(Photo by Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection)
All Godzilla Movies Ranked
Godzilla Minus One is now available for rent or purchase!
Born from nuclear brimstone, the Godzilla series since 1955 has, by turns, served as a manifestation of ecological fears and unchecked human aggression, a satire on politics and government bureaucracy, and a vehicle for giant monsters yelling each other to death.
In this countdown of the best Godzilla movies ranked by Tomatometer alongside the worst, we have the aforementioned 1955 original, and the kaiju-popularizing American version (Godzilla: King of the Monsters!) with Raymond Burr. Naturally, Japan became Godzilla’s deathmatch ring for decades, with title bouts featuring Ghidorah, Space Godzilla, Ebirah, Mechagodzilla, and more terrors of the deep, earth, space and beyond.
Since 2014 Godzilla fans have been eating well, with the American adaptation creating the MonsterVerse (leading into King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire), along with the more classically-trained Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus One, which are drawing some of the strongest reviews of the 70-year-old franchise. Now, we’re ranking all Godzilla movies, with Certified Fresh films first. (And if you want to untangle the timeline, you can check out how to watch Godzilla movies in order.)
#1
Godzilla Minus One (2023)98%
#1
Adjusted Score: 107566%
Critics Consensus: With engaging human stories anchoring the action, Godzilla Minus One is one kaiju movie that remains truly compelling between the scenes of mass destruction.
Synopsis: Japan is already devastated by the war when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster…. [More]
Critics Consensus:Godzilla Resurgence offers a refreshingly low-fi — and altogether entertaining — return to the monster’s classic creature-feature roots.
Synopsis: A mysterious monster emerges from Tokyo Bay and wreaks havoc upon Japan…. [More]
Starring: Shin’ya Tsukamoto, Satomi Ishihara, Jun Kunimura, Hiroki Hasegawa
Directed By: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi
#4
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)100%
#4
Adjusted Score: 50617%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Scientists freeze a radioactive dinosaur and contend with a horde of lethal creatures formed from its cells…. [More]
Critics Consensus: Delivering squarely on its title, Godzilla vs. Kong swats away character development and human drama to deliver all the spectacle you’d expect from giant monsters slugging it out.
Synopsis: Legends collide in “Godzilla vs. Kong” as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages, with the… [More]
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry
Directed By: Adam Wingard
#14
Godzilla (2014)76%
#14
Adjusted Score: 91943%
Critics Consensus: With just enough human drama to anchor the sweeping spectacle of giant monsters smashing everything in sight, Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla satisfyingly restores the franchise’s fire-breathing glory.
Synopsis: Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a Navy bomb expert, has just reunited with his family in San Francisco when he is… [More]
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche
Directed By: Gareth Edwards
#15
Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)75%
#15
Adjusted Score: 35116%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The planet is beset by the emergence of colossal creatures that roam the earth, and king among them is “Godzilla”…. [More]
Synopsis: Godzilla and Mothra put aside their differences to battle a giant crustacean that can regenerate its broken limbs…. [More]
Starring: Akira Takarada, Toru Watanabe, Hideo Sunazuka, Kumi Mizuno
Directed By: Fukuda Jun
#23
Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)60%
#23
Adjusted Score: 13700%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The Japanese government has devised a new weapon, dubbed the Dimension Tide, in their fight against radioactive monster Godzilla (Toshiyuki… [More]
Synopsis: Godzilla prepares for battle with an extraterrestrial creature that was formed from his own particles in space…. [More]
Starring: Jun Hashizume, Megumi Odaka, Akira Emoto, Wataru Fukuda
Directed By: Kensho Yamashita
#28
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)56%
#28
Adjusted Score: 49960%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Time-travelers’ efforts to prevent a dinosaur’s mutation result in the creation of a three-headed dragon that terrorizes Japan…. [More]
Starring: Richard Berger, Robert Scott Field, Kent Gilbert, Kiwako Harada
Directed By: Kazuki Omori
#29
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)54%
#29
Adjusted Score: 71567%
Critics Consensus: Come to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire for the sheer monster-mashing spectacle — and stay for that too, because the movie doesn’t have much else to offer.
Synopsis: This latest entry in the Monsterverse franchise follows up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an all-new cinematic… [More]
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle
Directed By: Adam Wingard
#30
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)52%
#30
Adjusted Score: 53920%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The monster ape and dinosaur toss around a boulder and slug it out on Mount Fuji…. [More]
Critics Consensus:Godzilla: King of the Monsters delivers spectacular kaiju action — and reaffirms that cutting-edge effects are still no substitute for a good story.
Synopsis: Members of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides… [More]
Starring: Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe
Directed By: Michael Dougherty
#35
Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)38%
#35
Adjusted Score: 38118%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Godzilla and flying cyborg Jet Jaguar meet a giant cockroach and a big black chicken sent by Seatopians…. [More]
Starring: Katsuhiko Sasaki, Hiroyuki Kawase, Yutaka Hayashi, Robert Dunham
Directed By: Fukuda Jun
#36
All Monsters Attack (1969)29%
#36
Adjusted Score: 29094%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A bullied schoolboy dreams of traveling to Monster Island, where Godzilla’s son, Minya, is also dealing with the the problems… [More]
Synopsis: The Japanese dinosaur wakes up and swims toward Tokyo, leaving a wake of nuclear destruction…. [More]
Starring: Raymond Burr, Shin Takuma, Ken Tanaka, Keiju Kobayashi
Directed By: Kohji Hashimoto, R.J. Kizer
#38
Godzilla (1998)20%
#38
Adjusted Score: 29462%
Critics Consensus: Without compelling characters or heart, Godzilla stomps on everything that made the original (or any monster movie worth its salt) a classic.
Synopsis: During a nuclear test, the French government inadvertently mutates a lizard nest; years later, a giant lizard makes its way… [More]
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria