Overrated/Underrated Toho movies

[Rody]

Nostalgia plays a part in my fondness for Godzilla vs. Monster Zero - it was my very first Godzilla film - but besides that, I really like the atmosphere and art style of the film, not to mention the gorgeous special effects and music. The story moves slowly, but it feels relaxed rather than tedious, and the characters are pleasantly engaging enough to watch. The monster battles are short but sweet. Once the main plot is delivered and resolved, the battles deliver as icing on the cake; and considering Godzilla & Rodan had fought Ghidorah before, it makes sense that their fights this time around would be quicker and more efficient.
I won't deny that the plot of the film appears to have several holes - those being, in a nutshell, that the Xilliens could have conquered Earth by force from the very start without playing friendly - but the way I see it, the Xilliens were a metaphor for the Soviet Union. They act like they want to be allies, with fancy words and promises, but in reality, they're deceiving us to gain dominance and obtain power of the world's WMD's (Godzilla, Rodan, and Ghidorah representing nuclear warheads).
Perhaps I'm completely off the mark here & need to brush up on my Cold War history, but that's my take as it is.

[GodzillaFan1992]

Hate to do this better its getting there.

Overrated: Godzilla (2014)
Underrated: Final Wars

Oh yeah, I went there!

[Kaiser]

Overrated

The Return of Godzilla - I've made my opinions on this film clear in the past so I'll try to keep it short. Everything with the politicians is interesting but the rest of the human cast are a total bore and the movie does a great job at building atmosphere but shoots itself in the foot with terrible pacing. I was also never a fan of Godzilla being attracted to bird calls or the ending music. It has its high points for sure, but they're not enough for me to consider this a top five entry in the series like some other fans do.

Underrated

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla - Well for starters it has my favorite design for Mechagodzilla, the musical score is as excellent, and I actually care about the human characters. I'm invested in their struggle and their personal relations to one another rather than how they affect the plot. The actions sequences are well done and this might be the best special effects work in the entire series. I can understand how some may find it dull, given that Godzilla isn't the focus of the movie, but for me, it just works.

I also tend to find Godzilla vs. Destoroyah underrated and Destroy All Monsters slightly overrated (not so much on these boards, but elsewhere) as well.

[gfan77002]

I just thought I'd throw in my two cents here:
Overrated:
Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991)
The plot is confusing and ghidorah is nerfed, but I guess that's ok because Mecha King Ghidorah was created because of that. But I DONT hate this movie.
Underrated: Godzilla vs Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)
I think this one is really underrated because, while I can see why most people don't like this one, I think it's a fun movie. Battra is a great monster, who was created solely for the movie, also the humans may be boring but they aren't that bad with the exeption of the little girl, who was just stupid. Also the special effects in this movie are great. One thing I may get flamed over is the fact I like the mothra puppet, even the chickenfeet.

[GojiGuy02]

Overrated

The Return of Godzilla - I've made my opinions on this film clear in the past so I'll try to keep it short. Everything with the politicians is interesting but the rest of the human cast are a total bore and the movie does a great job at building atmosphere but shoots itself in the foot with terrible pacing. I was also never a fan of Godzilla being attracted to bird calls or the ending music. It has its high points for sure, but they're not enough for me to consider this a top five entry in the series like some other fans do.

Underrated

Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla - Well for starters it has my favorite design for Mechagodzilla, the musical score is as excellent, and I actually care about the human characters. I'm invested in their struggle and their personal relations to one another rather than how they affect the plot. The actions sequences are well done and this might be the best special effects work in the entire series. I can understand how some may find it dull, given that Godzilla isn't the focus of the movie, but for me, it just works.

I also tend to find Godzilla vs. Destoroyah underrated and Destroy All Monsters slightly overrated (not so much on these boards, but elsewhere) as well.

That's funny, because usually people overrate it. Not to say that I don't love the film.

[LazerWhale]

I would have to say that a good many of the Showa films are overrated amongst the fandom. They are not bad films, far from it, but some talk about them as if they are the pinnacle of filmmaking. They are, for the most part, fun-filled romps that do what they are supposed to do and don't take themselves overly seriously, and I think that's how they should be thought of.
As for an underrated film, I'll say Godzilla: Final Wars. No, it's not a masterpiece, and it wouldn't win any awards, but like the Showa films, it's good, stupid, fun, and that's how I think it should be seen. Despite this, some downright hate the film, which is unnecessary.

[Kaiser]

I also tend to find Godzilla vs. Destoroyah underrated and Destroy All Monsters slightly overrated (not so much on these boards, but elsewhere) as well.

That's funny, because usually people overrate it. Not to say that I don't love the film.

They're actually so many people who are claiming it's overrated that I actually find it to be a bit underrated nowadays. People go into it expecting a masterpiece, which it's not, but that doesn't disguise the fact that it's one of the most interesting and engaging Godzilla films ever made. Sure the execution prevents it from becoming what it could've been, but what we got was still pretty good.

I also tend to find Invasion of Astro-Monster a bit overrated as well. I still like that film quite a bit, but it only barely sneaks into my top ten because the movie can get a little dull at times and it's not really about the monsters like other Showa films of the period are.

Films like Final Wars, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah and Godzilla vs. Hedorah are such polarizing entries that I don't bother to determine whether they're overrated or underrated because I feel "love it or hate it" type works like those escape that kind of classification.

[62JackC]

Overrated: The films I find overrated have already been address.

Underrated: War of the Gargantuas. I found this to be a very well-paced monster movie, the attention to detail on the larger buildings is astounding, the final battle is interestingly choreographed and the way the fight begins is different from the Godzilla films. It was a different monster overall for me.

[Gojira tai Mosura]

Welp, I guess I'll put my list on here.
Overrated: Gojira (1954)
Worst movie ever. Seriwaza doesn't need an eyepatch that's just stupid.
I'm waiting for someone to take this seriously.

Okay, let's be honest. The movie I find to be overrated is Godzilla 2014. The movie was just boring and tried too hard to be DARK N GRITTY like the original, making the main character almost emotionless and unlikable. Their best character was killed off and they constantly cut Godzilla away from the screen because this is a horror movie and not an action movie with kaiju, right guys?
No. I feel sorry for anyone who came to see Godzilla 2014 and expected to get scared. You could compare this movie to Destroy all Monsters, as it had boring characters and took forever to finally be fun, and the only thing I find redeemable about both movies is the ending monster fight. Even that was overrated, just like the Podracers from Star Wars 1. You only thought the fight was awesome because SOMETHING WAS FINALLY HAPPENING. Honestly, if you tell me to remember any scenes about Godzilla 2014, I hardly remember the humans at all and instead I remember the end fight. The problem? This movie is focusing on the humans.
Screw this movie. I'll take Godzilla 1998 over this.

Underrated:
It was tough for me to decide, but I just think I'll put the entire Millennium era here. A lot of people don't like most of the movies that came out of this era (except for GMK, that movie is pretty much universally loved) and I don't feel it was deserving. The Kiryu Saga was fun, and even the movies that were considered to be bad/mediocre were at least watchable and had their moments.
(Final Wars isn't part of the Millennium Era. It's part of the Suckage Era alongside Godzilla's Revenge.)
Plus, the soundtracks that were in the Millennium era were fantastic. There clearly was a lot of heart put into them, and some of them actually turn out to be quite catchy.

And don't even get me started on GMK's soundtrack.

[Goji]

How exactly is DESTOROYAH "one of the most interesting and engaging Godzilla films ever made"? It's nothing of the sort. It's mostly a misfire that's only saved by it's score and 'epic' premise; a dying Godzilla's last hurrah. The last 15-20 minutes are very exciting. The rest of it? Not so much.

[Legion1979]

How exactly is DESTOROYAH "one of the most interesting and engaging Godzilla films ever made"? It's nothing of the sort. It's mostly a misfire that's only saved by it's score and 'epic' premise; a dying Godzilla's last hurrah. The last 15-20 minutes are very exciting. The rest of it? Not so much.

A lot of Destroyah is a complete chore to sit through. The ideas are good, but the execution, more often than not, is absolutely terrible. The opening title sequence, the Godzilla suit, the score and the final battle are indeed well done. But everything surrounding it is unbelievably mediocre. I don't care about the characters, the Aliens rip-offs are pathetic, nobody acts like anything serious is truly happening, the callbacks to G54 are gratuitous and there are some really bad effects mixed in amongst the good stuff. I think many fans just get excited about the premise, the dark tone and the big, powerful version of Godzilla and Destroyah and label the movie as a masterpiece, as if those qualities are really all they need in a Godzilla movie. Now let me just say, I LIKE GvsD, but it's certainly not very good film making. It's something that SHOULD have been much better than it was. You know why Toho eventually stopped giving a shit? Because substandard films like Godzilla vs Mothra and Godzilla vs Destroyah were the ones making shitloads of cash. Why try very hard if only minimal effort makes craptons of money?

[20th Century Boy]

Here's one thing that annoyed me in Godzilla vs. Destroyah:

G1954:
- Serizawa: Emiko, Ogata... Be happy together... *Dies*

GvD:
- Emiko: I never married LOL.

[Kaiser]

How exactly is DESTOROYAH "one of the most interesting and engaging Godzilla films ever made"? It's nothing of the sort. It's mostly a misfire that's only saved by it's score and 'epic' premise; a dying Godzilla's last hurrah. The last 15-20 minutes are very exciting. The rest of it? Not so much.

Posts like this are part of the reason I think it's underrated. No it's not a masterpiece, something I admitted to a few posts ago, but premise counts for a lot in my opinion and the film connects with me on a more meaningful level than all but a few films in the series. When I watched all the Heisei movies in order this summer, I was quite impressed by how much more Godzilla vs. Destoroyah held up compared to the previous three Heisei films and many of the Millennium films. There are some bad shots to be sure, but its high points are the best effects in the series since Godzilla vs. Biollante. To that extent I don't really think its fair to lump them in with films like Godzilla vs. Mothra and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II where the creative team is on autopilot and nothing really stands out. Or a disaster of a film like Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.

Also, I don't necessarily mean to equate "engaging" with "exciting", I'm drawn into the story rather than simply watching it play out onscreen. Even with some of the better Showa films, I never really get invested in the story, I just like watching things happen (i.e. King Kong vs. Godzilla and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla). Destoroyah actually makes me think about what's going on.

It's like The Return of Godzilla, great ideas with strong thematic resonance, hampered by less than stellar execution. The difference between the two is that Godzilla vs. Destoroyah is a lot more fun to sit through it never drags on like Return does. It's number 9 on my Top Ten list, so it's not like I think its amazing or anything, but I think it is better than some people give it credit for.

[Jiragozira14]

For the life of me, I cannot sit through the overrated mess that I consider VS. Destoroyah, simply because it just drags. It starts off awesome, but as soon as we get into the film itself, it slowly begins a nosedive into mediocrity, not helped by how annoying the Destoroyah roars are for most of the film, the stiff suits and the uninteresting antagonist.
I can somewhat tolerate Godzilla 1985, though, if only because the slow pace is at least bearable. Not so with VS. Destoroyah. :/
It's worse in the latter's case, because it starts right off with Godzilla action in plain view, then cuts to something else and we're left pining for more Godzilla, which seems like it takes forever.

As for underrated, I'd hazard to say Terror of Mechagodzilla is underrated compared to it's predecessor; at least, in my opinion. Maybe not on TK, but elsewhere it is.

[KaijuFiend]

As for underrated, I'd hazard to say Terror of Mechagodzilla is underrated compared to it's predecessor; at least, in my opinion. Maybe not on TK, but elsewhere it is.

I'd put it about on par with the first, though I like the first more, probably because of nostalgia. Never had Terror as a kid

[LegendZilla]

The Overrated: Gamera 3: Revenge of Irys

Same here How so?

[Maritonic]

Overrated:

Space Amoeba. Not awful, but everyone acts like it's brilliant and amazing and I found it rather mediocre at best.

Underrated:

Godzilla Raids Again: EVERYONE seems to HATE this movie, and I will NEVER understand why.

[eabaker]

Overrated:

Space Amoeba. Not awful, but everyone acts like it's brilliant and amazing and I found it rather mediocre at best.

Do they? I don't recall ever seeing anyone praising this as one of the genre's best. I find it colorful, but the story pretty dull.

Underrated:

Godzilla Raids Again: EVERYONE seems to HATE this movie, and I will NEVER understand why.

I think GRA has some really, really strong moments, but a lot of what comes between those moments is very flat. Not nearly as bad as some people seem to consider it, but largely unspectacular.

[Maritonic]

Overrated:

Space Amoeba. Not awful, but everyone acts like it's brilliant and amazing and I found it rather mediocre at best.

Do they? I don't recall ever seeing anyone praising this as one of the genre's best. I find it colorful, but the story pretty dull.

Underrated:

Godzilla Raids Again: EVERYONE seems to HATE this movie, and I will NEVER understand why.

I think GRA has some really, really strong moments, but a lot of what comes between those moments is very flat. Not nearly as bad as some people seem to consider it, but largely unspectacular.

People don't claim it's one of the best. But in my time on here, I (personally) have seen nothing but praise for it. And I agree with you; it's colorful, it's cool, but it's more or less dull story wise.

When it comes to Raids Again, I don't know. Maybe it's me. It's certainly not the best, but I've always enjoyed it quite a bit. I'll agree some of the moments do fall rather flat, and it's far from the best.

I'm simply saying when it comes to what I've personally seen on here, I find these films overrated/underrated compared to what people say, that's all.

[orga_000]

Under-rated: Tokyo S.O.S.

Over-rated: Destroy All Monsters.

Agree