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Godzilla (Toho films)

Four eras that each throw out the last one, and inside the third most films are separate sequels to 1954 that ignore each other.

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Where to start with Godzilla (Toho films)

Nobody watches thirty-four films in order and nobody should try. Every era begins again, so the useful move is to see the original, see the best modern one, then pick a single era and run it straight through. The four films below are the sample, not a series.

  1. 1
    Godzilla (1954) Godzilla

    Ninety-six minutes, and the one film every other era treats as its own history. It is a film about the bomb rather than a monster fight, which is the thing most people are surprised by.

  2. 2
    Godzilla Minus One (2023) Godzilla Minus One

    The best modern entry point and completely self contained. It is set in 1945 to 1947, needs nothing before it, and is the closest anything has come to the tone of the original.

  3. 3
    Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) Mothra vs. Godzilla

    The strongest of the Showa monster films and a fair test of whether that style is for you. If this one bores you, twelve more like it will not change your mind.

  4. 4
    Shin Godzilla (2016) Shin Godzilla

    A reboot that is mostly government meetings, and the most divisive film here. Watching it after 1954 makes clear what it is arguing with.

Then what? Now pick an era and watch it in release order. The Heisei run, from The Return of Godzilla in 1984 to Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in 1995, is the only long stretch that behaves like a proper series with a beginning and an end, and it is the recommended one. The Showa era is the long one and rewards dipping in rather than a straight run. The Millennium era can be watched in any order because five of its six films ignore each other, with the exception of Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Tokyo S.O.S., which are a pair. The animated trilogy and Godzilla Singular Point are separate again and can be left for last or skipped.

A suggested way in, not an official one. The full list is below — tick anything off in either place.

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