These three Godzilla movies might appeal to most fans of the OG kaiju. But these three Godzilla movies are a good place to start for newcomers to the longest franchise alive. Beside some fan favorites like the Giant Monsters All Out Attack, these three Godzilla movies are a safe place. To try an icon of Japanese subculture. To see what it is all about. And why after so many years Godzilla is more popular than ever before. But don’t worry. It is always a good time to start!
Godzilla – The Original 1954 Movie
This is a tour of the force. Out of the three Godzilla movies we recommended here, this is jewel. In black and white. And produced not even ten years after the end of WWII. Japanese creators were driven by feelings of all kinds. And created a 20th century mythology to reflect the postwar era. Nuclear testing in Bikini. The anti Japanese sentiments in much of Asia. After the Nuclear bombing the movie created a metaphor of this new mass destruction technology. but this time in the hands of Japan. And the way it should handle it. It is the birth of the Tokusatsu genre that would make series like Ultraman and Kamen Rider a cult following cinema. You can read more about it here!
Shin Godzilla by Anno Hideaki and Higuchi Shinji
Shin Godzilla premiered back in 2016. It was a reboot of the saga. A new origin of the beloved monster seeing through the eyes of a new millennium. A re imagination of how the government would deal with a monster these days. The bureaucracy in the high spheres of the political world. The superpowers of the world pressure Japan to take measures from overseas. And even the ecologist view of a one of a kind specimen. Even when it is destroying humanity.
Set a new record at the box office. Only surpassed by the next Godzilla movie right here. Spoiler alert! It was created by a team of Gainax fame. With Anno Hideaki leading the team. Higuchi Shinji co directed and took care of FX (the same Ikari Shinji is named after). Sagisu Shiro wrote the score. And he even used and remixed music from Neon Genesis Evangelion for Godzilla. It was the first of the SHIN trilogy followed by Shin Ultraman and finally Shin Kamen Rider. Out of these three Godzilla movies it is a must for Anime fans. The one for an Otaku and a good start to keep diving in the franchise. Don’t miss the whole article about Shin Godzilla.
Godzilla Minus One, The New Standard
Godzilla Minus One is out of the three Godzilla movies we are talking about the more mainstream. But don’t take this wrong. Is maybe the best out of these three for someone not interested in anime nor Tokusatsu. Maybe not even interested in Japanese culture. It is a great movie. So good that even longtime fans of Godzilla love it. With a deep background in post war Japan it could be even a movie for some war themed cinema as well.
It is to these days the most successful movie in the series. It works great at getting together fans of Tokusatsu with Holliwood followers. And the story reflects the sentiments of post war Japan in a way that is easier to read than the original. Even when the original did it so well. But harder for one not used to Japanese cinema. It is a blast! We have more to say about it here too!