Hello all, I am looking for some recomendations in Kaiju films. I never grew up with Godzilla or Ultraman, as they were'nt on tv in the UK, so i get a bit lost with which monster is which.
I have got into the vinyl through my love of toy's and going to Japan a few times.
I've seen the original Godzilla(only the American edited version though), so know this one(duh).
If anyone could recomend some titles, which are out on DVD, that would be smashing.

Many thanks

V

War of the Gargantuas
FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD
Matango

are three of my favorites

ultraman seasons 1 and two are out on dvd, those rule and have a lot of popular monsters in them.

zebraman.

Netflix has a pretty good selection though I'm not sure if Netflix extends overseas.

I think the best of the movies are

Godzilla Vs Hedorah (Godzilla vs The SMog Monster) - There was aa cool thread on here awhile back with some far-out screen captures from this movie. It may still be around.

Godzilla Vs Mothra - If only to see the fairy twins.

and my favorite of all: Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People.

ANd of course the Ultraman TV Series which is a Who's Who of this hobby...

I would say that this is more of a parody of Tokusatsu than actual representation of it. I think you have to watch some real stuff before this movie makes a lot of sense & you get the humor.

I am not sure what's available in the UK, but you should be able to get most of the Godzilla movies for sure. I would say first invest in an all region player so that you can get US and Japanese releases.

Almost all the classic Godzilla movies are must sees. "Godzilla:Final Wars" is a great newer release including many of the classic foes in one film. After seeing all the old ones, check out "Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack" for a fresh take on who's good and bad. One of my favorites.

All of the older and newer Gamera DVDs are also easy to come by. The Rebirth of Mothra series (3 movies) are a little harder to find, but still worthwhile.

Thanks everyone for the knowledgable posts. I've taken down all the titles and will start the hunt(my wife is gonna be so happy ).
If any more gems come to you, just add em' on to the thread and i will check them out.

Many thanks

V

"Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People",
"Godzilla Vs Hedorah" (Godzilla vs The Smog Monster), & "Godzilla Vs Mothra" ...
Absolutely ~ these are 'must-see's.

Also: What's the one where Goji falls asleep sitting on a rock?
That's totally my favorite Godzilla scene ever,
but damned if I can remember which movie it's from right now ...

And yes, the early "Gamera" movies are def worth a look too.

However, I'm not such a big fan of henshin or the 'kaiju-wrestling' style myself.
My favorite TV series is prob "Captain Ultra" (which was very silly indeed)
... but I'd like to give a special mention here to the orig "Ultra-Q" TV show:

"Ultra-Q" was HUMANS vs. monsters, usu. with an underlying eco-message
which Eiji Tsubaraya called 'Unbalance'.
Some episodes are downright creepy: eg the ghost-girl on the railway track.
Some are funny:
M1go wreaking havoc on an express train, also the one with Kanegon.
Others are just simply AWESOME !
The ones with Kemu-seijin and Garamon spring to mind.

Tsubaraya-san also did the special effects for the early Godzilla movies,
including the first one, btw.

Cor, you guys really know your stuff

Sorry for being dumb, but am i right in thinking Ultraman and Godzilla share the same monsters?