Ten Best Monster Movies
Quick list of easy-to-recommend movies featuring giant monsters. For when you're in the mood for monster mayhem rather than Citizen Kane.
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- DirectorsMerian C. CooperErnest B. SchoedsackStarsFay WrayRobert ArmstrongBruce CabotA film crew goes to a tropical island for a location shoot, where they capture a colossal ape who takes a shine to their blonde starlet, and bring him back to New York City.Still among the greatest, this one may surprise new viewers with the serious and brutal nature of Kong and the island creatures in general. Great film in any context.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsKenji SaharaYumi ShirakawaAkihiko HirataA mining engineer investigates the deaths of his colleagues, discovering prehistoric nymphs and a creature capable of flying - and wreaking havoc - at supersonic speeds.Arguably a better overall movie than its contemporary and more famous Japanese kaiju flick, Godzilla. Like that film and the original King Kong, Rodan is more serious-minded than many later incarnations of the monster.
- DirectorsIshirô HondaTerry O. MorseStarsRaymond BurrTakashi ShimuraMomoko KôchiAn American reporter visiting Tokyo becomes a witness to the city's destruction by a dinosaur-like beast awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing.As clear an inclusion as King Kong. Both the original Japanese version and the Raymond Burr Americanized version are worth seeing. Godzilla was deadly serious nuclear metaphor here.
- DirectorShûsuke KanekoStarsTsuyoshi IharaAkira OnoderaShinobu NakayamaAn ornithologist investigates reports of a monstrous new species of bird just as a teenage girl is gifted an amulet found on mysterious atoll. As the creatures begin to attack, an ancient guardian with a bond to the girl emerges.I have rarely been as pleasantly surprised with a movie as I was with this first of the three Gamera 1990's reboots (each being great). This film did almost everything right when Godzillas of the same time period were stumbling along.
- DirectorGuillermo del ToroStarsIdris ElbaCharlie HunnamRinko KikuchiAs a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot and a trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.Pure comic/manga/giant robot movie, minimal sophistication and just high production-value fun. Featuring a likable, somewhat well-known cast (Elba, Hunnam, Day) that undoubtedly understood this wasn't intended to be Oscar bait.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsJames WhitmoreEdmund GwennJoan WeldonThe earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization.While not quite as giant as Godzilla, these are tuly menacing creatures relative to thie natural state. Still an impressive film to this day, with the effects being an unusual mix of cheesy yet maintaining a menacing vibe.
- DirectorRon UnderwoodStarsKevin BaconFred WardFinn CarterNatives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.Both one of the smarter and clearly funnier movies on this list, the first in the long running Tremors series is clearly the best. A strong budget, a solid all-around cast clearly enjoying filming, tense action scenes and intriguing monsters.
- DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsAaron Taylor-JohnsonElizabeth OlsenBryan CranstonThe world is beset by the appearance of monstrous creatures, but one of them may be the only one who can save humanity.The successful yet somewhat under-rated 2014 "Hollywood" Godzilla, this did almost everything right for a serious-minded anti-hero version of Godzilla. This film also remains one of the most arresting audio experiences I've had in theater, right up there with feeling like you were actually being crashed around in the car chase in Bourne Supremacy.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsRuss TamblynKumi MizunoKenji SaharaA giant, cannibalistic humanoid's rampage through Tokyo is halted by his more docile twin, but neither their reunion nor their scientist caretakers can prevent their eventual duel.This film somehow made what are ostensibly just guys in furry suits literally running and jumping around into more believable monsters than the average kaiju movie. The direction, action scenes, and overall scene composition all comes together well here.
- DirectorKimiyoshi YasudaStarsMiwa TakadaYoshihiko AoyamaJun FujimakiA giant stone statue comes to life to protect the residents of a small town against the depradations of an evil warlord.While the main monster only shows up in the last 20 minutes there is a mature story to be enjoyed beforehand, lots of samurai swordplay, evil warlords and the like. Daimajin itself arises from a statue of worship at the behest of some of the suffering villagers but interestingly it isn't just the antagonists who might end up on the wrong side of the giant statue's foot.
