Top 10 Favorite Monster Films

Now monster films is way too big of a category to just pick my favorite “Top 10” so with this list I decided to do only true non-traditional monsters therefore there are no vampires, werewolves, zombies, mummy’s, aliens (or creatures from other planets – i.e. Aliens, Predator), trans-dimensional creatures (i.e. Lovecraftian that are seen coming from another world – Re-Animator, From Beyond) or giant monsters caused by nuclear/toxic/etc. creation (i.e Them, Gojira, Toxic Avenger).  I also didn’t include any of your regular “natural” animals (i.e. Lake Placid, Alligator, Jaws) or man created monsters (i.e. Man’s Best Friend, Jurassic Park, The Fly) on this list as either.  This still leaves a ton of monster films to cover!  This being said, if the monster’s origin is unknown then it can be included on this list.  Monster films are some of my favorite so I hope you enjoy this list and make sure to leave your comments and post your own list.  This list is in no particular order and make sure to check out some of my other lists as well:

      1.       Deep Rising (1998)

      2.       Underwater (2020)

      3.       Nightbreed (1992)

      4.       It (2017)

      5.       Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

      6.       Tremors (1990)

      7.       Gremlins (1984)

      8.       Deep Star Six (1989)

      9.       The Stuff (1985)

     10.   Brain Damage (1988)

Film Review: ALLIGATOR II: THE MUTATION (1991)

Giant and mutated monsters have been around for as long as the Atomic bomb of Gojira (1954) signaled a cultural change for an entire nation.  Then of course came Them (1954), Food of the Gods (1976), and Tarantula (1955), to name a few but when people tired of the giant monster craze it faded into obscurity and became nothing more than cannon fodder but then writer John Sayles and director Lewis Teague unleashed Alligator (1980) upon an unsuspecting audience and became a huge hit as it took an urban myth and turned it into an urban nightmare.  It was a little more than a decade when the sequel Alligator II: The Mutation (1991) saw the light of day and was also a film that had a lot more to say than just being a giant alligator on the loose film. 

The plot of this film is very similar to the original as people start to disappear in a small city whose lake is connected to the sewer system.  A lone cop David Hodges (Joseph Bologna) is the only one who believes that the deaths of some homeless people and some minority fisherman are linked and that the city may be facing a bigger and more aggressive alligator than anyone has ever seen.  Add to the fact that local land developer Vinnie Brown (Steve Railsback) is holding a fair that will put their city on the map as long as there are no problems and Hodges has more problems than he really needs.  There are also shades of government corruption and manipulation and minority race relations thrown in to add more political intrigue to the story but the real star of this film is the giant mutated alligator that has been exposed to radioactive waste and really just wants to eat everything in its sight.

The Mutation may seem like a pale comparison to the original but there is a lot going for this film as Bologna proves time and time again that he is an actor that can be both serious and funny when he needs to be as there are many funny moments in the film especially with his interactions with his wife Christine (Dee Wallace) and his rookie partner Harmon (Woody Brown).  There is also the “great alligator hunter” in the form of Richard Lynch (always a pleasure to behold) and you throw them all together and you have one hell of an entertaining film that’s quite  engaging considering the retread of a plot from the original (and various other giant monster films out there).

Written by Curt Allen and directed by John Hess The Mutation is a nice companion film to the first film that fans of that film will enjoy.

Graphic Novel Review: GODZILLA: THE HALF-CENTURY WAR

Godzilla has been around for over 50 years in not just films but novels and toys and even graphic novels and comics.  The chronicles of Godzilla in comic book form has switched from Marvel to Dark Horse and now to IDW and the newest adventure of the giant atomic force of nature – Godzilla: The Half-Century War is one of the best stories thus far crafted. 

The story is told from the perspective of Ota Murakami who was a soldier at the first appearance of Godzilla in 1954.  The story borrows heavily from the original 1954 film as well as others in the Godzilla cannon as the story is unveiled through Ota’s eyes as he is brought into the government agency responsible for trying to destroy and/or rid Japan of the menace.  This story not only takes place in Japan but Vietnam (in 1967), Ghana (in 1975), Bombay (in 1987), and the Whole World (in 2002).  The story starts as a localized incident and then escalates to all facets of the globe with Godzilla battling every member of his rogue’s gallery.  As the story unfolds through the decades Ota’s life is changed to an obsession to destroy and then understand Godzilla as an unstoppable force of nature.

With story and art by James Stoke this is a story crafted by someone who knows his Godzilla history as it is by far one of the few stories to capture the spirit of a Godzilla film while also capturing his effect on a regular Japanese citizen whose life is forever changed and who is forever linked to the legacy that is the monster.  For fans of the giant monster this is the graphic novel to seek out.