Greatest Giant Monsters in Film History

Giant monsters are great in film. Giant monsters push the purpose of the medium to its apex. And, with the current state of special effects and the upcoming, $200 million King Kong movie, giant monster movies are set for a comeback. Who will be the next Harryhausen? Come on Hollywood, show us some giant monster love!

To be eligible, the monster must be giant (Alien, the Thing, Mighty Joe Young are not quite eligible), menacing (the Iron Giant and the dragon from Dragonheart are not eligible), the 'main giant monster' of the movie (Medusa and Kraken from Clash of the Titans, and Mothra and King Ghidorah are not eligible), and singular (the giant ants from Them! are not eligible). And so, without further ado, the Greatest Giant Monsters in Film History:

1. Godzilla from Gojira (1954)

Godzilla is the man. He wins by sheer prolificacy. With more than 25 films under his belt, the mother of all monsters has dominated Japanese disaster cinema for 50 years. The 27th (28th?) Godzilla movie, Godzilla: Final Wars, releases in Japan in December. The ultimate 'man in a suit' made a trip to New York in 1998's Roland Emmerich Godzilla film, and was a box office hit (yet, critical flop). And though the 1962 film King Kong vs. Godzilla ended in an ambiguous tie, we all know who win in a real fight. You know, the real fight between two fictional giant monsters. You know, if... oh, nevermind.

2. King Kong from King Kong (1933)

King Kong was the first giant monster movie ever, and is the father of the entire genre. It's groundbreaking special effects brought the oversized ape to life before a surprised audience. King Kong is probably the 'best' giant monster in the history of film; Godzilla only beat him through number of films. King Kong will star in his fifth film (less than 1/5 as many films as Godzilla) in Peter Jackson's very promising 2005 King Kong flick. Peter Jackson already has his name on two of the giant monsters on this list, so I'm sure King Kong is in capable hands.

3. T-Rex from Jurassic Park (1993)

The culmination of a groundbreaking and very popular special effects movie arrived in T-Rex terrorizing the poor humans of Jurassic Park. The detail of the monster was so great that the filmmakers dared several close-up shots of the monster. ROAR!

4. Talos from Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

The biggest and baddest of the Harryhausen monster movies, Jason and the Argonauts is an epic adventure tale starring Talos, a giant bronze statue that comes to life and stomps on puny humans. Though it's unintentionally funny to watch the Talos scenes, Talos remains one of the most memorable giant monsters in movie history.

5. Giant Lizard from The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

Another Harryhausen creation, the titular beast of the laboriously titled The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms is perhaps the epitome of classic B-movie giant monsters: a big, stupid reptile wreaking havoc in a modern city. And besides, he looks kinda cute.

6. Balrog from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Damn. Just look at that guy. The big, fiery demon was a favorite of artists trying to render the imagination of J.R.R. Tolkien in a visual form. Then, Peter Jackson took it a step further and put the beast in motion in 2001's Fellowship of the Ring. Absolutely stunning.

7. Octopus from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

The best scene in a classic science fiction movie full of great scenes is the dramatic battle with a giant octopus aboard the Nautilus in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The monster looks surprisingly good compared to other monsters of time (better even than 1963's Talos).

8. Ymir from 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

What, another Harryhausen creation makes the list? It's not fair! But just look at him: if that isn't a classic giant movie monster, I don't know what is (but maybe some of you think that already).

9. Gamera from Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995)

The bastard son (clone) of Godzilla is Gamera, a giant, fire-breathing, flying turtle. He first appeared in Daikaijû Gamera (1965), one of the worst movies ever made, but was not popular until the 1995 film, which spawned two sequels.

10. Shelob from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Shelob is another wonderful translation to the screen of Tolkien's classic creations. Unfortunately, there aren't really any shots in the movie that fully display Shelob in all her glory (she is always obscured in shadow, close shots, or darkness), a must for a giant monster in film.

So there you have it - the greatest giant monsters in film history! Falling short of the list include monsters like the Blob, It (from It Came from Beneath the Sea), and Anaconda. Upcoming films with giant monsters include 2005's King Kong and Smaug the dragon in the likely upcoming prequel to the highly successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit.