Throughout its over 30 movie long run, the fearsome kaiju Godzilla has proven itself time and time again to be the King of Monsters.
Altogether, the franchise contains 38 films in total, with 33 Japanese-produced movies, and 5 American. Unsurprisingly, longtime Godzilla fans will debate all night long on which movie is the best. 2023’s Godzilla Minus One, or the 1954 original Godzilla will emerge as strong contenders. In the same vein, when it comes to the worst movies in the franchise, most Godzilla fans agree that some entries just didn’t need to exist. With that being said, these 10 Godzilla are perhaps the worst movies featuring the gruesome monster.
10. Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966)
One of the less-appreciated entries into the franchise, Ebirah, Horror of the Deep is a fun and unserious Godzilla movie that purposefully doesn’t take itself too seriously. The titular monster is a giant lobster controlled by a terrorist group on a small island that the group has enslaved for labor. The main characters accidentally awaken Godzilla, who happens to be sleeping nearby and Godzilla faces off against Ebirah. Overall, it’s ultimately an easy-to-watch flick that most fans just breeze by.
9. Godzilla Vs. Gigan (1972)
Godzilla vs. Gigan is a bit silly, kind of campy, and certainly not the worst Godzilla movie out there… but it’s pretty bad. It introduced Gigan, the cyborg alien sent to attack Earth alongside King Ghidorah. Godzilla teams up with fellow monster Anguirus to defend Earth, with help from the humans. While it’s wholesome, it’s also corny. Gigan has one of the coolest monster designs in the franchise however, from his blades for hands, to the giant circular saw in his abdomen.
8. Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
Most Godzilla fans agree that Ishiro Honda should have waited at least a few years before having Godzilla face off against King Ghidorah again. The two monsters duked it out just a year ago in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, a fan-favorite Showa-era Godzilla movie. While Godzilla fans still enjoy Invasion of Astro-Monster, many don’t count it among the memorable movies in the franchise. Nonetheless, it included the hilarious scene of Godzilla dancing.
7. Godzilla Vs. Megalon (1973)
Many fans consider Godzilla vs. Megalon to be the reason why Western audiences think kaiju movies are meant to be silly and campy. The movie features Godzilla facing off against the deep-sea monster Megalon, who is sent by an aquatic civilization called Seatopia, in response to humans underwater nuclear testing. Godzilla is joined by the mecha, Jet Jaguar, while Megalon is assisted by the alien Gigan. The movie is just too camp unfortunately, and the dull special effects also don’t help.
6. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla is the penultimate movie of the Heisei Era, a run of seven movies that featured the tightest continuity in the Godzilla franchise. Unfortunately, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla was a lazy entry that interrupted the great momentum the era had spent years solidifying. As if having Godzilla go up against a foe named SpaceGodzilla wasn’t bad enough, the movie just fell flat. At least SpaceGodzilla had a cool design with his glowing forehead and shoulders.
5. Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
While it wasn’t as bad as the previous year’s Godzilla reboot, Millennium was still not a fan-favorite. Godzilla 2000 however, is on this list because it is an overall mediocre movie. Out of fear of making the same mistakes as its predecessor, it plays things too safe, pitting Godzilla against the alien monster, Orga. In summary, Godzilla 2000’s biggest sin is being utterly forgettable.
4. Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
The second Godzilla movie ever made was a surprising letdown, especially after the success of the first. The only good thing the movie is credited with is the introduction of Anguirus, a fan-favorite Godzilla adversary. The movie was obviously created in a rush to capitalize on the success of the first one, and it shows in its sloppy direction and poor special effects. It was eventually re-edited and dubbed in English by Warner Bros in 1955 and released under the name Gigantis, the Fire Monster.
3. Son of Godzilla (1967)
Son of Godzilla introduces Minilla, Godzilla’s son, and shows the pair facing off against an island full of giant praying mantises, as well as Kumonga, a giant spider. Fans found this movie to be amateurish and the character of Minilla to be uninteresting. While the somewhat abusive dynamic of Godzilla and Minilla’s relationship was a bit intriguing, it wasn’t enough to carry the entire movie.
2. All Monsters Attack (1969)
While the Showa Era includes some of the most beloved movies in the franchise, All Monsters Attack is an irredeemable mess to most Godzilla fans. The story centers on a young, highly imaginative boy who is a victim of bullying. He fantasizes about befriending Minilla on Monster Island, and the two bond as Minilla is also being bullied. Most of the action in the movie was reused footage from past Godzilla films, which read as lazy to fans and even the original material wasn’t impressive.
1. Godzilla (1998)
It’s almost unanimously agreed that 1998’s Godzilla is the worst the franchise has to offer. It was the first non-Japanese Godzilla movie, produced in America and starring American actors. The movie was slammed by hardcore Godzilla fans for missing the essence of the franchise, and of Godzilla himself. Like many Hollywood productions, Godzilla focused more on spectacle than telling a coherent story with fascinating characters and a good plot. It also changed the iconic Godzilla design, making the monster more dinosaur-like, which disappointed fans.
