I watched a little too much Godzilla this week.

In preparation for the new blockbuster, I plunged into everything I could find available on Netflix Instant. The streaming service offers a thorough assortment of "Godzilla" adventures dating back to the '50s and even includes a sequel of sorts to that disastrous 1998 American remake.

Here's how my journey through all the monster mayhem played out over the week:

"Godzilla: King of the Monsters" (1956)

The original classic... sort of. Released two years after the Japanese original, this English-dubbed version inserts Raymond Burr into the existing footage as an American journalist who is witness to the beast's Tokyo attack.

Most of the original film is intact, although this version shaves off some heavy post-World War II allusions and anti-American sentiment. Still, much of the film's grim tone is here, and it's impressive how they snuck Perry Mason into so much of the story. The real classic is the Japanese version, but for Netflix Instant offerings, this is the movie to watch for your best dose of how Godzilla should be.

"Godzilla Raids Again" (1955)

Sequel to the 1954 original Japanese "Godzilla," although this Netflix version is also dubbed in English. The film introduces the Monster vs. Monster Face-Off that would later dominate the franchise, with Godzilla battling a beastie that's a cross between an armadillo and a snapping turtle (or simply an Ankylosaurus to us dinosaur nuts). While not as grim as the original, the film steers away from overt cheesiness and maintains a relatively serious tone.

"Godzilla vs. Mothra" (1964)

And the goofiness truly begins... Also dubbed in English, this is the earliest color "Godzilla" available on Netflix Streaming. The giant moth is pretty silly, especially when its rapid wing flapping repeatedly knocks Godzilla to the ground. Another strange addition: Mothra's miniature human "followers" who interact with the regular size human cast.

"Ghidora: The Three-Headed Monster" (1964)

So many monsters! The title beast faces off against Godzilla, Mothra and the Pterodactyl-like Rodan. Those weird miniature people are back too, and the rubber suit battles are definitely more laughable than its predecessors.

"Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" (1965)

"Godzilla's Revenge" (1969)

"Terror of Mechagodzilla" (1975)

OK, so I intended to watch every Godzilla-related offering on Netflix, but I got pretty tuckered after sitting through the first four. These titles are also available for your viewing pleasure.

"Godzilla: The Complete Series" (1998)

Serving as a sequel to the 1998 American dud, here are 40 cartoon episodes (really) about a squad of monster hunters led by the scientist Matthew Broderick played in the live-action movie.

Godzilla (technically the spawn of the movie monster) joins in too - he's a bit like Scooby Doo helping the team solve mysteries... that is if Scooby Doo could tussle with giant squid and rip giant holes into skyscrapers.

I watched the first two episodes. It's a perfectly fine Saturday morning kids show, and far more watchable than, say, "Power Rangers."

"Monsters" (2010)

This effective low-budget thriller is the debut film of Gareth Edwards, director of the new "Godzilla" blockbuster. It follows two Americans trying to escape a quarantine zone in Mexico where alien beasts have run amok. The CGI beasts, created on Edwards' home computer, make brief but effective appearances, and the film is an intimate look at the human cost of such an invasion, serving as allegory to real-life war and border politics.

And that 1998 American "Godzilla"...

Though not currently available on Netflix Instant, I also watched this wretched attempt at a big budget reboot from "Independence Day" creators Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich. I watched it because I actually own this DVD.

Look, for the first 45 minutes, I enjoy how this movie fails so spectacularly. The more they show the monster (a dated CGI effect that looks nothing like the classic Godzilla design), the more the movie exhausts its cheesy-bad charm. Like every time I try to watch this movie, I wanted to turn it off before the baby Godzillas run amok inside Madison Square Garden.

If I had any sense, I'd throw the DVD in the garbage before I get the strange urge to watch it again.

Tyler Wilson can be reached at [email protected].