by UltramanGoji » Mon Jul 13, 2015 11:23 pm
1.) Godzilla (1954) - What hasn't been said about it? A stone-cold classic with a grim, artistic look, heavy atmosphere, fantastic story and creative special effects.
2.) Godzilla vs. Monster Zero - Some of the most charismatic characters in the history of the franchise, a great science fiction story and fun monster sequences.
3.) Big Duel in the South Seas - Another fantastic round of characters featuring a unique setting, fun battles, and great music.
4.) Mothra vs. Godzilla - Often regarded as the best aside from G54, I personally find it to be great but with less interesting characters than Monster Zero or Big Duel.
5.) Terror of Mechagodzilla - Another great all-around cast, some fantastic and explosive effects sequences, and one of Ifukube's most iconic scores.
6.) Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster - Good cast, solid effects sequences, interesting story. Only reason its not higher is because every other option supersedes it.
7.) King Kong vs. Godzilla - Honestly on equal footing with Ghidorah for the same reasons with the addition of some great humor.
8.) Son of Godzilla - A solid "island adventure" film that doesn't quite reach the heights of Big Duel but still enjoyable enough.
9.) Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - A good film with some mediocre characters but a great adversary and character in Mechagodzilla.
10.) Destroy All Monsters - A decent action/popcorn film. Notable mostly for its lavish miniature and effects sequences than anything else.
11.) Godzilla vs. Gigan - A solid human cast but a rather sloppy monster section. The alien invaders aren't as good as the Xians or Simeons and the excessive stock footage grows old fast.
12.) Godzilla vs. Megalon - A terrible human story but some of the most expressive monster sequences in the franchise. Fun to watch but can be a chore at times.
13.) All Monsters Attack - A good, if flawed, human story with decent but mostly forgettable effects sequences.
14.) Godzilla vs. Hedorah - Interesting, if nothing else. Clashing tones and styles, uninteresting characters, and middling effects sequences harm it. Hedorah is a fantastic creation, though.
15.) Godzilla Raids Again - Quite boring at times, a very mediocre cast and terrible effects sequences just garner this one the spot for worst Showa film.