by Jorzilla » Mon Mar 10, 2014 3:07 pm
1. Godzilla (Godzilla, King of the Monsters) [1954] - It's kind of hard to dethrone a film which has spawned the franchise and is approaching infallibility. It's not my favorite movie, but I really appreciate it for launching the series and its cultural/historical significance.
2. Godzilla vs. Biollante [1989] - This movie nails what a post Godzilla-world would look like. Godzilla might be the driving antagonizing force, but the real monsters in play were the human characters trying to use Godzilla's powers to their own devices (Saradian Government, Bio Major, Dr. Shiragami, Gondo, etc). I love this movie, it always has my attention whenever it's on. One of the few Godzilla movies that feels like anyone could die at any moment.
3. The Return of Godzilla (Godzilla 1985) [1984] - This film did an exceptionally good job of revamping Godzilla to a new nuclear/cold war era. The plot feels global in scope, and the sonic device/Godizlla-bird connection feels ahead of its time. I really enjoy the Super X fights, but it sort of feels too fantastical in this movie (it was probably included to show how great Japan was as a nation, at that time at least). Some of the effects are a little inconsistent and I wish they had made a better Cybot or stuck with the suit for all of the scenes.
4. Mothra vs. Godzilla [1964] - This was my first Godzilla movie, so I'm a little biased in this regards. The message is well crafted and relevant today. This film set the high water-mark/template for the serialization of Godzilla v. 'X' more than King Kong did, in my opinion. The effects are really great and CONSISTENT (which is more important in my book).
5. Terror of Mechagodzilla [1975] - For how outlandish this movie is, it's really a melodramatic, character driven movie. It is VERY cheesy, but in a good way. Also as the cap to the Showa series it really captures the spirit of the franchise to that point. This was the first Godzilla movie I ever saw on the big screen, it was before I could read, and it was in Japanese. It was still awesome.