DISCOVER--the original run of Toho/Godzilla monster movies in chronological order

Also known as Gojira.

This is Godzilla Raids Again, also once known as Gigantis the Fire Monster. Rushed into production, the only way to top the original was to bring in a second monster to fight. Consequently, here comes Anguirus... The first reappearance of Godzilla, battling Anguirus on the island, is almost Harryhausen-ish, mostly due to the speeding up of the action. This doesn't really work well, and wasn't much used in later films, but the scenes of destruction are great fun. I particularly liked the way, when the authorities order a blackout in Osaka City, all the car headlights went out at exactly the same time as the neon and everything else. That's Japanese efficiency for you!

This is Rodan.

Originally released in 1958 as Daikaiju Baran, this began as a TV collaboration with the U.S. that fell through. Toho finally went it alone, and the American version followed in 1962. Ironically, possibly the inspiration for Toei's Gamera, Godzilla's closest rival.

This is Mothra.

This is Gorath.

This is King Kong vs. Godzilla.

This is Atragon, featuring an appearance by Manda, the serpent that reappears in Destroy All Monsters.

It had to happen... The first of many encounters between Toho's two most popular creatures. Mothra vs. Godzilla. Interesting that Mothra gets top billing...

Better known as Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster.

Better known as Frankenstein Conquers the World, although Frankenstein does no such thing. Despite an atmospheric opening concerning the heart of the Frankenstein monster (which later becomes irradiated in the Hiroshima blast and is eaten by a feral youth who then becomes monstrous), this is easily Toho's worst in my opinion. Interesting primarily for being an obvious reference source for the makers of the 1970s Incredible Hulk series. Shoddy production values, a silly plot, and (strange as this may seem) very unattractive monsters (Baragon being an absurd prehistoric monster with a glowing nose). Also makes the rookie mistake of referring to the monster as Frankenstein. Started life as a Godzilla film, but the old boy was well out of it...

Also known as Monster Zero.

This is War of the Gargantuas, originally conceived as a sequel to Frankenstein Conquers the World.

Better known as Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster. A young lad searching for his fisherman brother lost at sea falls in with two louts and a thief and ends up marooned on an island where foreign agents have a secret base. There, slaves from the nearby island of Mothra are being forced to maintain the safety of the bad guys by keeping a giant lobster at bay! It's as convoluted as it sounds, and the Bond/Batman influence is all over the place (new director Jun Fukuda had just finished a Bond rip-off, and brings most of the cast over for this). His heart is clearly not in it. The special effects are shabby, with the top of the sky set and studio behind clearly coming into view during Ebirah's attack on the yacht, and wires clearly evident elsewhere. Ebirah attacks wind-up figures or poorly super-imposed humans, while destruction is minimal. Mothra and Godzilla spend most of the film asleep, and just as it seems we might join them, the creatures get together for the grand finale. Godzilla, in a flabby and threadbare costume, behaves like a drunk, and Mothra is reduced to a virtual cameo.

This is Son of Godzilla.

This is Destroy All Monsters. The first appearance of Monster Island, this features a small army of marauding creatures alongside aliens and excellent sets, composites, and miniatures.

This is All Monsters Attack. Bit of a clip show, this one.

Previously known as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster.

Better known as Godzilla vs. Gigan.

This is Godzilla vs. Megalon.

This is Godzilla vs. Mecha-Godzilla.

This is Terror of Mecha-Godzilla, Godzilla's final appearance for ten years.

Jon is not on Facebook, but can reply to comments here, at the base of this list.

Hi, Kim. It's thin, but there are brief references to Gorath in two of the contemporary films, Godzilla 2000 and Godzilla: Final Wars, so it's part of the Godzilla "universe", as they say, confused and contradictory though the mythology is.

Hi James, the ratings aren't mine, they're the IMDBs. Thanks for looking in.

Obsessed with the popular culture of the 1960s and surrounding decades, Jon Abbott has been writing about film and TV for over thirty years in around two dozen different publications, trade, populist, and specialist. He is the author of several books, including

Irwin Allen Television Productions 1964-1970, Stephen J. Cannell Television Productions: A History of All Series and Pilots, The Elvis Films, Cool TV of the 1960s: Three Shows That Changed the World, and Strange New World: Sex Films of the 1970s.

See his Amazon author's page, and his other lists on the IMDB, all under the pre-fix DISCOVER.