The Official Godzilla Discussion Thread

[MechaGodzilla]

I thought we should have a thread for general discussion about the Godzilla franchise, a first unless the search feature left anything out. Ask for recommendations, post reviews, talk about your favorites (movies and monsters alike), rank and rate them, talk about lost projects and behind the scenes stuff, discuss Toho's handling of the series, etc. Any and all discussion related to Godzilla goes here.

Of course it wouldn't be complete without a poll where you can vote for your favorite Godzilla movie, all of them included

[Show spoiler](yes, even that '98 one many of us fans don't think should really count )

. I'm aware we have a specific forum for polls, but the poll isn't the main point of the thread, it's more like a complimentary poll.

[Col. Zombie]

I had to go with Ghidorah '91. I enjoy so many GZ films, the original is fantastic and the last one was an absolute blast. But the big old three headed monster has a special place in my heart. I even have him tattooed on my back (flying in on my 14 inch Godzilla).

[MechaGodzilla]

I've been making my way through the Godzilla series, all 28 Japanese movies plus both American ones, over the last few weeks. I finally finished the marathon a couple days ago, and this is how I currently rank them in order from favorite to least favorite:

1. Terror of Mechagodzilla
2. Mothra vs. Godzilla
3. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
4. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '74
5. Godzilla '54
6. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
7. Godzilla vs. Gigan
8. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
9. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
10. Invasion of Astro-Monster
11. The Return of Godzilla
12. Godzilla vs. Hedorah
13. Son of Godzilla
14. Godzilla '14
15. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
16. Destroy All Monsters
17. Godzilla vs. Megalon
18. Godzilla vs. Biollante
19. Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
20. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '93
21. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
22. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
23. Godzilla: Final Wars
24. Godzilla vs. Mothra
25. Godzilla 2000
26. King Kong vs. Godzilla
27. Godzilla Raids Again
28. All Monsters Attack
29. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
30. Godzilla '98

[redxrebellion]

Originally Posted by MechaGodzilla

I've been making my way through the Godzilla series, all 28 Japanese movies plus both American ones, over the last few weeks. I finally finished the marathon a couple days ago, and this is how I currently rank them in order from favorite to least favorite:

1. Terror of Mechagodzilla
2. Mothra vs. Godzilla
3. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
4. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '74
5. Godzilla '54
6. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack
7. Godzilla vs. Gigan
8. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep
9. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
10. Invasion of Astro-Monster
11. The Return of Godzilla
12. Godzilla vs. Hedorah
13. Son of Godzilla
14. Godzilla '14
15. Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.
16. Destroy All Monsters
17. Godzilla vs. Megalon
18. Godzilla vs. Biollante
19. Godzilla vs. Megaguirus
20. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '93
21. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
22. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla
23. Godzilla: Final Wars
24. Godzilla vs. Mothra
25. Godzilla 2000
26. King Kong vs. Godzilla
27. Godzilla Raids Again
28. All Monsters Attack
29. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
30. Godzilla '98

Lol I was searching for a complete list of all Godzilla movies ever made. Guess I found it.

Are all these available on blu-ray in the US? If so are they the best versions to have for best video and audio quality? For audio I'm really only interested in English tracks.

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by redxrebellion

Lol I was searching for a complete list of all Godzilla movies ever made. Guess I found it.

Are all these available on blu-ray in the US? If so are they the best versions to have for best video and audio quality? For audio I'm really only interested in English tracks.

The ones currently available on Blu-ray in the US:


Godzilla (1954) - Released by Classic Media in 2009 and Criterion in 2012, the Criterion is far superior:



King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) - Released by Universal, only includes the English dub/cut:



Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966) - Released by Kraken Releasing:



Destroy All Monsters (1968) - Released by Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock:



Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971) - Released by Kraken Releasing:



Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) - Released by Kraken Releasing:



Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) - Released by Media Blasters/Tokyo Shock:



Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) - Released by Echo Bridge in 2012 and reissued by Lionsgate in 2014, the Lionsgate is superior since it fixes an audio error:



Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) and Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992) - Released by Sony:



Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1993) and Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994) - Released by Sony:



Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000) - Released by Sony:



Godzilla (1998) - Released multiple times by Sony, Mastered in 4K edition is the best in terms of PQ/AQ:



Godzilla 2000 (1999) - Released by Sony:



Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) and Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) - Released by Sony:



Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003) and Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) - Released by Sony:



Godzilla (2014) - Obviously released by Warner Bros. in multiple editions that are all equal in terms of PQ/AQ, so just get whichever you prefer.


And that's all the Godzilla movies with English-friendly Blu-ray releases at this point in time. The above listed American releases are also currently the only English-friendly releases in the world, so they're your only option. Makes it an easy choice. Since you're interested in English audio, I should mention all of the above include that (obvious in the case of the '98 and '14 films, since they're American productions). The remaining, unreleased ones are:

1. Godzilla Raids Again (1955) - Owned by Classic Media
2. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) - Owned by Classic Media
3. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) - Owned by Classic Media
4. Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) - Owned by Classic Media
5. Son of Godzilla (1967) - Unknown
6. All Monsters Attack (1969) - Owned by Classic Media
7. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) - Unknown
8. Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) - Owned by Classic Media
9. The Return of Godzilla (1984) - Unknown

Classic Media have no plans to release the movies they own on Blu-ray, so that might take a while. Son of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '74 will probably be released as soon as someone buys the rights. When it comes to The Return of Godzilla there's some rights issue that prevents anyone from releasing it at this point in time.

[redxrebellion]

Wow! Thank you so much for the extremely informative response. It will be a big help for me.

Currently I have the criterion version of the original, King Kong vs Godzilla, and the new 2014 film. I really want to collect them all and watch them in order, but it doesn't look like I can go that route right now.

Are the unreleased ones still available in the US on DVD with English tracks? Might have to do that to fill in the gaps til they're released on blu.

Once again, big thanks for being so helpful. Very much appreciated.

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by redxrebellion

Wow! Thank you so much for the extremely informative response. It will be a big help for me.

Currently I have the criterion version of the original, King Kong vs Godzilla, and the new 2014 film. I really want to collect them all and watch them in order, but it doesn't look like I can go that route right now.

Are the unreleased ones still available in the US on DVD with English tracks? Might have to do that to fill in the gaps til they're released on blu.

Once again, big thanks for being so helpful. Very much appreciated.

No problem, always happy to help.

Yes, most of those have been released on DVD. The best deal for the Classic Media ones is the Godzilla Collection box set, which includes all the movies they own the rights to.

Son of Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '74 were released on DVD by Sony over a decade ago, but unfortunately they're out of print and very expensive now. Return of Godzilla never even received an official DVD release in the US, the rights issue goes back many years.

[SirMontyPython]

My favorite, next to the newest Godzilla by Gareth Edwards is Godzilla 1984, or Return of Godzilla. I saw that many times as a kid, and I do hope one day that comes out on blu-ray for me to own!

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by SirMontyPython

My favorite, next to the newest Godzilla by Gareth Edwards is Godzilla 1984, or Return of Godzilla. I saw that many times as a kid, and I do hope one day that comes out on blu-ray for me to own!

At this point I doubt that movie will ever be released again on any format.

[SirMontyPython]

Originally Posted by Infernal King

At this point I doubt that movie will ever be released again on any format.

That's the sad part...damn licensing rights SNAFU

[Michael24]

I never could get into this franchise (or the whole Kaiju genre in general), but I do enjoy the 1954 original. It's a solid monster movie with some substance and some good characters.

Watched the new one just last night and thought it was okay, not quite as bad as I expected, but could have used much more Godzilla and more interesting human characters. Until the last twenty minutes, it just felt like one big tease.

[Cochese04]

Originally Posted by Infernal King

At this point I doubt that movie will ever be released again on any format.

If it makes you feel any better, it's not a very good movie. The follow-up, Godzilla vs. Biollante, is far superior and available on Blu-ray dirt cheap... not to mention about a dozen other Godzilla films that are also better.

Not that I wouldn't buy a Blu-ray of it on day one, but its absence on Region 1/A DVD and Blu-ray is no great tragedy.

[Infernal King]

Originally Posted by Cochese04

If it makes you feel any better, it's not a very good movie. The follow-up, Godzilla vs. Biollante, is far superior and available on Blu-ray dirt cheap... not to mention about a dozen other Godzilla films that are also better.

Not that I wouldn't buy a Blu-ray of it on day one, but its absence on Region 1/A DVD and Blu-ray is no great tragedy.

I've seen the original Japanese version and it's better than most of the films that came after it. Plus, it's not really a question of whether you or I liked it, more so that there are plenty of people who want to own that film and it won't receive a release anytime soon.

[Ninty64X]

I've never actually seen Godzilla 1985, but I'd still love a blu-ray release. Heck, I'd be fine with a DVD. It always bothers me when movies aren't easily available to watch. As for the other Godzilla movies, I'll need to re-watch most of them to get a proper opinion, but Ghidora the Three Headed Monster is definitely one of my favorites. It's a great combination of both campy and serious Godzilla. For pure camp I've gotta go with Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster, can't go wrong with a flying Godzilla and hippies!

[Cochese04]

Originally Posted by Ninty64X

As for the other Godzilla movies, I'll need to re-watch most of them to get a proper opinion, but Ghidora the Three Headed Monster is definitely one of my favorites.

They were on fire in the mid-60s: Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster, and Invasion of Astro-Monster pretty much blow their immediate predecessors and successors out of the water. I would also add War of the Gargantuas to the end of that list. After that, Toho's monster movies wouldn't be nearly as good until Terror of Mechagodzilla came along almost a decade later... although Destroy All Monsters has its moments, and there's a certain charm to movies like Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster and Godzilla vs. Megalon.

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by SirMontyPython

My favorite, next to the newest Godzilla by Gareth Edwards is Godzilla 1984, or Return of Godzilla. I saw that many times as a kid, and I do hope one day that comes out on blu-ray for me to own!

Originally Posted by Infernal King

At this point I doubt that movie will ever be released again on any format.

Originally Posted by Cochese04

If it makes you feel any better, it's not a very good movie. The follow-up, Godzilla vs. Biollante, is far superior and available on Blu-ray dirt cheap... not to mention about a dozen other Godzilla films that are also better.

Not that I wouldn't buy a Blu-ray of it on day one, but its absence on Region 1/A DVD and Blu-ray is no great tragedy.

Originally Posted by Ninty64X

I've never actually seen Godzilla 1985, but I'd still love a blu-ray release. Heck, I'd be fine with a DVD. It always bothers me when movies aren't easily available to watch.

It will definitely be released eventually, Toho want it to be, but they're planning on sitting out the rights issue, basically waiting until the rights expire in the US so they can sell it to one company (right now it's a complicated mess with no one really knowing who has the rights apparently). It will come, but when is the question. If you're really desperate to own it, may I throw out sumogorilla.com, just as a suggestion. It's a DVD-R, and not an official release (I'm not completely sure how legal it is either), but the quality is supposedly pretty good and it's about the only affordable English-friendly alternative at the moment.

Home video release talk aside, I share your love for Return of Godzilla, SirMontyPython. It feels like it actually has some kind of ambition to be a serious film with a politically relevant message, and I have to respect it for that alone. Also human drama that actually keeps your attention, good special effects, a moody atmosphere and a great score. I also really love Godzilla's design in this movie, it's very unique.

Originally Posted by Ninty64X

As for the other Godzilla movies, I'll need to re-watch most of them to get a proper opinion, but Ghidora the Three Headed Monster is definitely one of my favorites. It's a great combination of both campy and serious Godzilla. For pure camp I've gotta go with Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster, can't go wrong with a flying Godzilla and hippies!

I love Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster. I didn't really understand the appeal the first time around, but when I rewatched it as part of my marathon this year it suddenly clicked and it's one of my favorites now. The buildup to Ghidorah's reveal is very well done, the action is great and the anthropomorphized monsters provide lots of wonderful humor.

Originally Posted by Cochese04

They were on fire in the mid-60s: Mothra vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster, and Invasion of Astro-Monster pretty much blow their immediate predecessors and successors out of the water. I would also add War of the Gargantuas to the end of that list. After that, Toho's monster movies wouldn't be nearly as good until Terror of Mechagodzilla came along almost a decade later... although Destroy All Monsters has its moments, and there's a certain charm to movies like Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster and Godzilla vs. Megalon.

While I agree with you on the greatness of the three '64-'65 movies, I disagree that everything that followed up until Terror of Mechagodzilla isn't nearly as good. Personally I think Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla vs. Hedorah, Godzilla vs. Gigan and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla are all good, upper tier Godzilla movies that have lots of entertainment value and bring something new and interesting to the series. Hell, even Godzilla vs. Megalon, while not very good, is a lot of fun and strangely lovable.

[redxrebellion]

What other toho stuff is on blu. I don't wanna stop at Godzilla as I'm really getting into this stuff. My 7 year old is going crazy for these films.

I did notice the 2 I really want aren't available:
Frankenstein conquers the world
War of the gargantuas

Anyone see war of the gargantuas? How is it? It looks pretty nuts!

Again...only looking for English versions. Thank you

[Cochese04]

Originally Posted by redxrebellion

What other toho stuff is on blu. I don't wanna stop at Godzilla as I'm really getting into this stuff. My 7 year old is going crazy for these films.

I did notice the 2 I really want aren't available:
Frankenstein conquers the world
War of the gargantuas

Anyone see war of the gargantuas? How is it? It looks pretty nuts!

Again...only looking for English versions. Thank you

Frankenstein Conquers the World is out of print on DVD and used copies are pretty expensive. War of the Gargantuas, however, is still available on a terrific double feature DVD with Rodan, and it sells for less than $10. It's not Blu-ray, but it's all we've got for the time being, and it includes both the American and Japanese cuts. I like Frankenstein Conquers the World, but War of the Gargantuas is far superior. One of my favorites of all the Toho stuff. Highly recommended.

[redxrebellion]

Is war of the gargantuas a one off or part of a series or continuity?

[Cochese04]

Originally Posted by redxrebellion

Is war of the gargantuas a one off or part of a series or continuity?

It's a loose sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World, but you can watch it without having seen that one. Especially if you're watching the American cut, which removes the few references to it. It's pretty much a stand-alone film, not really a part of the Godzilla series.