8 Godzilla Films You Need To See

8. King Kong Vs Godzilla

The US version of Toho’s third Godzilla movie has some serious flaws: the original score has been eliminated and some dreadful new scenes featuring American actors (including a sequence where a “noted scientist” explains that Kong has a brain the size of a pea) have been added.

It’s worth it, though, if only to see Godzilla (in his first colour film) emerge from a glacier and stomp ashore to smash model buildings and melt toy tanks with his radioactive breath. Meanwhile, two explorers discover King Kong on an island where Japanese actors in black body paint play the “natives”, and the insanity spirals from there.

Following an innocuous first encounter (which sees Kong walk away scratching his head, no match for Godzilla’s death ray), the pair’s climactic fight is all punches, headbutts and flying kicks, setting the standard for Toho’s future monster team-ups. It’s spectacular stuff, so let’s hope the 2020 remake does the pair justice.