godzilla toho

It’s a safe bet that the upcoming Godzilla will bear little resemblance the 28 Toho films that came before it (yes, we’re discounting the 1998 American version entirely…although it’s not without its charms). With that many onscreen appearances, the only truly consistent element of the franchise is its miniaturized special effects and man-in-suit creations, which are laughably out-of-date for most modern audiences.

“Most” meaning those who would have absolutely zero interest in the eight remastered blu-rays just released by Sony covering the big G’s adventures from 1991 to 2004. Beginning with the return of Godzilla’s most famous nemesis in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and ending with the all-out kung-fu insanity that is Godzilla: Final Wars, each film is given a significant bump in quality along with the correct aspect ratio and original Japanese language tracks. Collectors will simply buy them all in bulk, but if you’re a bit more choosy, here’s the lowdown on which double feature disc is best.

It’s obvious that the modern Godzilla films made an effort to better incorporate human stories into all the stomping and smashing. And producers often took a cue from current Hollywood hits - like the Terminator-style time-traveling android from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah or the Indiana Jones intro from Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth. Both films are amped up throwbacks to ‘60s alien invasion plotlines and “save the Earth” sermonizing…and both are a ridiculous amount of fun.

Things begin to get more serious with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 2, shifting the focus to the Godzilla Defense Force, which is charged with coming up ways to protect Japan from the constant threat of attack. Rodan is wedged into the story as well for some retro appeal. Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla makes use of some incredible sets but doesn’t offer up much of a bad guy.

It wasn’t until Godzilla vs. Destroroyah that a truly unique new baddie was born. Almost twice Godzilla’s size, the climactic battle sequence here is impressive in scale…and more than a little emotional as Godzilla suffers a meltdown from his own nuclear genetic make-up. His son takes over in Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, a rather uneventful entry in the franchise.

Godzilla: Tokyo SOS tosses three favorites together (a revamped Mechagodzilla and Mothra) but can’t come close to the roll call in Godzilla: Final Wars, the last Godzilla film made in Japan. Almost every refugee from Monster Island makes an appearance, even the ’98 American monster who is nicknamed ‘Zilla. While the battles are more montage than a full-on beatdown, director Ryuhei Kitamura adds some Matrix-style energy and a crazy electronic score to create something totally unique to the franchise.

It was assumed that there would be some home video tie-ins trying to take advantage of the remake buzz. But this is actually more than most fans could hope for, upgrading a sizable percentage of their collection in one cost-efficient purchase. Sure, you can spot the wires on King Ghidorah’s three heads and the fur on Mothra’s wings looks more like shag carpet than ever before, but I don’t hear anyone complaining.