What Can The Monsterverse Learn From Classic Godzilla?

Godzilla celebrates two momentous occasions this year. This October 27th will be his 70th birthday. He has starred in 38 films over his long life. To mark his 70th, the Monsterverse unleashed Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, which quickly became the most profitable Godzilla film of all time. The Monsterverse doesn’t need help to earn massive box office returns. It might, however, still learn a thing or two from its predecessors from Japan.

Every true kaiju fan knows that there are two notable ways to enjoy Godzilla movies. The original classic and a few of the films that took inspiration from it are sweeping, epic horror experiences that force the audience to reckon with their place in history. See Godzilla Minus One for the perfect modern example. The other option, best exemplified by films like Godzilla vs. Megalon, delivers hilarious, schlocky monster fights for cheering crowds. Modern Toho films capture the former’s appeal, while the Monsterverse nails the latter.

The Monsterverse is doing great

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire became the highest-grossing film in both the Godzilla and King Kong franchises. It only defeated Kong: Skull Island by $1.4 million, but it’s still in theaters in many regions. Godzilla x Kong is the second highest-grossing film of 2024, lagging behind Dune: Part Two and awaiting a very slow summer season. Both the latest entry and Godzilla vs. Kong sat on a questionable foundation with an unsure future. If either bombed at the box office, the Monsterverse likely would have stopped then and there. Luckily, they performed admirably and maintained a massive fan base. There will be another Monsterverse movie, though nothing is known about it at the moment. It’s worth wondering how long the Monsterverse’s current strategy can continue to succeed.

Toho’s Godzilla films teach several lessons

While the Monsterverse turned four films about Godzilla into monster hits, Toho followed the King of the Monsters through feast and famine. There are many great films buried in Godzilla’s long filmography. There are also several terrible wastes of effort. The franchise kept the central concept, if not the genre at large, alive for decades through experimentation, iconography, and consistent development. The decades allowed them to try everything and see what worked.

Play with tone

Every Monsterverse movie follows a natural transition along a normal spectrum. Godzilla (2014) is as serious as any American example of the genre can be. It’s no Minus One, but director Gareth Edwards managed to fit a theme or two into its considerable runtime. After Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong pulls the tone in a considerably sillier direction. It’s willing to be comedic and playful. Godzilla x Kong takes the same idea and drives it further into comedy territory. The Toho films loved to drop one intense, violent film about the end of days and chase it with a goofy novelty about tiny ancient aliens trying to control the weather. No boundaries trapped old-school Godzilla. If the Monsterverse wants to push deep into the double-digits, it will have to be prepared to exist all over the tonal spectrum with little concern for whiplash.

Treat continuity lightly

Toho’s Godzilla movies played fast and loose with any sense of overarching narrative. Most stories are self-contained episodes with similar beginnings and endings. Something agitates Godzilla; he rises to fight it, wins, and walks off into the ocean again. The Monsterverse has aspects of this, but they’re also concerned with a cast of human characters no one cares about. Toho introduced new allies, enemies, bystanders, and participants in just about every entry. The rare cases that depict Godzilla carrying things from one fight to another tend to do so haphazardly. Future Monsterverse films shouldn’t get so bogged down in maintaining continuity that fans can no longer watch whatever they want.

Don’t be afraid to reset

This may be a retread of the previous point, but Toho existed in several phases. Godzilla’s entire entourage underwent a full redesign, both visually and narratively, between or sometimes during these unique eras. Modern film franchises see that as admitting defeat. They only push the reset button when they’ve milked their original version dry or run into a contract dispute over IP rights. The Monsterverse may find itself wanting to go back after a few more entries, and they should be encouraged to do so. Looking at a franchise like Mad Max would be preferable to taking inspiration from the other cinematic universe that starts with “M.”

The Monsterverse could potentially survive for decades, but it could just as easily flame out after a couple of entries. Godzilla may be at the peak of his cultural residence in most of the world. Godzilla Minus One and Godzilla x Kong made the past twelve months one of the best ever eras for the King of the Monsters. Fans will have to wait and see if Legendary can keep the excitement going into future Monsterverse projects.