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 TakaradaAmerican nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like beast.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 KoizumiMothra's egg washes ashore and is claimed by greedy entrepreneurs who refuse to return it to her fairies. As Godzilla arises near Nagoya, the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.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 death of his fellow coworkers and discovers prehistoric nymphs emerging from the mines. As he heads deeper into the mines, he makes a more horrifying discovery in the form a prehistoric flying creature.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 KobayashiAt the end of the 20th century, all of Earth's monsters have been safely rounded up and sent to Monsterland for scientific study. Chaos erupts when a race of she-aliens known as the Kilaaks unleashes the monsters on the world.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 investigate Planet X and encounter the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". As one astronaut forms a romance with 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 broadcasts a report on the appearance of a prehistoric monster that emerges from hibernation while a pharmaceutical company seeks publicity with a monster of their own. (US Version)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 discovers a native population and tiny twin fairy priestesses of the island's mythical deity. Named Mothra, she sets out to rescue her fairies after they are kidnapped by an exploitative 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.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsYôsuke NatsukiYuriko HoshiHiroshi KoizumiA detective is assigned to protect a princess who prophecies the Earth's end with the arrival of a powerful space monster. Mothra and her fairies must persuade Godzilla and Rodan to set aside their differences or face the invader alone.The birth of the other King. These first set of Showa films were all quality. The first time Godzilla and Rodan became good guys after a talking to by Mothra.
- DirectorEugène LouriéStarsBill TraversWilliam SylvesterVincent WinterGreedy sailors capture a giant lizard off the coast of Ireland and sell it to a London circus, inciting the wrath of the creature's mother.A proper British Godzilla. With a little kid, so it also has aspects of Gamera. Pretty cool scenes of London being destroyed.
- 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.Willis O'Brien's first Hollywood feature was the very first daikaiju when the brontosaurus rampages through the city.
- DirectorTakao OkawaraStarsTakehiro MurataHiroshi AbeNaomi NishidaAn independent group of researchers actively track Godzilla as a giant meteor is discovered. The mysterious rock begins to levitate as its true intentions for the world and Godzilla are revealed.The first of the millenium series. Not as good as some of the others, but still far more creative than it's 90s predecessors.
- DirectorRobert GordonStarsKenneth TobeyFaith DomergueDonald CurtisA giant, radioactive octopus rises from the Philippine Trench to terrorize the North American Pacific Coast.Harryhausen's giant octopus movie. That's a big frickin octopus and as always his stop motion makes even these older films kick ass.
- DirectorMasaaki TezukaIshirô HondaStarsMisato TanakaShôsuke TaniharaMasatô IbuJapan creates an artificial black hole device to trap Godzilla forever, but a test of the device creates new foes for Godzilla, car-sized dragonflies called meganula and their queen, Megaguirus.Another well done millenium movie. Megaguirus was awesome cause it was different, was a tie in to the original Rodan and it was Godzilla's quickest enemy to date.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsNick AdamsKumi MizunoTadao TakashimaNear the end of WWII, Germans transport the immortal heart of Frankenstein's monster to Japan, where it is seeming lost in the bombing of Hiroshima. Years later a wild boy is found, born from the immortal heart.Japanese giant Frankenstein's monster. Way to think outside the box, and the introduction of Baragon on top of that.
- DirectorYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsAkira YamanouchiToshie KimuraHiroyuki KawaseAn ever-evolving alien life form from the Dark Gaseous Nebula arrives to consume rampant pollution. Spewing mists of sulfuric acid and corrosive sludge, neither humanity or Godzilla may be able to defeat this toxic menace.The one and only real message Godzilla movie. Save the Earth is right. Not the greatest film, but you gotta give it props for groovy visuals and a messed up monster.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsRhodes ReasonMie HamaLinda MillerThe evil Dr. Who captures King Kong to dig for Element X when his robot duplicate, Mechani-Kong, is unable to do the job, but Kong soon escapes and battles his doppelganger.I always liked the Japanese King Kong. This one was quick and acrobatic. I especially liked how it would just pound things into submission. Also the first use of mecha was not Godzilla, it was Kong.
- DirectorKazuki ÔmoriKoji HashimotoKenjirô OhmoriStarsKunihiko MitamuraYoshiko TanakaMasanobu TakashimaDesolate by the loss of his daughter, a geneticist creates a monstrous new mutation.I believe the best of a week Hensei era. Biollante the only plant monster Godzilla fought which added a very interesting dynamic.
- 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.This was just an orgy for Kaiju fans.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsRuss TamblynKumi MizunoKenji SaharaThe sole survivor of a fishing boat recounts sightings of hairy giants. A scientist investigates, revealing mutated creatures, growing from remains of a previous monster. Nearly indestructible, they battle in Tokyo until only one remains.How can anyone resist a diakaiju movie with Russ Tamblyn.
- DirectorMotoyoshi OdaIshirô HondaStarsHiroshi KoizumiSetsuko WakayamaMinoru ChiakiScout pilots for a fishing fleet are startled to discover a new monster named Anguirus alongside a second Godzilla. The monsters make their way toward Osaka as Japan can only brace for tragedy and relive the horror of Godzilla once more.A bit slow and not enough monsters, but Godzilla against Angurus old school.
- DirectorBert I. GordonStarsGlenn LanganCathy DownsWilliam HudsonA military officer survives a nuclear blast, only to begin to uncontrollably grow into an increasingly unstable giant.This and the 50 foot woman were the only giant human Kaiju movies. This one took itself seriously. The pathos was real. How lonely would it be to grow that big and become a monster?
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsYôsuke NatsukiYôko FujiyamaHiroshi KoizumiAn amorphous cellular life-form descends from the atmosphere to consume carbon in the form of diamonds.Giant space jellyfish. With gangsters. Part of the height of the Kaiju movie era with a trippy twist.
- DirectorShigeo TanakaNoriaki YuasaStarsKôjirô HongôKyôko EnamiYûzô HayakawaA giant monster that emits a destructive ray from its back attacks Japan and takes on Gamera.The one and only Showa Gamera without a kid. Betrayal. Intrigue. An opal from a native island that turns into a giant monster. I always liked how Gamera got his ass kicked every movie only to somehow pull it through.
- DirectorHiroshi NoguchiStarsTamio KawajiYôko YamamotoYûji OdakaMagazine reporters Hiroyuki Kurosaki and his colleagues brought back to Japan a monster child who had just hatched from an egg issued on the isolated island of Obelisk in the South Sea.The interior of the cave was weird. It always made these creatures look a lot smaller, then all the sudden they were 100 feet tall. This one's for the family. The Gappa were pretty bad ass. These were actually released straight to syndicated TV in the US. I remember those weeks when ABC showed kaiju films after school.
- DirectorHyung-rae ShimStarsJason BehrAmanda BrooksRobert ForsterOnce in 500 years, ancient mythical creatures come to Earth, wreaking havoc and destruction. This time they must be stopped.Gotta love LA being destroyed. This definitely had it's short comings, but it did have some pretty cool visuals.
- DirectorIshirô HondaStarsAkira KuboAtsuko TakahashiYukiko KobayashiA space probe is infiltrated by alien beings and then crashes on a remote Pacific atoll. A group of people discover it to be inhabited by giant mutant monsters, created by the aliens in an attempt to conquer the world.A giant turtle, Octopus and crab walk into a bar. I remember seeing this and expecting a monster from space, but got giant sea creatures on a tropical island.
- DirectorJun FukudaYoshimitsu BannoIshirô HondaStarsHiroshi IshikawaYuriko HishimiMinoru TakashimaA manga artist becomes suspicious of his employers when a garbled message is discovered on tape. As he forms a team to investigate, Godzilla and Anguirus set out to help defeat the invaders.Another personal favorite at the end of the Showa era. The 70s Godzillas were decidedly inferior to the 60s, but Gigan is a bad ass and space cockroaches who could bring both Gigan and King Gidorah down on our ass...are also bad ass. AND Angurus plays Robin to Godzilla's Batman. All my favorite creatures in one movie.
- DirectorJun FukudaStarsMasaaki DaimonKazuya AoyamaReiko TajimaAn Okinawan prophecy appears to foretell Earth's destruction at the hands of Godzilla, only for the true Godzilla to reveal his doppelganger as a mechanical alien weapon.Four major creatures. Anything with Angurus is killer. MechaGodzilla has become a mainstay and King Cezar is the only other mammal in the Toho cannon other than Kong.
- DirectorNoriaki YuasaShigeo TanakaStarsKôjirô HongôKichijirô UedaReiko KasaharaVolcanic activity unleashes a bloodthirsty monster called Gyaos that Gamera must confront.The introduction of Gyaos in the Showa era Gamera. With the kids and the poor quality these Gamera movies are more nostalgic, but hey it's Gamera.
- DirectorNathan JuranStarsCraig StevensWilliam HopperAlix TaltonA giant prehistoric praying mantis, recently freed from the Arctic ice, voraciously preys on American military at the DEW Line and works its way south.Praying Mantises are cool. A 200 foot long praying mantis is extra cool.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsYeong-il OhJeong-im NamLee Soon-jaeEarthquakes in central Korea turn out to be the work of Yongary, a prehistoric gasoline-eating reptile that soon goes on a rampage through Seoul.Props to the lone Korean Daikaiju on the list.