Top 10 Godzilla films from the Japanese series ahead of King of the Monsters cinema release
- A huge hit when first released in 1954, Godzilla popularised science fiction in Japan, and giant-monster movies in particular, spawning dozens of sequels
- Like a Japanese Star Trek, they have been vehicles for social, political and ecological commentary. Here are the 10 most worth watching before film debuts
Sixty-five years after the release of Godzilla, nothing has withered the impact or influence of this atomic-fuelled Japanese masterpiece.
Conceived as a direct response to King Kong, which enjoyed a successful reissue in 1952, director Ishiro Honda delivered an unstoppable behemoth, born from the ashes of a nuclear holocaust, that clawed at the scars of a nation still reeling from the fallout of the second world war.
A monster hit when first released in 1954, Godzilla popularised “tokusatsu” science-fiction in Japan, specifically “kaiju” giant monster movies, while the use of rubber suits and miniature work, rather than stop-motion, became synonymous with the series.
Godzilla has become one of Japan’s most recognisable pop culture icons, a character who perpetually flip-flops between destroying the country and defending it from otherworldly forces.
As the franchise moved from the Showa period (named after the ruling emperor), through the Heisei and Millennium periods into the current Reiwa era, the series evolved into something akin to Star Trek – in other words, employing formulaic sci-fi adventures to present social, political and ecological messages of tolerance and responsibility.
The decades since have spawned countless spin-offs and imitators, as well as 34 official sequels, with Guinness World Records acknowledging it as the longest-running franchise in film history.