Best Films About Godzilla. In this series of Kaiju-themed articles, we’ll be reviewing the best kaiju films starring everything from King Kong and Godzilla to lesser-known Kaiju films such as Attack on Titan (2015). Kaiju, or strange beast, is a Japanese term used for films involving giant monsters that attack cities, battle the military and so on. Though Kaiju films typically feature Japanese monsters like Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and Gamera, the subgenre has grown to include other giant monsters such as King Kong and films such as Pacific Rim (2013).
In this article, we’re going to cover the best films about Godzilla. Godzilla is arguably the greatest Kaiju and films involving this radioactive dinosaur have endured from the 1950s to today. Most Godzilla films cover Godzilla’s origin story and the nuclear weapons testing that led to his awakening and mutation. Though most Godzilla films fit squarely in the Films About Monsters and Kaiju Films subgenres, various subthemes of these films have also involved Alien Invasions, Eco-Horror, Sci-Fi Military, the Cold War and even Time Travel.
Unlike other Kaiju films, there are a wealth of Godzilla films to choose from – from the Shōwa era (1954–1975) to the recent Monsterverse – and we’ll do our best to select the best films from all the different eras for our list of the 20 Best Godzilla films.
Outlined below is a list of our planned articles and if there’s a kaiju subgenre theme you think we should also include, let us know in the comments!
- Best Films About King Kong
- Best Films About Godzilla
- Best Kaiju Films
- Top Kaiju Films You Haven’t Seen
For our rankings we’re going to use some criteria to help define and refine our list. First, the film must feature Godzilla. There are films that feature Godzilla as a background character to other Kaiju such as King Kong, Mothra, Rodan and others, but we’ll include these films as long as Godzilla makes an appearance. However, we will not include any films that are ‘inspired by’ or plainly copy Godzilla such as Gorgo (1961), Reptilicus (1961) and Pulgasari (1985).
Second, there are over 42 Godzilla films throughout various eras: Shōwa era (1954–1975), Heisei era (1984–1995), Millennium era (1999–2004), Reiwa era (2016–present) and the Monsterverse. Though older generations will likely gravitate towards Shōwa era Godzilla films they grew up with (and the same for younger generations growing up with the Monsterverse), we’re going to make sure both every era and decade is included in our Top 20. With eight decades of Godzilla, that means we’ll only have 1-4 films per decade for our final list below.
Third, we generally do not include animated or anime films on these live-action films lists, but we will include Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017) and its sequels. These animated films are targeted towards older teens and adults and will likely be enjoyed by fans of this specific subgenre.
And fourth, we’ll have to suspend our rule for all of KBZ’s film listings where we only list films that have a 4.0/10 and were released after 1970 so we can include earlier Godzilla films such as Godzilla (1954).
Our complete list of Kaiju films features over 145+ films from 1933 – 2025. If you don’t see a favorite film on our list, you can likely find it in our other collections including Alien Invasion Films, Sci-Fi Military Films and Films About Monsters. You can also subscribe to our newsletter to get updated as we release future articles involving aliens and add the latest and greatest subgenre films to our collection.
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The Best Films About Godzilla
Films that didn’t make our list (and only for completists): Godzilla Raids Again (1955), All Monsters Attack (1965), Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967), Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972), Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994), Godzilla (1998), Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018) and Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018).
Honorable Mentions: King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971), Terror of Mechagodzilla (1976), Godzilla 1985 (1985), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992), Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993), Godzilla 2000 (1999), Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).
Rank 20-1:
#20 Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017) Where to Stream / Buy: Netflix
#19 Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#18 Gidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (1964) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#17 Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#16 Destroy All Monsters (1968) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#15 Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#14 Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#13 Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#12 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#11 Godzilla (2014) Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Aliens intend to take over the planet and, just in case Godzilla tries to interfere, have built a mechanical version of him to put an end to his interference. The Earth humans summon the legendary King Seesar to assist Godzilla in the battle.
KBZ’s Take: The robotic Mechgaodzilla has been one of the most interesting adversaries of Godzilla and makes an appearance in a few films in the series. Though we personally prefer Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002), per our criteria above, we did need to include one Godzilla film from the 1970s and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla is slightly better than its sequel Terror of Mechagodzilla (1976) in arguably the weakest decade of Godzilla films.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Godzilla has become a distant memory for Japan when the destruction of a US submarine raises alarms for Admiral Tachibana. His estranged daughter Yuri investigates the legend of the guardian monsters, who must rise to protect Japan against the vengeful spirits within Godzilla that seek to destroy both the nation and its people for the suffering they inflicted in the Pacific conflict.
KBZ’s Take: One of the hallmarks of Kaiju films is when a collection of giant Kaiju have a no-holds barred battle. All Out Attack doesn’t shy away from a massive battle of titans (albeit in rubber suits) with subgenre favorites Mothra, King Ghidorah and the obscure Baragon battling it out with the atomic dinosaur.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: When a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and tears through the city, the government scrambles to save its citizens. A rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster’s weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side – the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.
KBZ’s Take: The Shin series of films feature reimagined Japanese classics such as Shin Kamen Rider and Shin Ultraman. We personally enjoyed Shin Godzilla the best for it’s unique take on Godzilla and its very overt political themes and satire.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Okumura, witnesses a huge monster during a storm; biologist Hayashida hears Okumura’s story from Toto Nippo reporter Maki and concludes that Godzilla, who was buried 30 years ago, has come back to life; Godzilla then appears in Tokyo Bay.
KBZ’s Take: Though western audiences and people averse to subtitles might prefer Godzilla 1985 (1985) – which is a re-cut and edited version of The Return of Godzilla – we would implore fans of the subgenre to check out the original film first. It’s a much more coherent and serious film that explores themes of the Cold War in much more detail.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Japan comes under attack from two monsters in a giant monster battle between a rampaging Godzilla and the colossal genetically engineered moth called Mothra.
KBZ’s Take: Mothra is arguably the second most well-known Kaiju from Toho and an easy fan favorite who has made quite a few appearances in Godzilla related films. How hard is it to root for a giant moth that is psychically connected to twin miniature fairies?
With that said, of all the Mothra films, we would suggest starting with the OG Mothra (1961) and moving on to this film which is one of the best of the Shōwa era.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Scientists freeze a radioactive dinosaur and contend with a horde of lethal creatures formed from its cells.
KBZ’s Take: Some subgenre fans might disagree with our placement of Destoroyah here, but we found the film’s storyline and creature somewhat unique to Kaiju films. There’s some great Kaiju battle scenes in the film and if you’re a fan of Aliens (1986), you’ll likely notice some very obvious inspiration from that film when Destoroyah first makes its Xenomorph-like appearance.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Humanity finally rids themselves of Godzilla, imprisoning him in an icy tomb at the South Pole. All is peaceful until various monsters emerge to lay waste to Earth’s cities. Overwhelmed, humanity is seemingly saved by a race of benevolent aliens known as Xiliens. But not all is what it seems with these bizarre visitors. If humanity wishes to survive, they must reluctantly resurrect their most hated enemy, Godzilla.
KBZ’s Take: Another film on our list that we consider a classic of the Millennium era. Though the storyline involving the alien Xiliens a bit underwhelming (and often confusing), it’s a film littered with Kaiju battles and destruction while featuring a complete roster of Kaiju including Godzilla, Gigan, Rodan, Zilla, Mothra, Anguirus, King Caesar, Kamacuras, Kumonga and Ebirah.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity’s fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages.
KBZ’s Take: While King Kong vs. Godzilla (1963) was restricted by technological restraints of the time, the 2021 film featuring the titular battle of the Kaiju titans has no such restraints and is the battle most fans of the subgenre have been waiting for. Though the plot of the film ties into the overall Monsterverse setup, this a film mainly worth seeing for the Kong vs. Godzilla battle fans have been dreaming of.
Additional Lists: Best Films About King Kong #3
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
#2
Godzilla
Plot: Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50-meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.
KBZ’s Take: Like our list of the Best Films About King Kong, we realize the original Godzilla is a classic in its own right and deserving of the top spot. However, as much as we love the 1954 film, that introduced the world to the king of the titans, we couldn’t place it above our top pick.
With that said, the original Godzilla film is not only one of the best films of the subgenre but one of the best horror films of the 1950s. It’s a must-see for any fan of the subgenre.
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
Plot: Japan has barely recovered from the Second World War when a gigantic peril emerges off the coast of Tokyo. Koichi, a deserter traumatized by his first confrontation with Godzilla, sees this as an opportunity to redeem his conduct during the war.
KBZ’s Take: Godzilla has always been a constant presence within the subgenre as different versions of the mutated dinosaur have wreaked havoc on Tokyo and the rest of the world. And though the two other primary Godzilla films of the early 2020s, Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) & Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024), were massive blockbusters at the box office, it’s the lesser-known Godzilla Minus One that we feel is the best Godzilla film since the original Godzilla (1954).
Though Godzilla Minus One isn’t a horror film per say, it is action-packed and is grounded with its focus on Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and his relationship with Godzilla over the years. It’s the classic tale of redemption as Kōichi experiences the monster for the first time and must rise up to help defeat Godzilla from destroying Tokyo.
This is a visually amazing film that won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards. There are sequences in the film that are jaw dropping from Godzilla’s first appearance to the havoc and destruction caused by the monster as he rampages through Tokyo. It’s a film we highly recommend for fans of the subgenre even though it’s light on horror elements. We’re that confident that after seeing the film, you’ll agree with us that it’s one of the best adaptations of Godzilla from the last 50 years.
Additional Lists: Best Recent Eco-Horror Films #1
Where to Stream / Buy: Amazon
