihiko HirataAkira TakaradaAmerican nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast.Also known as Gojira.
- DirectorMotoyoshi OdaIshirô HondaStarsHiroshi KoizumiSetsuko WakayamaMinoru ChiakiScout pilots for a fishing fleet are startled to discover a new monster named Anguirus alongside a second Godzilla. The monsters make their way toward Osaka as Japan can only brace for tragedy and relive the horror of Godzilla once more.This is Godzilla Raids Again, also once known as Gigantis the Fire Monster. Rushed into production, the only way to top the original was to bring in a second monster to fight. Consequently, here comes Anguirus... The first reappearance of Godzilla, battling Anguirus on the island, is almost Harryhausen-ish, mostly due to the speeding up of the action. This doesn't really work well, and wasn't much used in later films, but the scenes of destruction are great fun. I particularly liked the way, when the authorities order a blackout in Osaka City, all the car headlights went out at exactly the same time as the neon and everything else. That's Japanese efficiency for you!
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsKenji SaharaYumi ShirakawaAkihiko HirataA mining engineer investigates the death of his fellow coworkers and discovers prehistoric nymphs emerging from the mines. As he heads deeper into the mines, he makes a more horrifying discovery in the form a prehistoric flying creature.This is Rodan.
- DirectorJerry A. BaerwitzIshirô HondaMotoyoshi OdaStarsMyron HealeyTsuruko KobayashiClifford KawadaHeavily alerted American version of Japan's Varan. A prehistoric behemoth is unwittingly awoken from hibernation due to a U.S-Japanese military experiment for economic means on it's watery lair.Originally released in 1958 as Daikaiju Baran, this began as a TV collaboration with the U.S. that fell through. Toho finally went it alone, and the American version followed in 1962. Ironically, possibly the inspiration for Toei's Gamera, Godzilla's closest rival.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsFurankî SakaiHiroshi KoizumiKyôko KagawaAn expedition to Infant Island discovers a native population and tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity. Named Mothra, she sets out to rescue her fairies after they are kidnapped by an exploitative businessman.This is Mothra.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsRyô IkebeYumi ShirakawaAkira KuboA Tokyo scientist and his colleagues shift Earth to avoid a red-hot planet on a collision course.This is Gorath.
- DirectorIshirô HondaTom MontgomeryStarsTadao TakashimaKenji SaharaYû FujikiA UN reporter broadcasts a report on the appearance of a prehistoric monster that emerges from hibernation while a pharmaceutical company seeks publicity with a monster of their own. (US Version)This is King Kong vs. Godzilla.
- DirectorIshirô HondaShûe MatsubayashiStarsTadao TakashimaYôko FujiyamaYû FujikiWhen an ancient underground civilization and their snake-like guardian plots to reclaim the surface world, those of the surface fights back.This is Atragon, featuring an appearance by Manda, the serpent that reappears in Destroy All Monsters.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsAkira TakaradaYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiMothra's egg washes ashore and is claimed by greedy entrepreneurs who refuse to return it to her fairies. As Godzilla arises near Nagoya, the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.It had to happen... The first of many encounters between Toho's two most popular creatures. Mothra vs. Godzilla. Interesting that Mothra gets top billing...
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsYôsuke NatsukiYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiA detective is assigned to protect a princess who prophecies the Earth's end with the arrival of a powerful space monster. Mothra and her fairies must persuade Godzilla and Rodan to set aside their differences or face the invader alone.Better known as Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsNick AdamsKumi MizunoTadao TakashimaNear the end of WWII, Germans transport the immortal heart of Frankenstein's monster to Japan, where it is seeming lost in the bombing of Hiroshima. Years later a wild boy is found, born from the immortal heart.Better known as Frankenstein Conquers the World, although Frankenstein does no such thing. Despite an atmospheric opening concerning the heart of the Frankenstein monster (which later becomes irradiated in the Hiroshima blast and is eaten by a feral youth who then becomes monstrous), this is easily Toho's worst in my opinion. Interesting primarily for being an obvious reference source for the makers of the 1970s Incredible Hulk series. Shoddy production values, a silly plot, and (strange as this may seem) very unattractive monsters (Baragon being an absurd prehistoric monster with a glowing nose). Also makes the rookie mistake of referring to the monster as Frankenstein. Started life as a Godzilla film, but the old boy was well out of it...
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsNick AdamsAkira TakaradaJun TazakiAstronauts investigate Planet X and encounter the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". As one astronaut forms a romance with a mysterious woman, he uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.Also known as Monster Zero.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsRuss TamblynKumi MizunoKenji SaharaThe sole survivor of a fishing boat recounts sightings of hairy giants. A scientist investigates, revealing mutated creatures, growing from remains of a previous monster. Nearly indestructible, they battle in Tokyo until only one remains.This is War of the Gargantuas, originally conceived as a sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World.
- DirectorJun FukudaStarsAkira TakaradaKumi MizunoChôtarô TôginA young man searching for his brother steals a boat that shipwrecks on Letchi island, where terrorists have enslaved the Infant Island natives. Discovering Godzilla asleep, he and some others decide to awaken him to liberate the natives.Better known as Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster. A young lad searching for his fisherman brother lost at sea falls in with two louts and a thief and ends up marooned on an island where foreign agents have a secret base. There, slaves from the nearby island of Mothra are being forced to maintain the safety of the bad guys by keeping a giant lobster at bay! It's as convoluted as it sounds, and the Bond/Batman influence is all over the place (new director Jun Fukuda had just finished a Bond rip-off, and brings most of the cast over for this). His heart is clearly not in it. The special effects are shabby, with the top of the sky set and studio behind clearly coming into view during Ebirah's attack on the yacht, and wires clearly evident elsewhere. Ebirah attacks wind-up figures or poorly super-imposed humans, while destruction is minimal. Mothra and Godzilla spend most of the film asleep, and just as it seems we might join them, the creatures get together for the grand finale. Godzilla, in a flabby and threadbare costume, behaves like a drunk, and Mothra is reduced to a virtual cameo.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsRhodes ReasonMie HamaLinda MillerThe evil Dr. Who captures King Kong to dig for Element X when his robot duplicate, Mechani-Kong, is unable to do the job, but Kong soon escapes and battles his doppelganger.
- DirectorJun FukudaStarsTadao TakashimaAkira KuboBibari MaedaA reporter stumbles upon weather experiments on a tropical island, discovering giant mantids, a cast away woman, and an infant monster that Godzilla must adopt and learn to raise as one of his own.This is Son of Godzilla.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsAkira KuboJun TazakiYukiko KobayashiAt the end of the 20th century, all of Earth's monsters have been safely rounded up and sent to Monsterland for scientific study. Chaos erupts when a race of she-aliens known as the Kilaaks unleashes the monsters on the world.This is Destroy All Monsters. The first appearance of Monster Island, this features a small army of marauding creatures alongside aliens and excellent sets, composites, and miniatures.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaKengo FurusawaStarsKenji SaharaMachiko NakaTomonori YazakiA latchkey child living in the industrial city of Kawasaki confronts his loneliness through his escapist dreams of Monster Island and friendship with Minilla.This is All Monsters Attack. Bit of a clip show, this one.
- DirectorYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsAkira YamanouchiToshie KimuraHiroyuki KawaseAn ever-evolving alien life form from the Dark Gaseous Nebula arrives to consume rampant pollution. Spewing mists of sulfuric acid and corrosive sludge, neither humanity or Godzilla may be able to defeat this toxic menace.Previously known as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster.
- DirectorJun FukudaYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsHiroshi IshikawaYuriko HishimiMinoru TakashimaA manga artist becomes suspicious of his employers when a garbled message is discovered on tape. As he forms a team to investigate, Godzilla and Anguirus set out to help defeat the invaders.Better known as Godzilla vs. Gigan.
- DirectorJun FukudaYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsKatsuhiko SasakiHiroyuki KawaseYutaka HayashiAn inventor creates a humanoid robot named Jet Jaguar that is seized by the undersea nation of Seatopia. Using Jet Jaguar as a guide, the Seatopians send Megalon as vengeance for the nuclear tests that have devastated their society.This is Godzilla vs. Megalon.
- 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.This is Godzilla vs. Mecha-Godzilla.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsKatsuhiko SasakiTomoko AiAkihiko HirataAttempts to salvage Mechagodzilla are thwarted, causing an INTERPOL investigation that uncovers the work of a shunned biologist and his daughter, whose lives become entwined with the resurrected machine.This is Terror of Mecha-Godzilla, Godzilla's final appearance for ten years.
Jon is not on Facebook, but can reply to comments here, at the base of this list.
Hi, Kim. It's thin, but there are brief references to Gorath in two of the contemporary films, Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla: Final Wars, so it's part of the Godzilla "universe", as they say, confused and contradictory though the mythology is.
Hi James, the ratings aren't mine, they're the IMDBs. Thanks for looking in.
Obsessed with the popular culture of the 1960s and surrounding decades, Jon Abbott has been writing about film and TV for over thirty years in around two dozen different publications, trade, populist, and specialist. He is the author of several books, including
Irwin Allen Television Productions 1964-1970,
Stephen J. Cannell Television Productions: A History of All Series and Pilots,
The Elvis Films,
Cool TV of the 1960s: Three Shows That Changed the World,
and Strange New World: Sex Films of the 1970s.
See his Amazon author's page, and his other lists on the IMDB, all under the pre-fix DISCOVER.