Complete Guide To Watch Every Godzilla Movie In The Monsterverse — With Release And Chronological Order
With multiple Godzilla movies and TV shows being part of the Monsterverse, it might be tricky for fans to track them all. Here is a guide that can help!
With multiple Godzilla movies and T.V. shows dropping this year, it might be tricky for fans to track them all. Here is a guide that can help! (Picture Credit: IMDb)
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The MonsterVerse is another cinematic universe similar to Marvel and D.C.’s universes, but instead of superheroes saving the world, we have Godzilla, King Kong and their monster buddies fighting to destroy it. As far as the franchise is concerned, it has five movies, two T.V. shows, and an upcoming film scheduled for release in 2027.
As you might know, Toho Studios released what many consider to be one of the best Godzilla films, Godzilla Minus One. Meanwhile, Legendary Pictures remained behind the five films in the franchise, also coming out with their first live-action series featuring the not-so-gentle giant in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on November 17, 2023. They also created an animated series based on King Kong called Skull Island on June 22, 2023.
However, there’s a big difference between the Godzilla movies from Toho Studios and Legendary Pictures. Simply put, Toho owns Godzilla. However, Legendary Pictures secured the rights to the giant 500-ft lizard and other monsters in the Kaiju universe in 2014, ultimately coming up with a ‘Hollywood’ version known as the MonsterVerse.
Like every other cinematic universe, the MonsterVerse. also has a particular order to watch its films. So, you can watch these movies chronologically or in their release order. However, it is recommended to watch the movies chronologically better to understand the ideas and context of the films.
How To Watch MonsterVerse Movies & TV Shows In Order Of Their Release?
1. Godzilla (2014)
Streaming On: Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, JioHotstar
RT Score: 76%
Director: Gareth Edwards
Plot: 2014’s Godzilla marked the start of the MonsterVerse. It stars Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, and Bryan Cranston. The movie revolves around humans discovering Godzilla’s existence as he fights two giant, violent, parasitic monsters that threaten humanity. It’s shown from the perspective of a U.S. military lieutenant who unwillingly gets caught up in the Giants’ fight.
2. Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Streaming On: Netflix, JioHotstar, Apple TV+
RT Score: 75%
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
MonsterVerse always manages to have the most decorated cast in their movies. Kong: Skull Island was released in 2017 and stars Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman and Brie Larson. The film revolves around King Kong and not Godzilla and is set about 40 years before the events of Godzilla (2014). It revolves around Monarch (won’t be wrong to call it the MonsterVerse equivalent of Marvel’s S.H.I.E.L.D.) personnel who go to a remote island uninvited, only to be faced by a very angry Kong.
3. Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Streaming On: Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, JioHotstar
RT Score: 42%
Director: Michael Dougherty
Plot: Godzilla: King of the Monsters was released on May 31, 2019, and stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Bradley Whitford, and Charles Dance. The movie introduces almost all the other Titans from the Godzilla universe into the MonsterVerse Franchise. The premise essentially revolves around Godzilla and Mothra fighting against multiple antagonist monsters.
4. Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Streaming On: Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+
RT Score: 76%
Director: Adam Wingard
Plot: Godzilla vs. Kong was released in 2021 and stars Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Lance Reddick, and Kyle Chandler. It’s the first movie in the franchise that links Godzilla to Kong and shows humans orchestrating a fight between the two.
5. Skull Island (2023)
Streaming On: Netflix
RT Score: 82%
Creator: Brian Duffield
Skull Island is an anime-like, animated T.V. show that is a direct sequel to Kong: Skull Island. The series is set in 1990 and follows a shipwreck crew stranded on the unforgiving Skull Island.
6. Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)
Streaming On: Apple TV+
RT Score: 87%
Creator: Chris Black
Plot: Monarch: Legacy of Monsters on November 17, 2023, on AppleTV+. It stars Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Wyatt Russell, and Kurt Russell. It’s set instantly after the events of the first Godzilla movie and alternates between two timelines: 2015 and 1950. It follows two siblings searching for their missing father, who allegedly had connections with Monarch.
7. Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire (2024)
Streaming On: Disney+, JioHotstar, Prime Video
RT Score: 54%
Director: Adam Wingard
Plot: Released on March 29, 2024, Godzilla vs. Kong: The New Empire throws the former rivals together against a newfound, monstrous threat. While receiving mixed reviews compared to its predecessor, Godzilla Minus One, the film stomped its way to become one highest-grossing film of the year so far, earning over $572 million worldwide on a $135 million budget. The film stars Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, and many more.
How To Watch The MonsterVerse Movies & Shows In Chronological Order?
This is how the movies fit into the timeline of the MonsterVerse:
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Skull Island (2023)
Godzilla (2014)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (2023)
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)
What Next For The MonsterVerse?
Legendary Pictures is gearing up for the follow-up to Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The upcoming film, titled Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, is scheduled for a March 26, 2027, release as of now. After Adam Wingard failed to return to direct the film due to scheduling conflicts, filmmaker Grand Sputore (I Am Mother) was roped in to helm the movie. It would be the sixth film of the MonsterVerse franchise.