Ever since the conception of film back in the early 1900s, movies and stories surrounding gigantic monsters and weird creatures were some of the first films to be introduced, and have managed to fascinate audiences for decades. With each passing director or story, the monsters get bigger and weirder; from Godzilla to King Kong, to giant ants, the giant monster genre strives to outdo itself with every outing.
Some are more tame and grounded, likeJurassic Park. Others are just created to show impressive Kaiju fights, akin toGodzilla: King of the Monsters. Some are more story and character-driven, with the beast in the background, likeColossal. The giant monster genre of cinema allows imaginations to run wild, allowing audiences to see or hear things they never would have thought of in their regular lives. The films also allow for some CGI creations of truly epic proportions. Alas, some monster movies crash and burn, while others soar and succeed.
Updated on September 4th, 2023 by Danilo Raúl:This article has been updated with additional content to keep the discussion fresh and relevant with even more information and new entries.
10Shin Godzilla (2016)
Directed by Hideaki Anno,Shin Godzillais a remake of the original film of 1955, this time around placing the setup that led to the creation of Godzilla against the background of the Fukushima Nuclear meltdown of 2011. The fast-paced story follows multiple POVs as the monster makes his way for most of Tokio while evolving and adapting to each new measure of containment taken against him.
This incredible film highlights the politics and bureaucracy handled by the leadersagainst a crisis they don’t understand and can’t hope to contain. Only the quick thinking of salary men and government employees brings practical solutions, as conventional weapons can’t make a dent in the monster.
9Pacific Rim (2013)
Master of visuals Guillermo del Toro gave us his take on the world of Kaijus back in 2013. This incredible movie is jam-packed with action shots from start to finish, as the world is under siege by monsters accessing our reality from a dimensional rift.It’s up to a coalition of pilots from every corner of the worldto gather and face the resurging menace after the protection wall proves ineffective.
Pacific Rimis a love letter to the Kaiju and Mecha genre, with powerful robots piloted by humans facing the persisting menace of bigger and stronger Kaijus who begin to breach the barrier as their time to take over our world nears close. We get spectacular one-on-one combats and some of the best visuals achieved using giant characters.
8Gamera: Attack of the Legion (1996)
Just as Godzilla has multiple films in Japan, so does Gamera. The reliable flying turtle has a prominent role as protector of the Earth, unlike Godzilla, who is usually portrayed as an antagonist or a reluctant antihero. In the second film of the Hesei era, It’s been a year after the fight between Gamera and Gyaos when insectoid creatures from outer space suddenly invade Japan.
The new lifeform is dubbed Legion by the authorities, as they act in unison, looking to colonize the planet and terraform it to make it their new home. They succeed in destroying the city of Sendaibefore Gamera manages to stop them. The film is widely recognized for improving many of the VFX related to Gamera and pitting the beloved monster against an enemy unlike anything he’s ever faced.
7Shin Ultraman (2022)
Directed by Shinji Higuchi but based on a script by Hideaki Anno,Shin Ultramanrevamps the beloved hero for a new generation of fans. The film takes the essential element of the original premise of the classic show and places the events in the current world. It begins when a traveling alien transporting prisoners gets derailed in his trip, landing on Earth and releasing them into the wild.
The prisoners are revealed to be Kaijus, and Japans form a team of first responders known as S-Class Species Suppression Protocol (SSSP). During an evacuation procedure, SSSP member Shinji Kaminaga is injured while trying to save a lost child, and his body is overtaken by Ultraman, who switches places with him after activating a teleportation device. Kaminagan must help his later ego stop Zarab, as the escaped alien tries to derail the Earth by forming a conspiracy.
6War of the Worlds (2005)
Getting Steven Spielberg’s take onWar of the Worldwas the cinematic event of 2005. This terror-filled story begins with an estranged family struggling to be together until a series of EMPs hit humanity out of nowhere, indicating the start of an alien invasion. The giant, tentacle-filled monsters are harvesting humans to consume their life essence, and there’s very little the governments of the world can do to stop them.
It’s a great film, with striking visuals and superb acting by Tom Cruise as Ray Ferrier, a man struggling against all odds to protect his family while facing deranged people and uncooperative authority figures. Ray’s biggest challenge is his children, with his eldest son proving difficult to work with as the aliens indulge themselves with human essence until they succumb to the most unexpected enemy they could hope to face.
Related:5 Elements for a Legendary Monster Movie
5The Mist (2007)
One of many films across Hollywood based on a Stephen King story,The Mistis based on one of King’s longest, darkest, andarguably scarieststories.The Mistsurrounds a small town that gets enveloped in a mysterious mist, and in that mist lies all sorts of giant monsters and creatures terrorizing the town. What makesThe Mistexcel is not the monsters themselves (though they are truly terrifying to gaze upon), but rather the suspense and tension created by the citizens not being able to see those creatures, and trying to defend themselves from them.
Like driving a car in a thick fog down a tight mountain road, going slow, looking everywhere, and just being generally cautious, people do their best to avoid accidents of all sorts; but they can’t avoid accidents if what they’re looking out for are giant, killer monsters.The Mistis also known to have one of the most depressing film endings ever, but is more remembered for its suspense, tension, and giant many-legged monsters.
4Cloverfield (2008)
Akin to the movie listed above,Cloverfieldis another horror masterclass, taking the found footage style ofThe Blair Witch Projectand injecting it with one of the best modern monster movies. Showing a normal group of people celebrating and living a regular life,Cloverfieldflips their world upside down as a giant monster begins attacking New York City.
The group then has to go through ravaged NYC, while the monster is still attacking. With very good CGI, built-up horror, and more;Cloverfieldhas sustained itself into the present, spawning two sequels with a potential third on the way.
3Jurassic Park (1993)
Based on real-life monsters (Dinosaurs), and based on the novel by the ever-great Micheal Crichton,Jurassic Parkdebuted in 1993 and immediately paved its place into popular culture. With some of the best CGI of all time (involving the terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rex), fascinating characters, a classic musical score, and more;Jurassic Parkbecame an instant classic, beloved by fans and critics alike.
And it is just one of fifty-one films (of all-time) to make more than one billion dollars at the box office. A family adventure with suspense, terror, and fantastic (but scary) dinosaurs,Jurassic Parkis a modern masterpiece, one that spawned two sequels, along with a spinoff franchise ofthree films (Jurassic World).
2King Kong (1933)
One of two classics thatmade modern giant monster movies what they are today, and the oldest film on this list, is 1933’sKing Kong. The story follows a young videographer trying to film his next wildlife flick, and it leads him to the infamous Skull Island, home to all sorts of giant monsters and such. The biggest, fiercest monster on all of Skull Island is King Kong, a giant gorilla.
Created through stop-motion animation and fancy camera angles, the creators brought the lovable ape to life, along with its live-action counterparts. Trouble only ensues when they bring Kong back to NYC, leading to some of the most iconic scenes in all film. It has also been ranked in the top 100 films of all time across multiple aggregator sites.
1Godzilla (1954)
Aptly named “King of the Monsters”,Godzillapremiered in Japanese theaters back in 1954, and theimpact has been immense since. After destroying two naval ships, Godzilla comes to mainland Japan, and the citizens have to do their best to stop him. The film is best known (outside the creation of the horrifying Godzilla creature) for pioneering a new type of special effects technique known as Suitmation, where an actor dresses up as the monster to film the scenes of destruction.
Mixing that with some tiny town sets, the creators of the film were able to put together some of the most believable scenes of destruction for its time. When first seeing the film, theater-goers ran out in fear once they saw Godzilla approaching the same theater in the film to destroy it. The legend and fear have only grown since then,with a vast amount of sequels,reboots, and spin-offs in the seventy years since its debut.Godzillais truly one of the greats.
