We are just mere days away from the return of the monster king in Legendary's "Godzilla", due out on May 16th. The film promises to avoid the mistakes made by Tri-Star's 1998 flop that is still has fans feeling a bit sick. And from what we've seen so far, Legendary seems to have kept their word. Going back to the roots of Godzilla's legacy, this new film has a somber feel to it, a capable cast and is rich with metaphorical anecdotes about mankind's place in nature and the destructive dangers of nuclear power.
But through the years Godzilla has changed and evolved with the times--a trait that has made him more beloved and helped sustain his stay at the box office for 60 years. And in honor of that, I have made a list of 15 (since I'll be watching the new one on May 15th) of the best moments in the long span that is the Godzilla series. While I feel confident that this new Godzilla will have moments that absolutely will belong on this list, for now, we will stick to the previous 28 Toho films; like usual, that 1998 thing doesn't count.
#15. Godzilla makes Orga lose his head
After 1998's futile attempt of jump-starting a Godzilla series in America, Japan decided they had to restore balance in the force (sorry, wrong movie)--rubber suit and all. The film, "Godzilla 2000 Millennium", featured the return of the king of the monsters in a radical, yet still traditional, looking design. With his arrival, an alien life form saw in him the potential to take over the Earth. The alien being slowly began to adapt to Earth's atmosphere and wanted to use Godzilla's regenerative abilities as the means to sustain life for itself. To do this, the monster, named Orga, had to devour Godzilla so he can clone himself and literally become the species of his opponent. After an exhausting fight that pushed Godzilla to his limits, Orga made the fatal mistake. While trying to swallow Godzilla whole, his vulnerabilities were exposed. Orga could not take advantage of the warning Godzilla's charging spines were giving off, and one massive shot of some radioactive kaboom left Orga with only the lower half of his body still present.
#14. Godzilla tracks down MechaGodzilla
#13. Godzilla finally gets his **** together against Gigan
To truly embrace the Godzilla series, one has to appreciate even some of the cornier (pun intended? Watch the movie) additions to the timeline. A film riddled with flamboyant characters who are all a bit over-the-top and SFX hindered by smaller budgets, the movie still manages to put out one of Godzilla's most brutal battle scenes--stock footage and all. Godzilla and his ally Anguirus get the snot kicked out of them for what feels like three hours by monsters and a giant statue of Godzilla himself with eye lasers that is controlled by coackroaches disguised as men. Whew. Somehow, Godzilla gets his ass beat so badly that he actually gains strength from it and goes all 'Macho Man' Randy Savage on his poor alien enemies. Although both monsters do live (and keep their heads, barely, in King Ghidorah's case) they can't run away fast enough after being body-slammed all over the place and tricked into even hitting each other.
#12. Godzilla manhandles Baragon
Poor, poor Baragon. The kaiju that looks like a chubby puppy, Baragon is the first Guardian Beast to encounter this evil Godzilla. In "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monster's All-Out Attack" (2001), Godzilla is a dark god driven by the angry spirits of World War II. This Godzilla has the pupil-less eyes of some spiritual spectre and mercilessly kills humans and monsters alike with the utmost intent. This is not the Godzilla who kills by accident. Baragon had no chance during this fight, but it's rare to see Godzilla treated so powerfully. Usually, he's the one being attacked by enemies with bigger weapons than he. But this film is one of the very few times we see Godzilla be the villain and just completely outmatch his opponents (spoiler warning: Mothra and King Ghidorah didn't fare much better). Godzilla even shakes his head in disgust at his opponent while brutally stomping on his head and kicking him into a mountain like any Philadelphia sports fan. What a jackass.
#11. The Kiryu Project
Rather than keep reinventing new monsters, Toho Studios likes to keep giving fans new versions of old monsters over and over again. Some say this is fan service and some say this is just unoriginal. Might both be true? Regardless, the post-2000 timeline needed a new MechaGodzilla, of course. But how would he stand out? Well, this one was built from the bones of the original Godzilla that attacked in 1954. Why they decided this would be a good idea I am honestly not sure. Yet, it was an interesting paradigm because this film sort of treated Kiryu as the main protagonist of the film and the monster with the storyline where as Godzilla was just treated as the threat. Of course, the giant cyborg eventually remembered who it really was in his past life and went on a rampage all on his own--the implication being that the spirit of the Godzilla '54 beast was still alive in the bones. I, however, prefer to think that the machine was being hacked into by Skynet.
#10. Taking Flight
You know you're a tough opponent when you make Godzilla pull some crazy superpower out of his ass to beat you. In the early 70's, Toho jumped on board the disco train and made a film that featured some hippy music and a 'Smokey the Bear' message about pollution. Hedorah was a massive walking/swimming/flying pile of crap that was so dirty and disgusting it literally killed people just by flying over them. Godzilla showed up thinking he was going to beat on some big robot or typical mutant reptile, but even he was unprepared for this. It was like trying to punch pudding. Hedorah gave Godzilla more than he could handle, but fortunately Godzilla had one more power of his sleeve. When Hedorah finally started to feel like he couldn't beat Godzilla, he flew away thinking he'd leave him in the dust. But in the 70's Godzilla was cracked out, and he tucked away his tail, used his radioactive breath as a projector, and flew after Hedorah. Yes, that really happened.
#9. The Death of a Son
Godzilla is a rolling stone. So it is only natural that Godzilla keeps finding out he has more and more kids. While they are technically adopted, Godzilla has been shown to be a pretty efficient parent. In the 1990's, Godzilla took care of a creature of a similar species as himself. By 1995, that baby was mutated into a capable monster in his own right in the same explosion that caused Godzilla's body and inner energy source to overload and run out of control. With papa Godzilla now a global threat of annihilation, "Junior" took on the new villain, Destroyah. However, after barely beating the monster in the first round, Junior was no match for the adult Destroyah. Upon Godzilla's arrival, Destroyah grabbed Junior and dropped him from the heavens all the way back down to Earth. After failed attempts to revive his son, Godzilla let loose in a fury of rage and attacked Destroyah with a ferocity that had never come over the king of the monsters before.
#8. Godzilla and the Volcano
A volcano is one of the scariest natural disasters that can occur on this planet. It's never good when they erupt. They have long gotten credit for killing off the dinosaurs and ancient civilizations. So, it was just a matter of time when Godzilla's strength and durability would be tested by a volcano in the films. Ironically, it has led to some of the most memorable Godzilla moments. After awakening from an apparent volcano eruption in the beginning of The Return of Godzilla (1984), Godzilla was trapped in a volcano at the very end of the film after they used bird calls to lure him to the foot of the mountain and then used explosives to make him fall into the lava. It was mean, but also beautifully done. The ambiguous ending didn't quite make it clear if Godzilla had survived or not, but the film's sequel 5 years later surely did, as a terrorist group found a way to free Godzilla from his blazing prison and out climbed the monster king in a glory of fire and explosions. A few years later, Godzilla would find himself in a volcano again after a fight with Battra, and once again, he only came out angrier.
#7. Destroy the Illegal Monster
Destroy. All. Monsters. That is the misleading title of the film. That glorious picture you see above that looks like a playground full of giant monsters? That's the final battle. But 99% of them don't die (and the one who does is brutally killed by all the other monsters!). I get it. King Ghidorah has long been a thorn in Godzilla's side. He's durable, sprays electric shit everywhere and makes annoying sounds. But surely the Kilaak (the aliens who controlled Ghidorah in the film) must have heard that their monster has been beaten in the past by three, even only two monsters. So why they decided to send Ghidorah to be gang-banged by like 9 monsters I'll never understand. It was less of a battle and more of a stampede in all honesty. Even Minya got a free hit in on the once-regal three-headed superdragon. Since it chronologically takes place after Godzilla vs. Gigan, it's safe to assume that this is how the story of Showa Ghidorah ended--a long way from the majestic beginnings of perhaps Godzilla's greatest foe.
#6. Rodan's Sacrifice
Godzilla and Rodan have a lot of history. Being introduced to audiences only two years after Godzilla, Rodan is one of the iconic faces of the kaiju genre. So when the Godzilla series rebooted in 1984, Rodan was bound to show up in one of the films. In "Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla II", Rodan initially started off as Godzilla's rival, much like he did in "Ghidrah the Three Headed Monster" almost thirty years earlier. But once again, after a vicious battle between the two, both Godzilla and Rodan both get attacked by MechaGodzilla. Both were overwhelmed by the man-made beast, and as Godzilla laid in the rubble pretty much at MechaGodzilla's mercy, Rodan flew over to him with what little power he still had and transfered his remaining energy over to him. This reinvigorated Godzilla, who's upgrade in power was too much for MechaGodzilla's armor and systems to match. In a colossal display, Godzilla's atomic breath obliterated MechaGodzilla's shell into nothingness, all thanks to Rodan. The 'Samurai of the sky' lived up to his nickname once again.
#5. Shindo and Godzilla share a moment
Godzilla kills a lot of people when he tramples cities. Sometimes they don't show it all, but you know it happens. But then sometimes they also are pretty explicit. This was the case in 1991's "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah", where it is revealed that before being mutated, Godzilla was a large dinosaur that inadvertently saved the Japanese soldiers from the American forces. The officer in command for this Japanese squad was Shindo, whom almost 40 years later has come to realize that Godzilla and that dinosaur are one in the same. As this Godzilla returns (stronger and more powerful than ever) to trample the mainland, he comes across the building Shindo is in (who at this point has gone so loopy that he expects deliverance of some sort from Godzilla). Shindo stares at his "Savior" in the eye and Godzilla instantly recognizes the man. Both have flashbacks to that pivotal day and Godzilla even seems to get misty-eyed. But, unlike Taylor Swift, Godzilla doesn't struggle to move on as he lets out a ear-shattering roar and than proceeds to blast Shindo at point-blank range with his atomic breath. Typical fairytale ending.
#4. Epic Battle Between Epic Legends
King Kong. Godzilla. Are there two mightier names in the giant monster genre? Of course, most of those "vs" movies are letdowns, but this one is one of the more fun monster films that has ever come out. Toho really let loose with this one. It's not as melodramatic as the first two Godzilla films. This one is colorful, action-packed, humorous, and unique. There is a plot in here somewhere, but easily the best parts of this films is when these two battle each other. Unlike many of Godzilla's opponents, Kong doesn't have long-range attacks so these two really go at it tooth-and-nail. The result is some surprisingly brutal fighting and absolute carnage all around. Buildings don't get knocked over by being in the way like the norm, they are punched, kicked, and thrown as weapons. Even trees that are just minding their own business get used and abused. Kong is given a nice height boost and a power upgrade to compete with Godzilla, but the turnout is great so I can't complain. And despite the ambiguous ending, I think Godzilla was the one who really landed the meaningful blows of the battle. But for the simple satisfaction of seeing probably the best giant monster brawl (and I mean brawl in every sense of the word) on screen, both legends came out winners.
#3. The "Sea of Fire"
Like I said earlier, Godzilla has changed throughout the years, but he'll always originally be a grim reminder for the nuclear age, especially to the Japanese. Godzilla is a mythical creature that surfaces after the atomic bomb tests in the Bikini isles. He is full of hate and rage. As he comes ashore to wreak havoc, the damage he dishes out and the lives he takes is living symbolism of the affects of the bombs dropped on Japan. He crumbles everything in his way and no matter what anybody tries to do to stop him he just keeps advancing. With his atomic breath he turns Tokyo into a fire pit. There are no opponents here--just Godzilla, great human characters, chilling music, and one hell of a scene full of destruction and memorable images. And for it's day, the SFX were so far ahead of the competition. Sixty years later, this masterpiece is the direct inspiration for Legendary's new film. While expecting 27 sequels is a bit unrealistic, it certainly makes you wonder where they might go if there ever is a part two.
#2. There's Good in You...
Starting out as such a malicious creature, Godzilla was Toho's go-to villain. Against King Kong and Mothra, Godzilla was the easy antagonist. That all changed with the introduction of King Ghidorah. In 1964, the three-headed space monster crash landed in a meteorite on Earth. As Rodan and Godzilla emerged from their hiding places to reign destruction, King Ghidorah was waking from it's rocky shell and nothing would be the same after that. Ghidorah had a reputation for ending civilizations on other planets and from the beginning it was easy to see why. As Rodan and Godzilla encountered each other and started fighting it out, Mothra showed up to try to rally them to contend with this new foe. Initially, Godzilla and Rodan were uninterested and fought with each other some more. But after seeing Mothra get blasted with his own eyes, Godzilla's grinch-like heart grew about five times. For three natural enemies, Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra made one hell of a team and quickly overwhelmed the space dragon. And rather than going back to being enemies after Ghidorah's retreat, Godzilla and Rodan established a bond that would last for decades.
#1. Godzilla's Death/Junior's Rebirth
The official tagline for 1995's "Godzilla vs. Destroyah" was 'Godzilla Dies!' You would think that would be enough to prepare us for what was to come in the film, right? Well, twenty years later and this scene is still hard to watch. Sure, Godzilla kicked the bucket in the first film. But he was just so mean in that film and he hadn't had the history yet. But still, the death of the original Godzilla in 1954 is a beautiful scene. So this one had a lot to live up to, and it passes with flying colors. Not only is Godzilla in constant physical agony in this film, but because he gets frozen solid he shows up a bit too late to save his son from an agonizing death at the hands of Destroyah. After a heated fist-to-cuffs with his son's killer, Godzilla reaches the meltdown temperature. It's a pretty gruesome death. His spines begin to melt, heavy smoke envelopes Godzilla's body and then his body literally begins to fall off of his bones. Yet, somehow, Godzilla dies with dignity and royalty fit for the king (thanks in large part to a beautiful score). He lets out one last tormenting roar and withers away completely. Even the human characters who have careers in trying to stop Godzilla look solemn. But, suddenly they realize that all the radioactivity from Godzilla's meltdown is disappearing, and as the smoke clears it is revealed that Junior has absorbed it and transformed into a whole new, massive Godzilla. The cherry on the top comes in the form of a wonderfully edited, nostalgic credit roll that shows clips of Godzilla from his first appearance in 1954 to his last (at that time) in 1995.
So there you have it. That's my list for the 15 best moments in the Godzilla series. Will 2014's Godzilla find room on this list? Well, it seems Legendary and WB are treating the character with proper respect. Whether American audiences can truly take Godzilla as seriously as the Japanese did when the first film came out only ten years after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains to be seen. But, early reviews are looking very good. Regardless, it's just special to have the real Godzilla back around.
