If You Could, What Godzilla Films Would You Alter/Improve? And How?

[SonOfGorgo]

These are the Godzilla films I would alter/improve:

The Showa Era

• Godzilla (1954) - Unchanged.
  Godzilla Raids Again (1955) - Unchanged, except postpone the release date to November/December '55.
  King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) - Unchanged.
  Mothra vs. Godzilla (1963) - Unchanged.
  Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) - Two Mothra larvae instead of one.
  Frankenstein vs. Godzilla (1965) - Godzilla would team up with Baragon to battle a giant Frankenstein Monster.
  Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah (1966) - Unchanged.
  Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1966) - Add Varan into the mix to fight alongside Godzilla & Rodan. Instead of Ghidorah, it's Dogora.
  King Kong Escapes (1967) - Include Maguma as either an enemy or an ally.
  Son of Godzilla (1967) - Have Ebirah & Gabara as the main antagonists and make Kumonga an ally. Include Maguma as well.
  Godzilla vs. Redmoon (1968) - Maybe add in Anguirus and Kumonga as potential allies to Godzilla.
  Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1969) - Godzilla doesn't fly, enough said.
  The Return of King Ghidorah (1970) - Godzilla & Anguirus battle against Ghidorah & Megalon.
  Godzilla vs. the Space Monsters: Earth Defence Directive (1971) - Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan & Varan battle against King Ghidorah, Megalon, Gigan & Mogu.
  Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1972) - Bring Anguirus back for the climax.
  Terror of Mechagodzilla (1973) - Mothra would return to help Godzilla.
  All Monsters Attack Directive (1974) - Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, Varan, Mothra (Imago & two larvae), Maguma, Manda, Baragon, Sanda, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Minilla, Kamoebas, Jet Jaguar & King Caesar battle against King Ghidorah, Moguera, Dogora, Gaira, Ebirah, Kamacuras, Gabara, Gezora, Ganimes, Redmoon, Hedorah, Gigan, Megalon, Mogu, Mechagodzilla & Titanosaurus.

The Heisei Era

• Godzilla (1984) - Unchanged.
  Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) - Unchanged.
  Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1990) - Instead of three "dorats", Ghidorah starts out as a small egg.
  Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1991) - Godzilla & Rodan team up to battle Mechagodzilla.
  Godzilla vs. Bagan (1992) - Godzilla teams up with Mothra & Battra to fight against Bagan & Gigamoth.
  Godzilla vs. Astrogodzilla (1993)
  Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1994) - Godzilla would team with not only his son, but also Anguirus, Mothra, Battra & Rodan as well.

The Jan de Bont series

• Godzilla (1996) - Basically the same as his original vision.
  Godzilla II (1999) - Godzilla would team up with Mothra to battle Ghidorah.
  Godzilla III (2002) - Godzilla & Mothra, along with Anguirus & Rodan, battle against Moguera, Gigan, and ultimately, the same aliens that created Ghidorah and the Gryphon.

The Millenium series

• Godzilla Reborn (2004) - Godzilla would fight against Orga and Miba.
  Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2005) - Follow-up to Godzilla Reborn.
  Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2006) - Follow-up to GvM.
  Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2007) - Follow-up to GXG; Godzilla, Kiryu & Mothra have to team-up against Ghidorah, Gigan & Titanosaurus.
  Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2008) - Basically the same as Kaneko's original vision.
  Godzilla: Final Wars (2009) - Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, Varan, Mothra (Imago & two larvae), Maguma, Manda, Baragon, Sanda, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Minilla, Kamoebas, Jet Jaguar, King Caesar, Battra & Kiryu battle against King Ghidorah, Moguera, Dogora, Gaira, Ebirah, Kamacuras, Gabara, Gezora, Ganimes, Redmoon, Hedorah, Gigan, Megalon, Mogu, Titanosaurus, Biollante, Destoroyah, Orga, Miba & Megaguirus.

The Gareth Edwards series

• Godzilla (2014) - See this video at 11:22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BoE9__99hs
  Kong: Skull Island (2017) - Bring back Gorosaurus & Kumonga as allies, and Ebirah & Kamacuras as potential enemies.
  Varan: Guardian of the Sky (2021-2023) - A reboot/reimagining of Varan the Unbelievable.
  Godzilla vs. Varan (20??)

[Mr_Goji_and_Watch]

Godzilla 2014: We actually see the fights and there aren't any cutaways.

[TyrantGojira]

GMK: Replace Mothra and King Ghidorah with Varan and Manda, add the Atrogon, and have Baragon survive his first encounter with Godzilla so he can join the others for the final battle.

Godzilla vs. Gigan: Don't have the monsters talk.

Godzilla 1998: Everything

All Monsters Attack: Never make the film in the first place.

[eabaker]

Well, since I consider it the worst of the lot, I guess I'll go with Tokyo SOS. Basically, it needs a page-1 re-write, focusing more on a characterization of both the humans and the kaiju. It really doesn't have a story, so I'd... give it a story.

[Rodan]

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla '93: Streamline character relationships/provide a better justification for their interactions, and clarify where the audience sympathy should lie -- whether we're meant to be conflicted (in which case, have the characters acknowledge a bit of the conflict), or lie solely with Godzilla by the end, in which case the rogue Mechagodzilla idea used by both the manga adaptation and Kiyru films would go a long way.

Get rid of Garuda and the damn pteranodon robot. Justify Mechagodzilla's appearance, which would only take a throwaway line.

Godzilla x Megaguirus: For the love of god, just have the human cast acknowledge how dangerous their weapon is at any point, or at least pay lip service to the fact that Megaguirus, who is arguably worse than Godzilla, is their fault. Do something thematically with harboring secrets/guilt and that child subplot.

Godzilla x Mechagodzilla: I honestly feel like this could have been fine if the DNA computer rampage played any role in the second act (perhaps only being overcome through Akane's understanding?), and the ending had a bit more breathing room to return to the Akane-scientist's daughter-acceptance of life/death angle. Also, and this is important, a stylist director who would be comfortable leaning into the movie's clear mecha anime inspirations. I feel like this has everything going for it to at least be an interesting entry, if not one I'd totally love, but the flat directorial style lets it down.

You know what? This should have been Kitamura's film. Though it's unlikely he'd have touched it if they only offered a studio-prepared script.

[Mechagigan]

Here's just a few...

G'98 - Less humour, more intimidation. Follow literally anyone else but Tatopopolopalis - Jean Reno, perhaps, or even one of the reporters. Don't change Zilla, but convince us it can deal some serious damage. Less ripoff scenes, more excitement; things similar to the car chase.

G2K - Improved effects, more time with the characters - more definite tone.

GxM - Destroy all copies of the film

GMK - Original monsters. I don't think the movie's really impacted by Toho's choice of Kaiju, and I kinda like seeing the big-name characters better anyways, but the original group just makes more sense.

GxMG/TSOS - Combine the two films, streamline the plot, give Godzilla character outside of being a monster. Eliminate the "Kiryu doesn't want to do it" babble and instead focus on Mothra's "misuse of nature" and it's ramifications. If not that, then destroy all copies of both films.

FW - Give the movie a more 'serious' feel, while still retaining the 'epic' or exciting elements. Less humor, similar outlandish ideas. Give monsters like Gigan and Monster X more buildup and intimidation. Don't kill off monsters as easily, or have less irrelevant ones.

[Tyrant_Lizard_King]

G14 definitely. There's actually a couple ways I could go about it.

Firstly is trim up the 2nd act a bit and tightening the pacing a little. This would quicken things up a bit and make it feel a bit more action packed without altering it too much. It would also give the effect of Godzilla having more screentime, at least comparitive to the overall runtime.

Second is combine the best aspects of the original script, the novelization, and shooting script. Id like to try and keep much of the final film intact but add the interview with the miners, the HALO speech, the naval battle with Godzilla, and Joe's burial at sea. I'd also change the ending just a tad. Not much but I'd take out the "savior of the city/king of the monsters" headlines and shots of people cheering. I'd also try to keep the original 1954 sequence if I could.

[LegendZilla]

These are the Godzilla films I would alter/improve:

The Showa Era

• Godzilla (1954) - Unchanged.
  Godzilla Raids Again (1955) - Unchanged, except postpone the release date to November/December '55.
  King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) - Unchanged.
  Mothra vs. Godzilla (1963) - Unchanged.
  Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) - Two Mothra larvae instead of one.
  Frankenstein vs. Godzilla (1965) - Godzilla would team up with Baragon to battle a giant Frankenstein Monster.
  Operation Robinson Crusoe: King Kong vs. Ebirah (1966) - Unchanged.
  Invasion of the Astro-Monster (1966) - Add Varan into the mix to fight alongside Godzilla & Rodan. Instead of Ghidorah, it's Dogora.
  King Kong Escapes (1967) - Include Maguma as either an enemy or an ally.
  Son of Godzilla (1967) - Have Ebirah & Gabara as the main antagonists and make Kumonga an ally. Include Maguma as well.
  Godzilla vs. Redmoon (1968) - Maybe add in Anguirus and Kumonga as potential allies to Godzilla.
  Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1969) - Godzilla doesn't fly, enough said.
  The Return of King Ghidorah (1970) - Godzilla & Anguirus battle against Ghidorah & Megalon.
  Godzilla vs. the Space Monsters: Earth Defence Directive (1971) - Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan & Varan battle against King Ghidorah, Megalon, Gigan & Mogu.
  Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1972) - Bring Anguirus back for the climax.
  Terror of Mechagodzilla (1973) - Mothra would return to help Godzilla.
  All Monsters Attack Directive (1974) - Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, Varan, Mothra (Imago & two larvae), Maguma, Manda, Baragon, Sanda, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Minilla, Kamoebas, Jet Jaguar & King Caesar battle against King Ghidorah, Moguera, Dogora, Gaira, Ebirah, Kamacuras, Gabara, Gezora, Ganimes, Redmoon, Hedorah, Gigan, Megalon, Mogu, Mechagodzilla & Titanosaurus.

The Heisei Era

• Godzilla (1984) - Unchanged.
  Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989) - Unchanged.
  Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1990) - Instead of three "dorats", Ghidorah starts out as a small egg.
  Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1991) - Godzilla & Rodan team up to battle Mechagodzilla.
  Godzilla vs. Bagan (1992) - Godzilla teams up with Mothra & Battra to fight against Bagan & Gigamoth.
  Godzilla vs. Astrogodzilla (1993)
  Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1994) - Godzilla would team with not only his son, but also Anguirus, Mothra, Battra & Rodan as well.

The Jan de Bont series

• Godzilla (1996) - Basically the same as his original vision.
  Godzilla II (1999) - Godzilla would team up with Mothra to battle Ghidorah.
  Godzilla III (2002) - Godzilla & Mothra, along with Anguirus & Rodan, battle against Moguera, Gigan, and ultimately, the same aliens that created Ghidorah and the Gryphon.

The Millenium series

• Godzilla Reborn (2004) - Godzilla would fight against Orga and Miba.
  Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2005) - Follow-up to Godzilla Reborn.
  Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2006) - Follow-up to GvM.
  Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2007) - Follow-up to GXG; Godzilla, Kiryu & Mothra have to team-up against Ghidorah, Gigan & Titanosaurus.
  Godzilla X Varan, Baragon and Anguirus: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2008) - Basically the same as Kaneko's original vision.
  Godzilla: Final Wars (2009) - Godzilla, Anguirus, Rodan, Varan, Mothra (Imago & two larvae), Maguma, Manda, Baragon, Sanda, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Minilla, Kamoebas, Jet Jaguar, King Caesar, Battra & Kiryu battle against King Ghidorah, Moguera, Dogora, Gaira, Ebirah, Kamacuras, Gabara, Gezora, Ganimes, Redmoon, Hedorah, Gigan, Megalon, Mogu, Titanosaurus, Biollante, Destoroyah, Orga, Miba & Megaguirus.

The Gareth Edwards series

• Godzilla (2014) - See this video at 11:22: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BoE9__99hs
  Kong: Skull Island (2017) - Bring back Gorosaurus & Kumonga as allies, and Ebirah & Kamacuras as potential enemies.
  Varan: Guardian of the Sky (2021-2023) - A reboot/reimagining of Varan the Unbelievable.
  Godzilla vs. Varan (20??)

I understand why you made a Debont trilogy, but why the switched years for the Showa?

[3000]

I would probably wipe Son of Godzilla and Godzilla's revenge out of existence.


In Godzilla 2014, I would fire Aaron Terrible Johnson and add more Bryan Cranston and Godzilla screen time. This is me being greedy but 40 mins worth of Godzilla sounds good to me.



I would also make the Millenium releases fewer and farther between. Make good, quality films with a good script, production value, etc instead of shitty modern day B movies with incredibly boring and rehashed plots.

[SonOfGorgo]

GxM - Destroy all copies of the film

What's wrong with the film?

[eabaker]

GxM - Destroy all copies of the film

What's wrong with the film?

Well, it's incredibly bland.

[SonOfGorgo]

I understand why you made a Debont trilogy, but why the switched years for the Showa?

Since DAM was supposed to be the last of the original Godzilla series, I tried to work my way around such, or something like that.

Added in 42 seconds:

Well, it's incredibly bland.

It was okay imo, had an interesting and even unique premise.

[LegendZilla]

I understand why you made a Debont trilogy, but why the switched years for the Showa?

Since DAM was supposed to be the last of the original Godzilla series, I tried to work my way around such, or something like that.

Added in 42 seconds:

Well, it's incredibly bland.

It was okay imo, had an interesting and even unique premise.

I think it's more likely that The Millenium series as we know them will cease to exists of the Debont Tristar Godzilla film was made.

[ShinGi]

GMK- remove Ghidorah and replace him with Manda

Final Wars- make the film feel more like a 70s Godzilla movie, remove Monster X and Keizer Ghidorah and it their place add King Ghidorah.

[Space Hunter M]

Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II: TriStar would've released the original mono dub instead of the weird revised stereo version. That would make it the last worthwhile, hammy HK dub instead of vs Mothra.

[eabaker]

Added in 42 seconds:

Well, it's incredibly bland.

It was okay imo, had an interesting and even unique premise.

I agree about the premise. Where it really fails for some viewers is in the lifeless execution.

[JVM]

I would have Varan be developed in-house for Japanese cinemas without any ABC-BT or whatever it's called being involved, as the efforts to accommodate television were not helpful towards the final product. It would probably still not be an amazing film, but maybe, just maybe, it'd be a little more mediocre than bland.

[SonOfGorgo]

I think it's more likely that The Millenium series as we know them will cease to exists of the Debont Tristar Godzilla film was made.

Would've. True.

[Bigdog]

The Showa Era

• Godzilla (1954) - Unchanged.
  Godzilla Raids Again (1955) - Unchanged, except postpone the release date to November/December '55.
  King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) - Unchanged.
  Mothra vs. Godzilla (1963) - Unchanged.
  Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) - Mothra Imago shows up.
  Frankenstein vs. King Kong [1965) - King Kong would battle a giant Frankenstein Monster.
  King Kong Escapes (1967) - Include Maguma. Add Godzilla as an ally.
  Godzilla vs. Batman (1968) - Because why not?
  Son of Godzilla: Ditch Minilla suit for something more like Godzilla, but smaller.
  
  Godzilla's Revenge [1969] - Destroy All Monsters premise, but returns to the style and tone of the early Showa. Godzilla is the main enemy, no Ghidorah, but somehow there's a subplot with a child in it and he does stuff like in Revenge, but it coincides with everything else. Jet Jaguar debuts.
  
  Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1969) - Godzilla doesn't fly, enough said.
  
  The Return of King Ghidorah (1970) - Godzilla & Anguirus battle against Ghidorah & Megalon. Jet Jaguar comes and fights.
  
  Godzilla vs. the Space Monsters: Earth Defence Directive (1971) - Godzilla, Anguirus, Jet Jaguar & Varan battle against King Ghidorah, Megalon, Gigan & Mogu.
  
  Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1972) - Unchanged.
  
  Terror of Mechagodzilla (1973) - King Kong would return to help Godzilla in the final film.
  
  Jet Jaguar vs. Megalon (1974) : He finally gets his own movie
  
  King of the Monsters: Gojira (1978)- Except it would be an American-Japanese co production from the get go and go back to the roots of the character. Steve Martin would be reintroduced more organically and Anguirus would show up. A one off. Sort of a mash of the first two movies, possibly a period piece set in the 50's.

The Heisei Era
I deleted a couple movies, and merged two into a two part story arc.

• Godzilla (1984) - Unchanged, except more backstory is provided to the origins of the Super-X. Because for being a movie that delves into geopolitics, its sure problematic that we don't know where it came from. Is it American funded, United Nations, or made only in Japan? If the latter, why don't we see China or South Korea at the table? And definitely, move the revelation about the bird signals much later so the rest of the film doesn't suffer.
  
  Or just cut out the Super X for something more plausible in 1984 technology. I know, I know. You're going to argue that we got a giant monster, so why should we not have something like that? Simple. Shin Godzilla is how you do it right, in concept. I haven't seen the movie yet, but having them handle a threat with what they actually got is far scarier than having a mech or a zord just duke it out. It also raises the question of why America or the USSR don't have prototype Jaegers, given that Japan can afford a machine like that. Ergo why Super X kind of sucks.
  
  Godzilla 1985: Fly Raymond Burr and a few other American actors from the cast to Japan and bring back some of the Japanese cast to film exclusive scenes for the American version to make it more special than the Viewing Globe experience. Like have Steve Martin interact with the Dr. and both of them knowing each other due to being in the same ward after King of the Monsters, and are also casual friends. Or have him meet up with Goro. The Super X is explained as a weapon loaned by the Americans. Or cut, as in the source with my suggestions.
  
  Even insert some American and Russian presence in a joint military scene against Godzilla. The only thing that remains the same are the music choices, pacing and effect edits, and the American-only scenes up to when the government recruits Steve Martin. He gets out of retirement and is flown to Japan to help efforts to deal with Godzilla. If there are any scenes where they view the attack, they'd be at a minimum or done differently.
  
  Godzilla vs. Biollante (1987) - Unchanged. Except during the five years, the Super X is put into creation and is used against Godzilla. Super X fights Godzilla before he fights Biollante before and after the Osaka attack, then fights Gunhed before the reveal.
  
  Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah vs MechaGodzilla (1991)
  -Make Ghidorah ambiguous from the start.
  -Cut the time travel and that entire sequence. The people are aliens trying to prevent a united Earth to defeat them as a threat.
  -MechaGodzilla is a mechanical rebuild of Mechanikong.
  -The Birth of BabyGodzilla.
  
  
  Godzilla vs. Mothra (1993) - Expand the role of Infant Island and have a nuclear mutant version of the residents inspired by the Planet of the Apes, in between the original version and maybe Matango at the worst. Bring back the world-building of the early Showa era,simply put.
  -Cut out the stupid ex wife and her equally braindead daughter plot line. Replace them with Miki Saegusa and have that thief be her boyfriend.
  -Cut the preachy environmental message if it can't deliver. But if keeping it, actually make it count and make it devastatingly dar. Look at above example.
  -Use part of the Mothra vs. Bagan story, namely the origin of Bagan.
  
  
  Godzilla vs. Bagan (1994)
  This is a direct sequel of Godzilla vs. Mothra.
  -Cut all the scenes where Mothra's mass-murdering people and replace them with Gigamoth doing do. Have Gigamoth be a valid threat and Mothra's fighting him.
  -Bagan shows up and teams up with Gigamoth, as both are for the Earth against Mothra and Godzilla. But Bagan takes it too far and Gigamoth sides with him. They fight in the last scene from Mothra vs. Bagan in Southeast Asia. Then the battle goes with subduing Godzilla, Mothra dies and Gigamoth takes down Godzilla.
  -Little Godzilla is somewhere and the Infant Island people worship him.
  
  
  Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) - Godzilla would team with not only his son, but also Anguirus.

The Emmerich Series

• Godzilla (1997) - A mixture of both Emmerich's script and Rossio/Elliot's. It deals with a solo Godzilla movie that deletes the campier aspects to ram a horror vibe and weight to the consequences of Godzilla's existence, then it expands to the Gryphon building up via the proto-bats. Both slug it out, but in the defeat of the Gryphon, Godzilla returns towards destroying the city. Dr. Tatoppoulos, a hybrid of Yamane and Serizawa sacrifices himself, and the death of this Godzilla is a bittersweet ending. I already posted how I'd change 1998, so this is just an extension. Think like after the Super X was destroyed and how Godzilla just kept leveling the city.
  An egg is there, but it's ambiguous as to who it is. Obviously a Godzilla egg. Point is, keep all the changes that Emmerich had for the character aesthetically and in the reproduction angle.
  
  Godzilla II (1999) - Godzilla would team up with Mothra to battle Ghidorah, a mutated Gryphon-like species that had absorbed Godzilla's DNA. It flees and runs away. This second Godzilla is more in line with the heroic aspects mixed with the latter Heisei offerings, since it was around people.
  
  Godzilla III (2002) - Godzilla & Mothra, along with Anguirus & Rodan, battle against Moguera, Megalon, and ultimately, the same aliens that created Ghidorah, and use Ghidorah in a control device.

The Millenium series

• Godzilla 2000: The Japanese version is cut like the American version.
  Godzilla Reborn (2004) - Godzilla would fight against the Uchujin and . Has the American cast like Jamie lee Curtis and others that join alongside a couple stragglers from 2000. But it's directed by Shusuke Kaneko in an American debut.
  Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2005) - Follow-up to Godzilla Reborn. American film. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays the pilot to Kiryu.
  Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2006) - Follow-up to GvM. American actors.
  Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2007) - Follow-up to GXG; Godzilla, Kiryu & Mothra have to team-up against Ghidorah, Gigan & Titanosaurus.
  Godzilla: Final Wars (2009) - Follows Tokyo SOS. Godzilla, Anguirus, Varan, Mothra (Imago), Maguma,, Sanda, Gorosaurus, Kumonga, Jet Jaguar, King Caesar, Battra & Kiryu battle against King Ghidorah, Gaira, Ebirah, Gigan, Megalon, Titanosaurus, Biollante, Orga & Megaguirus.

[M.o.g.u.e.r.a14]

Godzilla Final Wars:
-Cut out the X interview part.

-Give Godzilla more sreentime.

-Make Godzilla and Zilla duke it out for more than 13 seconds.

-Make Godzilla, Hedorah, and Ebirah have an actual fight.

-Have Anguirus, Rodan, and King Caesar fight in the final battle.

Godzilla 2014:

-Show the female M.U.T.O destroying Las Vegas.

-Show Godzilla and the male M.U.T.O fighting in San Francisco during the cloudy day and and brighten up the final battle.