I figured a lot of you movie lovers are probably interested in the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters movie but not many of you are hardcore Godzilla franchise fans, or even if you are big fans don't know every single movie and monster origin like somebody such as myself who enjoys the genre of Asian monster destruction more than movies in general. So if you're interested, I thought it would be a good idea to give a little introduction and guide of Kaiju movies to watch so you know the starring monsters in the upcoming blockbuster a little better, since there are now more movies in the franchise than days until the new release. Also if you don't want to listen to me you can hear the AVGN's suggestions on where to start with Godzilla. I think he makes pretty good suggestions and he has a good idea on how/where to start https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8czak8Kaq3AMany of the movies in the Godzilla series or share continuity with Godzilla (such as Giant Monster of the Sky: Rodan, and Mothra) are available either on Netflix, criterion, crackle, or online or DVD/Blu-Ray. If you have trouble finding one I could help you out.The introduction of Godzilla - The first film is Gojira (1954) released under the title Godzilla, King of the Monsters in America. This is the first film with giant monsters in this franchise, and the first appearance of iconic Godzilla. Gojira and Godzilla, King of the Monsters are not exactly the same movie, the American version re-shot and re-edited some scenes so that the leading character was Steve Martin, played Canadian-American star Raymond Burr, an American reporter who doesn't even exist in the Japanese Gojira. But since the story is still about how Japan struggles with the devastation at the hands of Godzilla, the new lead role doesn't actually change much, Raymond Burr's character really just holds the viewer's hand narrating everything under the guise of reporting on the Godzilla attacks.Whichever version you watch, the original Godzilla film is an amazing feature. The original Gojira gives you a more pure experience of what Godzilla is all about but Raymond Burr's performance has it's own charms that makes the American version a classic in it's own right. It's a great watch even if you aren't interested in the Godzilla franchise. It's tense, tightly written, with miniature and suit effects that were ahead of it's time even if it was shot in black and white. It might sound funny given some of the reputation Godzilla has garnered over the years but especially in the black and white Godzilla is actually very frightening here in his original feature.Images: https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a0/d5/1b/a0d51b9d6766a462ef5cc842cde67542.jpghttps://egelwan.files.wordpress.com/2017/08/08nakajima-obit-3-master675.jpghttps://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOTQ3MTMwMDAtYzA2ZC00YWYyLWJiYzQtMzA5YjZjNTRkNGRkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI3MDk3MzQ@._V1_.jpghttp://www.scifimoviepage.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/gojira-1954-crop.jpgThe second Godzilla and the first ever Giant Monster Brawl - The year following the success of Toho studio's movie Gojira, the title monster got a sequel called Godzilla Raids Again (1955). This is the first ever feature film to depict the now time honored tradition of city-destroying monsters fighting each other to the death. Godzilla's first rival is also a very important character to take note of. His enemy, Anguirus, is a fan favorite among the Kaiju community and it's possible that it might be one of the many unannounced monsters who will appear in the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019). This one isn't as important as the original Godzilla or the introductions of the other head-lining monsters, but it's still good and part of history, so you might want to see it.Images: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDg1MzQwMzQtNWRmZi00MTZmLTgxYzktMzc4M2RmYWI2NDJhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjQ2MzUyNjg@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,1395,1000_AL_.jpghttps://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMDNiZmQzODQtNGI5Zi00YzkxLWE2MzAtNjdmZDg2YTIzZGRmXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjQ2MzUyNjg@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,1057,1000_AL_.jpghttps://hisandhergodzilla.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/img_0786.jpgThe arrival of Rodan - The year after Godzilla's sequel (also the same year that Godzilla, King of the Monsters would first reach America), Toho premiered their next giant monster movie star, Rodan, in the feature Giant Monster of the Sky: Rodan (1956). Rodan is a lot more than just a super sized Pteranodon or a Godzilla who can fly. The terror provided by Rodan in his film trades Godzilla's near invincibility and unstoppable march of destruction for unpredictable death from above and speed that makes him unavoidable, coupled with the same city-leveling power as Godzilla and deadly hurricane-winds created with every flap of wings. The story of Rodan's first movie also has surprising twists and turns that you won't see coming if you're watching for the first time. It's one of my favorites of these early films.Images: https://hisandhergodzilla.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/img_0786.jpghttps://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/godzilla/images/b/bf/56Rodan2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20120809030219The coming of Mothra - in 1961 came the third of the Toho's star monsters in a movie that shared her name, Mothra. Mothra adds other fantasy elements to the giant monster premise, such as a mysterious uncharted island inhabited by mystic natives, and a pair of twin fairies who can communicate with the monster. Mothra is also different from other kaiju in that she isn't a science monster born from radiation at all, Mothra is a goddess in her story. She is also a good-guy alternative to Godzilla and Rodan, only attacking mankind when some humans try to harm her fairy friends.Images: http://www.qusoor.com/images/monsters/M01.jpghttp://flickersintime.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Mothra-1961-on-land.pnghttps://i2.wp.com/midnitereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Mothra-1961-5.jpg?ssl=1Another clash of titans, Godzilla and Mothra - After Toho introduced Mothra and brought Godzilla back for a third film where he fought King Kong; the monster stars Mothra and Godzilla clashed in 1964's Mothra vs Godzilla. This is the first time the Japanese studio that created Godzilla and Mothra pit their own starring monsters against one another. This is a fan-favorite for many reasons. This is the film that starts the Godzilla-Mothra rivalry that would last multiple generations and continuities over the many years and movies that Godzilla and Mothra would star in.Images: http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/mothra-vs-godzilla-tail-mothra.jpgThe most ambitious crossover event, and the descent of Ghidorah - So you have three highly successful movie monsters and the movie with two of them fighting was another hit. So what do you do next? You make another film with all three of your monsters and a brand new monster that's going to fight all of them. And that's how we got Ghidorah: The Three Headed Monster (1964). In this one it starts with Godzilla and Rodan having a brawl, and then the iconic Ghidorah comes to earth inside a giant meteor ready to destroy all life on Earth, and it's up to Mothra to play the roll of protector of mankind through all of this. This one is epic pulp sci-fi fantasy goodness and the first time the four monsters who are starring in the upcoming King of the Monsters film are all sharing the screen together. And with this film we've covered the introduction movies for all four of the stars of the upcoming film.Images: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yjMq2BVSgJM/maxresdefault.jpghttps://popmatters-img.rbl.ms/simage/https%3A%2F%2Fassets.rbl.ms%2F11939491%2F980x.jpg/2000%2C2000/LYOAsICBtUDGpVMg/img.jpgLet's say you aren't into the 50s and 60s era monsters and style of film-making. There are still a lot of great Godzilla movies for you. If the black-and-white Gojira from 1954 is a turn off for you, or you just can't really get into the old effects from the old Godzilla movies, then that's all well and good because in 1984 there was a franchise reboot. The Godzilla fandom calls this the Hesei era of Godzilla movies. The Godzilla films from 84 onward all feature extremely improved special effects and much higher quality technology and more sophisticated film-making. This era of Godzilla films use much more complexly created suits for Godzilla and the other monsters that incorporate computer effects and robotics to help with the special effects.Even better than the original? The return of the King of the Monsters - For the thirtieth anniversary of the iconic Godzilla, Toho studio brought back Godzilla with a brand new continuity forgetting all about the aliens, god-monsters, and other craziness from the 60s and early 70s movies that lead to Godzilla's 10 year vacation. Godzilla Returns (1984) released in America as Godzilla 1985 features Godzilla's first solo appearance since his original movie. If you talk to Godzilla fans something you might hear often is how Godzilla is a force of nature and/or symbolic of the horrors of nuclear warfare. Some of the more pulpy or fantasy-oriented Godzilla movies stray from this concept (although a lot of the Hesei era Godzilla movies do a good job of not forgetting about it) but all of that is brought back in sharp relief in Godzilla Returns/Godzilla 1985.It's not set in stone if this revival is better than the granddady Godzilla movie, but for my money it's the best of both worlds, taking the same spirit and ideas of the original Gojira and updated with captivating new technology, a revamp of the original Godzilla design, and new special effects that are even ahead of some of what Hollywood was coming out with at the same time. Plus the new story and directing combined with series composer Akira Ifukube bringing some of his best work created a Godzilla that's actually genuinely terrifying.The American version just like in the first Godzilla adds new scenes and even brings back the star Raymond Burr to reprise his role, but this time they aren't messing with any of the original scenes, this time they just add him to show how people around the world are reacting to Godzilla's attack on Japan and showing the character Steve Martin talk about his experience as a survivor of the terror.Images: http://bit.ly/2VaA4Hu technology, effects, animatronics and suits they use for Godzilla Returns/Godzilla 1985 aren't 100% perfect (although they are much closer to perfect in the following movie Godzilla vs Biollante (1989), which is one of the best Godzilla movies ever) this Godzilla film is still a marvel of 80s film making and one of the greats in the Godzilla series. It is also the start of a series of seven very high quality movies with strong continuity. I highly recommend watching all seven of the 80s-90s Godzilla movies to get the full story and the perfect ending that is Godzilla vs Destroyah (1995). But if you don't have the time and you only want to see the films that will give you a good sense of what you'll be getting into with the upcoming giant monster movie they aren't 100% needed.Godzilla vs Biollante images: http://bit.ly/2GOqL67 vs Destroyah images: https://s1028.photobucket.com/user/TheGood-TheBad_And-TheOdd/media/godzilla_vs_destoroyah_3_zpsd6d8ce1f.jpg.htmlhttps://i1.wp.com/manapop.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Godzilla-vs-Destroyah.jpgGhidorah's brand new look - The rematch that brings the new version of King Ghidorah in Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991 )actually really isn't important for understanding the character of Ghidorah at all, since this movie brings a new origin story for the three headed monster that the upcoming film isn't taking inspiration from, so he is a very different King Ghidorah in terms of how he acts. But the reason I'm including his appearance here is because the design of the 1991 King Ghidorah is one of the most well crafted and iconic looks for Ghidorah in the whole 60+ year franchise, and it's the look that the 2019 King Ghidorah is going to most closely resemble. Of course the movie is great too, it's not my favorite of the 90s Godzillas, that one would be Godzilla vs Destroyah, but like I said above, all of these ones are high grade Godzilla. The story of Godzilla vs King Ghidorah is one of the more unique ones so I'm not going to spoil what you're in for with this one. But I bet you never knew that Steven Spielberg's dad was in a Godzilla movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJSfVZgKDOwBy the way, if you're wondering why Ghidorah was just Ghidorah before but in this one they're calling him King Ghidorah, don't worry about it, you didn't miss a movie where the guy gets a coronation, it's never explained so none of us know why he got the new title.Images: https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/321250900552341781/24D3266ABB33F67276545D2F9BAB827D69535E98/https://i.ytimg.com/vi/i5f-7A08SEs/maxresdefault.jpghttps://i0.wp.com/midnitereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Godzilla-vs.-King-Ghidorah-3.jpg?ssl=1Rematch of the Century, Godzilla vs Mothra bigger and bolder this time - Because bringing back Ghidorah to rival Godzilla turned out to be a big success for Toho, they decided for the next film to bring back the next most important rival to Godzilla, Mothra their moth goddess herself. It turned out to be one of their best financial decisions in the whole Godzilla franchise too since Godzilla vs Mothra: Battle for the Earth (1992) wound up making them almost 20 times as much money as it cost them to create. This bout between Godzilla and Mothra is much more bombastic, much more violent, and much more of a knock down drag out battle than their previous fights. This movie also raises the stakes by introducing Mothra's dark counterpart, Battra. Where Mothra is a peaceful and gentle guardian type of monster, Battra is the god of the chaotic and violent aspects of nature. While re-doing some of the plot points from the classic Mothra vs Godzilla the driving force of this film is the epic three way battle between Battra, Godzilla, and Mothra.Images: http://bit.ly/2VavngC next Godzilla movie after this one has Rodan in it, but unfortunately Rodan is relegated to only a minor roll in Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla II in 1993. I'd still recommend this one as well, because I really think the 80s and 90s Godzilla continuity is some of the strongest Godzilla material out there, but Rodan doesn't really get enough time to shine for me to recommend if you're trying to see what he's all about for his role in King of the Monsters 2019.images: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qqp5-ys9B_Y/hqdefault.jpgBreaking out of Godzilla's shadow, Mothra gets some of her own movies again - Being popular enough to get is own movies where he isn't a co-star for Godzilla is something that Rodan was never lucky enough to achieve. But it is a privilege Mothra was allowed to enjoy after the success of her rematch with Godzilla in 92. Mothra returned with her own trilogy of films, Rebirth of Mothra, Rebirth of Mothra II: Battle Under the Deep Sea, and Rebirth of Mothra III: Invasion of King Ghidorah where the monster moth goddess battles Ghidorah's edgy little brother, then goes to Atlantis to turn into an X-wing so she can fight the love of child of Space Godzilla and the Smog Monster (yes those are both real monsters Toho made but Daghara isn't actually their love child), and then goes back in time to stop King Ghidorah from wiping out the dinosaurs in his youth so she can beat him in present day. I am not even joking.Images: http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/38300000/Mothra-vs-Desghidorah-japanese-monster-movies-38386032-250-188.gifhttps://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/godzilla/images/4/49/Dagahrauf1.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20110526195030https://i.pinimg.com/originals/13/cd/e0/13cde006f8621b83bec96245261484cc.jpgGet ready for this one, you've never seen a title this good before - In 2001 Toho had the balls to ask themselves that if Godzilla and King Ghidorah having a rematch was good, and Godzilla having a rematch with Mothra was one of the best money makers they'd ever had, then what happens if you put all three of them in the same movie? What happened was they repeated the success they had in 92 and they also made another one of the best Godzilla movies out there, and a one of the best ones to pick if you only want to check out one Godzilla movie. This one is Godzilla Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack and it's brilliant. At the end of 1999 the Godzilla series went through another reboot, so what we're getting to see in this film are brand new versions of Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. Yeah, unfortunately poor Rodan gets left out of this one, but it's still an amazing and highly unique Godzilla film. The monster action, story, and human characters are all really good in this one. Plus some of the new digital effects for the monster battles are very cool.images: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vaKTVwTyLuc/maxresdefault.jpghttps://kaijupod.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/episode10.jpg?w=700Other Godzilla movies you might like to check outThe match of the century, King Kong vs Godzilla - in 1962 Toho made the match-up that everyone who thought monsters were cool wanted to see. They mega sized the King of Kongs to Godzilla-size so he could grapple with the Japanese King and they have a fight for the ages. It's being remade after the new Godzilla King of the Monsters, so this one actually isn't important for what you might want to know going into King of the Monsters as the end of the month, but you may want to check it out for the next big Godzilla release. The Japanese monster movie studio also gave King Kong his own movie King Kong Escapes, which is a lot like a Japanese version of the original King Kong except it still uses the Godzilla-sized Kong, and showcases King Kong getting into more titan-sized wrestling matches with other giant monsters, one of which I bet you never would have seen coming.Ghidorah went from zero to hero - After Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla and Rodan have another brawl with Ghidorah without Mothra's help this time in Godzilla vs Monster Zero. Even though this is one of the greats of the 60s era Godzilla, and gave us the Godzilla dance, I didn't include this one because Godzilla, Rodan, and Ghidorah spend the majority of the movie mind controlled by aliens. It's a very good watch but it's not really introduction material if you want to get to know Rodan and Ghidorah for the new film.All of the monsters. All of them. - Destroy All Monsters is what you get when you have almost a dozen popular monster characters and you want to use all of them to make a huge fire works show that's what you think is going to be the finale of your franchise. More aliens, more mind control, Godzilla in New York, Rodan in Moscow, and Ghidorah fights everybody. It's a good time.Don't smoke if you don't want a Smog Monster - One of the most distinct of all the 70s Godzilla movies is Godzilla vs Hedorah aka Godzilla vs The Smog Monster is made by a visionary and maybe a little crazy Japanese director named Yoshimitsu Banno. The monster he designed is one of the funkier rivals Godzilla faced and his movie has an environmental message in it along with psychedelic scenes and people being dissolved into skeletons by the smog monster. It's a pretty weird one and it'll make you wonder why Godzilla doesn't fly more often.The 70s MechaGodzilla movies - One of the other most iconic characters from the Godzilla franchise is MechaGodzilla, the mechanical rival to Goji. Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla and Terror of MechaGodzilla. For me these two are the pinnacle of the old Godzilla movies, at least in terms of suits and special effects. These are the last ones to come out before the Hesei era Godzilla, and they're a beautiful spectacle of 70s Science Fiction and monster wrestling.And I know I harped on it a lot already, but the 80s and 90s Godzilla movies are just all really good, if you just watch the seven movie series starting with Godzilla 1985 through Gozilla vs Destroyah you'll have a pretty good foundation for what Godzilla is all about and all the movies are good.Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla, and Godzilla Tokyo SOS - This is another pair of MechaGodzilla movies from 2002 and 2003. MechaGodzilla isn't piloted by aliens or made from tech from the future this time. This time MechaGodzilla was contracted by the Japanese military to be made by a Biologist and Robotics Scientist to make a fighting machine out of the bones of a dead Godzilla to fight the new Godzilla. It may not sound like it, but these two are some of the most heartfelt and human of the three Godzilla movies. Tokyo SOS is a unique entry in the Godzilla series because it's not only a sequel to Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla but it's also a sequel to the original Mothra movie, with the main characters of this one being the grandchildren one of the main characters from Mothra '62.Godzilla, Power Rangers, The Matrix, and the most accurate depiction of New York City in cinema history - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz0ED9BB-VAIf you need me to say anymore after that, this one is a bit of a doozy. In 2004 Toho had even more monsters than the last time they thought they were going to make a last Godzilla movie, and this time they had so many they couldn't even use all of them but darn it they sure tried. And in all the scenes that aren't stuffed to the brim with monsters you have sword fights, alien invasions, magic karate, this movie has everything. It even has Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah all featuring in it as well, but sadly all three of them don't have very much screen time.True Godzilla aka God Godzilla aka Godzilla Resurgence - The real title of the 2016 Godzilla movie is Shin Gojira directed by critically acclaimed directors Hideaki Anno of Gunbuster and Neon Genesis Evangelion fame and Shinji Higuchi famous from the 90s Gamera Trilogy. Shin Gojira is the only Japanese Godzilla movie aside from the first Godzilla where the fictional Japan has never seen Godzilla before. Shin Gojira provides the one of the most nightmare inducing versions of Godzilla yet with a story that really takes the idea of a monster destroying Japan seriously all the way down to the most minute details.Hey, you like anime? There's Godzilla anime - Have you ever asked yourself "what if Godzilla takes over the entire planet Earth at the same time as two alien civilizations make contact with Earth in time to evacuate humanity? And then what if thanks to hyperspace travel we all came back 10 thousand years into the future to find out Godzilla is everything except for a MechaGodzilla city and human-bug hybrid people who worship a Mothra egg and Ghidorah is coming in from an alternate dimension?" Well if you ever had any ideas remotely like that, then the Godzilla anime film trilogy are for you. Godzilla: Planet of Monsters, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle, and Godzilla: Planet Eater are unlike any of the other Godzilla films even ignoring the fact that they're the only ones entirely in computer animation.I hope this helped or sparked interest in some of you movie loving folk. If you have any other questions feel free to ask or come take a visit over at r/GODZILLA and have a good stomping time! via /r/movies http://bit.ly/2WhEyIH
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