The 2010’s were a great time to be a Monster Movie fan, largely in part to there being at least 17 Monster Movies throughout the whole decade! We have had new entries in classic film series, to new and more original movies, which in some cases lead to more series. It was strange too as to how they all suddenly appeared as well. When one movie released, then more sprouted, followed by more seedlings, until we got a whole new plantation in the monster movie garden.
It’s been such a momentous decade for the monster movie genre, that I thought I would do a special edition of this series. Now of course, I should just re-iterate, that the placing of these movies does not rank them in any particular order. This is not a ranking list of the top ten, merely a list of ten awesome movies. Basically, they are all simply awesome. Anyway, without further ado; here are 10 Awesome Giant Monster Movies From The Last Decade; Enjoy!
10. Kong: Skull Island – Following on from their recent success of bringing Godzilla to the screen in 2014; Legendary decided to have a go at bringing another classic monster back to the big screen, this time in the shape of King Kong. Kong: Skull Island worked out really well, as it focussed on the island of Skull Island and it’s nightmare menagerie; instead of doing yet another remake of the original 1933 King Kong. This time around, new creatures were created, and featured an additional villain in the form of Samuel L. Jackson. The film did borrow a few themes and tit-bits from the classic film, but used them to create something more refreshingly original, and fantastic!
9. Rampage – Rampage was such an enjoyable movie. One of three monster movies that was released in 2018, Rampage is actually based on the classic video game series of the same name. Here the film builds up the monsters, from their smaller and more natural states, into colossal creatures, which smash up the city of Chicago in a similar vain to the video game. It features a great cast, terrific CGI, and amazing scenes of destruction and fighting, whilst also achieving to make the audience laugh out loud occasionally!
8. Behemoth – I know it was a straight to home media release movie; but a good monster movie is still a good monster movie. Behemoth was so entertaining to watch the first time around. It had a modern yet mythical style plot; and was packed to the brim with some surprisingly good visual effects, particularly when the monster appears in full at the end of the film. It may be a cheaply produced TV or straight to DVD movie, but it leaves a lasting and positive taste!
7. Pacific Rim – Whilst Monsters was the first Monster Movie of the decade; the first big budget outing was of course; Pacific Rim. Released less than a year before the 2014 Godzilla; Pacific Rim featured both giant monsters and giant robots, all contained within the vision of the the film’s creator Travis Beacham, and it’s legendary director Guillermo del Toro. So, whilst it does feature a lot of monster action, there’s also a lot of human drama, all tightly bundled together in an easy to understand level of science fiction, along with quite a cool cast, and a terrific soundtrack. And it wasn’t just all those things either, as it was both heavily influenced by, classic Japanese Monster Movies, as well as a tribute to them too!
6. Monsters – The film that kicked off the Monster Movie decade boom with a real bang. Monsters was made on a very small budget, and for the most part follows just two characters walking through the infected zone, trying to avoid the monsters that have taken it over. The monsters in question are actually rarely seen, as the film is more about the blossoming relationship between the two characters. Eventually though the monsters do turn up, in a rather beautiful and psychedelic fashion!
5. Godzilla 2014 – Probably the film I was most excited for all decade. I knew it was coming, as I had been kept in the loop about it’s production since I first heard about it in 2010. Well, gladly, it didn’t disappoint. It was such an enjoyable film, which put the idea of a Monster like Godzilla, and put him in the real world, giving a glimpse as to what it would be like if one was alive in our world today. It had a good story, a great detail of build-up, and best of all; it was Godzilla, not another 1998 attempt, no, the actual Godzilla; with atomic death ray!
4. The Meg – The first Meg film was so surprisingly good. It didn’t take itself too seriously, and was rather silly on purpose, which rather than hampering the humour through bad jokes, made those bad jokes much more bearable. But the acting from the human side was practically solid, it featured sudden dramatic moments, and was filled to the brim with action coming out of every corner, leading to some truly shocking surprises!
3. Jurassic World – Doing a follow-up to Jurassic Park 3 was going to be a real challenge, and it did take quite a few years, and in the end, they decided to do something completely different. Jurassic World brought the series back to it’s roots, with a new theme park, and a whole new host of dinosaurs. It delved back into the world of genetic power and creation, and created a sequel the first film could be proud of. It took a long time to get here, but it was so worth the wait!
2. Colossal – Colossal was such a unique and interesting idea, because (and here’s the kicker); it’s not technically a Monster Movie. Yes, it does feature giant monsters in it, but much like Monsters above, it’s not really about them. It’s actually a dark romantic comedy, about two people, whose personal actions cause a rift in their relationship, which just so happens to cause absolute terror for people a few thousand miles away. It’s a really good idea, and best of all…it delivers!
1. Shin Godzilla – Godzilla 2014 brought Godzilla into the modern world for a new international audience; but Shin brought a much more terrifying incarnation into the modern world. It could be easily described as Godzilla vs Red Tape, as it focusses on politicians trying to decide what to do in the unprecedented situation of the sudden appearance of a giant monster. But Shin is more than that though, as it takes its inspiration from recent real life events (the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, and the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami), and creates the ultimate natural disaster; in a creature, that won’t stop evolving as the situation changes. It is an fantastically good film, that puts a fresh new spin on the King of the Monsters, by making him as unstoppable as possible, and in turn create one of the decades best movies!
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