- Godzilla (1954): Not only the best Godzilla movie, but an allegory about the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as the actors and production crew actually lived through 1945.
- Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (1971): A weird work of art, mocked by fans and critics alike, but with an anti-pollution message and is actually original and innovative.
- Godzilla Vs. Mothra (1964): Really a Mothra movie, this is a classic movie, funny, and entertaining.
- Destroy All Monsters (1968): Chronologically, the last movie of the Showa Series (it happens in 1999), it’s not a good movie, but it is a monster mash and has the final battle between the Monster Island monsters and Ghidorah.
- King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962): Very disappointing, campy, and illogical, it is entertaining nontheless.
- Godzilla’s Revenge (1969): It may be a stock footage film, but it is openly a comedy daydream through the eyes of a young boy.
- Son of Godzilla (1967): Very bad, but Baby Godzilla is a riot, and seeing Godzilla being a parent is fun.
- Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla (1974): MechaGodzilla is a truly awesome opponent, but the humans vs alien plot is too much too bear.
- Godzilla Vs. Gigan (1972): Pretty bad movie that features alien cockroaches masquerading as businessmen.
- Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975): The last movie tries hard and has the best special effects of the era, but the lack of budget and bad human plot prevent it from being a top contender.
- Godzilla Vs. Monster Zero (1965): Horrible alien invasion, Godzilla makes a cameo, bad cheesy space sci-fi.
- Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964): Some famous first in this film (such as Godzilla as a hero), but the plot is too mind-numbing and distracting, and Godzilla is very weak here.
- Godzilla Raids Again (1955): Totally missed the mark; rushed, boring, no emotional investment.
- Godzilla Vs. the Sea Monster (1966): No budget, boring, bad cheese.
- Godzilla Vs. Megalon (1973): One of the worst films of all time.
Here are my official rankings of the Godzilla Showa Series (1954-1975) PLUS other Toho monster movies from that era (there are 19 movies listed here in total):
- Godzilla (1954)
- Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (1971)
- Godzilla Vs. Mothra (1964)
- War of the Gargantuas (1966): Action, plenty of screen time for the monsters, great miniatures, and lots of violence make this better than its prequel, Frankenstein Conquers the World.
- Mothra (1961): A classic monster movie for 1961.
- Destroy All Monsters (1968)
- King Kong Vs. Godzilla (1962)
- Godzilla’s Revenge (1969)
- Rodan (1956): A pretty decent B-monster movie, but lacks the charm of Godzilla’s films.
- Son of Godzilla (1967)
- Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
- Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965): Dark and serious, but too weird because of the ridiculous premise.
- Godzilla Vs. Gigan (1972)
- Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
- Godzilla Vs. Monster Zero (1965)
- Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
- Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
- Godzilla Vs. the Sea Monster (1966)
- Godzilla Vs. Megalon (1973)
Comments
I doubt there is any other Godzilla fan that matches my list in this exact order, and that is due to their hatred of Godzilla vs Hedorah (The Smog Monster) and the Baby Godzilla movies (Son of Godzilla, Godzilla’s Revenge, and even Destroy All Monsters).
Godzilla vs Hedorah may be shocking to fans that I ranked it #2, but the movie truly was original in a very bad era. The sad truth is the the gap between #1 and #2 (whichever you choose) is so far anyway, that it really is a ridiculous debate.
Speaking of which, Godzilla Raids Again was a horrible sequel. It may have had the same creative and production team, but it really dropped the ball at all levels.
Now I happen to like Baby Godzilla. As I said in my reviews, that’s like admitting you like Adam West’s Batman to a die hard comic book fan: you get a weird stare. But the truth is, it’s like Toho was just embracing the shark jump from all the way back in 1955.
I watched all of these movies as a young boy, and the last time was when I was 15. Now, at 32, I finally got them on DVD so I could “critically” watch them- for the record. I have to say: the Japanese versions are always better. The English dub edits we were forced to watch on TV syndication really made the movies even worse than they were.
Getting back to overrated Godzilla films in the fan community: MechaGodzilla may be a cool villain, but the movies weren’t good. The same applies with Godzilla’s three-headed nemesis, Ghidorah.
A word on the worst Godzilla movie: Godzilla vs Megalon: if it was blatantly a campy comedy, I would laugh at it, like the Mystery Science Theater version, but it took itself too seriously, and is a snooze-fest, not to mention insulting to your intelligence.
After watching these Showa Series movies so many times in my life, I probably wouldn’t even watch the Top 10 again…in a very, very long time. I would say only the Top 5 would be doable in upcoming years. Many younger fans don’t give the Showa Series a chance- not even the first classic movie- and base their opinion on the special effects (which is why the last movie, Terror of Mechagodzilla is a Showa favorite for many of them), but there are some winners on my list.
Ultimately, I love Godzilla- the character- even when he’s in a bad movie.
I kind of liked Godzilla vs. Mothra.
I didn't like it at first- but then when I saw it on Mystery Science theater 3000, Everytime I see it now, I seem to enjoy it more than the other Godzilla movies.