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Between Godzilla and King Kong's 1962 and 2021 meetings, there was a series of three known attempts to bring the two back together again. Created in 1939 and 1954 respectively, King Kong and Godzilla have shared the big screen a total of three times over a 71-year period of shared cinematic history. After Rko and Toho arranged Godzilla and King Kong's famous clash in 1962's King Kong vs. Godzilla, decades passed before a rematch could be worked out.

Legendary's Godzilla vs. Kong notably renewed their rivalry by pitting the Monsterverse incarnations of the characters against each other. Rather than go back to their separate ways like their Toho counterparts all those years ago, Godzilla and Kong reunited again just three years later in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire's ending. What's more, a fourth partnership is expected in the untitled Godzilla x Kong sequel. But had previous efforts for Godzilla-Kong crossovers gone differently,...

Despite being a headlining attraction in every film, not every Godzilla movie was meant to feature the King of the Monsters. With a cinematic history extending across seven decades, Godzilla has held a wide variety of roles. He's been the hero, the villain, an anti-hero, and an unwilling pawn of both the human protagonists and the antagonists.

One thing that all of these movies share in common is that he's is always one of the main selling points, if not the biggest one but alongside one of Godzilla's many allies. That's the case even when Godzilla's name isn't in the title. That aspect of the franchise demonstrates just how much certain projects had to change in order to be fully realized. After all, there were three Godzilla films that started out as movies about other monsters Quite literally, Godzilla had to be added so that they could find life on the big screen.

The MonsterVerse movies strive to strike a balance between pleasing longtime fans and attracting new viewers with fresh, accessible content. While the new Godzilla design in the MonsterVerse prevents the iconic dropkick move from being recreated, the franchise includes nods and references to the history of its monsters. Godzilla vs. Kong offers a toned-down homage to a memorable moment from the original King Kong vs. Godzilla movie, showcasing how the MonsterVerse can reference classic moves in a less ridiculous manner.

The coolest fight move in Godzilla’s repertoire can’t be repeated in the MonsterVerse, because of the way the new Godzilla has been designed, but this franchise has proven it can do something similar. Starting with the 2014 Godzilla reboot, the MonsterVerse has brought some of cinema's most iconic monsters together in a shared continuity. Godzilla has since been joined by such monsters as Rodan, King Kong, and King Ghidorah.

Godzilla movies have always been silly and goofy, dating back to 1961's King Kong vs. Godzilla. The new sillier tone in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is divisive among fans, but some prefer it over previous films. The running scene in the trailer shows that the MonsterVerse is embracing a more fun and silly direction, which could be beneficial for introducing new monsters and storylines in future films.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire has been a pretty controversial film since the release of its first trailer, but this 61-year-old monster movie actually disproves the film's biggest criticism. Legendary's MonsterVerse has received consistently mixed reviews since its inception with 2014's Godzilla, with many fans comparing the movies to the 1954 original when criticizing the films. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is just the latest example of some fans not believing that the newest MonsterVerse movie lives up to the original,...

[Editor's Note: With Godzilla Minus One now in theaters across the US, fans have had the opportunity to check out what I feel is one of the best Godzilla films ever made on the big screen! Ahead of the premiere, Christy had the opportunity to catch up with both Takashi Yamazaki and Ryunosuke Kamiki to learn more about the making of the film, including how Takashi Yamazaki's work on Godzilla the Ride played a part in the preparing him and Ryunosuke Kamiki for the film.]

What was your first experience watching Godzilla movies? Do you have a favorite?

Takashi Yamazaki: I first saw Godzilla on my TV set as a child, and it was in black-and-white back then. Because it was monochrome like that, Godzilla seemed even more scary. I was a very scared child, but I was drawn to it at the same time, so there was this dichotomy. I was a...

Many planned Godzilla sequels, including a sequel to the original King Kong vs. Godzilla, never made it to completion, leaving the storylines open-ended. Godzilla vs. Hedorah 2 was teased but ultimately abandoned by Toho Studios, who decided to move in a different direction with Godzilla. Despite plans for a trilogy, the 1998 Godzilla film's rights to the franchise dissolved before a sequel could be made, leaving the cliffhanger ending unresolved.

Godzilla's story has been told on the big screen many times, but there were many more stories scheduled to expand the legendary lizard that got canceled before their debut. Godzilla first appeared in 1954 in a Japanese horror film. The nuclear waste flowing into the water mutated a lizard into a giant towering monster that threatens to destroy Japan. At the time, the special effects were cutting-edge and led to a whole host of monster movies which sparked the popular Kaiju phenomenon.

You didn't have to be a horror aficionado to appreciate the enormity of "Freddy vs. Jason" in 2003. This was two of the titans of the slasher genre finally going head-to-head in a bloody free-for-all. Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees had slashed, stabbed, and otherwise punctured our collective pop cultural consciousness for years by then. As a young kid who had yet to see any of the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" or "Friday the 13th" films, even I knew exactly what was being referenced the first time I saw the scene in "Christmas Vacation" where Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) dons a hockey mask while taking a chainsaw to his gigantic Christmas tree.

Crossover films of this ilk have largely gone the way of the dodo since "Freddy vs. Jason" came out. We're now 80 years removed from Frankenstein's monster meeting the Wolf Man for the first time in Universal's Og Dark Universe,...

Godzilla easily defeats Gigan in "Godzilla: Final Wars" by blasting off his head, paving the way for his revival. #MonsterBattles In "King Kong vs. Godzilla," Godzilla humiliates King Kong with his strength and atomic breath, beating him with his tail. #BattleoftheTitans In "Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack," Godzilla mercilessly pounds Baragon to show his superiority. #MonstrousVictory

More than a handful of Godzilla’s opponents suffered embarrassing losses at his hands. Across more than six decades of cinematic history, Godzilla has engaged in more than his fair share of kaiju battles, taking down enemy after enemy. Some were naturally stronger than others, hence why the difficulty of his fights tends to vary.

Of course, Godzilla’s most iconic battles involve the King of the Monsters prevailing after a long, hard-fought showdown with another contender for his title. Some of these fights proved so challenging that Godzilla was...

Sometimes, it’s another monster who winds up in the spotlight in a Godzilla movie. With a cinematic history that’s lasted more than 60 years, the Japanese pop culture icon has been the driving force of over 30 movies. But even though he was the main draw in nearly every installment, there were a few films where the studio allowed another monster a chance to play the hero.

True to his title as the King of the Monsters, the burden of saving the world generally falls on Godzilla’s shoulders when a new threat arises. That’s how it was in the majority of his films, including those made in the Showa and Heisei eras. However, there are actually several exceptions to this formula. In fact, there are a number of Godzilla movies where it’s he who’s putting the world in danger in the first place, making it necessary...