It has been a major year forGodzillafans. Whether it be the Toho series or the AmericanMonsterVerse, there have been a ton of great ways the King of the Monsters has been celebrated for his 70th birthday in 2024. BothGodzilla Minus OneandGodzilla x Kong: The New Empirelit up the atomic box office earlier this year. However, if you’re still craving someGodzillacontent to watch, Max has you covered next month with three underappreciated Kaiju gems.
1984’sThe Return of Godzilla, Godzilla (1985) and 1989’sGodzilla vs. Biollantewill be roaring its way to Max on October 1. While these aren’t the first set ofGodzillafilmsthat come to mind when fans think of the monstrous character, all three of these sci-fi horror adventures have a positive fan score on Rotten Tomatoes.The Return of Godzillahas the highest rating at 85% whileGodzilla(1985) andGodzilla vs. Biollanteare destroying the same ballpark at 67% and 72%. The ‘85 Godzilla battle may have 27% critical rating, but Biollante has a fairly positive 71% where critics are concerned.The ‘85 film is essentially just a re-edited version ofReturn of GodzillaforAmerican audiences, but there still are enough changes to make its action-packed watch worthwhile.
Godzilla’s Roaring Return
While theHeisel Eraof theTohoGodzillafilms, which started withReturn of Godzilla, wasn’t as memorable to history or beloved by fans as the character’s first era, they still had a lot to offer in terms of action. This was right beforeCGI took the industry by stormin the 90s, so you still get the classicGodzillafeel and charm despite the films’ lackluster box office return. That being said, this era for the character kept the Titan in the public eye beforeGodzillawould get his own American version in 1998.
Although that film divided the fanbase, the carving forGodzillain the American market was clear. That wouldeventually lead to theMonsterVersestarting withGodzilla(2014). This film was a bona fide smash hit at the box office, making over $520 million worldwide. The MonsterVerse is still going strong a decade later with the release ofGodzilla x Kongmaking over $560 million worldwide. At the same time, the Toho series is stronger than ever, with their last two releases,Shin GodzillaandGodzilla Minus One,being two of the best films in the entire franchise. The latter of which even wonGodzillahis very first Oscar earlier this year for Best Visual Effects.
AlongsideThe Return of Godzilla,Godzilla(1985) andGodzilla vs. Biollante, there are more than a few other Godzilla films for fans to go crazy over onMax.The entire film side of the MonsterVerse, includingGodzilla x Kong,is fighting over on the popular streaming platform as well. Before you start your next Godzilla-Mania marathon, you can view the trailer forThe Return of Godzillabelow.
