So, the first question is: will I do the rest? Yes, eventually. This was a lot, and it represents almost half of the entire Japanese Godzilla franchise. I need a break. In a few months, we’ll see.
That being said, I was really not looking forward to this. When I decided to do the career of Ishiro Honda it was despite his connection to the famous kaiju rather than because of it. I wanted to explore everything else. Well, having invested my time and energies into watching the whole Showa Era, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised. I still didn’t like the original Godzilla (a film I had seen previously and didn’t like, hinging my opinion on the rest of the franchise, of which I’d seen very little), but there were modest charms to be had as the titular monster grew from nuclear terror to protector of humanity.
A lot of that credit goes to Eiji Tsuburaya who supervised the special effects on most of the franchise until his health declined and he eventually died in 1970. His work was almost never realistic, but it was consistently entertaining and charming. He provided a lot of the entertainment to be had when the human sides of these stories failed to deliver much beyond basic plotting mechanics (which was pretty often).
So, here’s the definitive list, ranked definitively. And don’t forget to check out all the other definitive rankings for their definitiveness.
“It’s a franchise that has no real reason to exist anymore doing the bare-minimum to just keep going for one more year. The kids will scream when they see Godzilla on screen. They will cheer when he wins. But they won’t remember it in any great detail, and it’ll be forgotten within minutes of them leaving the theater. Still, it’s content.”
14. Son of Godzilla
“So…I don’t hate it, but it’s bad. The charm of the special effects is reduced by, ironically, the effort to make them more charming.”
13. Godzilla
“So, its thematics are thin and sometimes incoherent. Its personal dramas are half-hearted at best and kind of dumb. The special effects are great. It’s also this weird alt-fantasy where Japan wins WWII by using a weapon of mass destruction against atomic energy responsibly, a marked contrast to the ideas behind The Skin of the South where nothing could be done against nature and one must merely endure. I really don’t think this works, but Godzilla does stomp real good.”
“So, it’s fine. It’s an excuse to pit Godzilla against another monster. The character stuff works slightly better this time than most because it has that satirical edge, even if it doesn’t really go very far. So, it’s decent, on the brighter side of this kind of film in this era. It entertains slightly. It’s just, you know, not good.”
“It’s not bad, but it has little to recommend it beyond some light entertainment that doesn’t quite come together as well as it should. It’s something of a return to the standard form for the Godzilla franchise, but you know what? The previous film, while not entirely successful, was at least interesting.”
“So, the character stuff is halfway decent, though it often clashes with the special effects. The special effects are mostly good, but filming the fight undercranked makes it look silly. It’s a mixed bag, but it’s a straight monster story that works sort of. Not great or even good. But it’s sort of decent.”
“So, I don’t quite think it’s good. It’s too silly, too reliant on old stuff, and the ending is a weird bit of whiplash around the central point. However, it does have a central point that it explores surprisingly well. I mean, this isn’t the worst Godzilla movie by a mile. It’s okay.”
“So, the corporate satire is decent, but it goes nowhere. The monster action is really good, but it barely ties into the first half. So, I’m caught in between. I want to like it more than I do, but I still think it’s larger two halves simply don’t connect very well. Oh well, it’s honestly the best this franchise has been since its inception.”
“Still, the stripped down approach to the monster stuff, the uniqueness of Hedorah, and the surprising brutality of how it all comes to a close is a lot to recommend. However, there’s still the didactic messaging, the categorization section, and the overall confusing opening. I don’t think it quite comes together. This isn’t Invasion of Astro-Monster, but I do think it does a decent job for most of its runtime.”
6. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster
“I just have these niggling issues around how the monsters come together that keep popping up, especially in the runup to the big final fight. Also, I know that the wings were a giant headache, but when I see Mothra in a movie, I’m not there to see larva Mothra. I want those wings!”
“Is it great cinema? Not in the least. But, you know what? I found it perfectly competent within the small box that it operates. This is a straightforward application of the building blocks of a Japanese kaiju film where the humans have some effect on the monster action while not really being much to speak of themselves.”
“So, it’s manic and all over the place and thin with the character stuff. The excuses of bringing the monsters together is just as thin. However, the special effects are very good, and the whole embrace of a Bond villain aesthetic regarding the Red Bamboo layer is fun. Really, that this film is only 90 minutes long and kind of embraces the silliness just enough is a good thing. It’s not enough to completely save it, but it is enough to provide some decently light entertainment along the way.”
“If there was to never be another Godzilla movie, this would have been a good way to go out, giving the people what they came for.”
“So, this is really near the top of the franchise. I think I prefer Invasion of Astro-Monster because of the comedy, but the pathos here is nothing to be sneezed at. This is decently entertaining, plot-driven, monster action with a surprising little heart at the center. It works, and it’s a good way for the Showa Era to go out on.”
“This is just solid B-movie fun, and I had quite a good time with it.”
David Vining, Author 
As I’ve mentioned too many times, I’m not a kaiju fan (though they can be entertaining). I’ll have to see if I can track down “Invasion of Astro Monster.”
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It’s far from my favorite type of film, but I think there are ways to deliver things entertainingly. I had a better time with this than I thought I would.
I honestly thought I’d be completely miserable.
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