5 Essential Godzilla Movies To Watch Before ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’
All hail the king of the monsters! For decades, Godzilla has dominated screens and has asserted himself as the most powerful kaiju in the world. But despite his years of cultural significance, it wasn’t until 2023 that the God of Destruction was honored at the Academy Awards. Godzilla Minus One (2023) was able to decimate the competition and take home the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, and now director Takashi Yamazaki is back with Godzilla Minus Zero (2026) and ready to wow audiences all over again.
With multiple Godzilla projects ongoing at the moment, now is the best time to get into the franchise, but with Godzilla Minus Zero set to be the franchise’s 39th film, which movies are essential viewings? If you want to understand Godzilla’s upcoming rampage, as well as just develop a greater appreciation of the series, then head on over to Netflix and HBO Max, and make sure you give these five films a watch.
Obviously, if you want to be caught up on the drama in Yamazaki’s vision of Godzilla, watching Godzilla Minus One is practically mandatory.
The film is an incredibly powerful standalone film that reminds longtime Godzilla fans just what a force of nature he is. He’s only present in a few scenes, but the path of destruction he leaves behind, complete with one of the most powerful scores the franchise has ever seen, leaves a lasting impact. The special effects are obviously dazzling, seamlessly blending CGI and practical effects, but the human drama is especially gripping. Exploring post-war survivor’s guilt is nothing new, but the way it’s framed as our hero Shikishima finding a purpose in life only to lose it when Godzilla attacks is good stuff, and balances the action and drama in a way that feels reminiscent of Train To Busan (2016). It’s rare to care about the weak and frail humans in a Godzilla movie, but lo and behold, Godzilla Minus One made it work.
Plenty of movies are about the threat of nuclear armageddon. Case in point: Fail Safe (1964), The Day After (1983), Barefoot Gen (1983). But none of them are quite as awe-inspiring as the original Godzilla.
As a stark warning of nuclear war, Godzilla works as well as it does because it frames the carnage with deadly seriousness. Future Godzilla films would add layers of levity or a badass action moment to break up the tension. None of that is here. It’s a 96-minute sci-fi horror movie that doesn’t shy away from the grave warning that he poses. When Godzilla appears, people will die, and even if he’s beaten, it’s only a matter of time until he returns. It’s a sobering message, and outside of Shin Godzilla (2016), it’s the scariest entry in the franchise, but an essential for film buffs, kaiju fans, and horror aficionados alike.
When fans think of some of Godzilla’s greatest foes, the top spot has to be taken by King Ghidorah. Inconsistent origin aside, when Godzilla needs a foe to give him a run for his money, King Ghidorah is the one you call.
From the moment he flew onto screens in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, he instantly made an impression. He’s a giant dragon with three heads, each able to blast gravity beams that rival Godzilla’s own atomic breath, but three times as deadly. He’s so powerful in the film that it takes the efforts of Godzilla, Mothra, and Rodan to stop him. The second that Godzilla Minus Zero’s title was revealed, fans knew instantly that King Ghidorah was bound to appear. After all, you can’t have Minus Zero without Monster Zero himself. If you want to see what all the hype is about, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster is a 92-minute lesson on why he’s Godzilla’s greatest rival.
The American Godzilla movies, or Monsterverse as it's more commonly known, have done a lot to keep the franchise alive in the West, even if the quality of the films is somewhat inconsistent; but if you want pure spectacle, you can’t go wrong with Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
Is the plot as well-oiled as Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)? No, but this is a Godzilla movie for the action junkies. Godzilla: King of the Monsters doesn’t forget that Godzilla is the star of this film and constantly puts him into battles against cruel and godlike kaiju that need to be seen on as big a screen as possible. Who cares if the plot is weak? Godzilla: King of the Monsters isn’t for those who want a serious exploration of themes of nuclear apocalypse, environmental destruction, or the horrors of war. It’s the cinematic equivalent of smashing a bunch of action figures together and letting your childhood imagination run wild, and sometimes, that’s more than enough.
The Millennium era was a weird time for the franchise, but it can’t be overstated that if it wasn’t for the success of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack, the franchise as we know it would not exist.
At a time when Godzilla was burdened by continuity, GMK made the genius move of going back to basics, much like Godzilla Minus One. This film is set directly after the original, presenting Godzilla as a literal embodiment of evil and, in a weird stroke of fate, making monsters like King Ghidorah the heroes. Godzilla is straight-up terrifying here, and for once, the squishy humans' drama is actually compelling! The deliberate throwback to an older version of the franchise helped make GMK an excellent jumping-on point for newcomers, and it still stands as one of the best depictions of the kaiju in the 21st century.
