Name:  Varan Movie Appearances:   Varan the Unbelievable , Destroy All Monsters , Godzilla: Final Wars Varan is a kaiju with a distinctly reptilian appearance. It has white, pointy dorsal spikes that run down its back, resembling the spines of an iguana. Additional spikes line the top of its head, with three smaller spikes on each side of its face. Varan alternates between walking on all fours and standing upright on its hind legs, depending on the situation. It also features

The Plot This movie centers around a joint U.S. and Japanese military experiment conducted on a small island off the coast of Japan. The goal is to test a chemical that can convert saltwater into purified, drinkable water — potentially solving global water shortages. However, the military faces strong opposition from the island’s native villagers, who warn that disturbing the lake will awaken O-Baki, an ancient monster said to dwell beneath the surface. In the English version

Plot All of Earth’s Kaiju have been collected and brought to an island in the Pacific referred to as Monsterland.  Under the island is a special control center where scientists monitor and control various functions of the island, ensuring that the Kaiju never escape and attack humanity. Monsterland features all sorts of containment systems, such as gases that force the monsters to retreat back to the island and invisible barriers that even Rodan cannot fly through. In the ope

Godzilla VS. Hedorah is a confusing mix: it seems targeted toward a younger audience with Ken as the central child character, but the movie is surprisingly graphic for kids.

Note: The written portion of this article is the 2013 Godzilla Island Archive review, at the bottom you can find our recent Maser Squad video review where both Dan & Frank (Godzilla Island) discussed this film with new views and opinions. The Plot The movie opens with a research crew flying over the ocean when their flight instruments start picking up strange interference something resembling brain waves. As they try to trace the source, they spot Godzilla in the water and qu

Note: The written portion of this article is the 2013 Godzilla Island Archive review, at the bottom you can find our recent Maser Squad video review where both Dan & Frank (Godzilla Island) discussed this film with new views and opinions. Monster Appearances: Baragon , Frankenstein Monster , Oodako The Plot The movie opens in Nazi Germany during World War II, where a military officer seizes the Frankenstein Monster’s heart from a laboratory. The organ is handed over to Japan

The Plot: This comic series follows two members of a Japanese tank battalion turned Godzilla specialists Ota Murakami and Kentaro Yoshihara. The story chronicles Godzilla’s history through Ota’s perspective across a 50-year time span. It begins in 1954, when Tokyo faces what the military believes to be a natural disaster until Godzilla steps out from behind the smoke and ruins. Ota and Kentaro’s entire battalion are wiped out, leaving their tank as the last line of defense. I

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) marks a major milestone as the first Godzilla film in color and one of Toho’s most iconic monster crossovers. It’s a fun, fast-paced entry that helped bring Godzilla to an even wider audience.

Godzilla Raids Again is a strong follow-up to the original and an important milestone it’s the first film in the franchise to feature a monster battle. The dynamic between Godzilla and Anguirus set the tone for future kaiju rivalries.

Note: This post was originally published in 2013 on Godzilla Island all views and opinions may have since changed. Monster Apperances: Godzilla The Plot: Reporter Steve Martin is on his way to Cairo when he stops over in Japan. Upon landing, he’s questioned by local authorities who ask if he "noticed anything unusual during his flight?" He hasn’t but learns that his plane’s route passed over the wreckage of a ship destroyed by an unknown force. Intrigued by the mysterious s

Note: This article is from 2013 transfered from GodzillaIsland.com This marks the first entry in a new recurring feature here on GodzillaIsland.com , where I’ll be exploring Toho’s “Lost Projects”  — films that were planned, rewritten, or abandoned entirely. This list, originally documented by the legendary fan site Toho Kingdom , includes everything from early drafts of beloved kaiju movies to mysterious scripts that never made it past the planning stage. Be sure to read Ea

Note: This articles was originally published in 2013 on Godzilla Island. All views & opinions may have since changed. Monster Apperances: Anguirus , Godzilla, Gigan, Jet Jaguar, Megalon, Rodan The Plot Seatopian Emperor Antonia The movie opens with nuclear testing in the ocean. On Monster Island, Godzilla and Anguirus are caught in clouds of radiation and pollution caused by the blasts. Meanwhile, deep beneath the waves, the people of Seatopia are furious the tests are destro

Monster Appearing: Anguirus , Ebirah , Gabara , Giant Condor , Godzilla, Gorosaurus , Kamacuras , Kumonga , Maneater Plant, Minilla (Minya) The Plot: This movie follows a young boy with a big imagination named Ichiro. It begins with Ichiro walking home from school with his friend Sachiko, when they run into a bully named Sancho and his gang. After being harassed, Ichiro heads home, where he spends most of his time alone since his parents are always working late. Lonely, he

Note: This review was originally written back in 2013. Since then, Godzilla: Rulers of Earth went on to become the longest-running Godzilla comic series—and to this day, it remains my favorite comic series I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I hope you enjoy this throwback review and see how I felt all those years ago experiencing Rulers of Earth for the first time. Monsters Appearing: Anguirus , Battra, Gigan, Godzilla, Hedorah, Kumonga , Mothra, Rodan , SpaceGodzilla, T

Monster Appearing: Gaira, Oodako (Giant Octopus) , Sanda The Plot A man is at sea during a storm when a giant octopus attacks him. Just as he’s about to die, he is released by the octopus. Looking out the ship’s window, he sees a giant green, humanoid beast fighting the octopus. The monster, called Gaira, defeats the octopus and then turns on the ship, sinking it and killing its crew. One sailor survives and tells the story of being attacked first by a giant octopus and then

Monsters Appearing: Meganulon , Rodan The Plot In a small mining village in Japan near a volcano, two miners go missing after hitting a pocket of water that floods the mineshaft. A search party discovers one miner’s body floating in the shaft. An autopsy reveals that the miner’s death was not an accident he was killed, though the weapon cannot be identified. A group of three miners and a police officer return to the shaft to find the other missing miner. As they explore the f

Mondo Poster Art By Tom Whalen Monsters Appearing: Godzilla, Rodan , King Ghidorah The Plot: A planet named Planet X is discovered by the World Space Authority, and two astronauts are sent to investigate. When they arrive, they see strange lightning in the sky and soon realize they are not alone. The astronauts are taken underground by the Xiliens, the inhabitants of Planet X. The Xiliens explain that their world was once like Earth until it was devastated by Monster Zero. D

Monsters Appearing: Godzilla, Mothra Larva, King Ghidorah, Rodan The Plot: A detective is assigned to protect a visiting princess. Before her plane even arrives in Japan, an assassination attempt via bombing destroys the plane but the princess escapes by jumping from it before the explosion. Meanwhile, a meteor shower occurs over Japan, and a large meteor crashes in the mountains. A team of scientists investigates the meteor and discovers its unusually strong magnetic propert