All 5 Godzilla Movies From the 1970s, Ranked

If you go back and watch 1954’s Godzilla, it doesn’t exactly feel like something that would kick off a long-running series. Sure, the idea of seeing humanity grapple with a large monster is always intriguing, and Godzilla himself was instantly iconic, but that first movie does end rather conclusively (spoilers). Then again, horror legends like Frankenstein’s monster and Dracula never seem to stay dead for long, so by that logic, Godzilla’s return wasn’t too preposterous. What was a little wilder was the direction the series went in, with the solemn 1954 film being followed by some wacky and even kid-friendly sequels, all of them encompassing Godzilla’s Showa era.

The films from this era came out between 1954 and 1975, and are exceptionally varied, given the Showa era started with one of the darkest Godzilla films, and many entries released during the 1960s and 1970s rank among the silliest Godzilla movies. By 1975, some fatigue had set in, and Godzilla, as a series, took a break until 1984, which was when the Heisei era commenced. Those last five movies of the Showa era, likely responsible for encouraging the hiatus – some silly, and some genuinely good – all came out during the 1970s, and are ranked below.

5

‘Godzilla vs. Gigan’ (1972)

Directed by Jun Fukuda

One thing you have to get used to, when watching the final films of the Showa era, is an increasing sense of cheapness. Few old Godzilla movies hold up perfectly from a technical perspective, but the ones from the 1970s do have some more prominent limitations than many from the 1960s. But that can also add to how charming such films feel, when approached a certain way, and those inclined to enjoy cheesy Godzilla movies might well like Godzilla vs. Gigan quite a bit. After all, this is the one where Godzilla and Anguirus are shown speaking to each other, their conversation translated adorably via speech bubbles.

If that’s not enough, King Ghidorah also makes an appearance here, though the titular Gigan (who newer Godzilla fans might not be familiar with) makes the biggest impression of all the non-Godzilla monsters. With four main monsters at play here, there’s inevitably a good bit of schlocky action; certainly enough to make Godzilla vs. Gigan a decently fun watch. It doesn’t excel or do anything much better than the majority of the other Showa era films, but fans will come away satisfied. Considering it’s probably the “worst” of the 1970s Godzilla movies, it’s still pretty good overall, for what it is.

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Godzilla vs. Gigan

Release Date

March 12, 1972

Cast

Hiroshi Ishikawa
, Yuriko Hishimi
, Minoru Takashima
, Tomoko Umeda
, Toshiaki Nishizawa
, Zan Fujita
, Kunio Murai
, Gen Shimizu

Runtime

89 Minutes

4

‘Terror of Mechagodzilla’ (1975)

Directed by Ishirō Honda

Mechagodzilla was clearly too cool for just one movie, getting brought back one year on from his debut. That film was the penultimate Showa era movie, and then Terror of Mechagodzilla ended up being the last one, and it even brought back Ishirō Honda, who notably directed the very first Godzilla movie. Though Terror of Mechagodzilla wasn’t on the same level (nor as good as some of the other sequels Honda had helmed throughout the 1960s), it was nice that he got to start and end this era of Godzilla movies.

Mechagodzilla comes back with a vengeance here, once more establishing himself as one of the best Godzilla foes, though a newly introduced monster – Titanosaurus – isn’t quite as cool. Terror of Mechagodzilla feels like little more than just an excuse to have more Godzilla and Mechagodzilla action, and that is, admittedly, enough to make it a fun watch. There’s a sense of déjà vu here which can make the film a little tiring in places, but as a surprisingly direct sequel within the broader Godzilla series, it does at least only underwhelm slightly. Thankfully, it didn’t mark the final time Mechagodzilla made his mark on a Godzilla film, either… not by a long shot.

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3

‘Godzilla vs. Megalon’ (1973)

Directed by Jun Fukuda

Showcasing the Showa era at its absolute silliest, Godzilla vs. Megalon might be something of an acquired taste, to the point where it’s placed above the likes of Godzilla vs. Gigan and Terror of Mechagodzilla here with some trepidation. Though, speaking of Gigan, he does reappear here, teaming up with the newly introduced Megalon. Despite the goofy tone throughout this entire film, both remain surprisingly powerful enemies for Godzilla to fight, but luckily for him, he has an ally in the form of the ridiculous Jet Jaguar: a robot that can grow to immense size and thereby participate in a kaiju smackdown near the film’s end.

The action near the end is so wonderfully cheap and silly, containing the immortal moment when Godzilla not once – but twice – defies gravity and performs a long flying kick. It has to be seen to be believed, as does the awkward handshake between Godzilla and Jet Jaguar when the pair celebrate their victory. The human-related stuff in Godzilla vs. Megalon is also very silly, with a child at the center of it all further suggesting this is one of the most kid-friendly of all Godzilla films. It feels a bit like a Gamera movie, really, more so than a Godzilla film, but if you want something dumb, nakedly sincere, cheap, and gloriously silly, this is kind of top-tier.

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2

‘Godzilla vs. Hedorah’ (1971)

Directed by Yoshimitsu Banno

An underrated Godzilla film and also a fan-favorite, Godzilla vs. Hedorah is truly weird, and immensely adventurous on a creative front. On paper, it might sound like business as usual for a Godzilla sequel. Like many Showa era films, Godzilla is heroic and something of a protector of Earth here, and Hedorah is a newly introduced foe who Godzilla will ultimately fight and hopefully defeat. The thing is, this alien life-form is something of a smog monster that grows in size and power the more pollution it consumes. It becomes more toxic and destructive, threatening the world and being unconventional in a way that’s initially difficult for Godzilla to combat.

Beyond the strange antagonist, Godzilla vs. Hedorah also gets kind of nuts stylistically, proving creepy in parts, darkly funny, psychedelic, and very obvious with its environmental message. What it’s trying to say thematically comes through loud and clear, but it’s the rest of the movie – and the odd things it does visually – that make it a wonderfully confounding watch. It’s another acquired taste, Godzilla-wise, but for very different reasons to Godzilla vs. Megalon. After this one, the Showa era movies seemed willing to go back to basics a little more, or re-approach a certain formula. This makes the experimental Godzilla vs. Hedorah stand out even more, and though it’s baffling, it’s also hard not to respect the hell out of it.

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1

‘Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla’ (1974)

Directed by Jun Fukuda

If you find Godzilla vs. Hedorah off-putting and want something more direct from your Showa era Godzilla films, then Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla might be your best bet. At the time, Mechagodzilla still might’ve felt like a less-traditional sort of foe for Godzilla, what with the being mechanized thing and all, but this is structurally and stylistically quite pure, as far as Godzilla/kaiju movies go. There is a little by way of tension and shock value early on, but once things start building towards the conflict promised by the title, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla proves willing to deliver the goods, even if those goods are what you might expect.

There’s also a sense of grit here, and a level of violence, that puts Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla at odds with the previous year’s Godzilla vs. Megalon. It’s fairly bloody for an old Godzilla movie, and there is a ton of action throughout, making the whole thing feel like a crowd-pleaser; something blunt and hard to dislike. The very best Godzilla films might well offer something less straightforward (the aforementioned Godzilla vs. Hedorah arguably going too far in such a direction), but if you just want a good vs. movie, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is pretty great. It’s tough, lean, and serves as a great introduction to one of the best Godzilla enemies to date.

NEXT: The Worst Movies of All Time, Ranked