TheGodzillafranchise is one of the most long-running in the history of cinema. Launched in 1954 with the original classic from geniuses Ishirō Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya, the franchise exploded into a pop culture phenomenon that enraptured the world in its blue atomic glow. Mixing giant monster action with biting social commentary, theGodzillafranchise is one that hasstood the test of time, and has consistently sold out movie theaters across the world for decades.
The immensely popular and genre-defining series currently sits at a whopping 37 films and counting. As with any lengthy film series, it has had its fair share of high highs and low lows. In the list below, we’ve ranked every single feature-length entry into theGodzillafranchise in order of their freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes!
37Godzilla (1998) – 19%
No surprises here — The first American attempt at tackling the kaiju king, Roland Emmerich’s disastrousGodzilla, is the lowest rated out of all theGodzillaflicks on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie sees the redesigned creature attacking New York City, and laying lots of eggs in the process. Althoughitwasa colossal box-office hitand is not unwatchable when taken as monster movie schlock,Godzilla‘98 is nevertheless a terribleGodzillamovie.
36Godzilla’s Revenge / All Monsters Attack (1969) – 25%
Godzilla’s Revenge(also known asAll Monsters Attack) is the tenth film in theGodzillafranchise. It follows a young boy who escapes bullies and loneliness by daydreaming of Monster Island and all the creatures that live there. With its ridiculous tone and incessant use of stock footage,Godzilla’s Revengejust doesn’t do it for most monster movie fans. In thebrutally honest words of Screen Rant, “The film is beyond stupid. Not to mention, most of the film is just stock footage of other films. People who claim the American remake is the worstGodzillafilm have never watched this downright painful film.”
35Godzilla 1985 / The Return of Godzilla (1984) – 27%
After nine years of retirement, the kaiju king came back to wreak havoc upon Tokyo inGodzilla 1985. Originally released in Japan as the ultra-bleakThe Return of Godzilla, the film was purchased for re-editing and distribution in the West by Roger Corman’s New World Pictures. Corman’s retooled version – which altered the tone and included newly shot material with actor Raymond Burr – was issued asGodzilla 1985.
Unfortunately, the edited and, by nearly all accounts, inferior version is the only one given a proper score on the Tomatometer, which explains its low rating of 27%. The original Japanese cut ofThe Return of Godzilladoes have an audience score of 86%, however, which should tell you that this back-to-basics kaiju reboot is one of the best in the entire series.
34Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) – 38%
Of all the campyGodzillaflicks from the 1970s,Godzilla vs. Megalontakes the cake as the most delightfully cheesy of the bunch. The Showa EraGodzillafilms seem to receive an equal amount of praise and derision from fans for their goofy rubber suits, pulpy alien plots, and family-friendly tone, but this one turns all of those divisive traits up to 11 and achieves an advanced level of schlock that may be difficult for some viewers to stomach.
Regardless, if one can turn off their brain for long enough, this kaiju adventure has more than enough action, colorful creatures, and amazing ’70s fashion to punch a little above its 38% on the Tomatometer. What’s more, the film is the debut feature for Godzilla’s iconic robot sidekick, Jet Jaguar.
Related:Why Godzilla Became a Hero Instead of the Villain Explained by Original Effects Director
33Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) – 42%
2019’sGodzilla: King of the Monsters(not to be confused with 1956’sGodzilla, King of the Monsters!) is Legendary Pictures’ secondGodzillamovie following their 2014 Hollywood reboot. It follows the mysterious Monarch agency’s attempts to do battle with a plethora of ancient beasts, including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah.
As far as big, dumb monster movies go, the film isn’t all that bad. It just isn’t all that good either; light on plot and character development, and sorely lacking the charming rubber suit mayhem of the Japanese originals to make up for it,Godzilla: King of the Monstersis perfectly represented by its 42% on the Tomatometer.
32Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) – 43%
The finalGodzillafilm to be made until the monster made his glorious comeback with 1984’sThe Return of Godzilla,Terror of Mechagodzillapits the King of the Monsters against his robot doppelgänger and a new creature raised by aliens known as Titanosaurus.
The movie is noteworthy for its dark and tragic tone, which came as a shock to moviegoers at the time, who were used to the silly lightheartedness of previous entries. Unfortunately, the movie is dragged down by many super talky scenes, and very little of Godzilla is seen until the final battle.
31Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) – 50%
Conceived as an epic swan song for Toho’sGodzillaseries,Godzilla: Final Warscelebrated the 50th anniversary of the character in explosive fashion. Many actors and monsters from previous films populate this over-the-top entry, which follows the Earth Defense Force’s attempts to resurrect Godzilla in the hopes that he’ll help to ward off an assortment of other creatures who are attacking major cities across the globe.
Although slightly muddied by convoluted plot threads, an inconsistent tone, and a not-so-convincing mixture of practical effects and CGI, the overall effect ofGodzilla: Final Warsis fittingly monumental and celebratory.
30Invasion of Astro-Monster / Monster Zero (1965) – 50%
Invasion of Astro-Monster(also known asMonster Zero) is the sixth film in theGodzillafranchise, and tracks the efforts of a race of aliens to use Earth’s Godzilla and Rodan to do battle with a mysterious beast that is terrorizing their home world. Their “Monster Zero” turns out to be the infamous King Ghidorah.
As the first film in the series to take the action to outer space,Invasion of Astro-Monsteris a refreshing and wonderfully campy entry. It strikes a great balance between kaiju-crushing fun and sci-fi B-movie shenanigans, though it may come off as a being pretty silly to modern viewers.
29King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) – 52%
King Kong vs. Godzillais the first movie to ever pit the two titular giant monsters against each other. This one is nothing other than pure dumb fun. Godzilla looks great as always, but poor Kong makes his first leap (fall?) from stop-motion to “suitmation” with less-than-stellar results. To be frank, he looks like a walking, half-digested hairball. Regardless, he gives Godzilla a helluva hard time, and their fight together is legendary.
28Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) – 56%
1991’sGodzilla vs. King Ghidorahis the third film in the franchise’s Heisei Era, and follows the devious actions of a pair of vengeful time travelers from the future who seek to unleash Ghidorah on Japan.
Though the film proved controversial due to its absurd plot and in-your-face nationalist themes, it managed to please many fans with its incredible special effects and memorable kaiju battle scenes.
