Back in 2019, I concluded my original run of Are You There Godzilla? It’s Me, Evan essays with a big franchise-wide shebang, summarizing my thoughts on each movie until that point along with whether I recommended it or not. I still think that was the ideal way to approach such a massive project. Rather than ranking all 30-plus movies, I got to dive a little into each one, making good on the time it took to watch through the franchise and express how passionately I felt about the series afterwards.

In fact, I got to further express my love for the Shōwa era of the series on fellow critic Matt Socey’s show, Film Soceyology, and to this day I look back fondly on what was my radio swan-song.

I did, however, include my Top 10 at the end of that essay. That ranking has always existed, and in the years since, it has changed dramatically with the addition of new films and new perspectives on life and what movies I enjoy. Seeing as my plans for a big return to this series were dashed by the realities of parenthood and professional obligations, I decided to return to my previously unpublished ranking for the purpose of comparing it to the Evan Dossey of 2024: a much different Godzilla fan, one who has now watched and rewatched every entry of the series with his enthusiastic 5-year old son.

A few additions have also shown up in the past few years. Naturally, I added Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. I also decided to add the United States cut of the original King Kong vs. Godzilla. Animated films and series — such as Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Godzilla: Singular Point or the abominable anime trilogy on Netflix — are excluded.

Thoughts

• It’s hard to imagine any other film in the series topping the original Gojira. I’ve certainly tried to feel that way, but every viewing feels like a lightning bolt to the core of my self. A wholly pure artifact of perfect filmmaking from start to finish.
• Notably, Godzilla Minus One made it into my top five. This took four viewings in the theatre. A lot of people were faster to sing its praises than I was, but I’m not one to toss stuff into such high standing off an initial reaction. Over time, it has proved itself. I’ll note, however, that the Minus Color release was a weaker experience.
• Shin Godzilla saw a slight drop, but it’s honestly interchangeable with Minus One. They’re two sides of a coin for me.
• I promoted 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters to my #2 spot. Perhaps my spiciest take, but one I’ll defend to the end. The use of contemporary special effects to add real scale to a monster mash is unmatched, and I think the melodramatic human characters really fit the style and tone of early Shōwa films.
• Son of Godzilla earned a spot in the Top 10. Look, it’s my son’s favorite, and actually sitting down and watching it 20 times with him as a dad — witnessing his reactions as the target audience — only improved the elements of it I already liked and wrote about previously. It’s delightful, goofy, with good special effects and a cartoonish story that simply moves. Not an ounce of at on this thing. Just sweet absurdity.
• In fact, the light and generally joyous tone is the reason why Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla was also bumped up a few spots. I think the two Mechagodzilla movies that capped the Shōwa films speak to the two different approaches to the character as a whole, and the fact that this one now ranks higher speaks to the creativity and lightness I’m looking for in these movies right now.
• Mothra vs. Godzilla was demoted out of the top 10, but just barely. I found it to be long in the tooth this go-around. Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster faced a similar minor descent. Godzilla: Final Wars lost the most standing over the years, from #8 to #24. I still like it, but it’s kind of a chore. The two Millennium films that preceded it (Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.) are stronger appropriations of anime themes and character work.
• It’s probably worth noting that all four Toho movies featuring Mechagodzilla have improved standing now, including Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, which I previously disliked quite a lot. My pal Nate, the only person I know who loves Godzilla as much as I do, always told me I was wrong about that one. He was right. It just took me awhile to understand. Now I do.
• I moved Godzilla (2014) down pretty far and will probably do so again. That one has aged very poorly.
• I wish I could place Godzilla vs. Kong higher, but it never improves no matter how many chances I give it to grow on me. I might feel differently about Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in a few years, though.