When it comes to iconic giant monsters from the history of cinema, few come close to either Godzilla or King Kong. The latter came first, with the originalKing Kongbeing released in 1933, though the titular giant ape hasn’t appeared in as many movies as his fellow gigantic monster (or kaiju), Godzilla. There have been close to 40 live-action and animated films featuring Godzilla, with that titan (and arguable king of the monsters) first debuting in a movie back in 1954.
TheGodzillaandKing Kongfilm series have even crossed over with two versus movies; one in 1962, and the other more recently, in 2021 (a film that itself now has a sequel).But giant monster/kaiju movies go further than just these two cinematic giants, especially when looking at works of classic science fiction, and various monster movies from Japan that were made after theGodzillaseries exploded in popularity. The following giant monster movies all demonstrate this well, and feature an emphasis on the “giant” part of “giant monsters.”
17’Shin Ultraman' (2022)
Directed by Shinji Higuchi
Though it has a similar title toShin Godzilla, 2022’sShin Ultramanis not nearlyas dark as that 2016Godzillamovie, but the two films share some aesthetic similarities. Also, both involve giant monsters in their main narratives. WithShin Ultraman, the premise, more specifically, has to do with giant monsters appearing in Japan, and a mysterious (and also giant) defender of Earth who shows up whenever the monsters do, matching their size and strength.
There’s a little more to it than that, but not too much more.Shin Ultramanis straightforward and sincere, all the while working as a pretty good modern update of theUltraseries, which is otherwise best known for its classic TV series, including the original,Ultra Q, and its follow-up,Ultraman(both of which originally started airing in 1966).
Shin Ultraman
16’The Mighty Peking Man' (1977)
Directed by Ho Meng-Hua
The Mighty Peking Manis a giant ape movie that doesn’t involve King Kong, sure, but it’s also difficult to argue that it would exist withoutKing Kongfirst being a thing. That is to say, it’s kind of a rip-off and almost something of a mockbuster, considering it was released just one year after the 1976 version ofKing Kong, but it’s higher in quality thanany mockbuster The Asylum’s ever put out, at least.
Since it’s familiar stuff, you won’t be surprised to learn that the plot is about a monstrous ape being discovered and then transported to a populated area, with inevitably disastrous results.The Mighty Peking Mandelivers some solidly dumb spectacle and a fair few scenes that are funny for (probably) unintentional reasons. It is not a smart movie, by any means, but it is kind of entertaining.
The Mighty Peking Man
15’Death Kappa' (2010)
Directed by Tomoo Haraguchi
Here’sanother kind of dopey giant monster moviethat’s quite a bit of fun. It’s calledDeath Kappa, andit’s utterly absurd, weird, and tonally unlike much else out there. It’s a horror movie that’s not particularly scary, an action film that looks cheap, and a comedy that’s oftentimes awkward, all the while also belonging to a few other genres and not really succeeding as a straightforward example of any of them.
But therein lies the charm ofDeath Kappa. You might’ve seen your fair share of giant monster movies before, but you probably haven’t seen one like this. It does a great deal in a runtime that’s well under 90 minutes, proving slightly unnerving, very amusing, and always bizarre. Its plot is too nonsensical to even describe, but if you approachDeath Kappawith the right mindset, that ends up being another feature, rather than any sort of bug.
Death Kappa
14’The Super Inframan' (1975)
Directed by Hua Shan
WithThe Super Inframan, the plot is kind of the same asShin Ultraman, only the monsters (and the hero) aren’t big nearly as often. This can makeThe Super Inframandifficult to define as a giant monster movie in the traditional sense, but there is at least one scene that does feature kaiju-ish creatures, and then lots of the action, though a little more down-to-earth, still amounts to people in elaborate costumes punching and kicking each other.
It’s about monsters trying to take over the world, and one super-powered individual who’s the key to stopping them all, makingThe Super Inframansomething of a superhero movie, as well as a kaiju flick.Oh, andthere’s also lots of martial arts action. It’s the kind of film that’s got everything, and it just never slows down or stops being stupidly entertaining, feeling like it was written by a 5-year-old in the best of ways.
The Super Inframan
13’The Lost World' (1925)
Directed by Harry O. Hoyt
Talking aboutthe history of giant monster moviesis incomplete without recognition ofThe Lost World, which is now a century old and still proves to be pretty fun to watch. It pre-dated the originalKing Kongby eight years, and paved the way for that 1933 classic and others, thanks to the use of then-cutting-edge special effects to bring various dinosaurs to life on screen.
Sure, maybe they’re not as big as some other giant monsters, but the size of these things was immense for a movie of its age, and the way one of the dinosaurs rampages through London in the climax certainly feels influential.The Lost Worldis an ambitious silent film, and though youcould point to so much of it as feeling dated, it’s kinda like… yeah, of course. The movie’s older than almost everyone currently living on Earth, after all.
The Lost World
12’Gamera: Guardian of the Universe' (1995)
Directed by Shusuke Kaneko
TheGameraseries began in the 1960s and continued into the 1970s, at its best functioning something like a knock-off version of theGodzillaseries (but its goofiness could be very entertaining). Instead of a giant lizard initially causing havoc but then becoming a protector of the Earth, theGameraseries had a giant flying turtle serve as a destructive force of nature turned unlikely hero.
After a considerable hiatus, theGameraseries was revived in the 1990s for a new trilogy, and it’s surprisingly great. The first of the bunch is 1995’sGamera: Guardian of the Universe, which reintroduces the titular monster and successfully sets up plentiful characters and threats to explore inthe subsequent two movies, both of which get arguably even betterthan this first of the Heisei eraGameramovies.
Gamera: Guardian of the Universe
11’Them!' (1954)
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Released the same year asGodzilla,Them!didn’t quite have the same cultural impact or legacy, but it stands to this day as a fairly fun sci-fi B-movie. It’s a movie about people being pitted against giant mutated ants, withits relative success perhaps having some influence on other AmericanB-movies of the 1950s, likeTarantula, which is about a - you guessed it - tarantula growing dangerously large.
Perhaps the beauty ofThem!is that it really is as simple as: “Oh no! There are giant ants. Let’s not get killed by them.” Also to its credit is the fact that it holds up better than many similarly themed sci-fi movies of its time, with technical wizardry on offer that can still be appreciated as good for its day.
10’Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars' (1990)
Directed by Akio Jissoji
Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Starsis a real oddity among kaiju movies, andplays out for about an hour before showcasing much by way of set pieces, monster action, and miniatures being destroyed. It’s principally about strange murders occurring around historical sites and people investigating what the cause could be, eventually uncovering fantastical and/or supernatural occurrences being behind the grisly events.
It is a little too polished to beconsidered something that’s fun in a bad way, but the moments that lean just a bit towards cheesy do tend to be the most enjoyable. It doesn’t nail being a unique spin on the giant monster movie genre, but it’s different enough to be compelling, and those who think they’ve seen it all when it comes to kaijus might well find merit in givingUltra Q The Movie: Legend of the Starsa cautious shot.
Ultra Q The Movie: Legend of the Stars
9’Eight Legged Freaks' (2002)
Directed by Ellory Elkayem
There are numerous creature features that are comparable toEight Legged Freaks, with it having more in common with the likes ofGremlinsandTremorstoGodzillaorKing Kong. However, the fact that the foes inEight Legged Freaksare as big as they are does qualify it as being a giant monster movie, considering there are many spiders here, and some of them are positively enormous.
Those with arachnophobia might want tositEight Legged Freaksout, as might those hoping for something genuinely thrilling, exciting, or well-balanced. This film is heavily flawed, butwhen watched at the right time and in the correct frame of mind, there’s mindless fun to be hadwhile watching the people of a small town fight back against an army of unrelenting and aggressive big spiders.
Eight Legged Freaks
8’Mothra' (1961)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
Of all themonsters to appear in theGodzillaseriesthat aren’t Godzilla, Mothra might well be the most famous… or at least would be a tie with the similarly legendary King Ghidorah.She’s not as ferocious an opponent necessarily, but doesn’t have to be, given she’s an ally of Godzilla relatively often, and though she dies a lot, she also gets continually reborn. The character of Mothra was originally introduced in 1961, in a movie that didn’t have Godzilla. The pair first appeared together in a movie three years later, with 1964’s understandably titledMothra vs. Godzilla.
Mothrais a pretty good old kaiju movie, all things considered. The titular character crossing over with Godzilla eventually does perhaps put Mothra in the same universe, and if so, it’s significant for introducing more fantastical elements to the overall franchise, putting it in contrast with their earlierGodzillamovies that had a sci-fi slant.
