It makes indisputable sense that a coffee-table book honouring one of the greatest on-screen characters would be as huge, and heavy, as Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski’s Godzilla: The First 70 Years is. Toho and Abrams Books’ 430-page behemoth celebrates Gojira (his actual name) from 1954 to the present day, and takes us through his evolutionary changes, both cinematic and thematically, with its very distinct and uniquely Toho-backed output.

Over the years, Japan’s King of the Monsters has been leant out to western audiences, but that’s not included here and in the context of the collection, it doesn’t need to be but what this book does revel in is the epic nature of the creation, the legacy and extensive insight from the experts involved, as well as a tribute to those who have left this mortal coil but have left an indelible mark on the story of the iconic kaiju.

Godzilla was creating eras before they were mainstream, and Godzilla: The First 70 Years breaks down each of those with a dive into the deep sea of the artists and actors involved, taking us on a remarkable journey with filmmakers, ever-changing special effects teams, stuntmen, the evolution of the kaiju himself and, of course, those magical people who brought Godzilla to life from inside the on-set-suits.

The book opens with forewords from John Carpenter, a legend himself as the director of Halloween, The Thing, and many more, and his original discovery of the great Gojira and the impact it had on him with its terror and darkness, despite the excitement of the destruction he witnessed in the American version of Godzilla, King of the Monsters in 1956. He points out the value and breadth of this book as well as Godzilla’s ‘unparalleled influence’ on us all – film and beyond – as it truly is a magnificent collection all of its own. There’s also an important foreword from Megumi Odaka, who played Miki Saegusa across six films from 1989 to 1995, and her place in the longest-running franchise out there, as well as a lovely note to Kenpachiro Satsuma, who literally played Godzilla in all seven of the Heisei series. You should also check out the afterword from Shogo Tomiyama, a former Toho producer who certainly knows the source material, having overseen the series since 1989.

The book is broken down into Beast of Burden, which covers 1954 to 1975, followed by Resurrections: 1984 to 1995; New Beginnings: 1999 to 2004; the anime from 2017 and 2021 and Mutations, which takes in 2016 to 2024 – and includes the excellent modern pair of Shin Godzilla (reviewed here) and the mighty Godzilla Minus One (review), both hugely watchable, and the latter particularly successful in a global sense, finally returning a long and overdue Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, which may seem like a mix of ironic and bittersweet, given its pure legacy of invention, but a worthy win and about time to.

Through all these sections, you get an in-depth study of the films, their stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and everything you could need to get the full story, from those who know it so well. Godzilla: The First 70 Years also invites us inside the artistry, the historic and sociopolitical connections, production designs, casts, and crews. From the Showa to the Millennium to the Heisei series, from its early dismissals as children’s entertainment to the eventual realisation of its metaphor for the dangers within the atomic age, I simply scratch the surface of its intentions and realities, but there’s little misunderstanding when it comes to Godzilla’s longevity. Both a beast to be feared, and a hero to champion, he’s taken on every level of fellow ‘monster’ and yet excels in both stature and pop culture influence to this very day.

An exceptional book, with riches for any fan new or old. Backed and approved by Toho, this isn’t called ‘the first’ with disrespect; this is a legacy that’ll keep stomping on with all the strength and versatility of its very first moments and no doubt beyond the next 70 years as well.

Godzilla: The First 70 Years is out now from Abrams Books: https://amzn.to/4oFq2am