Godzillacelebrated his 70th anniversary in 2024, and in the years since he first terrified and trashed Tokyo each decade has had at least one truly great Godzilla film. The radioactive lizard has undergone a number of changes, most notably when it comes to his alignment with humanity. In some of Godzilla’s best and most underrated movies, he’s not the savior of the world, but rather its most destructive threat. His movies have also changed in tone with each subsequent era of Godzilla movies, ranging anywhere from campy and family-friendly to legitimate horror. 2e4h66

Warning: Contains Spoilers for Dandadan Episode #8

The Godzilla series is the longest-running movie franchise of all time, and has gone through so many revitalizations that it provides plenty of entry points for moviegoers who might be new to the franchise. Beginning with Godzilla in 1954, Toho has produced 34 different Godzilla movies, and had a hand in the distribution of five American-made movies as well. Godzilla began his movie career as a villain, acting as a violent metaphor for the horrors of nuclear destruction, and over time he has oscillated between being a destroyer and a protector of humanity.

Shin Godzillais monstrously remade in highly-detailed new art.Produced by Toho, Shin Godzilla is a 2016 tale of the kaiju that saw Japan plunged into chaos after the appearance of the titular monster. Shin Godzilla was directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi.

Part of what makes Anno and Higuchi’s Shin Godzilla 5th form so scary is Godzilla’s ability to rapidly evolve. Released in 2016, Shin Godzilla is the 29th installment in Toho’s Godzilla franchise and the 31st Godzilla film overall, counting the American movie released in 1998 and the MonsterVerse version released in 2014. Co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, Shin Godzilla serves as the third reboot of Toho’s franchise and features what some fans and critics have hailed as the most terrifying version of Godzilla yet.

Toho’s new installment in the Godzilla franchise has raised questions about the possibility of Shin Godzilla 2 finally getting made. Developed as a response to the success of Legendary’s MonsterVerse movies, Shin Godzilla was a critical and commercial hit for the Japanese studio. However, the award-winning monster movie has never been followed up by a sequel, despite one being clearly set up by the ending.

Since the beginning of the Showa era, many of the daikaijus that fans have come to know, including the Big G, have gone through many changes during the early stages of production. Godzilla concept art depicts familiar monsters stylized to the vision of the artist. With the continuation of Legendary's Monsterverse on Apple TV+ and the  sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong, more beasts both new and familiar will be unveiled. Inevitably, so will more artist renditions.

In 2016, director Hideaki Anno resurrected the King of the Monsters in Shin Godzilla. While not quite matching the box-office numbers of Legendary's MonsterVerse, the film received the Japanese Academy Award for Best Picture and became the second highest-grossing film in Japan of that year. Akin to his mecha masterpiece, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Anno embraces the kaiju genre's roots while deeply polarizing audiences with subverted tropes and intense examinations of human nature.

The MonsterVerse has handled Godzilla better than Toho did in Shin Godzilla. There have been two different live-actions versions of the King of the Monsters since Toho brought the franchise to a halt after Godzilla: Final Wars in 2004. After acquiring the rights, Legendary and Warner Bros. made what was only the second American adaptation of Godzilla, which released in 2014, and followed it up with a sequel in 2019. A third movie, Godzilla vs. Kong, is coming in 2021. Meanwhile, the renewed interest in their mascot caused Toho to make Shin Godzilla in 2016.

A deleted scene from Shin Godzilla shows the kaiju powerfully uniquely utilizing his tail. Released in 2016, Shin Godzilla is a highly acclaimed film for its story, ambiguous ending, and the title creature's unique design. For the first time since 2001's Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Godzilla was portrayed as a horrific creature. Shin Godzilla won the Japanese Film Prize for best picture and was the second-highest-grossing domestic film there in 2016 behind Your Name. Although several fans certainly want a follow-up, TOHO said in 2018 a sequel was not being made in favor of a new shared universe.