Fun is an underrated criterion when discussing a monster franchise that has spent decades swinging between serious allegory and outright spectacle. The most enjoyable entries are rarely the most thoughtful ones, and that is precisely their charm. They commit to a tone, usually an absurd one, and then execute it with total conviction: rubber suits, miniature cities, a hero who delivers a line so strange that the audience laughs before the next set piece begins. Ranking these films is a matter of taste rather than scholarship, but the pleasure they provide tends to come from the same source. Each delivers destruction at a rhythm that feels like a fairground ride, and each treats its creatures as characters with personalities rather than as effects. Viewers looking for dread should look elsewhere. Anyone who wants two hours of chaotic, cheerfully excessive entertainment will find that these titles have aged better than the serious ones, because enthusiasm dates far more slowly than earnestness does.
ThatGodzillamovie on the horizon, or rapidly approaching at the time of writing,isGodzilla Minus Zero, and it’s been well-received for sure, albeit leaning a bit more toward serious (and horror-focused) territory by the standards of the series, like its predecessor. So, if you're more intoGodzillaat its silliest, or if you want a movie that might well contrast withGodzilla Minus Zero, these are themost funGodzillamovies ever made. It should be stressed they're not necessarily the best, but they're good if you're after something kind of silly (in good ways, of course).
6'King Kong vs. Godzilla' (1962)
So, it’s one of the goofiest of all theGodzillamovies, and it also came out very early within the history of the whole series: 1962’sKing Kong vs. Godzilla. It was the first time the two titular monsters battled, but they would go on to be in a couple more movies together, one of which is going to be mentioned below… not because it’s amazing, but because it is a lot of fun. AndKing Kong vs. Godzillais also fun, and unapologetically simple. It gives you what you'd want and expect based on the title, but that smack-down feels a little more impressive in hindsight, arguably, since this was Godzilla’s third time on the big screen, and it also marked the third timeKing Konghad ever been in a feature film (the first time in nearly 30 years, too).
It's the series in full-on schlock mode; a taste of things to come, because some later Showa eraGodzillamovies would really double-down on that kind of thing, for better or worse.
It doubles down on silliness while giving its human characters a particularly minimal number of things to do, and those human parts are awkward for sure, at least at times, but some of the non-monster stuff is funny from a certain point of view. Also,the monster fights are pretty funny,because it’s the series in full-on schlock mode; a taste of things to come, because some later Showa eraGodzillamovies would really double-down on that kind of thing, for better or worse. If you like more serious or weightyGodzillamovies, maybe skip this one, but if you want goofy fun,King Kong vs. Godzillahas that in spades.
5'Godzilla vs. Kong' (2021)
So, few people are going to callKing Kong vs. Godzillaa masterpiece, and then maybe even fewer would be willing to go that far for the similarly-titledGodzilla vs. Kong(2021). It was a long time coming, as a rematch of sorts (only “of sorts” because it’s technically a different continuity and all), and so the fight here might've felt more monumental. Both monsters had been in more than two previous films and all, compared to how grand they were ascinematic icons back in 1962, and both characters had huge legacies that went back either close to 90 years (in King Kong’s case) or almost 70 years (in Godzilla’s case).
As a more modern film, all the battling once more promised in the title was more explosive than what was found in the earlier film. And the fighting was fun! It’s harder to say nicer things about the parts ofGodzilla vs. Kongthat aren’t focused on action, though thankfully, there also isn't too much of this movie that doesn’t showcasesome kind of spectacle, destruction, or fighting. There are two big monsters, and then maybe a third one near the end, and a lot of destruction, soeven if it’s brain-dead, it’s the good kind of brain-dead entertainment. Like the cinematic equivalent of binging on potato chips; that sort of thing.
4'Godzilla vs. Megalon' (1973)
As mentioned before, some of the Showa eraGodzillamovies got pretty silly, andGodzilla vs. Megalonis well and truly in that camp, and maybe it is also kind of campy. It feels like it might well have been trying to outdoKing Kong vs. Godzillaon that front, and it did a great job in that regard, if that was the case. It manages to look a good deal cheaper, just with all the costumes and sets in this one feeling a little below the standard of the series, yet this does add a certain charm to things. Tonally, this is also comparable toKing Kong vs. Godzilla, butmaybe even a little more kid-friendly, seeing as one of the main characters in this film is a kid, and then there’s also a robot in this called Jet Jaguar who ends up (eventually) fighting alongside Godzilla.
The titular Megalon is also a potentially underrated villain, and then there’s also some Gigan as well, and he’s pretty much always welcome. Narratively, it’s fairly standard stuff, since there are aliens thatwant to take over the world, and their plan does involve monsters, and so Godzilla – plus Jet Jaguar – have to stop them.Honestly, Jet Jaguar comes close to stealing the movie from Godzilla, and he would've earned the right to be in the title if they wanted to throw him in there. “Wouldn’t that be too crowded, having Godzilla, Jet Jaguar, and Megalon with their names in one title?” you might ask. Nope… not in a series where one of the best entries is literally called “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack.”
3'Destroy All Monsters' (1968)
If you likeGodzillamovies that throw even more monsters into the mix thanGodzilla vs. MegalonandGodzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, thenDestroy All Monstersis probably going to be your cup of tea. Or your cups of tea, because uh, if the monsters are tea, you're going to need several cups of a fairly large size to hold all the tea. Or hold all the monsters. Like, this one rounds up most of the usual suspects up until that point inthe series in spectacular fashion, being a big celebration of all that had come before, and also done in a way whereDestroy All Monsterscould well have been like a finale for the entire series.
Like, you know how there are shows likeSeinfeldthat, for better or worse, bring back a bunch of one-off or recurring characters and shove them in that one final episode? That’s whatDestroy All Monstersdoes, both thanks to its story being about monsters being released by aliens (those pesky alien invaders again) to rampage around and weaken the world, and then also thanks to the battle at the end, which gets all the monsters in the one space for a big fight. There’sabsolutely nothing deep, but it’s a blast, and none of it’s trying to be thought-provoking or anything, so you'd probably have to be in a fairly bad mood before watching to not get any kind of enjoyment out of this one.
2'Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah' (1991)
Gonzo, silly, ridiculous, or over-the-top… pick one of those words, or another kind of similar one, and you’ve probably got a decent one to use to summarizeGodzilla vs. King Ghidorah, which is the movie in the series that famously, or maybe infamously, uses time travel. Actually, for a third option, it might not be famous or infamous, sinceGodzilla vs. King Ghidorahiskind of a deep-cut by most standards, known by fans of the series, of course, but probably not the kind ofGodzillamovie you might hope a few non-fans might well have caught at some point (they're probably more likely to have seen aGodzillamovie with a slightly more serious tone, in all honesty).
InGodzilla vs. King Ghidorah, the human race is given a chance to go back in time and stop Godzilla before he gets too powerful, and they do, butthe group of people who passed such technology onto them(unsurprisingly) have other motives, and things get complicated the way they always do in time travel movies. This is probably the most funGodzillamovie that does touch upon some slightly serious themes at points, because World War II is quite relevant to Godzilla’s past. It’s handy if you want to “Well, actually” someone who saysGodzilla Minus Oneis the furthest aGodzillamovie has gone back in time, because yes, that one did play out shortly after the end of World War II, but part ofGodzilla vs. King Ghidorahtechnically goesback to during World War II, so do with that information what you will.
1'Godzilla: Final Wars' (2004)
And yet for as maximalist asDestroy All MonstersandGodzilla vs. King Ghidorahwere willing to get, it’sGodzilla: Final Warsthat ends up getting the wildest and most over-the-top in nature. But it’s worth bringing upDestroy All Monstersagain, because the premise is basically the same, but there are more monsters this time around, with the series celebrating 50 years withGodzilla: Final Wars. There are more foes to bring back, and also, it shares withDestroy All Monstersthe feeling that it could well have worked asa finale for the entireGodzillaseries, had they chosen to end it here.
A difference, though, is thatGodzilla: Final Warshas a lot of action even without the expected kaiju stuff, since this might well be the silliestGodzillamovie on a human character front (they get action scenes without monsters and all). It is, undoubtedly, one of the most chaotic giant monster movies of all time, and if you have a particularcraving to just watch somethingnoisy, amusing, and absolutely brainlessfor a couple of hours,Godzilla: Final Warsis theGodzillamovie that you're looking for. It might technically get better than this, if you're looking at the more high-quality and “important”Godzillamovies, but it might not actually get any more entertaining than this.
