15 Massive Movie Franchises That Have More Great Entries Than Rubbish Ones
2. Godzilla
Total Number of Films: 30
Great: Godzilla, King Kong Vs Godzilla, Mothra Vs Godzilla, Ghidorah: the Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of the Astro-Monster, Son of Godzilla, Destroy All Monsters, Godzilla Vs Hedorah, Godzilla Vs Megalon, Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla, The Return of Godzilla, Godzilla Vs Biollante, Godzilla Vs King Ghidorah, Godzilla Vs Mothra: The Battle For Earth, Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla II, Godzilla Vs SpaceGodzilla, Godzilla Vs Destoroyah, Godzilla 2000, Godzilla Vs Megaguirus, Godzilla Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, Godzilla: Final Wars, Godzilla (2014 US version)
Rubbish: Godzilla Raids Again, Ebirah: Horror of the Deep, All Monsters Attack, Godzilla Vs Gigan, Terror of Mechagodzilla, Godzilla (1998 US version)
I'm not going to lie to you: in most instances here, the division between the good and the bad is pretty arbitrary. Ask any Godzilla fan, and they'll most likely admit the bulk of the movies are considered good for the very same reasons that others would regard them to be bad: cartoonish excess, unabashed silliness, and often laughable production value.
Some will doubtless argue that the only films of any worth of any series are the 1954 original, and possibly the 2014 Gareth Edwards reboot, as these were the ones which really took the concept seriously as a metaphor for large-scale problems facing their respective time periods: something which upcoming Japanese reboot Godzilla: Resurgence also promises to deliver. However, I feel truly sorry for anyone who can take no joy from the city-stomping, giant monster wrestling match spectacle that the bulk of the series provides.
I suppose the less said about the 1998 Roland Emmerich movie, the better; but for the record, I don't think it's necessarily that bad, just more of a Jurassic Park wannabe than a real Godzilla movie. While the 2014 movie had its flaws, it was most definitely true to the spirit of the franchise, and as we now face the prospect of new American and Japanese Godzilla movies being produced concurrently (with Kong and Pacific Rim in the mix), these are exciting times for kaiju fans.