Every week at SiftPop.com, we challenge our writers to come up with their favorite answer to a movie-related prompt tied to a recent release. This week, with the release of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, we’re discussing some of our favorite giant movie creatures! Let us know your favorites @SiftPop!
I always want to know what is going through a creator’s mind when they develop a monster we’ve never seen before. Clover, the extraterrestrial monster that demolished New York City during a farewell party in the 2008 hit, Cloverfield, was and still is nightmare fuel. Standing over 20 stories tall, with multiple limbs and covered in parasites, Clover is unstoppable and unbeatable, with every weapon failing to bring the beast down. This is how you create a monster without any kind of kryptonite. Cloverfield is an intense rollercoaster ride, from the shaky camera work to its terrifying antagonist. Within 85 minutes, we only get glimpses and glances of the monster while still not giving much away until the very end of seeing the true massiveness of the creature. It’s a fast-paced, explosive sci-fi film I can return to and never be disappointed. (Chantal Ashford)
Generally when we talk about movies that revolve around big, stompy monsters doing big, stompy monster things around cities, destroying buildings and whatnot, there’s something else that’s being said about people. Colossal pretty much removes all abstractions in saying the big, stompy monster literally is the physical manifestation of the damage people can do to each other. Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis star as Gloria and Oscar, childhood friends who are reacquainted when Gloria moves back to their hometown which Oscar never left. As Gloria confronts her misfortunes in life, news reports of a giant monster destroying Seoul, South Korea start coming in — a giant monster which Gloria quickly learns does everything she does. Colossal is a very ambitious and inventive film that touches on what really is behind the destructive behaviors that can derail our lives, and it is grossly underseen. (Chris Bakker)
Sandworms. The Makers. Shai-Hulud. All are names for the gargantuan annelids that roam the deserts of Arrakis, not only one of the most important organisms on their home planet, but perhaps in the entire galaxy. Sandworms are responsible for the creation of spice, a perception-enhancing drug that not only extends lifespans and improves awareness, but is necessary for plotting interstellar travel. It is the quest to control this spice that brings about much of the plot in the Dune series, as the great house that controls Arrakis can gain tremendous wealth and power. Of course, these sandworms make that control rather difficult, as they are incredibly territorial and capable of mass destruction, attacking anything they detect moving on the sand. The sandworms are worshiped as gods by the Fremen, the indigenous people of Arrakis, who fashion sacred knives out of their teeth and have even developed techniques to ride the worms across the desert. There have been many different incarnations of giant worms across the spectrum of fiction, but none are as impressive, filling me both with awe and dread, as those in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films. (Jake Hjort)
Ray couldn’t help it; he just popped in there. The fantastic thing is that he wasn’t in any of the trailers before the release of the original Ghostbusters, so Stay Puft’s appearance was just as much of a shock to audiences in 1984 as it was to the four Ghostbusters. The first time I saw the film, I knew the creature by sight without knowing what it was or its role in the story. Before seeing the movie, I had already seen a decent amount of the animated series, The Real Ghostbusters, which features him reasonably prominently in the intro. Once I knew his role, though, I loved the idea of him, the most seemingly harmless thing turned into something that could destroy the whole city, a cute smile and all! It indeed was “something you don’t see every day”. In the new films, he’s turned into an adorable thing that is just the source of a few gags, although I do like that they make him into a s’more at one point. (John Tillyard)
One of the most influential giant creatures ever to be created, Godzilla, has finally had a great movie after… Well, it’s been a minute. Godzilla Minus One is a movie like no other, as it grounds this godlike monster of destruction and puts humans front and center. That is when most, if not all, of the US version, have failed, because they’ve never given us characters we could care or root for enough. However, in this movie, the themes of guilt, honor, community, and how war is never over for the people who fought in it are strong and presented in such a unique way that it’s easy for us to root for the humans whilst being in awe of the sheer destruction Godzilla causes. That is another thing Godzilla Minus One does well, as it presents Godzilla as a power of destruction and terror so that you’re always on the edge of your seat when he/she/it appears on the screen. If you also add the fact that the CGI looks excellent on a budget of below 20 million dollars, you get one unmissable movie that finally answers the question: “What if Godzilla, but good?” (Luke Burian)
In a trilogy filled with all manner of magical creatures, giant or otherwise (shoutout to the fellbeasts), Shelob the giant spider stands above the rest as being the most disgusting, awe-inspiring, and spine-tingling creature of them all. Over two decades after the release of The Return of the King, she remains as terrifying as ever due to the top-tier visual effects work, which holds up better than most of the visual effects we see in films released today. Shelob’s sticky, leathery skin, and legs that scuttle a bit too fast for my liking create an unforgettable sequence of terror for Frodo and Sam. The single shot of an unsettlingly quiet Shelob hovering above an unknowing Frodo as she splays her legs open, preparing for the kill, remains one of the single scariest moments ever put to film. (Foster Harlfinger)
Monsters fighting robots gets its time in the sun in Guillermo del Toro’s sci-fi epic for the ages, Pacific Rim. These monsters, called Kaijus, emerge from the depth of the Pacific Ocean and are ready to destroy anything in its path. The creature design on a lot of the Kaijus is outstanding, and they all have their own unique look and powers. It’s clear that del Toro wanted the Kaijus to be functional and terrifying at the same time. To have aliens emerging from the ocean instead of the sky is one of the more creative twists that you’re going to get from movies. Pacific Rim is one of those movies that has the potential to spawn a universe and go in so many different directions. In the end, the Kaijus are beautifully designed, terrifying creatures that create a spectacle for viewers when they fight. (Mike Hilty)
In 1954 we saw one attack the Nautilus in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Sheldon Cooper once said it’s the only sea creature he would ever consider being eaten by, last year we got a feature film about a teenage one name Ruby Gillman, Zeus releases a copiously cuspided one in Clash of the Titans, but no big screen Kraken has managed to gain the popularity and pop culture presence of Davy Jones’ (Bill Nighy) cephalopod subordinate in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. “Release the Kraken!” Is there a more terrifying statement to hear when you’re a pirate marked for an unpaid debt by The Black Spot? Fast, ferocious, and fearing nothing, the Kraken is the perfect underling enforcer for a retribution-seeking pirate. Enveloping its enemies in a labyrinth of legs, Jack (Johnny Depp) and his crew narrowly escape its tenacious tentacled grasp. While it continues to be copied, cropping up everywhere from The Trench filled with Megs to GEICO commercials, the most menacing creature to surreptitiously squirm its way onto the big screen is easily this surly sea creature lurking the ocean depths, waiting to be summoned into savage servitude. (Patrice Downing)
One of the more intimidating villains in the DC rogue’s gallery has been Starro. In James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, we finally see Starro on the big screen for the first time. Starro is described as a giant star-shaped alien creature, who has been experimented on by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), but once he breaks out, only the Suicide Squad can stop him. Starro can launch smaller versions of himself, which he uses to mind control people. Originally a Justice League villain, he was the perfect final antagonist for the Suicide Squad to face. Of giant creatures, Starro is one of the harder ones to defend because of his mind control powers. To top it all off, writer/director James Gunn added humanity to the creature, which is hard to do. (Austen Terry)
When discussing giant movie creatures, my mind immediately has a tendency to autocorrect things to giant movie monsters — which is why I think Super 8 is such a fun pick, as it plays with those conventions. The J.J. Abrams love letter to Steven Spielberg follows a group of kids whose efforts to make a zombie movie with their titular camera leads them to stumble upon a full-blown conspiracy. In their efforts to get to the bottom of the mystery of their small Ohio town, they stumble upon an extraterrestrial visitor far from home, colloquially known as Cooper. Framed like something straight out of a stereotypical monster movie, the film provides a nice twist on the traditional formula, which helps it absolutely nail the finale. Add that to the fun throwback adventure feel, and you’ve got one of my absolute favorite films to revisit. (Jake Bourgeois)
Is there a franchise you love to watch no matter how bad the films get? Without a doubt, for me that franchise is Tremors. Many of its films are downright terrible… but not that first one. Tremors was the perfect B-movie creature feature elevated by a great creature design, impressive practical effects, and a cast of characters who are a delight to be around. Those Graboids (no… not Tremors) are some of the coolest fictional creatures put to film, as they are giant sandworms (not quite unique) with three tongues that are also sand worms. Genius. No notes. The sequels and television series take this creature into some wild and fun directions, but this original film does a perfect job of setting up the stakes and fears. There are a limited number of Graboids and you cannot be on the ground making noise. It’s simple, effective, and opens the door for plenty of fun thrills. Having the likes of Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Michael Gross, Reba McIntyre, and others filling out this horror neo-Western is just the cherry on top. (Shane Conto)