Did you know there are 30 "Godzilla" movies?

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Did you know there are 30 "Godzilla" movies?

Writer: Casey Chong

"Gojira", or internationally known as, "Godzilla", is more than just a monster movie. First appearing in 1954, "Godzilla" is famously known for revolutionising the kaiju genre in the history of Japanese cinema. The black-and-white classic, in turn, became so successful at the Japan box office during its original release in 1954 and subsequently paved the way for more sequels and reboots over the course of 60 years. Since then, "Godzilla" is hailed as a Japanese icon and also became a mass inspiration for many future filmmakers around the world, including Mexican director Guillermo del Toro for his kaiju-inspired Hollywood blockbuster, "Pacific Rim" in 2013. To date, there are 30 feature movies of Godzilla made in Japan and Hollywood (the 1998 American remake directed by Roland Emmerich and the 2014 reboot by Gareth Edwards). Following the success of Edwards' version of "Godzilla" two years ago, the Japanese version has finally made its own huge comeback with "Shin Godzilla" this year. Otherwise known as "Shin Godzilla" in Japan, the brand new reboot had already attracted positive reception both critically and financially when it first premiered in its native country back in July. Thankfully, local fans and audiences can finally witness the return of Japanese Godzilla stomping into our cinemas this 25 August. To honour the upcoming release of "Shin Godzilla", let's take a step back towards the past and check out every Godzilla movie examined and evaluated from its successful black-and-white origin in 1954 to the recent Gareth Edwards' Hollywood reboot in 2014.

22. "Godzilla vs. Destoroyah" (1995)

As Godzilla's nuclear-powered heart is going through a meltdown, the iconic monster is fighting a formidable enemy, Destoroyah. All good things must come to an end, as the makers of the "Godzilla" series did the unthinkable: killing off the iconic monster! Sure, Godzilla has been defeated many times throughout the series. But this is the first time that "Godzilla vs. Destoroyah" is bold enough to kill off its main character. As a result, the intriguing "death of Godzilla" premise proved to be profitable at the Japan box office. Not to mention the movie is poignant and particularly touching for die-hard fans to witness the swan song of Godzilla. It was also known as the final Godzilla movie in Japan until the iconic monster made a comeback in "Godzilla 2000: Millennium" four years later.

23. "Godzilla" (1998)

In this big-budget Hollywood version of "Godzilla", the iconic monster emerges from the sea and attacks New York City. The only hope to save mankind lies on the fate of a nerdy nuclear biologist, Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos (Matthew Broderick) and a French secret service agent, Philippe Roache (Jean Reno). Back then, it was one of the most anticipated summer blockbusters in 1998. With director Roland Emmerich on the helm, especially given his prior experience of staging mass destruction scenes two years ago in the mega-successful "Independence Day", all hopes were naturally high for his Americanised version of "Godzilla". While the movie offers some truly cinematic moments worth watching on the big screen, the monster design hardly resembles the same Godzilla that fans have come to love in the first place. Gone is the atomic breath and even the overall body structure is more like an oversized version of a T-Rex dinosaur. Although the movie did gross more than US$370 million worldwide against its US$130-million budget, the overall box office coupled with negative responses from both fans and critics denied any chance for a possible sequel.

24. "Godzilla 2000: Millennium" (1999)

Godzilla is back and this time, the iconic monster fights a new enemy named Orga. Following the creative damage that was caused by Roland Emmerich's critically-reviled "Godzilla", it's finally nice to see the Japanese makers behind the brand new movie (also known as the Millennium series) manage to make amends by re-introducing a meaner Godzilla. Thanks to the emergence of CGI technology, the new Godzilla looked better with an appropriately feral and animalistic look.

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Cinema Online, 24 August 2016