Godzilla Vs King Ghidorah

After Godzilla Vs. Biollante didn't do as well as hoped it was rumored that Toho wanted Godzilla to face King Kong again, but Ted Turner wanted to much for the rights. So instead they went with Godzilla number one foe King Ghidorah instead. Writer/Director Kazuki Omori may have been a little to much into the Terminator films, making for some major plot holes and cheesy effects but over all it is the best Daikaiju action of the Heisei series.

Return of Godzilla aka Godzilla 1985

After a 9 year break Toho decided to bring back Godzilla, but as a reboot where only the 1954 movie happened. In the US they figured might as well splice Raymond Burr for stateside release.

Showa Godzilla Breakdown

Godzilla Screen Time   

Time               Movie

20:33              Godzilla Vs Hedorah

16:12              Godzilla Vs Gigan

13:01              Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

11:56              Son of Godzilla

10:24              Mothra Vs Godzilla

10:24              Godzilla Vs Megalon

09:34              Terror of MechaGodzilla

09:32              Godzilla Raids Again

09:13              King Kong Vs Godzilla

08:44              Gojira

08:29              Destroy All Monsters

08:19              All Monsters Attack

07:55              3 Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth

07:55              Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla

05:43              Invasion of the Astro Monster

Percent of Godzilla screen time

Percent           Movie

24%                Godzilla Vs Hedorah

18%                Godzilla Vs Gigan

15%                Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

14%                Son of Godzilla

13%                Godzilla Vs Megalon

12%                Godzilla Raids Again

12%                Mothra Vs Godzilla

12%                All Monsters Attack

12%                Terror of MechaGodzilla

10%                King Kong Vs Godzilla

10%                Destroy All Monsters

9%                  Gojira

9%                  3 Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth

9%                  Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla

6%                  Invasion of the Astro Monster

Clashes/Rampages       

Time               Movie

29:54              Godzilla Vs Gigan

22:47              Godzilla Vs Hedorah

16:10              Godzilla Vs Megalon

15:40              Terror of MechaGodzilla

14:04              Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla

13:40              3 Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth

12:53              Destroy All Monsters

11:02              All Monsters Attack

11:01              King Kong Vs Godzilla

10:57              Mothra Vs Godzilla

09:49              Invasion of the Astro Monster

09:08              Son of Godzilla

06:03              Godzilla Raids Again

06:02              Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

05:20              Gojira

           

Kaiju with the most screen time     

Kaiju                          Movie

Godzilla                     Gojira

Godzilla                     Godzilla Raids Again

King Kong                 King Kong Vs Godzilla

Godzilla                     Mothra Vs Godzilla

Godzilla                     3 Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth

Godzilla                     Invasion of the Astro Monster

Godzilla                     Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

Minilla                       Son of Godzilla

Godzilla                     Destroy All Monsters

Minilla                       All Monsters Attack

Hedorah                     Godzilla Vs Hedorah

Godzilla                     Godzilla Vs Gigan

Megalon                     Godzilla Vs Megalon

MechaGodzilla          Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla

Titanosaurus              Terror of MechaGodzilla

IMDB Rating

Rating             Movie

7.5                   Gojira

6.6                   3 Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth

6.6                   Destroy All Monsters

6.5                   Mothra Vs Godzilla

6.3                   Invasion of the Astro Monster

6.3                   Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla

6.1                   Terror of MechaGodzilla

6                      Godzilla Raids Again

5.9                   King Kong Vs Godzilla

5.9                   Godzilla Vs Hedorah

5.6                   Godzilla Vs Gigan

5.1                   Son of Godzilla

5                      Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

4.2                   Godzilla Vs Megalon

4                      All Monsters Attack

           

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score

(not every Godzilla movie has enough for a critics review)

Rating            Movie

89%                Gojira

71%                Destroy All Monsters

67%                Mothra Vs Godzilla

64%                Invasion of the Astro Monster

61%                3 Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth

61%                Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla

61%                Terror of MechaGodzilla

51%                Godzilla Vs Gigan

50%                Godzilla Vs Hedorah

48%                King Kong Vs Godzilla

44%                Godzilla Vs Megalon

39%                Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

38%                Godzilla Raids Again

29%                Son of Godzilla

19%                All Monsters Attack

           

My Rating of the Japanese release

Rating             Movie

95                   Gojira

92                   Invasion of the Astro Monster

85                   Destroy All Monsters

82                   Mothra Vs Godzilla

78                   3 Giant Monsters: The Greatest Battle on Earth

76                   King Kong Vs Godzilla

70                   Godzilla Vs Hedorah

68                   Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla

65                   Ebirah, Horror of the Deep

65                   Godzilla Vs Megalon

63                   Son of Godzilla

63                   Terror of MechaGodzilla

57                   Godzilla Raids Again

49                   All Monsters Attack

42                   Godzilla Vs Gigan

           

My Rating of the US release

Rating             Movie

92                   Godzilla Vs Monster Zero

85                   Destroy All Monsters

82                   Godzilla Vs the Thing

81                   Godzilla King of the Monsters

70                   Godzilla Vs the Smog Monster

68                   Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster

68                   Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla

65                   Godzilla Vs the Sea Monster

65                   Godzilla Vs Megalon

63                   Son of Godzilla

63                   Terror of MechaGodzilla

53                   King Kong Vs Godzilla

49                   Godzilla's Revenge

42                   Godzilla on Monster Island

35                   Gigantis, the Fire Monster

Godzilla Vs Megalon

The script for this movie was originally just Jet Jaguar Vs. Megalon, but Toho thought twice and figured it would do better with Godzilla and Gigan added to the fight card. Also like the last two movies Godzilla battles at night till dawn, however it is easier to see the nighttime action then the last two.

Godzilla Vs. Gigan aka Godzilla on Monster Island

"Godzilla Vs. Gigan" starts the heavy use of recycled effect footage. Godzilla ends up with a lot of screen time, however a lot of that is stock footage or spent swimming. This movie was also a later release in the US not coming out till 1977 five years after it came out in Japan. And called "Godzilla on Monster Island" even though he spends very little time on said monster island.

Godzilla Vs. Hedorah aka Godzilla Vs the Smog Monster

The 70's brings a new era to the Godzilla franchise, the superhero / pro-wrestling era where Godzilla is the protector of Japan / Earth and fights daikaiju that threaten the peace. "Godzilla Vs. Hedorah" aka "Godzilla Vs. the Smog Monster" is also the biggest message movie since the original and the director gives the movie a independent / art film feel which fans of the franchise either like or hate. It also has the most screen time for Godzilla and his opponent double that of almost all previous films.

All Monster Attack aka Godzilla's Revenge

When Toho wants another Godzilla movie but doesn't want to spend a whole lot? What you get is Minilla staring in a very special PSA about latchkey kids, bullying, and what to do if you are kidnapped by bank robbers. With lots of stock footage from earlier Godzilla movies.

Destroy All Monsters

What happens when you try to end a franchise with a huge extravaganza? You end up revitalizing to genre into the next decade. Toho took every useable daikaiju suit and made a couple of new ones and through them together into on epic film that ends the golden age of daikaiju movies.

Son of Godzilla

Godzilla's south seas vacation continues and we are introduced to Minira or Minilla the small grey pudgy daikaiju nobody asked for.

Ebirah, Horror of the Deep aka Godzilla Vs. the Sea Monster

Taking a break from the city destruction and world saving Godzilla takes a south seas vacation in a film originally written for King Kong. We also have a new director Jun Fukuda, Sadamasa Arikawa taking a more active role in effects, and Masaru Sato does the score.

Invasion of the Astro Monster aka Godzilla Vs Monster Zero

With the sixth entry into the franchise it was decided to mix the sci-fi space invasion theme with daikaiju. The result is a great movie that surprisingly has very little daikaiju screen time, in fact this film has the least amount of Godzilla in the 50's and 60's golden age. But the short screen time is made up for by being some of the best in franchise history.

Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster

To borrow a term from wrestling, the fifth entry changes Godzilla from the villain, to a tweener. He and Rodan work out their differences across the Japanese countryside. Then Mothra convince them to team up and face the powerful space monster Ghidorah.

Godzilla Raids Again aka Gigantis, the Fire Monster Breakdown

My Breakdown of the Godzilla franchise continues with the 2nd film, a rushed sequel that gets majorly butchered in the States. It does introduce the daikaiju Anguirus who becomes a major part of the franchise in the 70's. 

   

ゴジラ (1954) aka Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1955) Breakdown

ゴジラ (1954) aka Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1955)

My breakdown and review of Godzilla franchise starts of the original, I plan to review all the Godzilla movies overtime, hopefully one a week. In the breakdown I include the runtime, from the daikaiju’s appearance to the end included cuts of humans and destruction, and screen time, any visual part of the daikaiju is in shot, for each daikaiju appearing in the film. As well as the time of the 1st full appearance of each daikaiju, and how long any fights last.