The Correct Order To Watch All Of The Godzilla Movies

U.S. audiences tend to accept Toho's earlier Godzilla movies as being high camp, usually thanks to Gen-X's half-remembered airings of late-'60s kaiju flicks broadcast on UHF TV channels back in the 1980s. While there are some absurd and terrible Godzilla films from the Showa era (1954-1975), and many of them contained surreal, kitschy plot elements like invading aliens, one might also find several movies — "Gojira," "Destroy All Monsters" — that focus on Japanese national pride, the role of destructive weapons in the world, and a barely-simmering resentment lingering after a massive attack on the country. If modern superhero movies sprung from the U.S. subconscious as a fantastical revenge/preventative measure against 9/11, so too did Godzilla spring fully formed from the trauma left behind by the U.S.' atomic bomb attacks.

In the original "Gojira," that is literal. The titular creature, a stories-high amphibious animal, appeared in the wake of dangerous U.S. nuclear testing in the Pacific Ocean and climbed out of the sea to destroy Japan afresh. It is very melancholic. "Gojira" director Ishirō Honda helmed most of the Showa films, and he was careful to allow Godzilla to grow into something new, eventually emerging as a symbol of Japanese national pride. In "Destroy All Monsters," Godzilla and a dozen other kaiju served as determined defenders — bouncers, really — to the interloping a-hole King Ghidorah.

At last count, there were 39 movies to feature Godzilla. There are multiple "Godzilla" movie continuities, notably the Showa era, the Heisei era, the Millennium era, the Reiwa era, and the U.S. MonsterVerse. Throughout those continuities, there are several kaiju crossover events, so films starring famous guest monsters can be included.

Not counting TV shows, but including two unreleased "Godzilla" movies, there are 56 films to watch. Here they are:

The Showa era began with "Gojira" but quickly expanded into a widespread series of tokusatsu movies that incorporated aliens, robots, and other bizarre creatures from space. The vast bulk of the films were directed by Ishirō Honda, who managed to infuse his movies with a strange formalism, even when the content became increasingly outlandish. The only U.S. film to come during this era was Marv Newland's "Bambi Meets Godzilla," a 90-second short positing the meeting of titans. Not included on the list were "Bambi's Revenge" from 1976 and "Son of Bambi Meets Godzilla" from 1999, as those might be considered fan films. Newland's short, however, has become so overwhelmingly celebrated that I choose to include it on the above list.

By the '70s, the Showa era (the eras were named after Japanese emperors) kind of petered out, and "Godzilla" was rebooted in 1984, starting the Heisei era. That series ended when Godzilla melted down and died in "Godzilla vs. Destoroyah," with Mothra providing a follow-up trilogy. It was implied in that film that a child of Godzilla would rise to take the monster's place.

In 1999, the series was rebooted again with the Millennium era, although it seems that not every film in this era follows the same continuity. "GMK: Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack" might very well be in a continuity all its own, as Godzilla looks different (he has silver eyes!) and behaves more like a villain than a bouncer.

Additionally, the Reiwa era has several continuities contained inside of it. Indeed, "Planet of the Monsters," "City on the Edge of Battle," and "The Planet Eater" form an animated sci-fi trilogy of films set in the very, very distant future.