There's a new film called Rampage out this weekend. This movie features four massive animals tearing up a city, a giant ape, a giant flying wolf, a giant crocodile, and The Rock's giant biceps. In honour of the large monsters featured in this film, I thought it would be fun to count down my favourite giant movie monsters. The way I decided if a monster was "giant" is very scientific, I looked at a picture of it and said "yup that's pretty big." I'm going to start with two honourable mentions as well as some notable omissions that I just haven't seen yet. Please note this is a list of giant monsters, no giant robots will be included.
Haven't Seen:
TrollHunter
Tremors
The Host
Honourable Mentions:
Kaiju's (Pacific Rim): These giant monsters serve one purpose, tearing up large cities. They aren't special enough as they are wildly similar to other monsters, but they're cool enough to earn a mention.
Kraken (Pirates of the Caribbean): Another iteration will be mentioned later in the list, but I think this one deserves mentioning. It could have made it higher on the list if I didn't hate the movie it's featured in, and if it did more than just eat one guy, but still a mighty fine monster.
#10 - Giant Monster (Colossal)
I wanted to include this film because it is criminally underrated and uses its giant monsters in a very original way. The monster design is really cool and brings to life a very fun and quirky dark comedy. This is also the only big monster we get to see dancing around so it gets extra credit for that.
#9 - Kraken (Clash of the Titans)
Like I said, the Kraken has an appearance in the top 10. Now I'm well aware that the new version of Clash of the Titans is not very good, but I still have a lot of fun with it. And while filled with not the greatest CGI, the scene with the Kraken is pretty awesome. It is huge and menacing as all hell, and if it was done better it could easily be higher on the list. Here's hoping we get a better iteration down the line.
#8 - Bruce (Jaws)
It's probably the smallest on this list, but great white sharks are still damn big. This is no doubt one of the most iconic movie monsters so although it isn't necessarily massive, it deserves a spot. Bruce is quick, terrifying, and large enough to make you want a bigger boat. This film also led to the yearly cheesy shark movies we get and although they usually suck there is still something fun about them.
#7 - Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (Ghostbusters)
There was zero chance I wasn't putting this on here. Say what you will about Ghostbusters, it's one of my favourite movies of the 80s and the giant marshmallow man is a big part of it. This is the only entry on this list that gets credit for being so absurd, but he is absolutely hilarious to see on screen and the fact that something looking like him can do as much damage as he does is quite impressive.
#6 - Rancor (Return of the Jedi)
The Star Wars franchise has tons of big creatures, but I'd say that the Rancor takes the top prize. It is a giant and intimidating creature that puts fear in the eyes of all that see it. The fact that it scared Luke Skywalker of all people is quite impressive. My only gripe is that I wish we got to see more of it.
#5 - Xenomorph Queen (Aliens)
I'll be honest I find the Xenomorph from the first film a lot scarier, as the queen is used in a more action centered way than the original. If I was discussing the original it would be higher on this list, but I just don't find it big enough meanwhile the queen is massive. She is huge and menacing, leaving the most badass person on the planet Sigourney Weaver as the only person that can defeat it. Not as scary as the smaller Xenomorph crawling around but still a very intimidating foe.
#4 - Clover (Cloverfield)
I am one of the many lucky people that don't get sick watching this film. While we see more of the destruction Clover causes than the beast itself, its presence is felt all throughout this film. It is enormous and near impossible to kill. It boasts similarities to other monsters but has a unique look that separates it from the others. Here's hoping we get to see more from this monster in the future.
#3 - Godzilla
Obviously the king of monsters had to be on here. I'll admit I haven't seen near as many Godzilla movies as I'd like but every time I see him on screen I know I'm in for a good time. This is one of the all time greats, tearing cities apart for decades, and I doubt people will stop making movies about him any time soon. The only reason he isn't higher is because he is typically just destroying cities, and hasn't always looked great on screen, whereas my top two picks have more to them and are always impressive.
#2 - T-Rex (Jurassic Park)
I had this placed at number one for a while, but after thinking about it I just can't quite put it in the top spot. Don't get me wrong though, the T-Rex is incredible. Despite being a giant animal we see her act somewhat like an anti-hero at times in the franchise, whether it's trying to take out raptors or squaring off against the Indominus Rex. This is also one of the most impressive technological feats in cinema history, combining animatronics with CGI to create what looks to be a real dinosaur. Jurassic Park is my all-time favourite movie and the design of the dinosaurs is a big reason why, so of course the T-Rex had to make this list.
#1 - King Kong
There was just no way I could put anything else on top. Godzilla may be named the king of monsters but Kong is the original big guy. Whether you're talking about the 1933 original, Peter Jackson's iteration, the recent Kong: Skull Island, or any in between, this monster remains endlessly iconic. It is the only monster on this list that truly seems to have a personality, and for many the one we root for most. This is a truly incredible creature and has been for over 85 years. The world will likely never get tired of seeing Kong on the big screen and there is good reason for that.
Haven't Seen:
TrollHunter
Tremors
The Host
Honourable Mentions:
Kaiju's (Pacific Rim): These giant monsters serve one purpose, tearing up large cities. They aren't special enough as they are wildly similar to other monsters, but they're cool enough to earn a mention.
Kraken (Pirates of the Caribbean): Another iteration will be mentioned later in the list, but I think this one deserves mentioning. It could have made it higher on the list if I didn't hate the movie it's featured in, and if it did more than just eat one guy, but still a mighty fine monster.
#10 - Giant Monster (Colossal)
I wanted to include this film because it is criminally underrated and uses its giant monsters in a very original way. The monster design is really cool and brings to life a very fun and quirky dark comedy. This is also the only big monster we get to see dancing around so it gets extra credit for that.
#9 - Kraken (Clash of the Titans)
Like I said, the Kraken has an appearance in the top 10. Now I'm well aware that the new version of Clash of the Titans is not very good, but I still have a lot of fun with it. And while filled with not the greatest CGI, the scene with the Kraken is pretty awesome. It is huge and menacing as all hell, and if it was done better it could easily be higher on the list. Here's hoping we get a better iteration down the line.
#8 - Bruce (Jaws)
It's probably the smallest on this list, but great white sharks are still damn big. This is no doubt one of the most iconic movie monsters so although it isn't necessarily massive, it deserves a spot. Bruce is quick, terrifying, and large enough to make you want a bigger boat. This film also led to the yearly cheesy shark movies we get and although they usually suck there is still something fun about them.
#7 - Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (Ghostbusters)
There was zero chance I wasn't putting this on here. Say what you will about Ghostbusters, it's one of my favourite movies of the 80s and the giant marshmallow man is a big part of it. This is the only entry on this list that gets credit for being so absurd, but he is absolutely hilarious to see on screen and the fact that something looking like him can do as much damage as he does is quite impressive.
#6 - Rancor (Return of the Jedi)
The Star Wars franchise has tons of big creatures, but I'd say that the Rancor takes the top prize. It is a giant and intimidating creature that puts fear in the eyes of all that see it. The fact that it scared Luke Skywalker of all people is quite impressive. My only gripe is that I wish we got to see more of it.
#5 - Xenomorph Queen (Aliens)
I'll be honest I find the Xenomorph from the first film a lot scarier, as the queen is used in a more action centered way than the original. If I was discussing the original it would be higher on this list, but I just don't find it big enough meanwhile the queen is massive. She is huge and menacing, leaving the most badass person on the planet Sigourney Weaver as the only person that can defeat it. Not as scary as the smaller Xenomorph crawling around but still a very intimidating foe.
#4 - Clover (Cloverfield)
#3 - Godzilla
Obviously the king of monsters had to be on here. I'll admit I haven't seen near as many Godzilla movies as I'd like but every time I see him on screen I know I'm in for a good time. This is one of the all time greats, tearing cities apart for decades, and I doubt people will stop making movies about him any time soon. The only reason he isn't higher is because he is typically just destroying cities, and hasn't always looked great on screen, whereas my top two picks have more to them and are always impressive.
#2 - T-Rex (Jurassic Park)
I had this placed at number one for a while, but after thinking about it I just can't quite put it in the top spot. Don't get me wrong though, the T-Rex is incredible. Despite being a giant animal we see her act somewhat like an anti-hero at times in the franchise, whether it's trying to take out raptors or squaring off against the Indominus Rex. This is also one of the most impressive technological feats in cinema history, combining animatronics with CGI to create what looks to be a real dinosaur. Jurassic Park is my all-time favourite movie and the design of the dinosaurs is a big reason why, so of course the T-Rex had to make this list.
#1 - King Kong
There was just no way I could put anything else on top. Godzilla may be named the king of monsters but Kong is the original big guy. Whether you're talking about the 1933 original, Peter Jackson's iteration, the recent Kong: Skull Island, or any in between, this monster remains endlessly iconic. It is the only monster on this list that truly seems to have a personality, and for many the one we root for most. This is a truly incredible creature and has been for over 85 years. The world will likely never get tired of seeing Kong on the big screen and there is good reason for that.
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