A boat goes up in a flash of light: In 1954, the image was already familiar in Japan. That March, fallout from an American hydrogen bomb had sickened the crew of a Japanese fishing boat.
Director Ishiro Honda embodied this existential threat when he and franchise producer Toho created the lumbering, nigh-unkillable Godzilla. A decade later, Godzilla was saving the planet alongside a giant moth. (Same director, by the way.)
The dozens of Japanese and American films since have shown all sides of the monster, from goofy, Jurassic Park-style antagonist, to force of nature restoring balance to a troubled planet, to “Shin Godzilla’s” terrifying threat to bureaucratic inertia.
With “Godzilla Minus Zero” in theaters following the Oscar-winning “Godzilla Minus One,” here’s a guide to the most recent eras of the iconic monster, beginning with his formal, flawed introduction to U.S. audiences.
‘Godzilla’ (1998)
A Hollywood disappointment: A Jurassic Park reptile comes ashore in Manhattan and turns Madison Square Garden into a nest, and Matthew Broderick will save the day. Roland Emmerich’s entry was Hollywood’s first attempt at an original Godzilla production, and it became shorthand for the bad monster and disaster movie. Its biggest sin was centering so much of the story around boring human drama. As a summer blockbuster, it fell short of expectations, and Hollywood wouldn’t be allowed to touch the property again for another 16 years.
‘Godzilla 2000: Millennium’ (1999)
The return to form: Toho brought Godzilla back to Japan with purple spines and an alien opponent that steals his DNA. For anyone who missed the rubber suits and miniature cities, this was a return to form. But it takes its time getting to the fight that makes the comeback worth watching.
‘Godzilla vs. Megaguirus’ (2000)
A funny, buggy romp: Japan builds a gun that shoots black holes, but a test lets prehistoric insects loose. This film’s establishing premise — Japan’s hunt for energy resources resulting in destruction — is strong, but eventually gets dropped for its monster mash. Best to enjoy this for its humor and crunchy bug battles with striking cinematography.
‘Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack’ (2001)
Top-tier kaiju fights: Shusuke Kaneko’s Godzilla carries the souls of the Pacific War’s dead into a Japan that’s forgotten them. This is one of the most exciting projects of this era, immediately establishing Godzilla as a threat and flipping other monsters as humanity’s defenders, resulting in several of the best kaiju fights in the series. It features the best special effects yet from a Toho production and is one of the most entertaining watches on this list.
‘Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla’ (2002)
Great creatures, routine flick: In a cinematic tribute to the first “Godzilla,” the military builds Mechagodzilla, called Kiryu, with the skeleton of the monster that died in the original 1954 film. Things get complicated when the robot starts remembering whom it used to be. This has some of the most terrific designs of both creatures. Unfortunately, it feels routine, and the movie ends just as it gets exciting. It works as an intermission for the next project.
‘Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.’ (2003)
The better sequel: Mothra offers to defend Japan if Godzilla’s bones are put to rest at sea, but another attack is coming, and Japan can’t give up Kiryu. This is the stronger film of the two, asking why anyone ever thought creating weapons out of monsters was a good idea. More great special effects help this feel like an excellent, fresh kicker to a two-film narrative.
‘Godzilla: Final Wars’ (2004)
A too-crowded creature feature: “Final Wars” acts as a 50th anniversary special monster reunion, with aliens turning Earth’s monsters against humanity. Even Hollywood’s Godzilla makes an appearance as a gag, showcasing how limp that portrayal was compared with Japan’s superpowered inventions. Director Ryuhei Kitamura made his name as a flashy martial arts visionary, a mismatch for the series. Manic tone shifts feel like they waste time as the monsters hurry through their turns in a crowded feature. I can only enjoy this when I turn my brain all the way off.
‘Godzilla’ (2014)
Hollywood’s redemption: Godzilla returns to Hollywood in the hands of director Gareth Edwards. This is a stunning work that makes the interesting choice of obscuring Godzilla for most of the movie. Bryan Cranston is a nuclear plant engineer trying to find the cause of a disaster in Japan, and his investigation leads him to deadly creatures and Godzilla, who rises from the sea to fight them.
This film kicks off the American Monsterverse franchise. The slow reveal and ground-level views of Godzilla give this project a unique texture thanks to its sense of scale. However, this film also has a patience-testing habit of cutting away just as fights get going. It’s like an overcorrection for the monster explosion of “Final Wars.”
‘Shin Godzilla’ (2016)
A franchise peak: Directed by legendary anime visionary Hideaki Anno (“Evangelion”), “Shin Godzilla” might be the best, most serious, most interesting film since the original 1954 release. A monster comes ashore that begins adapting to its environment and anything that threatens it. Made in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima accident, the film quickly becomes both political satire and a procedural about the ineffectiveness of bureaucracy in the face of real disasters. It’s one of the talkiest projects, with humans focused more on the drama of solving the crisis and less about their personal histories. The climax feels like a heist, with all of Japan finally unifying to take down the creature.
‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’ (2019)
Hollywood’s best kaiju fights: A scientist unleashes the three-headed Ghidorah, who then sets other monsters loose around the world. Godzilla has to fight for his place at the top, with some classic creatures making their first Hollywood appearances for the assists. “King of the Monsters” features the best kaiju fights produced in the West. It’s too bad everything to do with Millie Bobby Brown’s character and her family are forgettable, to say the least.
‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ (2021)
Basically a wrestling movie: This felt so much more exciting to watch when our brains were cooked during the coronavirus shutdowns. King Kong is escorted by the U.S. military to find his home, but Godzilla intercepts to reignite an ancient beef. The marquee fights deliver, and although the human-side plots are dumber than ever, they’re mercifully not the focus anymore.
‘Godzilla Minus One’ (2023)
A visually dazzling human drama: Directed by spectacle master Takashi Yamazaki (who would later win the visual effects Oscar), Toho’s latest series brings the creature back to its roots in World War II. “Minus One” boasts easily the best written human characters and plot threads, following a kamikaze pilot trying to survive the aftermath of Godzilla’s emergence. We know what Godzilla can do to infrastructure. But can the human spirit survive?
‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ (2024)
Paling in comparison: It’s a bitter pill to swallow returning to the Monsterverse. Deep in the Earth’s crust, Kong needs to figure out where he stands, and this digital creature carries the film with grunts and gestures. The monster battles still hold their own in what ended up becoming the highest-grossing film in the series.
‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ (2026)
Harrowing, beautiful melodrama: Somehow more harrowing than its prequel, a classic monster antagonist makes his return to terrorize Japan’s shores and our pilot hero in another visual effects standout driven by compelling human drama and a diverse cast. Perhaps it’s a bit too melodramatic, especially toward the end with long, drawn-out moments of trauma. But finally, Toho’s productions match and often outshine their Hollywood peers with the most beautiful fights in the series.
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