Gozilla Showa Speed Art and Film Ranking (1954)
The Godzilla Franchise is one of the longest running series ever, so jumping in can be a daunting task, so I wanted to put together a series of rankings for the franchise, this first one going through all 15 movies from the Showa series, and later I'll be putting out rankings on the Heisei, Millennium and Modern releases. With that said let's get to the rankings from worst to best because there's a lot to go through! And remember this is just my opinion, with a series so varied we're bound to disagree, so I'd love to see your ranking or your top 3 or bottom 3 films in the Showa series in the comments below.
15. All Monster Attack (1969)
So starting at the bottom of the barrel is 1969's All Monsters Attack, it's mostly a clip show with an added talking Minilla helping a young boy face a bully of his own while he faces his bully Gabara. It's probably the laziest film they ever released and one of the shortest, barely coming in at 69 minutes, which is actually a good thing for it. But overall this is a big whiff and the most childish of the franchise.
14. Son of Godzilla
So coming in just above the previous film is 1967's Son of Godzilla, much like the All Monsters Attack it feels like it was made exclusively for children, and comes across pretty small in scale and cheap. The suits really started to take a dip in quality here as well, while the monsters they fight were probably at their most boring in terms of designs – giant spider and big mantises. The only part that I think is somewhat sweet is when Godzilla and Minilla begin to hibernate at the end of the film.
13. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
And at number 13 is Ebirah, Horror of the Deep. So I somewhat enjoy this one, but much like Son of Godzilla is feels like one of the cheapest entries and has one of the weakest villains, Ebirah that is. What puts it a little higher than the them is the human characters on the island seem a little bit more fleshed out and I think the native girl on the island is a good addition, and pretty attractive as well. I also like how Godzilla defeats Ebirah, but the dialogue at the end about how Godzilla is a good guy while Mothra saves the islanders from him is a little forced.
12. Godzilla Vs. Megalon
Next up is Godzilla Vs. Megalon, aka Jet Jaguar the movie featuring Godzilla briefly. So originally this movie was supposed to be a solo movie with just Jet Jaguar, but they shoe-horned Godzilla and Rodan into it and slapped his name on the title, and it really shows, with so much time devoted to Jet Jaguar and his creation, but I think that Megalon and the Seatopians make for an interesting villain to the monsters and humans, while the big but cheezy fight at the end is a fun watch to end on.
11. Godzilla Vs. Hedorah
Coming in at number 11 is Godzilla Vs. Hedorah, this is probably the strangest Godzilla movie in terms of editing, with cartoony transitions and weird musical segues, but I don't really ever find it boring like some of the ones at the bottom of this list. And it's actually pretty cool watching Hedorah evolve throughout the movie, of course it's mostly known for the Godzilla flying backwards scene, but after you get over that there's actually a movie that is somewhat entertaining here.
10. Godzilla Vs. Gigan
And now getting into the top 10, we have Godzilla Vs. Gigan. I really like Gigan as a monster, I think he's actually pretty cool, and the battle between Ghidorah, Anguirus, Gigan and Godzilla is the highlight of the movie, but the plot seems a little familiar, with aliens taking over he monsters again and Godzilla having to fight them, and his suit is looking really rough in this entry plus the talking scene between Anguirus and Godzilla is one of the weirdest decisions this series has made, so those things hurt the film but over all it's actually not bad.
9. Terror of MechaGodzilla
And taking the number 9 spot is Terror of MechaGodzilla, so this is one of the entries that really feels like a huge re-tread, and yeah it's the 15th entry in the series so it's bound to feel a little stale, but not only does it feature aliens taking control of the monsters again it also features the second entry in a row where he fights MechaGodzilla, and while the ending is pretty sentimental with the human characters embracing one another, it's not enough to save this from being the weaker of the two MechaGodzilla Showa entries.
8. Godzilla Raids Again
And now we get to the second entry in the series, Godzilla Raids Again, coming in at number 8. Now this one feels probably the most like they didn't really know where to take the franchise after the original was such a success. So they bring out a new Godzilla, have him briefly fight Angurius, but the focus is definitely on the humans still, and it gives a cheezy love-story, with some forced humour, unlike the original that felt like a pure drama when the people were on screen. So the shifting tones sort of hurt this entry, but I think Godzilla's second raiding is still worth a watch.
7. Destroy All Monsters
And at lucky number 7 is Destroy All Monsters, and Godzilla is under alien-mind control again, along with all his buddies on Monster Island. It really seemed like they played that card a little too much, but this one is one of the better ones, and they weren't afraid to go big in the scale, with them destroying multiple cities and once free of the alien mind-control they all team up on King Ghidorah. It basically becomes a big wrestling tournament in the final. So overall it's pretty cheezy, but scratches that primordial itch.
6. Mothra Vs. Godzilla
And at number 6 is Mothra Vs. Godzilla, so this is one of the earlier let's face Godzilla off against another property to boost sales films, and for the most part this entry is successful. Mothra and the two fairies add an interesting and spiritual dynamic to the series, and the human story about greed over the ownership of both Mothra and the Fairies is an interesting one. Plus Godzilla is still a bad guy here and that makes Mothra the good guy or girl, and it's always nice to see Godzilla in the more villainous role without having to be put under alien mind-control that is.
5. Godzilla Vs. MechaGodzilla
And continuing on with the more spiritual films is Godzilla Vs. MechaGodzilla. The first appearance of MechaGodzilla is a banger, and the inclusion of King Caesar both as a protector and as a character that Godzilla has to fight with makes for a nice duo. Of course it falls inline with the Kaiju under alien-mind control film again, but I think it's done well here, and the human storyline feels a lot like a James Bond thriller with Planet of the Apes like antagonists.
4. King Kong Vs. Godzilla
And at number 4 comes King Kong Vs. Godzilla, after a 7 year hiatus the franchise came back newly reinvented, and the darkness of the first entry was completely gone, in it's place were more jokey characters and monster battles. Godzilla is still the bad-guy but people look at him as more of a nuisance than anything, so they ship King Kong over to duke it out with him. And yeah the costume on King Kong is probably one of his silliest looks, but I think overall the fights are fun, the human plot while predictable is there just enough to lead the story along and get our two monsters to duke it out, plus I think it's probably a good time to watch this before the remake comes out next year.
3. Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monsters
Coming in the top 3 is Ghidrorah's first appeareance, Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster. This film is the movie that would define Godzilla for the rest of the Showa series for better or worst. Turning him from bad to good to face off again Ghidorah. Also the human side of this movie is somewhat interesting, with an assassination plot unfurling between the monster battles.
2. Invasion of Astro-Monster
And the second best for me is Invasion of Astro-Monster, and yes this is the one where Godzilla dances. But at the time it brought a lot of new ideas to the series, this is the first plot that involves the monsters being mind-controlled by Aliens and the Xiliens are probably the best Aliens of the original franchise, and maybe of the whole franchise. Plus Nick Adam's acting adds an air of levity to this entry, and the romance between him and the Xilien is a highlight of the film. The only thing I don't like is how Ghidorah is used immediately after his appearance in the previous film, but they're able to keep things fresh enough to be satisfying.
1. Godzilla
And it probably goes without saying but the original Godzilla is still the best, no matter which version you watch the Japanese cut or the American version with journalist Steve Martin the feelings and terror of the characters still play out on screen. It also helps that it's in black and white and shot at night as Godzilla looks his most realistic for a Showa film in this movie, especially compared to the middle films that really dropped the ball. But if you're gonna watch any film from the Showa series make it the first one, and if you like it keep going, the series may be long but it's probasbly one of the most interesting and enduring series I've covered so far.
So what did you guys think of my rankings? Do you agree or do you have your own opinions about the franchise. Feel free to leave your thoughts down below. And before I sign off I want to thank Minecggh and a Toony Cat for joining the Patreon recently, as well as all my other supporters. I'm currently doing a vote on the Patreon for the next Horror-related character so you can check that out in the description, and also apparently my Screen-Tablet the Gaomon PD1560 is on sale throughout July, going for around $305 dollars on Amazon, so I've left a link down below if any of you may be interested in checking that out. And until next time kepp on keepoing on!