Did you know there are 30 "Godzilla" movies?

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Did you know there are 30 "Godzilla" movies?

Writer: Casey Chong

"Gojira", or internationally known as, "Godzilla", is more than just a monster movie. First appearing in 1954, "Godzilla" is famously known for revolutionising the kaiju genre in the history of Japanese cinema. The black-and-white classic, in turn, became so successful at the Japan box office during its original release in 1954 and subsequently paved the way for more sequels and reboots over the course of 60 years. Since then, "Godzilla" is hailed as a Japanese icon and also became a mass inspiration for many future filmmakers around the world, including Mexican director Guillermo del Toro for his kaiju-inspired Hollywood blockbuster, "Pacific Rim" in 2013. To date, there are 30 feature movies of Godzilla made in Japan and Hollywood (the 1998 American remake directed by Roland Emmerich and the 2014 reboot by Gareth Edwards). Following the success of Edwards' version of "Godzilla" two years ago, the Japanese version has finally made its own huge comeback with "Godzilla: Resurgence" this year. Otherwise known as "Shin Godzilla" in Japan, the brand new reboot had already attracted positive reception both critically and financially when it first premiered in its native country back in July. Thankfully, local fans and audiences can finally witness the return of Japanese Godzilla stomping into our cinemas this 22 September. To honour the upcoming release of "Godzilla: Resurgence", let's take a step back towards the past and check out every Godzilla movie examined and evaluated from its successful black-and-white origin in 1954 to the recent Gareth Edwards' Hollywood reboot in 2014.

13. "Godzilla vs. Megalon" (1973)

Godzilla teams up with a humanoid robot known as Jet Jaguar to battle against Gigan and Megalon. With Godzilla sadly relegated to a supporting role, this movie is best known for the introduction of Jet Jaguar, a size-shifting super robot that looks like a rip-off of Ultraman. The movie, in turn, is pure camp and utterly preposterous. Bottom line, "Godzilla vs. Megalon" is essentially the kind of movie that wants you to leave your brain at the door and simply enjoy its absurd brand of entertainment.

14. "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" (1974)

Godzilla is facing a mechanical version of himself that is hell-bent to destroy Earth. Although the movie looks cheap and eccentric as usual, "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla" benefits from the introduction of the giant robotic monster Mechagodzilla itself.

15. "Terror Of Mechagodzilla" (1975)

In this direct sequel to 1974's "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla", the movie sees the iconic monster not only battling against the Mechagodzilla, but also a giant amphibious monster known as Titanosaurus. Best known as the final Godzilla movie in the original series before the eventual reboot in 1984, "Terror Of Mechagodzilla" benefits from the return of director Ishiro Honda's sombre attempt to take "Godzilla" movies back to their original darker roots. Although the movie is no match to the superior 1954 black-and-white classic, "Terror Of Mechagodzilla" still has a fairly subtle grim tone complete with Akira Ifukube's ominous score.

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Cinema Online, 19 September 2016