By Ray Jacobs, Part-Time Tutor
October 25, 2022

Aaaaahhhh, Godzilla. The monstrous reptile that has been a cinematic sensation for decades, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s longest-running film franchise. He’s influenced and been referenced in countless pieces of media, from Lilo & Stitch to Jurassic Park to Sesame Street. But did you know this iconic fire-breathing lizard first graced the silver screen in 1954?

The Original Theatrical Release Poster of the 1954 Godzilla

The groundbreaking film was produced and distributed by Toho, with an edited Americanized version titled Godzilla, King of the Monsters! hitting the States two years later. It’s noted for originating the “suitmation” form of special effects, in which a stunt actor wearing a highly-detailed costume interacts with a miniature set, as well as the tokusatsu genre. It’s an incredibly important piece of film and cultural history, and since watching it I’ve decided to take on the humongous task (pun intended) of watching all 36 Godzilla movies in order. What follows is my reasoning as to why.

If you want to avoid spoilers for a 65+ year old movie, now’s your chance! You can watch it on PLEX, HBO Max, fuboTV, Philo, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Crackle.

Godzilla from a Snickers Commerical

…You’re still here? Awesome! Thanks for stickin’ around. Here’s why I think you should watch Godzilla and like it as much as I do:

1. As previously stated, it’s a piece of cinematic history. If you care about that kind of thing, I’d count it as required material – especially if you watch a lot of sci-fi. If you don’t, it’s still an accessible piece of media and I think it’s cool to be able to go forward from that experience and see just how many things it’s influenced.

2. It’s actually a pretty entertaining movie! If you dig movies that have a laughable quality to them (i.e. SBIG films), definitely give this one a shot. I’m not saying that Godzilla is bad, don’t get me wrong. It’s just that… A lot of the stuff that was considered groundbreaking about this film is funny to look at now. Some of the science they use in the film is wildly inaccurate, which also makes it funny to watch. I can’t count the number of times during the film where I snorted and said “that is not at all how that works

The Very Goofy Original Godzilla Suit

3. There are very dramatic subplots. The first involves a would-be engagement between two characters, one of which is presumably already betrothed. The second has a depressed and misguided zoologist wanting to protect Godzilla from the Japanese military’s attempts to kill it, purely because it has the ability to resist the radiation of an H-bomb. (Seriously, at one point the guy who wants to marry his daughter is like, “Hey just because this thing is really resistant to radiation doesn’t mean we should let it keep killing people?” and the zoologist legitimately yells at him and tells him to get out of his house.) There’s also a very edgy and brooding scientist with an eye patch who “Accidentally Discovers Bad Science” and then continues to develop it for some reason.

How do those sound? Pretty good, right?

I can’t explain how, but the charm of this movie surpasses the sum of its parts. It tries very hard to be depressing. It really does. Even so, much like global audiences at the time, I find myself desperately wanting more. The promise of more Godzillas at the end of the first movie is absolutely tantalizing. I want to watch this big, messed-up gecko break stuff and set things on fire. Plus, there are more kaiju, like Mothra, King Ghidorah, Shin Godzilla, and MechaGodzilla. You’re telling me there’s a robot version of this thing?! Where do I sign up?!?!

Kaiju Size Chat | Illustrated by Jaroslav Kosmina

Again, there are THIRTY-SIX of these movies. If you’ve never seen Godzilla, your reaction to that is likely “What the heck?? Why so many?! Do people really watch these???” And the answer is yes! And that doesn’t even get into the 50+ Godzilla video games! There’s so much to experience!

Another thing I found interesting while researching this absolute behemoth of an intellectual property is this line from the Wikipedia page:

“The tone and themes vary per film. Several of the films have political themes, others have dark tones, complex internal mythology, or are simple action movies featuring aliens or other monsters, while others have simpler themes accessible to children. Godzilla’s role varies from purely a destructive force to an ally of humans, or a protector of Japanese values, or a hero to children.”

I cannot get my brain to let go of this. Straight from the horse’s mouth, there it is – this franchise has a little something for everybody. Even if you just wanna see a big monster walk around and crush things, or watch big monster fight OTHER big monster, here you go! It feels like the next logical evolution of so many of the things I obsessed over as a kid. It feels good to have a new simple thing to enjoy.

My plan is to try and watch 2 of these a week. That will end up taking me about… 4 months, but I think it’ll be worth it. Would anyone like to join me?