The Good, The Bad and The Critic

Established on March 19th, 2012 and pioneered by film fanatic Michael J. Carlisle. The Good, The Bad and The Critic will analyze classic and contemporary films from all corners of the globe. This title references Sergei Leone's influential spaghetti western The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

Ten Favourite Godzilla Films (1954-1999)- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Ten Favourite Godzilla Films
Year(s): 1954-1999


Ah Godzilla! What a love/hate (actually, mostly content) relationship we have. I first saw Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla on a television station called "Drive-In Movies" when I was a teenager and knew I had to watch THEM ALL. This was the mid 2000's and Godzilla films weren't too hard to find so that was an achievable goal....so I thought. At the time I didn't realize there were over TWENTY films in the series and some of them, like Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla were absolutely god-awful.

Actually Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla was one of the first kaiju films I watched since IMBD may or may not have existed (I didn't have a computer) and my method of selection was "watch the coolest sounding titles first". I like to say that Akira Kurosawa really opened me up to Japanese Cinema (and World Cinema as well) but really it was this series. I'm Canadian though, so couldn't I just say that American movies are "foreign" and therefore part of "World Cinema"? Man, I really like Dinner for Schmucks, it was a great foreign film (edit: I have not actually seen Dinner for Schmucks) 

Sadly my interest in Godzilla died after I watched sooooooo many of them. You can only watch 20 of the same series before they all blur into one. It's the same reason I haven't watched any of the new James Bond flicks (sorry Daniel Craig). I haven't seen any of the Japanese ones past 1999 and I haven't watched the 2014 American one starring Heisenberg. 

I do like some Godzilla movies more than others, and every Godzilla flick over Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla so I shall start the list. Click on each title to see a link of the review!

1. Godzilla (1954)

Why: It's the first of the series, the most poetic and the funnest to analyze.

Rated:




 

2. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)

Why: Because it's friggin' Mechagodzilla


Rated: 



 
3. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)

Why: Because it's friggin' SUPER MECHAGODZILLA


Rated:
 
 



4. Destroy All Monsters (1968)
Why: ALL the monsters fight

Rated:



 
5. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)


Why: Mecha-King Ghidorah!

Rated: 
 



6. Godzilla vs. Destroyah (1995)

Why: Godzilla dies!

Rated:   


7. Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)

Why: Because it's friggin' Mechagodzilla (again)


Rated:
 



8. Godzilla vs. Ghidorah (1964)  

Why: One hell of a spectacle!

Rated:


 

9. Godzilla 2000 (1999)

Why: Toho shows America who's boss

Rated: 



10. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)

Why: Who wouldn't want to see this!?

Rated: 






I tried to make my reviews as objective as possible, but this "Ten Favourite Godzilla Films" list is completely subjective. That's why Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is #2, even though I didn't rate it as well as the others. Also why there are no Mothra films even though I rated them highly. A giant moth? On my list!? Nah!






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