2021 Godzilla Madness: Sweet 16

The results from the first round are in!

• Final Wars moves on to face the ’93 Mechagodzilla — I know GFW isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but there are some fun sequences, and I like how much it leans into the premise. There’s also a lot to like about Mechagodzilla — the effects and score are all top-notch, the pacing is good, and I even think the human characters are compelling (as much as can be in one of these films).
• Mothra vs. Godzilla moves on in a bit of a no-doubter, as that movie still holds up well, even after 50+years. Everything I said about Mechagodzilla applies here, and I like that one of the main characters is a photographer. Tokyo SOS is, from a technical level, probably the best in the series (for me, anyway). The Mothra prop is as good as she’s ever looked.
• GMK has an amazing build-up through its midway point. The battle with Godzilla and Baragon, followed by his battle with the military are real highlights. It’s an interesting premise, too, having Godzilla embody the souls of everyone who died in the Pacific during WWII. I really like the island setting for Ebirah. It’s another case of good pacing, fun cast, and some great sequences. I like Son of Godzilla, but it’s hard to get past how annoying Minya is.
• Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster features one of my favorite scenes in any movie, when Ghidorah hatches from a meteor in a giant fireball. Space Godzilla is, um, not very good, so Astro-Monster moves on in a rout. Also, the Xilliens have the best outfits in that movie.

• I had never seen All Monsters Attack in full, and while it was better than I thought, all that stock footage drags it down. And, well, Shin Godzilla is so compelling that it wasn’t much contest. Real talk, the ’98 Godzilla is pretty bad, so I don’t think there’s any surprise that the ’84 movie stepped all over it like Bambi.
• There’s potential in Hedorah, but the movie is so aggressively weird it never lives up to that potential, so Biolante moves on. The Godzilla suit in that movie is pretty great, and Biolante is a pretty cool idea for a monster. Gojira moves on in another no-doubter. Though, to be fair, Destroyah is a pretty solid entry.
• Megaguirus features probably my favorite anti-Godzilla weapon in the whole dang series, The Dimension Tide, which fires a friggin’ black hole to suck in Godzilla. Just perfect. And despite not actually being in the movie a ton, the 2014 Godzilla is still a lot of fun — when he does show up, it’s handled really well.
• Godzilla vs. King Kong seems to really figure out how to do one of these ‘vs.’ movies, and the final battle on Mt. Fuji is as lively and exciting as these get. And, yes, that Kong suit is bad but lovably so. And the original Mechagodzilla is even better than I remembered. Great score, some dazzling effects sequences, and, well, I’m a bit of a sucker for mid-to-late ’70s movies.