Posterized: So many Godzilla movies

Friday, June 7, 2019 at 7:54PM
NATHANIEL R in Asian cinema, Godzilla, Posterized, mythological creatures

For this week's monster-themed Posterized, we're doing things a bit differently. In ye olden times, the Godzilla franchise was a mess, internationally speaking, with some films reedited, retitled, and rereleased or out of order. The original Godzilla (1954) actually has three separate versions: Japanese (1954), American (1956), and Italian (1976) and each one of them have different scenes and shapes (the Italian one is colorized) with only the American version adding in the Raymond Burr subplot. Even when the movies weren't chopped up and reconfigured they were sometimes called different things. For instance Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), which I loved on TV as a kid is also called Godzilla vs. The Thing and that "Thing" of the title ISN'T Mothra so it's all very confusing.

3 very different versions of the same movie for Japan, America, and Italy

Essentially there are 32 live-action Godzilla movies. So we've listed them and then collected some noteworthy Godzilla posters that we found online, whether or not they were official posters. How many of these 32 pictures have you seen?...

THE MOVIES
All titles are Japanese films unless stated otherwise. * = the Criterion Collections holds the rights for the US market.

1. GODZILLA (1954)* 
2. GODZILLA RAIDS AGAIN (1955)*
3. KING KONG VS GODZILLA (1962)
   The American version was heavily edited and dubbed but called the same thing 
4. MOTHRA VS GODZILLA (1964)*
5. GHIDRA THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (1964)*
6. INVASION OF THE ASTRO-MONSTER (1965)*
7. EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP (1966)
8. SON OF GODZILLA (1967)*
9. DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968)*
10. ALL MONSTERS ATTACK (1969)*
11. GODZILLA VS HEDORAH (1971)
12. GODZILLA VS GIGAN (1972)
13. GODZILLA VS MEGALON (1974)*
14. GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA (1974)*
15. TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA (1975)*
16. THE RETURN OF GODZILLA (1984)
    As with the original 30 years before it was heavily edited and changed for American audiences, with Raymond Burr reprising his role, and released under the title "Godzilla 1985" 
17. GODZILLLA VS BIOILANTE (1989)
18. GODZILLA VS KING GHIDORAH (1991)
19. GODZILLA VS MOTHRA (1992)
20. GODZILLA VS MECHAGODZILLA (1993)
21. GODZILLA VS SPACE GODZILLA (1994)
22. GODZILLA VS DESTOROYAH (1995)
23. GODZILLA (1998, US)
24. GODZILLA 2000: MILLENIUM (1999)
25. GODZILLA VS MEGAGUIRUS (2000)
26. GODZILLA, MOTHER & KING GHIDORAH: GIANT MONSTERS ALL-OUT ATTACK (2001)
27. GODZILLA AGAINST MECHAGODZILLA (2002)
28. GODZILLA: TOYKO SOS (2003)
29. GODZILLA: FINAL WARS (2004)
30. GODZILLA (2014, US)
31. SHIN GODZILLA (2014)
32. GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS (2019, US)

 

How many of those do you think you've seen?

9 GODZILLA POSTERS FOR FUN

the 2019 movie -- now playing

a handdrawn poster for Godzilla 2000Assuming this is Ghidra's big showase movie in the 1960s but not sure since he's been in 7 of the Godzilla movies. Gozilla vs Bioilante (1989)But how'd they get on top of the skyscrapers to begin with?

"Makes King Kong Look Like a Midget" them's fightin' words.

Space Godzilla is reminding me of that Wonder Woman posterWho needs a thesaurus for "huge" when Godzilla posters contain every synonym for such thingsGodzilla vs Gigan (1972) because no random poster sampling is complete without a bizarre painting from Poland

 

Article originally appeared on The Film Experience (http://thefilmexperience.net/).