How scary is Godzilla?

On our intensity scale, Godzilla rates 4/10 for jump scares and 8/10 for dread. It is on the gentler side — it favors mood and atmosphere over hard scares.

How gory is Godzilla?

Godzilla rates 2/10 for gore — expect almost no gore.

How long is Godzilla?

Godzilla runs 96 minutes (1h 36m).

What is Godzilla rated?

Godzilla has no MPAA certificate — common for films released outside the US. On our scale it rates 4/10 for jump scares, 2/10 for gore and 8/10 for dread.

Where to watch Godzilla (1954)?

Godzilla is back in cinemas from Oct 31 — 2 screenings at 1 cinema on our showtimes page. It is not on a major US subscription streamer yet.

Godzilla

Name: Godzilla
Director: Ishirō Honda
Genre: Kaiju, Creature, Atmospheric, Slow-Burn
Released: 1954
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 7.6
Cast: Takashi Shimura, Akihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi, Fuyuki Murakami

1954 · Directed by Ishirō Honda · 96 min

KaijuCreatureAtmosphericSlow-Burn

8.4/10

IMDb7.646k votes Tomatometer94% Popcornmeter89% 豆瓣 Douban7.79k votes Metacritic79metascore

jumps 4

gore 2

dread 8

Tap a dot to add your rating.

Back in cinemas Oct 31 — 1 cinema in New York · 2 screenings at 1 cinema on our showtimes page

Where to watch: Not on major US streamers — check digital rental.

How it scared people

The vibe

Nine years after Hiroshima and months after a Japanese fishing crew was irradiated by an American H-bomb test, Honda made a monster movie that grieves. The suit is rubber and the miniatures show, but the hospital wards afterward — and Ifukube's grinding march of a theme — are why this outlives the decades of sequels it started.

Godzilla (1954) Parents Guide

MPA rating	No MPAA certificate (released outside the US system)
Runtime	96 minutes
Jump scares	2/5 — on the gentler side — it favors mood and atmosphere over hard scares
Gore	1/5 — almost no gore
Dread	4/5 — heavy atmosphere — expect it to sit with you afterwards
Themes	monster attacks

Godzilla carries no MPAA certificate. We score it 2/5 for jump scares, 1/5 for gore and 4/5 for lingering dread, over 96 minutes. Very little blood — the hard part here is atmosphere and aftermath, not graphic content. Older teens and adults — less for what it shows than for how long it stays with you.

We rate what the film does — scares, gore, dread — not scene-level content like language or nudity, which we don't track.

Before you press play

How scary is Godzilla?: On our intensity scale, Godzilla rates 4/10 for jump scares and 8/10 for dread. It is on the gentler side — it favors mood and atmosphere over hard scares.
How gory is Godzilla?: Godzilla rates 2/10 for gore — expect almost no gore.
How long is Godzilla?: Godzilla runs 96 minutes (1h 36m).
What is Godzilla rated?: Godzilla has no MPAA certificate — common for films released outside the US. On our scale it rates 4/10 for jump scares, 2/10 for gore and 8/10 for dread.
Where to watch Godzilla (1954)?: Godzilla is back in cinemas from Oct 31 — 2 screenings at 1 cinema on our showtimes page. It is not on a major US subscription streamer yet.