Japanese Kaiju films are many in number and quite diverse in their naming. Entire
volumes are dedicated to cataloging the various eras spanning their entire
chronology. Yet among all the crazy monster throw downs there are a number of
films that introduced critical elements which we then took for granted. While I can’t
claim to be an absolute expert on all Kaiju films, I do have a road map clearly
marking the major intersections key to their development (true story- I found it on
the back of a menu at The Dragon House in Wildwood, NJ). Obviously these are
the five staggeringly important films as glimpsed through the reflection of my Kaiju
experiences as a kid, having grown up in the 80’s watching all of these classics on
my knob equipped television. Your mileage may vary based on age and exposure.