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10 Top Monster Movies

It has fangs! Some movies with memorable creatures
Oct 12 '03

The Bottom Line The uglier they come, the better they are.

Monsters can be human (I remember some teachers who can fit into the category), and non-human. The word "Monster" makes one think of something gigantic in size, fearsome and ugly. So I've tried to think up some movies with some non-human creatures that are pretty monstrous.

1. Return Of The Jedi : The whole Star Wars trilogy had really cool creatures, but in Return Of The Jedi, Jabba The Hutt has a pet that is truly monstrous. The whole battle scene between Luke Skywalker and the creature is one of the more memorable scenes in a memorable movie.

2. Phantom Menace : Regarded as more flash then substance, there are however some nice creatures in this movie. In an underwater sequence our two heroes are attacked by a cross between a giant lobster and goldfish, with a bit of lizard thrown in, followed by something like a barracuda/crocodile, and finally a gigantic dinosaur-like creature. Whoever designed them knew a thing or two. Beautiful monsters. Give the movie a chance, it's not half bad if you could ignore the annoying 'cuteness' of the boy.

3. Godzilla : This movie had Matthew Broderick, and a giant mutated iguana. Godzilla is a beaut. The movie however, is very B-grade. I do have a problem figuring out the scale of the creature though. Does anyone else have problems with this aspect of the movie? I keep thinking that the size of Godzilla is either too big or too small for the scene to make sense. However, Godzilla was very well designed.

4. Men In Black : A good story with interesting characters. A very enjoyable movie, topped by a memorable monster-alien that looks like an overgrown insect.

5. Dune : A Sci-Fi/Fantasy movie based on the popular book by Frank Herbert. The book is much too complex to translate to screen but this is a decent effort. It boasts the Worms, gigantic earthworms that produce spice, a much desired substance for folding space.

6. Pitch Black : The movie that made the world sit up and take note of Vin Diesel before XXX. He is an anti-hero who crashes onto a strange planet with his escorts. The planet is plunged into darkness and these flying creatures come out to hunt. The creatures fear the light, and it is up to the Vin Diesel character, who has the special ability to see in the dark, to lead them to safety. It's not a movie in the league of Star Wars, but it is entertaining, and creatures are way cool.

7. Alien / Aliens / Aliens3 / Alien Resurrection : 4 movies with the same great monster. Aliens3 was rather slow and brooding, but it does have a good story. A bit too dark and cerebral compared to the others. In Alien Resurrection the pregnant queen alien is quite a sight to behold.

8. Tremors : The monsters are worm-like creatures that burrow under the ground and pop up to grab people. It's an exciting movie with a good script and interesting characters.

9. Reign of fire : Dragons have taken over the world! They are smarter, faster, and more fearsome than humans. The dragons are well-done in this movie. The story is rather simple and not too plausible, but I did enjoy this movie.

10. Eight-legged Freaks : Because of a chemical dump, spiders grow to monstrous sizes and attack innocent townfolk. A rather B-Grade movie, this is nevertheless a rather fun movie, good for a lazy Sunday afternoon.