Godzilla originated as a film franchise in Japan, with the original movie in the now very long-running series coming out in 1954. The first is seen as an absolute classic, and among the best films of the 1950s. It would also have to count as one of the most influential, helping to make the idea of a giant monster movie even more popular while spawning dozens of its own sequels. Yet the Godzilla series isn't exclusively made in Japan and has a history of American-produced movies, too.
Granted, these aren't always as well-known or as well-liked by the series' most devoted fans, but in more recent years - thanks to the MonsterVerse - there have been popular Godzilla movies coming out of both Japan and the US. And with a Japanese Godzilla movie titled Minus One that was released in 2023, a TV series in the form of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters the same year, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire released in 2024, it's never been a better time to be a fan. To celebrate all the American-produced Godzilla films so far, what follows is a ranking of all nine. Some are not great, but others are surprisingly fun, and prove more than worth checking out for fans.
9 'Godzilla' (1998)
A low point for the franchise
Well, something has to be last. And it's easy to pick 1998's Godzilla as the lowest-ranked Godzilla movie in pretty much any context. It had some competition, but probably stands as 1998's worst movie overall. After several re-edits/re-dubs done to the Japanese Godzilla films, this Roland Emmerich movie represented the first time a true Hollywood production of Godzilla was made, and it fundamentally misunderstood the character - and what makes the actual movies great - so spectacularly that it took another 16 years for the US to try again.
The titular monster is heavily redesigned to appear like more of a dinosaur, and is let loose in Manhattan this time around... which sounds like it could work. Sometimes, the bigger the city, the more fun a monster's rampage can be, except this time around it's all just too stupid, lazy, and uninspired to get invested. It feels more like they were trying to make a Jurassic Park kind of film, rather than a Godzilla one, and though it might be a nostalgic watch for some, passionate Godzilla fans might want to stay far away from this one.
Godzilla (1998)
PG-13ActionSci-FiThriller Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Release Date May 20, 1998 Director Roland Emmerich Cast Matthew Broderick , Jean Reno , Maria Pitillo , Hank Azaria , Kevin Dunn , Michael Lerner , Harry Shearer Runtime 139 Minutes8 'Gigantis, the Fire Monster' (1959)
Disappointing re-edit of a so-so movie
CloseThere were a total of four Japanese Godzilla movies that were re-edited, re-dubbed, and sometimes even reshaped for English-speaking audiences between 1956 and 1985. The confusingly named Gigantis, the Fire Monster was the second of these, and also quite easily the worst, given it didn't have great material to work with in the first place, and doesn't change much of interest.
The Godzilla film being remixed here, so to speak, was 1955's Godzilla Raids Again, which isn't a great movie sequel by any means, though it does have merit for giving Godzilla his first monstrous opponent: Anguirus. Gigantis, the Fire Monsterisn't much more than a re-dub with some minor edits, including the strange decision to change Godzilla's name to "Gigantis." Whether it even counts as a proper Godzilla movie might be up for debate, but it is still an appearance of sorts for the character, and a recognizable (and ultimately inferior) spin on the second-ever Japanese Godzilla film.
7 'Godzilla, King of the Monsters!' (1956)
Puts a spin on the original Japanese film
Close1954 was a great year for cinema, and especially the Japanese film industry, with not just Godzilla, but other internationally well-regarded films like Seven Samurai and Sansho the Bailiff. Still, the choice was made in 1956 to alter - quite radically - the 1954 original for its American release, with Godzilla, King of the Monsters! being the result. It's about 15 minutes shorter, and is most notable for introducing an entirely new main character: an American journalist played by Raymond Burr.
There's some fun to be had seeing how they get Burr into certain scenes from the 1954 original, though once the monster/destruction stuff really gets going, he's mostly there as a witness and someone to comment on things in English. The shorter runtime and more in-your-face storytelling undo a good deal of the horror and eerie sadness present in the original version, so King of the Monsters! isn't a great substitute. However, those who've already watched and appreciated the 1954 original and are curious about seeing things get recontextualized and re-edited might be interested in also checking this one out.
6 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' (2019)
Inconsistent, but has some great moments
Godzilla: King of the Monsters - not to be mixed up with the aforementioned Godzilla, King of the Monsters! - is where things start to get better, ranking-wise. This is far from a perfect Godzilla movie, but it's more than solid, and has some great sequences contained within. It was the third proper film (not a re-edit) produced in the US, and the first to feature other iconic monsters from the series (though Godzilla battled some giant foes in the 2014 film, the MUTOs, they were original creations for that movie).
Fittingly, considering its title, Godzilla has to contend with various other monsters here to be crowned, well, the king of them. These include Rodan, who was introduced as the titular character in a 1956 movie, while Mothra and King Ghidorah both had their introductory films in the 1960s. The scenes with monsters are incredible and often awe-inspiring, but the human drama of Godzilla: King of the Monsters is particularly weak, making it a very uneven film, albeit one that still has some great moments.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters
PG-13ThrillerAction Horror Sci-Fi Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Release Date May 29, 2019 Director Michael Dougherty Cast Millie Bobby Brown , Vera Farmiga , Charles Dance , Bradley Whitford , Sally Hawkins , Kyle Chandler Runtime 1325 'King Kong vs. Godzilla' (1963)
Ridiculous yet fun schlock
The third of the re-edited American Godzilla movies, King Kong vs. Godzilla, is quite possibly the wildest. The original Japanese version came out in 1962, with an English-language dub/fairly dramatic re-edit coming out the following year. The basic premise remains the same (two iconic movie monsters going head-to-head for the first time), but things play out with different characters and pacing for considerable chunks of the American version.
The Japanese version is a little longer and perhaps slightly less silly, though it still gets pretty goofy throughout; it's not like the almost night-and-day difference between Godzilla (1954) and 1956's Godzilla, King of the Monsters!. There was once a rumor that King Kong vs. Godzilla film ended with a different winner based on which version you watched, but that's not the case, as King Kong ultimately wins the final showdown here in both the original Japanese version and the American re-edit.
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
NRActionAdventureScience FictionComedyRelease Date August 11, 1962 Director Ishirô Honda , Thomas Montgomery Cast Tadao Takashima , Kenji Sahara , Yû Fujiki , Ichirô Arishima , Mie Hama Runtime 91 Minutes4 'Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire' (2024)
Explosive and silly
2024's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire stands in direct contrast to the most recent Japanese Godzilla movies, with both Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One being a little less concerned with action by the series' normal standards. The former was a satirical disaster movie, and the latter worked just as much as a human drama about life after wartime. Then there's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which is just an excuse to have Godzilla and Kong clash once again before teaming up to take on a more dangerous foe.
For those who just want monster action with as little human nonsense as possible, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has what you might be after. It could well be a more enjoyable King Kong movie to revisit, though, as the iconic giant ape gets noticeably more screen time than Godzilla does. Still, any monster-focused destruction and action is fun, and this noisy film filled with titans is good dumb fun, and manages to occasionally feel thrilling when both titular monsters share the screen together.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
PG-13ActionAdventure Sci-FiRelease Date March 29, 2024 Director Adam Wingard Cast Dan Stevens , Rebecca Hall , Brian Tyree Henry , Rachel House Runtime 1h 55m3 'Godzilla 1985' (1985)
Gets the job done as a solid Godzilla film
CloseWhen the 1980s came around, there was a need for Godzilla to move with the times, and quite literally get bigger alongside the skyscrapers that had been constructed in Japan since the 1950s. 1984's The Return of Godzilla was the Japanese movie that kicked off this new - and considerably darker/angrier - version of the monster, with it starting Godzilla's iconic Heisei era. Godzilla 1985 followed the subsequent year (unsurprisingly), and is probably about as good as these American re-edits ever got.
It was the final time things were substantially changed for an English-speaking audience, with about 16 minutes of footage cut and Raymond Burr's character from the first re-edit in 1956 returning. It's that element that makes Godzilla 1985 interesting, serving as a distant sequel of sorts to a previous spin-off/re-edit of the main Japanese series. The Return of Godzilla is certainly the superior version of this movie, but both are interesting and worthwhile for different reasons.
2 'Godzilla' (2014)
A slow burn, but it's worth it
The 2014 version of Godzilla is a somewhat divisive movie, but it stands as the first proper American-produced movie about the titular character to get him right. It's leagues better than the 1998 attempt, and does a good job at being an eerie and immersive disaster movie about a giant lizard wreaking havoc. Though there isn't a ton of action throughout, the film does thankfully conclude with a great battle against the aforementioned MUTOs, and it's a pretty stunning sequence overall.
Gareth Edwards made something impressive here visually, but the pacing does make 2014's Godzilla a little contentious, as does the fact that it often teases a Godzilla-centered sequence before cutting away in some capacity (at least until the action-packed finale). Still, it kicked off the MonsterVerse in a solid way and was instrumental in showing how even if American filmmakers couldn't quite do Godzilla as well as Japan, they could at least get it right enough for it to still satisfy.
Godzilla (2014)
PG-13 Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Release Date May 16, 2014 Director Gareth Edwards Cast Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Ken Watanabe , Elizabeth Olsen , Juliette Binoche , Sally Hawkins , David Strathairn , Bryan Cranston Runtime 123 minutes 1 'Godzilla vs. Kong' (2021)
Self-aware silliness, and constant dumb fun
Adam Wingard got his start making low-budget horror movies, but eventually moved on to direct 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong, which is grandiose, explosive, and anything but low-budget. This film marks the first time the two titular monsters had clashed in nearly 60 years, and the wait ended up being worth it. This is easily the best movie to feature the two of them so far, and it's quite likely the best American-produced movie featuring Godzilla made to date.
It's not perfect, so that could change, of course. It is worth stating that Godzilla vs. Kong is incredibly silly, and has some ridiculous sci-fi concepts and human-related subplots that vary from okay to kind of bad. But when Godzilla and King Kong clash, all is forgiven, and there's so much action on offer here that it can be a hard movie to resist. Your brain might tell you it's not very good, but if you give yourself over to Godzilla vs. Kong, you're likely to have a wonderfully stupid and overall good time.
Godzilla vs. Kong
PG-13 Where to Watch*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Release Date March 31, 2021 Director Adam Wingard Cast Alexander Skarsgard , Millie Bobby Brown , Rebecca Hall , Brian Tyree Henry Runtime 113 minutes Main Genre Sci-FincG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51ktLCw2aKjpZldlrqmvsicmKdlnaTDqrGMq5ino5WZfA%3D%3D