I love Godzilla. I have always loved Godzilla, even through the ups and downs of campy flicks and odd reboots (I’m looking at you, Roland Emmerich).
I love the classics, I love the deep cuts, and I even love the Blue Oyster Cult song, which if you’re curious has actually never even been in a Godzilla movie – but I digress. In honor of the biggest badass kaiju this side of the Pacific Ocean, I decided to show some Godzilla evolution… in GIF form! Get ready to right click save your faves!
The OG 1954 Godzilla film portrayed this giant mutated dinosaur as a horrific bad guy, more than King Kong was portrayed, which came out about 20 years prior. That being said, the endings for both crushed me as a kid and I have VERY strong memories of crying as I watched both of them meet their demise. (Toho)
There really is something about going back and looking at the classic Godzilla films, and really all big monster movies in general, and having a true appreciation for the tremendous actors portraying them – shout out to Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka who both starred as the massive monster in the original film. (Toho)
Godzilla has been on some really interesting adventures through the years, but it was movies like Son of Godzilla that really worked to hammer home his transition from an evil monster to a likable antihero. (Toho)
For me, the sweet spot for the best Godzilla era starts in the late-70s through the early to mid-90s, where you saw some of the most fun (albeit campiest) Godzilla flicks to date. Personally? I’m partial to 1993’s Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II (Toho)
The style for Godzilla in the 80s and 90s was rad – I loved the way he looked and the overall style of these films. I have so much appreciation and respect for the practical effects they were able to pull off that made these movies, and this version of Godzilla, so special. (Toho)
Okay look, I know 1998’s Godzilla was a bit… Well, interesting to say the least. But I am a sucker for the kaiju/monster genre, and Godzilla specifically, so I watched it and I thought it was a ton of fun. Godzilla’s style in this one was much more giant lizard than it was a giant mutated dinosaur, but I liked it (bad CGI and all!) (Sony, Toho)
The recent animated versions of Godzilla have truly been something special, starting with 2016’s Shin Godzilla on Funimation, and with the three-part series on Netflix. Not only do we get some rad animated interpretations of the big guy himself, but we get some really good animated versions of some of his most iconic foes, including Rodan, Mechagodzilla, King Ghidorah, and more. (Netflix, Toho)
I, like many others, LOVED 2014’s Godzilla. It was badass, a ton of fun, and well executed – and despite the fact that the titular kaiju was in it for less than 10 minutes, I still dug his new style and think the CGI and effects for him are absolutely top notch. We’ve got Godzilla: King of Monsters to look forward to this summer, but I’ve got my eyes on Godzilla vs. Kong coming next year too. (Legendary/Toho)
