Which Godzilla movie should I see first?
Everyone wants to know: where should I start? Sure, we could come up with watch order lists and all of that. But the series has 33 36 movies in it. So, here's every Godzilla movie with a rating of how good of an idea it is for it to be your first Godzilla movie.
Every movie is rated on a scale of 1 (absolutely not) to 5 (excellent movie with no prior knowledge of Godzilla required).
I'm going in release order.
Godzilla 1954 - 5
First movie is both very good and has no continuity with previous entries because there are no previous entries. This is always a good first choice for Godzilla.
Godzilla Raids Again - 3
Not as good as the previous one. Follows directly from the previous one. You should always watch the Godzilla 54 before this one.
King Kong vs. Godzilla - 4 (1962 Japanese, avoid the '63 American version at all costs)
Doesn't follow directly before the previous one, though Raids again does explain why Godzilla is in an ice berg at the beginning of the movie.
Solid movie, good if you want to start with Godzilla fighting another monster in a big showdown.
Mothra vs. Godzilla - 4
This is a weird place to start, it kind of assumes knowledge of both Mothra and Godzilla. The only keeping it from being a 3 is that it's really, really good and that might overcome continuity concerns.
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster - 3
This movie is where Godzilla becomes an anti-hero and you should watch the previous movies + Mothra and maybe even Rodan to appreciate it. It's a really good movie, but it's just not enough. It's like if Infinity War was your first MCU movie
Invasion of the Astro-Monster - 3
We're in the middle of the Showa era now. Godzilla is fully a good guy and Toho has their own little monsterverse going now.
At the end of the day, there are just better choices.
Ebirah, Horror of the Deep - 4
This is a bit surprising, but it's the start of some stand alone island adventure w/Godzilla. It's very representative of other Godzilla movies. If you like it, you'll like other movies in the series. If you don't, you might still like the best ones
Son of Godzilla - 4
Another stand alone island adventure. Representative of the series as a whole, but not the best of the series.
Destroy All Monsters - 2
This was meant to be the end of the series. To many references to other movies. Best saved till later.
All Monster’s Attack - 2
This is a straight-up clip show staring a little kid. Not bad, but best saved for when you're watching every movie in order or some other similar project.
Godzilla vs. Hedorah - 4
Good movie. Personal favorite of the 60s/70s era, which likely inflates my score. But it's a good stand alone and has a strong message. Also, the director was told he'd never make another Godzilla movie, but he was a producer on Godzilla 2014.
Godzilla vs. Gigan - 2
This movie is really a back door pilot for a Jet Jaguar series. It good enough on it's own, but it's just not a good enough example of a Godzilla movie to justify anything higher even though it's not bogged down in continuity.
Godzilla vs. Megalon - 3
An ok enough stand alone. Has aliens, manga artists with hot girlfriends. But that's really all it has going for it. Not the worst place to start, but unless your watching with someone who loves this movie specifically, I'd pick another one.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla - 3
Solid stand alone. It's a late entry, but I think it stands out. Not bogged down in continuity. But like Megalon, I wouldn't suggest watching this first unless it was with someone who liked this movie specifically.
Terror of Mechagodzilla - 2
It's the capstone of the Showa era. It's the last Godzilla movie for Ishiro Honda, and the last movie directed by him before going to work with his old mentor, the legendary Akira Kurosawa.
Honestly, this should be last Showa move you watch.
Return of Godzilla - 4
Technically in continuity with Godzilla 1954, but all you really need to know is that Godzilla attacked Tokyo 30 years earlier, which the movie helpfully explains.
It's a weird choice, but not a bad one.
Godzilla vs. Biollante - 3
Follows directly from Return of Godzilla and is closely tied to it, even as it has no returning cast members.
Godzilla vs. King Khidorah - 3
Not bogged down in continuity, but very much unrepresentative of the series as a whole, even as it does a good job or representing early 90s Godzilla movies.
You'd be better off starting from Return of Godzilla and watching in order till Destoroyah
Godzilla vs. Mothra - 3
We're starting to get some continuity here that might cause you to get lost, but I don't think it's enough to bump down to a 2. Again, you'd be better off starting at Return and going to Destoroyah.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II - 2
Not a sequel to Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (that would be Terror of Mechagodzilla, see above) but a sequal to vs. Mothra above. And, by this point, we've got recurring characters and a full-blown 1-a-year series going on.
Godzilla vs. Spacegodzilla - 2
The title alone should make you want to watch it, but you should hold off till you've see the other movies in the Heisei series starting with Return. Sorry!
It's the capstone of the Heisei series AND it makes direct references to the 1954 movie. You will be lost if you start here. This movie is actually good, so I'm not giving it a 1.
Godzilla (1998) - 4
First American Godzilla and it's not great. The writing terrible, the acting worse, but it's just a huge amount of fun.
Will make whoever sees it curious about the Japanese films though!
Godzilla 2000 - 4
Honestly, the most solid entry point to Godzilla that isn't 1954 Godzilla or Shin Godzilla. There's no origin, Godzilla is an anti-hero and it's fun. It's theoretically in continuity with 1954, but it barely matters.
Godzilla vs. Megaguiarus - 3
It has a black hole gun. Add 1 to the "should I start with this movie" score if that's your thing.
Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack - 2
Not bogged down in continuity per se, but it references a lot of previous movies. Best for Godzilla buffs or if your watching all the movies.
Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla - 3
Fine movie, a little to pro-military for my tastes but I saw it in the theaters recently and still enjoyed it. No major continuity issues, but not the best example of the series as a whole.
Godzilla Tokyo S.O.S. - 2
In direct continuity with the previous movie. Kind of expects you to get all the references. There are way better choices.
Godzilla Final Wars - 2
A love letter to the Showa era. A 50th anniversary film chalk full of easter eggs and refs to previous Godzilla/Toho films.
You should watch every Showa era movie first, and then wait a year before seeing this. It's a great movie, but it requires nostalgia
Godzilla (2014) - 5
Good movie, no reliance on previous movies. It's only mark against it is that it's a Hollywood movie, not a Japanese one.
If you like this, you almost certainly like other Godzilla movies.
Shin Godzilla - 5
Excellent movie and requires 0 previous knowledge of other Godzilla movies. Has easter eggs for the fans, but they're not obvious and you will miss nothing if you don't know what they are.
Godzilla: Planet of Monsters - 1
First anime Godzilla and it sucks. To be avoided by anime fans and Godzilla fans alike. Requires no prior knowledge of Godzilla but the movie is so different from the every other Godzilla movie in the series, it's a terrible first movie.
Godzilla: Planet of Monsters - 1
First anime Godzilla and it sucks. To be avoided by anime fans and Godzilla fans alike. Requires no prior knowledge of Godzilla but the movie is so different from the every other Godzilla movie in the series, it's a terrible first movie.
Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle - 1
I could rate this lower, it's my scale after all, but I'm not going to. It's a direct sequel to Planet of Monsters and was teased at the end of the fist film.
I'm obviously not going to recommend this as your 1st Godzilla movie.
Godzilla: The Planet Eater - 1
Everything I said about City on the Edge of Battle applies to this movie as well.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters - 4
In a perfect world, you should probably see both Godzilla (2014) and Kong: Skull Island first, but fuck it. This movie is fun an awesome.
Godzilla vs. Kong - 4
Sure, it's a direct sequel to Skull Island and King of the Monsters, but let's face it, you want to see two famous monsters fight. And you want it Hollywood style.
And you should have that.
Gonna be honest with you, I can't imagine someone watching Godzilla vs. Kong and not becoming a Godzilla fan for life.
