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Everyone is into giant monsters nowadays. Thanks to the success of Godzilla vs. Kong, more and more people are looking for related media to cure their monster movie inch. Even if you’re not following monster movie trends like everyone else is; maybe you know someone who loves oversized reptiles, or you have a friend with giant monkeys on the brain. In either case, you definitely need to add to your friends bucket list our eight recommendations for TV series and movies like Godzilla.
1. Gargoyles (1994-1997)
Produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, Gargoyles has maintained a strong cult following since its release in 1994. The show lasted for three seasons and led to several spin-offs, including a comic book released in 2009.
Keith David’s portrayal of the lead character, Goliath, is arguably one of the biggest draws of the show. In fact, many A-list actors were roped into the project for their voice-acting talent. Interestingly, almost ten Star Trek actors worked on Gargoyles at one point or another.
2. Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Before Godzilla vs Kong released in 2021, King Kong was doing fairly well for himself thanks to several movies in the spotlight. With the ultimate goal being to build a ‘Monsterverse’, Legendary Pictures released 2017’s Kong: Skull Island to critical and commercial success.
Kong: Skull Island has been widely praised for its visual effects and action sequences, evidenced by its nomination for ‘Best Visual Effects’ at the 90th Academy Awards. The film grossed over $500 million worldwide, making it the most successful Monsterverse movie to date.
3. Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive (2016)
Final Fantasy: Kingsglaive is a feature-length CGI film that shares its story and setting with the 2016 video game Final Fantasy XV. Instead of focusing on lead characters from the video game, the film follows an elite combat unit called the Kingsglaive, a group of warriors sworn to protect the kingdom of Lucis.
With massive monsters from another dimension, magical kingdoms in the midst of war with one another, and a rousing tale of bravery and sacrifice at its core, Kingsglaive more than manages to stand on its own, and can definitely be enjoyed as such.
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4. Pacific Rim (2013)
Pacific Rim is about giant robots fighting giant monsters. Yes, there’s a story and character development, but those are more of an afterthought. It’s a good thing the story takes a backseat, considering that the action set pieces are the stars of this show.
Compared to Robot Jox, Pacific Rim has the power of decades’ worth of improvements in filmmaking and CGI production on its side. The visuals and sound effects are simply incredible and, thanks to immense success at the box office, Pacific Rim is now considered a classic.
5. Power Rangers (2017)
Power Rangers is one of the longest-running superhero franchises in history. With over 20 TV series iterations and three feature-length films, the Rangers have been a part of popular culture for more than two decades.
The most recent movie, simply entitled Power Rangers, was released in 2017 and was billed as a fresh reboot for the franchise’s somewhat lackluster theatrical performance. The movie didn’t manage to break any records, but it did do well enough to greenlight another movie, though not many details are known further than that.
6. Rampage (2018)
Based on a video game series of the same name, Rampage has a fairly basic premise behind it. Three giant mutated animals are wreaking havoc and a city facing utter destruction needs a hero. Of course, one of the monsters (an ape with white fur named George) has a pre-established relationship with the protagonist.
As is the case with most great monster movies, the human element of the story isn’t of much consequence. However, thanks to a charismatic performance from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Rampage’s story manages to chug along a lot better than most. This 2018 film is cinematic monster mayhem at its finest, and that’s all there is to it.
Photo by Carlos Cram on Unsplash
7. Reign of Fire (2002)
We’ve covered giant apes and interdimensional monstrosities, but dragons deserve equal attention on any reputable monster movie list. Reign of Fire takes place in a post-apocalyptic modern setting, one where gargantuan dragons have overtaken the world by driving mankind to the brink of extinction.
Starring Matthew McConaughey and Christian Bale, Reign of Fire focuses on a tale of loss, survival, and the strength of the human spirit. Fear not though, there’s more than enough action on offer thanks to violent battles, tense moments, and epic cinematic angles of majestic yet terrifying winged beasts.
8. Robot Jox (1990)
For many 90’s kids, Robot Jox marked the start of an obsession for all things giant robot-related. It was the first Western movie to bring high production value to what was essentially a tale of two towering death machines ducking it out in an arena.
It turns out that an arena fight was all giant robot fans wanted, at least in retrospect that is. Despite a lukewarm reception to its 1990 theatrical release, nowadays the film is considered a cult classic. So much so in fact that a remastered Blu-ray version was released in 2015.
