Kaiju City Stomp
This is a list of what I believe to be the best giant monster movies in order. Just because it's a kaiju doesn't mean it needs to be Japanese. As long as there is an enormous monster destroying buildings or fighting other giant monsters, it qualifies, IMO.
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- 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.Willis O'Brien's masterpiece. It was the movie that started the genre.
- 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.The King. Nuff said.
- DirectorShûsuke KanekoStarsToshiyuki NagashimaMiki MizunoTamotsu IshibashiA meteor lands in Japan and unleashes hundreds of insect-like "Legion" creatures bent on colonizing the Earth. Gamera shows up to deal with the ever-evolving space adversary but the battle may result in him losing his bond with humanity.The best of the modern Gamera trilogy. The advent of Legion.
- 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.This one started Shûsuke Kaneko's reign as the best kaiju director from the last two decades.
- DirectorEugène LouriéStarsPaul HubschmidPaula RaymondCecil KellawayA ferocious dinosaur awakened by an Arctic atomic test terrorizes the North Atlantic and, ultimately, New York City.The first American Kaiju after Kong. One of Harryhausen's first films on his own.
- 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.Even with it's shortcomings, Cloverfield is a very well made Kaiju film.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsJames WhitmoreEdmund GwennJoan WeldonThe earliest atomic tests in New Mexico cause common ants to mutate into giant man-eating monsters that threaten civilization.The quintessential Atomic age giant monster movie.
- DirectorShûsuke KanekoStarsChiharu NiiyamaRyûdô UzakiMasahiro KobayashiA reporter, notorious for working on pseudo-documentaries, must uncover the legend of the three guardian monsters who must rise to defend Japan from the vengeful spirits within Godzilla.Shûsuke Kaneko's take on the Godzilla universe. This time King Ghidora is a good guy.
- 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.Too long, but the depth with which Kong is portrayed is awesome.
- 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.This movie makes you realize what a bad ass Mothra is.
- DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsScoot McNairyWhitney AbleMario Zuniga BenavidesSix years after Earth has suffered an alien invasion, a cynical journalist agrees to escort a shaken American tourist through an infected zone in Mexico to the safety of the U.S. border.Kind of slow for a giant monster movie, but well done none the less.
- 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.The Meganulon are creepy. And as a follow up to Godzilla it takes the material seriously, even with the shortcomings of the special effects at the time.
- DirectorEugène LouriéStarsGene EvansAndré MorellJohn TurnerMarine atomic tests cause changes in the ocean's ecosystem resulting in dangerous blobs of radiation and the resurrection of a dormant dinosaur that threatens London.Awesome Willis O'Brien stop motion effects with a really cool monster. Classic Kaiju action, in an American, British collaborative film.
- 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.Really well done Gamera film. It kind of turns the mythology on it's ear, but with 9/11 overtones and a realistic way of dealing with giant monsters, this is a solid kaiju entry.
- DirectorJohn GuillerminStarsJeff BridgesCharles GrodinJessica LangeA petroleum exploration expedition comes to an isolated island and encounters a colossal giant gorilla.A personal favorite. Saw it in the theater at a very early age. The soundtrack is amazing. And it's one of the Dude's early starring roles. I also always thought Rick Baker's make-up effects were super realistic. Best Kong roar on film.
- DirectorIshirô HondaJun FukudaStarsAkira KuboJun TazakiYukiko KobayashiIn 1999, a race of she-aliens, the Kilaaks, brainwash Earth's monsters into attacking major cities, prompting a team of astronauts to stop the invaders while the monsters battle Ghidorah.My favorite Godzilla film just cause it has all the monsters in it and it has a kick ass soundtrack.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsNick AdamsAkira TakaradaJun TazakiAstronauts encounter the Xiliens, who ask Earth to rid their planet of "Monster Zero", but when one astronaut romances a mysterious woman, he uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.The coolest of all the Godzilla movies. Cleanest production design and creature effects. The height of the showa era.
- DirectorIshirô HondaTom MontgomeryStarsTadao TakashimaKenji SaharaYû FujikiA UN reporter covers the appearance of a prehistoric monster that emerges from hibernation, while a pharmaceutical company seeks publicity with a monster of their own.The main event.
- DirectorShûsuke KanekoStarsShinobu NakayamaAi MaedaYukijirô HotaruGamera's ties to humanity have been severed as the Gyaos re-emerge. Nagamine and Asagi investigate as an orphaned girl named Ayana discovers a new creature. Named Iris, Ayana seeks revenge on Gamera for the death of her family.Not as good as the first two, but consistent in quality.
- 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 birth of Toho's second mega star. If you think about it, Mothra is a bit like Jesus Christ. She defends and loves humanity unconditionally, and she dies and is reborn every movie. Just don't mess with the twins.
- 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.A really cool, well done rebooting of the mechaGodzilla mythos.
- DirectorMasaaki TezukaKoji HashimotoTakao OkawaraStarsNoboru KanekoMiho YoshiokaMickey KogaMothra and her fairies return to Japan to warn mankind that they must return Kiryu to the sea, for the dead must not be disturbed. However Godzilla has survived to menace Japan leaving Kiryu as the nation's only defense.The millenium movies are in general superior in quality, definitely to the Hensei era.
- DirectorNathan JuranStarsWilliam HopperJoan TaylorThomas Browne HenryThe first U.S. spaceship to Venus crash-lands off the coast of Sicily on its return trip. A dangerous, lizard-like creature comes with it and quickly grows gigantic.Kind of like the 50s version of Cloverfield. A Harryhausen classic with a very unique monster which has overtones of the cyclops from 7th Voyage.
- 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.The Samurai era Daikaiju. Boy it always took him forever to wake up.
- DirectorEdward LudwigStarsRichard DenningMara CordayCarlos RivasVolcanic activity frees giant scorpions from the earth who wreak havoc in the rural countryside and eventually threaten Mexico City.This is a really cool movie. One of Willis O'Brien's last films. Lots of unique giant insects in this one with awesome stop motion.