Top 20 Greatest Giant Monster Films of All Time!
The best of the biggest giant creature features, from Japanese Kaiju Eiga, to classic American epics.
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- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsTakashi ShimuraAkihiko HirataAkira TakaradaAfter a dinosaur-like beast - awoken from undersea hibernation by atom bomb testing - ravages Tokyo, a scientist must decide if his similarly dangerous weapon should be used to destroy it.Ishiro Honda, Eiji Tsuburaya and Akira Ifukube collaborate for the first time in what is, perhaps, the most striking and effective monster epic of all time. Darker and much more somber in tone than Toho's later into the series, it is also far more effective and thought provoking.
- DirectorMerian 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.The original, of course, is the best. Willis H. O'Brien's effects have not aged badly at all, considering how much the technology has changed. This film actually had people fainting in the theaters in its original release.
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsMike VogelJessica LucasLizzy CaplanA group of friends venture deep into the streets of New York on a rescue mission during a rampaging monster attack.J.J. Abrams brings to the screen a truly jarring and suspenseful monster epic. The beauty of this film is the fact that we see it unfold from a very human perspective, and that the effects don't look like effects!
- DirectorHarry O. HoytStarsWallace BeeryBessie LoveLloyd HughesThe first film adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel about a land where prehistoric creatures still roam.One of the earliest attempts at bringing to the screen a truly epic battle of the giants, based on the original novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Willis H. O'Brien, who went on to design the effects work on King Kong (1933), produced some truly excellent work here.
- DirectorEugène LouriéStarsPaul HubschmidPaula RaymondCecil KellawayA ferocious dinosaur awakened by an Arctic atomic test terrorizes the North Atlantic and, ultimately, New York City.One of the primary inspirations for Gojira, this film stands up as one of the most enduring sci-fi monster epics of all time.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsJames WhitmoreEdmund GwennJoan WeldonThe earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization.An unusually effective film, and one of the first in the radioactive mutant monster sub genre.
- DirectorTakao OkawaraIshirô HondaKoji HashimotoStarsTakurô TatsumiYôko IshinoYasufumi HayashiThe aftermath of the Oxygen Destroyer brings forth Destoroyah, a beast intent on killing Godzilla, who is on the verge of a nuclear meltdown.Strangely powerful and emotional film, Godzilla's final battle harkens back to the aftermath of the original film. This one actually made me cry, twice!
- 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.In this relaunch of the popular Gamera franchise, both the effects and story development have improved 100 fold over the previous run.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsKenji SaharaYumi ShirakawaAkihiko HirataA mining engineer investigates the deaths of his colleagues, discovering prehistoric nymphs and a creature capable of flying - and wrecking havoc - at supersonic speeds.Toho's first color Kaiju Eiga is also one of its best. Do yourself a favor, though, and watch the unedited Japanese version, unless you're a fan of pointless and excessive narration.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsFurankî SakaiHiroshi KoizumiKyôko KagawaAn expedition to Infant Island uncovers a native tribe and twin tiny fairy priestesses of a mythical deity, who sets out to rescue the pair after they are kidnapped by a greedy businessman.The great winged goddess's first film, featuring some of the most exceptional effects in the genre.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsAkira TakaradaYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiWhen opportunistic tycoons refuse to return Mothra's egg to Infant Island, its people must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help when Godzilla arises near Nagoya.The best series entry in the 60's era, the film has both excellent special effects and a truly strong plot that actually pulls you into the film, so you're not counting the minutes until the next effects sequence.
- DirectorIshirô HondaMotoyoshi OdaStarsKôzô NomuraAyumi SonodaKoreya SendaOriginal Japanese version. Research in the Tohoku region comes across a monster known to the locals as the mountain god Baradagi.The original Japanese cut of this film is by far superior to the hack and slash job done on the American release. Though a bit slow in spots, it highlights the craftsmanship prevalent in the early Toho special effects team.
- DirectorIrvin S. Yeaworth Jr.Russell S. Doughten Jr.StarsSteve McQueenAneta CorsautEarl RoweAn alien lifeform consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows.A truly unique monster, as it really is what it says on the tin: A blob of organic material that ingests its victims completely.
- DirectorPeter JacksonStarsNaomi WattsJack BlackAdrien BrodyA greedy film producer assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.The best remake of the original, presenting a true adaptation of the original as well. Unlike the 1976 remake, the only updating is where the special effects are concerned.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsSam NeillLaura DernJeff GoldblumA pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.A truly intense film experience, Spielberg's first dinosaur epic is also the best. The beauty of this film is that both the effects and the acting are on an equal par.
- DirectorRyûhei KitamuraKoji HashimotoShûsuke KanekoStarsMasahiro MatsuokaRei KikukawaDon FryeGodzilla's fiftieth Anniversary project, in which Godzilla travels around the world to fight his old foes and his allies plus a new, mysterious monster named Monster X.The most action packed entry in the series, and a great example of how a massive monster melee should be presented.
- DirectorRyuta TasakiStarsRyô TomiokaKahoShingo IshikawaGamera dies in 1973 during a fight with the Gyaos. Thirty-three years later, a boy finds a mysterious egg from which a new Gamera hatches. When a man-eating creature named Zedus shows up, it's up to the small Gamera to save the world.Although a fairly odd entry into the Gamera franchise, it is also one of the most visually striking, and emotionally effective films in the genre as a whole.
- DirectorErnest B. SchoedsackStarsTerry MooreBen JohnsonRobert ArmstrongA young woman who has raised a giant gorilla from an infant brings him to Hollywood years later seeking her fortune.Ray Harryhausen's Kong-like epic, which views the monster in a much more sympathetic light than most films. A definite must-see for fans of the genre.
- DirectorMasaaki TezukaKazuki ÔmoriStarsYumiko ShakuShin TakumaKana OnoderaA new Godzilla causes the JSDF to construct a cyborg countermeasure from the original monster's remains. The beast's restless soul is discovered to inhabit the machine as the pilot must learn to find value in her own life.Fantastic action and adventure yarn about Japan's efforts to eradicate the irradiated leviathan once and for all.
- DirectorKoji HashimotoR.J. KizerIshirô HondaStarsRaymond BurrKeiju KobayashiKen TanakaThirty years after the original monster's rampage, a new Godzilla emerges and attacks Japan.The rebirth of the Godzilla franchise, and one of the few times where the American edit is almost as good (if a bit laughable in spots) as the Japanese version.