watch each Godzilla film in chronological order

It is a good time to be a Godzilla fan.

The MonsterVerse – aka Legendary Leisure’s model of the MCU, however that includes large monsters – has been bringing collectively a mixture of authentic monster characters and reimagined variations of traditional monsters from movie historical past, most notably these from the Godzilla and King Kong franchises. As an illustration, there’s a new sequence, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, airing on Apple TV. There’s additionally a brand new film, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, due in April 2024.

Oh, and there is a new Japanese Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One, which is at present in theaters and one of many highest rated movies of the 12 months.

Sadly, Godzilla Minus One is not a part of the Legendary MonsterVerse universe, which began in 2014 with the discharge of Godzilla. However that movie’s success did spawn three (about to be 4 sequels), together with the brand new Apple TV spin-off sequence. With all this recent large fire-breathing lizard content material, we thought it might be a good suggestion to spherical up the Godzilla movies, together with the classics, so you understand how to look at all of them in chronological order.

watch the MonsterVerse Godzilla films in chronological order

Godzilla is so much like trendy comedian superheroes. Not that Godzilla is much like Batman or Superman as a personality, however all of them have movie diversifications going again to the Fifties. So Godzilla, like Batman and Superman, has gone via just a few iterations, which might make it exhausting to slender right down to a easy watchlist for each Godzilla film. One of the simplest ways to look at all of them in chronological order is to separate them out into the completely different eras of Godzilla movies.

We have fleshed out our information with the latest MonsterVerse movies from Legendary. After that, you will discover listed chronological orders for the traditional Toho-produced Japanese movies (which have additionally been rebooted twice). You will additionally discover useful at-a-glance, spoiler-free guides for the opposite eras of Godzilla movies.

There are two standalone movies, the lately launched Godzilla Minus One and the 1998 model of Godzilla from TriStar, that are re-tellings of Godzilla’s origin story. By way of the place they’d slot in chronologically, neither go along with the MonsterVerse plotline. However Godzilla Minus One would work as a brand new leaping off level for the unique Godzilla movies, because it’s set 10 years earlier than the primary movie, and its portrayal of Godzilla because the antagonist aligns extra with the earliest Godzilla movies.

1 Monarch: Legacy of Monsters

Monarch: The Legacy of Monsters premiered in November 2023, and 4 episodes have aired to this point.

That is essentially the most troublesome entry to put within the MonsterVerse, as a result of it shifts between the creation of Monarch within the Fifties and a survivor of Godzilla’s assault on San Francisco in 2014. We’re inserting it first in our order as a result of the Fifties scenes present the backstory for the Monarch group that is current all through the remainder of the movies. The sequence additionally reveals how the US army tried to kill Godzilla in 1952, which results in him staying dormant till 2014.

Anders Holm’s character of Invoice Randa, who helps to discovered Monarch within the 50s, additionally seems within the subsequent movie in our watch order.

2 Kong: Cranium Island

This movie picks up in 1973, with Invoice Randa (performed by John Goodman,) who’s now the top of Monarch, assembling a group to take a look at Cranium Island the place he believes he can show his hole Earth speculation. Randa brings a Vietnam vet who’s a monitoring specialist performed by Tom Hiddleston and an anti-war photographer performed by Brie Larson. In addition they convey a small military led by Samuel L. Jackson’s Preston Packard together with him.

Shortly after the group will get to the island, they’ve an encounter with Kong that turns their expedition right into a battle for survival.

Max Borenstein helped write this film, in addition to 2014’s Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Kong.

3 Godzilla

That is the movie that began the MonsterVerse.

It sees a world race towards time erupt when two insects-like monsters emerge and start stomping their means towards each other. Making issues just a little extra harmful, Godzilla is on their path. This movie has just a little bit extra of a somber tone than the later movies within the sequence, because it follows Bryan Cranston’s Joe Brady seek for the reason for the nuclear accident that took his spouse’s life, however it was nonetheless an enormous success that grossed $529 million.

4 Godzilla: King of the Monsters

King of the Monsters sees Dr. Mark Russel (Kyle Chandler) reluctantly return to Monarch, following his spouse and daughter’s abduction by the hands of eco-terrorists who wish to awaken each titan within the perception it would assist heal the Earth. Sadly, one of many first titans they resolve to get up is King Ghidorah, a three-headed alien monster that wishes to terraform the planet for itself. With all the opposite monsters kneeling to Ghidorah, Godzilla is the one titan left to battle.

5 Godzilla vs. Kong

This globe-trotting sequel is ready 5 years after the occasions of King of the Monsters, with the large titans now a reality of life for humanity. One half of this movie follows scientists working with Kong with a purpose to discover a energy supply contained in the hole Earth. The opposite half follows Millie Bobby Browns’ Madison Russell, who returns from the earlier movie, as she works to uncover a conspiracy involving Godzilla inside an organization referred to as Apex.

The storylines come collectively to arrange a showdown between the 2 titans.

6 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

The subsequent movie within the MonsterVerse is slated to hit theaters on April 12, 2024. It will see Godzilla and Kong teaming as much as tackle a brand new menace from the hole Earth often called the Scar King. He is an enormous ape like Kong who seems to be ruling over the hole Earth. Rebecca Corridor, Brian Tyree Henry, and Kaylee Hottle will all reprise their roles from Godzilla vs. Kong, whereas Adam Wingard is returning to direct as effectively.

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MonsterVerse’s Godzilla films in chronological order

Here is the at-a-glance checklist of the MonsterVerse film order for Godzilla:

1. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)
2. Kong: Cranium Island (2017)
3. Godzilla (2014)
4. Godzilla: King of Monsters (2019)
5. Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
6. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

Showa-era Godzilla films in chronological order

The Showa period of Godzilla movies is the place the concept of cinematic universes actually acquired began.

It contains 15 Godzilla movies, together with the 1955 authentic, in addition to spin-off movies that arrange characters like Mothra and Rodan. The primary two entries within the sequence see Godzilla as a terrifying power attacking Japan, however later entries within the sequence see the large radioactive lizard evolve right into a protector for Japan towards different gigantic monsters. To observe the sequence in chronological order, you will want to save lots of 1968’s Destroy All Monsters for final. It was designed to be the final Godzilla movie, and is ready within the far-off way forward for 1999. You may additionally kick off a rewatch with Godzilla Minus One.

1. Godzilla (1954)
2. Godzilla Raids Once more (1955)
3. Rodan (1956)
4. Varan (1958)
5. Mothra (1961)
6. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
7. Atragon (1963)
8. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
9. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
10. Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965)
11. Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
12. The Warfare of the Gargantuas (1966)
13. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
14. King Kong Escapes (1967)
15. Son of Godzilla (1967)
16. All Monsters Assault (1969)
17. Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
18. Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
19. Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
20. Zone Fighter (TV 1973; 26 episodes)
21. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
22. Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
23. Destroy All Monsters (1968)

Heisei-era Godzilla films in chronological order

One other means Godzilla was forward of its time: a reboot that ignores the whole lot however the authentic.

The Heisei Period begins with 1984’s The Return of Godzilla, which is a direct sequel to the 1954 authentic that ignores all the opposite Showa period movies. The movies lead as much as Godzilla’s demise in Godzilla vs. Destroyah, however if you wish to watch them so as, you need to begin with the unique Godzilla movie.

1. Godzilla (1954)
2. The Return of Godzilla (1984)
3. Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
4. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
5. Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
6. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
7. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
8. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)

Millennium sequence of Godzilla films

Toho, the Japanese firm that produces Godzilla movies, had deliberate to cease making Godzilla movies whereas a brand new trilogy was launched in America.

The primary movie in that sequence was the 1998 mega-bomb Godzilla, which ended up not getting any sequels. In that movie’s smoking crater, Toho noticed a possibility to launch extra Godzilla movies and what’s often called the Millennium sequence of Godzilla movies is what adopted. These movies all appear to happen in their very own separate universes apart from Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, which is a direct sequel to Godzilla towards Mechagodzilla.

1. Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
2. Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
3. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Big Monsters All-Out Assault (2001)
4. Godzilla In opposition to Mechagodzilla (2002)
5. Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)
6. Godzilla Closing Wars (2004)

Godzilla film order by launch date

Here is each Godzilla movie so as of after they first hit theaters. There’s just a few.

1. Godzilla (1954)
2. Godzilla Raids Once more (1955)
3. Rodan (1956)
4. Varan (1958)
5. Mothra (1961)
6. King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
7. Atragon (1963)
8. Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
9. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
10. Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
11. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
12. Son of Godzilla (1967)
13. Destroy All Monsters (1968)
14. All Monsters Assault (1969)
15. Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
16. Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
17. Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
18. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
19. Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
20. The Return of Godzilla (1984)
21. Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
22. Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
23. Godzilla vs. Mothra (1992)
24. Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
25. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
26. Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
27. Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
28. Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
29. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Big Monsters All-Out Assault (2001)
30. Godzilla In opposition to Mechagodzilla (2002)
31. Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)
32. Godzilla Closing Wars (2004)
33. Shin Godzilla (2016)
34. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
35. Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)