Or at least what we could fit into a seven-minute video recap.

With nearly seven decades of films, cartoons, toys, comic books – the King of the Monsters has a heck of a long backstory – in fact, Godzilla is the longest-running film franchise in history.

So, to properly prep you for the release of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, the newest joint in Legendary’s MonsterVerse, here’s our latest video essay on the life (lives) of the lizard king, Godzilla.

Edited by Laird Jimenez. Written by Matt Jeanes and John Smith.