I have been a massive Godzilla fan my entire life, so you know that when I had children, I had to introduce them to my favorite kaiju.
Now, my daughter tolerates my Godzilla obsession, but my son genuinely digs the character. In fact, not only does my son like the Godzilla movies that I’ve shown him thus far (well, for the most part), but he also digs King Kong (which I think all kids should check out).
So, of the now three Godzilla movies and one King Kong film that I’ve shown him, here’s what he liked best about each of them. Let them fight.
Godzilla Vs. Megalon: ”This is Really Silly.”
I really had to think hard about which Godzilla movie to start with when I introduced the King of the Monsters to my son. Honestly – and this might surprise you – but I was tempted to start with the first American Godzilla flick, the much-maligned Roland Emmerich movie. And look, I get it. How dare I, right? What kind of Godzilla fan am I? Well, first of all, I’m a big one, and secondly, I actually like that movie.
But, here’s why I considered the 1998 flick to start off with: I didn’t want to have another Star Wars debacle. You see, when I first tried to introduce Star Wars to my children, I started with Star Wars: Episode IV-A New Hope, because that’s the first Star Wars movie that I started with. But, my children HATED it! It initially turned them off of the entire franchise. Now, I realize that I should have started them off with the flashier Episode I-The Phantom Menace, but I didn’t know that at the time. So, I didn’t want to make the same mistake twice.
The 1998 Godzilla looks like a dinosaur, so I thought that would be a good start because my son loves dinosaurs. But, no. I knew that movie couldn’t be his introduction, because it doesn’t feel like a Godzilla movie. I definitely didn’t want to start him off with the 1954 original, or even the MonsterVerse version for that matter.
Then, it hit me. Why not start him off with the most ridiculous Godzilla movie of them all? I’m talking about the one where he slides on his tail and shakes hands with a giant robot. Yep, that’s right. I’m talking Godzilla vs. Megalon.
Guess what? He LOVED it! His exact words were, “This is really silly.” And it is silly. The plot involves these pissed off underground people who send a giant beetle monster to the surface called Megalon to wreak havoc. They also stole a giant robot (Jet Jaguar!), but the big metal lug bands with Godzilla for an epic final battle.
My son loved ALL of it, and he also loved the Godzilla PS4 game that we took out from the library. So, he was officially now a Godzilla fan. This was all around the time when Godzilla: Minus One was coming to theaters…
Godzilla Minus One: “That Was Like A Scary Godzilla.”
I’d shown my son bits and pieces of other Godzilla movies following Godzilla vs. Megalon, but I’d fast-forward through all of the boring parts. However, I knew I wanted to show my son the majesty of the monster on the big screen. So, enter Godzilla Minus One.
Now, it was a gamble taking my then six-year-old son to see the movie. For one thing, it was in subtitles. I also couldn’t fast-forward through any of the “boring parts.” But, thankfully, there WERE no boring parts. In fact, after it was over, my son was even more impressed than he was before. One thing he really adored was how monstrous Godzilla was. In fact, his exact words were, “That was like a scary Godzilla.”
I’d shown him clips of Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, which has probably the most terrifying version of the charater, but without him seeing it in its entirety, it kind of lacked the context that he needed. But, my son was so into the human story presented in Minus One, that he really feared for their lives, just as I did, whenever Godzilla would rear his vicious head.
So, with Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire right around the corner (and its director, Adam Wingard ALREADY teasing a sequel), I thought, well, now I have to show my son the MonsterVerse version of Godzilla, and well…
Godzilla (2014): “I Liked The Last Fight.”
Remember how I mentioned earlier that I was worried about which Godzilla movie to start off with? Well, I’m sure glad I didn’t introduce him to the 2014 Godzilla flick, because my son probably would have HATED Godzilla if I had.
To say my son was bored (And frustrated!) by the first movie in the MonsterVerse is an understatement, as he kept asking me when they were actually going to show Godzilla. Look, I can relate. There was a time when I would have put 2014’s Godzilla at dead last on the MonsterVerse scale, but I’ve since come to appreciate its creative risks.
Gareth Edwards’ movie is all about teasing the audience. Yes, Godzilla does make appearances, but a lot of the time, it’s really in his aftermath. However, after my son watched the kaiju whoop some ass in Godzilla vs. Megalon, and then witnessed his true destructive force in Godzilla Minus One, this version just wasn’t working for him.
Until it did, because my son really loved the last few minutes of the film. Honestly, the last few minutes are awesome. It’s a night fight, and the scene where Godzilla shoots his atomic breath is still amazing.
Surprisingly, my son also really liked Bryan Cranston’s character, and he wondered if he was actually dead, or if “he’d come back later.” When I told him that he wouldn’t, he shrugged, and said OK. When the last five minutes and Heisenberg are the best things about your Godzilla movie, though, I guess you might have a problem. At least for my son.
King King: “Why Does He Look Like That?”
Interestingly, the first monster movie I ever showed my son was the original King Kong. I don’t know why I thought this would be a good movie to start with, but I just knew that I wanted to introduce him to a classic black and white film (because I love black and white films), and I thought King Kong would be a great place to start.
I was right! He really liked how fast the movie moved. Now, my son was only four at the time, so I was greatly impressed that a full movie that wasn’t a cartoon could keep his attention the whole time. But, I think it may have been because the stop-motion animation really captivated him, because as soon as he saw King Kong’s jerky movements, he asked, “Why does he look like that?” When I explained what stop-motion animation was (which completely went over his head at the time), he ignored me and went back to being absorbed by the tale of King Kong.
He loved all of the fights on Skull Island, and especially loved the climactic scaling of the Empire State Building. I still haven’t decided if I want to show him the other King Kong movies yet, but if I do, I’ll probably show him Kong: Skull Island next. Because, you know, it’s the second best King Kong movie (Fight me!), after the original, of course.
What’s YOUR favorite Godzilla movie? For more on all things Godzilla (And King Kong!), be sure to swing by here often!
