I love Kaiju Films. I like seeing giant monsters from Japan played by people in rubber suites attack cardboard cities with bad English dubbing, they may sound bad but they are was a big part of my childhood. So, with Godzilla coming back into theaters, I decided to list my Top 13 Favorite Giant Monsters from Movies.
13. Grabber – Grabbers
I don’t want to spoil too much because I plan on reviewing the movie after my Month of Spaghetti is over, so I’ll briefly describe them. They are large squid like Creatures who basically want to eat people. Pretty basic stuff for a Monster, but what I liked about these monsters is their very Unique Weakness. The look a bit like the Kraken from Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest except they come in different sizes. These little monsters definitely a unique beast.
12. The Trolls – Trollhunter
Another very interesting creature from a Mockumentary style of films. They aren’t very different from most other versions of Trolls except that they have large amounts of Hair and get oddly very angry at Christians…(Not Really Sure Why.) There appearance makes them look a bit like a very hairy Troll doll. Never the less, he is still a very different monster.
11. The Stay Puffed Marshmallow Man – Ghostbusters
Definitely the most innocent looking out of the whole bunch on this list. There’s not much to say about him. He’s Big, He’s made of Marshmallow, and he look a bit like the Michelin Mascot. Plus he’s probably one of the more iconic parts of the movie and is still one of the more memorable monsters in film.
10. The Rhedosaurus – The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms
I can’t have a Movie Monster list with having some Ray Harryhausen on here. The Rhedosaurus must have been quite an impact when The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms first came out. With this film being one of the first Creature Features ever, the Beast was quite a spectacle for audiences to see and he left quite an impression throughout the course of the film. His reputation, along with the film, helped spawn films like Them! Gorgo, and even Godzilla. It definitely was a great menace to North America in the film and even 60 years later, he still looks great in Black & White.
9. Clover – Cloverfield
Ok, I know that Found Footage is a bit of a very hated genre, but I do have to admit that I liked Cloverfield and I have to add this one in here. The movie took the Jaws approach and decides to not show him very much until the 3rd Act and when he’s revealed he did seem a bit creepy with his Dead Black Eyes and Fish-esque Head. He isn’t a victim of Radiation though, He’s a baby alien which landed off the coast of Manhattan and decided to go on a rampage. (Imagine Honey, I Blew Up the Kid except with an Alien.) Plus if you don’t think he’s intimidating, he also carries little Spider-Crab like Monsters upon his body. He may not leave much of an impact, but he still gets the Basics done.
8. Daimajin – Daimajin Trilogy
This one was relatively new to me since I only found out about him a month ago. He is a Giant Statue like Monster, which is similar to Talos, who was trapped within a Mountain and he goes on a rampage. He is a pretty basic monster who us actually an ancient spirit who resembles a Shogun. Basically, don’t make him mad and he will not attack you.
7. Cyclops – 7th Voyage of Sinbad
The Classic Cyclops has been interepted by many different filmmakers and illustrations throughout time, but my personal favorite will always be the Harryhausen version. The Cyclops seemed to be very intimidating and was quite the match against Sinbad and his men. It was always a joy for me to see the Cyclops make his way on screen, especially knowing it took almost a year for him to make the animation for this film, and it always holds up as a great adaptation of a Classic Greek Beast.
6. Mothra – Mothra
The 1950’s were certianly all about Giant Bugs and Mothra was the result of when Japan caught on the bug craze. Mothra flew into the Kaiju genre and was quickly put up against Godzilla. Although it’s basically a gigantic bug, it does have plenty of special attacks and abilities lick shooting Posion, Hurricane-like winds, and can use Magic. (Apparently) Plus, I think the big blue eyes make him look a bit creepy. Basically, Mothra is a very interesting Idea and still a memorable monster in the Godzilla films.
5. Xenomorph Queen – Alien Franchise
The Xenomorphs are a rather dangerous spieces of Extraterrestial life, but they all fall short to their Queen. Standing in at about 15ft, the Queen is indeed just a larger version of the normal Xenomorph, but is more lethal due to her massive size and also has an extra set of arms, plus throw in their acid blood and you have a very deadly alien.
4. Gamera – Gamera Series
Japan continued the trend of Giant Reptiles except this time they went with a Turtle and named him Gamera. This giant Turtle came out of the Ice to do what all Giant Monsters always do, Terrorize a city. Gamera was constantly attacked with rockets and bullets, but they hit him like they were fired from a Nerf gun. Throw that in with his Fire Breath and the fact he can fly, He was almost unstoppable. Much like Godzilla, he had multiple monsters thrown at him and he still couldn’t be taken down.
3. The Kraken – Clash of the Titans (1981)
This is the final Harryhausen pick on my list I Promise. The Kraken was one of my first exposures to the work of Ray Harryhausen and it left a big impact on me. It rarely made an appearance until the ending of the film and his scene in the movie is probably one of the best parts of the film. Plus at his height, he could have easly defeated Perseus If he didn’t have a Pegasus, Medusa’s head, and Bubo. Even though he was defeated easily, he still was a great Monster.
2. King Kong – King Kong films
The Original Movie Monster. Kong is not only one of the first movie monsters, but he’s also one of the best. The Giant Ape that roms the grounds of Skull Island who was Taken to New York is very dangerous, but he also has a soft side to him, escpecially with Ann Darrow. He can fight off Dinosaurs, Climb the Empire State Building with ease, and take on Godzilla. Whether being animated by Willis O’ Brien, or being Motion Captured by Weta Workshop, He truely deserves the title The Eighth Wonder of The World.
And my number #1……it’s pretty obvious who it is….
Godzilla
Like I said, It’s pretty obvious. I don’t think I even need to tell you about him. Everyone knows who Godzilla is, He’s the King of the Monsters. He can take on anybody: Mothra, Ghidorah, Hedorah, King Kong, He even had to deal with Rolan Emmerich. He’s existed for 60 years and has attacked and Saved Japan and Many Many occasions and will always be there when people need him or when he just wants to go out on a rampage.
