Giant Monster movies:

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Cloverfield – 2008, rated PG-13, 90mins

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Summary: You head for a party where you expect the biggest drama of the night to be when the ex- shows up with a new guy. But no… it’s not just about someone leaving the USA for a job abroad or trying to find out how the ex- feels about you now. This party is interrupted with a rampaging monster attack, nearly Godzilla-ish in style. And no one is safe, inside or out. Venturing deep into the streets of a riddled New York, this group of survivors will encounter solitude, desperation, panic, fear, and unbridled hope when trying to find and rescue their friend – yeah, it’s that ex again.

Recommendation: The premise of the movie is that after the fact, recovered film was pieced together for a better explanation of how this attack happened, where it came from. The most contiguous and accurate record happens to be the memento video made by friends at this going away/congratulations party that catches the VERY beginning (if you are looking closely enough). Of course, they didn’t know it would act as witness to the last normal day so gossip and jokes and teasing abound before the running (and the screaming) starts.

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The Host – 2006, rated R, 120min (South Korea)

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Summary: An American military base of Yongson releases toxic chemicals in the drain to the Han River under the direct order of an arrogant U.S. Army coroner (based on a true story). Six years later, a mutant squid monster leaves the water and attacks people on the side of the river (so far, no real monsters have revealed their presences). How can a regular dysfunctional family find and rescue one of their number?

Recommendation: Borrowing from someone else’s review*: “The Host elicits every feeling, every sense of urgency, dread, sadness and happiness with ease. And somehow it manages to cram all of that into the first 15 minutes. After that it speeds along and doesn’t let up. I was with it till the end, laughing when I was supposed to, crying, and even cheering.” I don’t often use another person’s quotes, but this description was bang on in illustrating how I felt about The Host. A top-notch monster movie.

*Borrowing from Hoban-W’s review: “The Host elicits…” Hoban-W, 18 August 2006, IMDb, accessed 09 July 2024, {https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468492/reviews}

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Reign of Fire – 2002, rated PG-13, 101min

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Summary: A brood of fire-breathing dragons emerges from the earth and begins setting everything ablaze, establishing dominance over the planet. Decades later, how has the everyday citizen adjusted to survive? What are the motives of the visiting team of extraordinary people hunting the monsters? Why can’t we all just get along?

Recommendation: As many wonderful times as we’ve “seen” dragons portrayed in our movies, this one is a favorite. It investigates the science of the dragon, its body and chemicals, its flight and reasoning, its possible weaknesses. For being a mythical monster, the dragon is deeply researched, as if the survival of our species depended on it. An AMAZING movie. It could have been included in a different genre category, but considering the climax, I’m placing it here amid the giant monsters.

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