Giant monsters have always been cool, or, at the very least, things that people have wanted to see on the big screen. One of the earliest monster movies of this sort is now a century old (The Lost World, released in 1925), and the first undeniable classic giant monster movie,King Kong(1933), also isn’t too far off from celebrating its 100th birthday.
Of course, the 1990s was a bit more recent, as a decade, but still far back enough that movies from it can feel nostalgic. That goes for monster movies, the same as any genre, with the following being the ones from that decade that hold up the best. Also, admittedly,not all of these movies feature monsters giant enough for the films to be considered kaiju movies, but a good chunk of them are(the ones with dinosaurs and large spiders, though? Maybe not quite kaiju flicks).
10’Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II' (1993)
Directed by Takao Okawara
It’s inevitable thatGodzillais going to show up a few times on a ranking like this; just let it happen. It’s all good. He belongs here. After all, the 1990s was when the Heisei era of the series was in full swing,having started in 1984 but hitting its stride come the early 1990s, when there was oneGodzillamovie released per year, starting in 1991, and ending in 1995.
So, right in the middle of that run was 1993’sGodzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II, which, as the title suggests, has Godzilla facing off against a new take on his iconic mechanical nemesis.Mechagodzilla is one of the most reliable antagonistsin theGodzillaseries, enough so that even ifGodzilla vs. Mechagodzilla IIisn’t quite as good as Mechagodzilla’s 1974 debut film, it’s still quite a lot of fun.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II
9’Arachnophobia' (1990)
Directed by Frank Marshall
Since the movie is named after the fear of spiders, you can be pretty certain that anyone with the titular fear should steer clear ofArachnophobia. In the film, there’s a town that gets put in immense danger when various deadly spiders break free and run rampant, and though they’re not gigantic by monster movie standards, they’re still pretty big by everyday standards, and they make up for their “lack” of size with their deadliness.
Oh, and the quantity of them, too.Arachnophobiahassomany spiders and the filmgoes to great lengths to have them generally look very convincing, going so far as to film tons of actual Avondale spiders in various scenes. If you don’t have arachnophobia, then some of the comedy inArachnophobiamight well balance out the horror stuff, but those who do genuinely fear spiders? Again, just avoid this one outright.
Arachnophobia
8’Rebirth of Mothra III' (1998)
Directed by Okihiro Yoneda
As far as iconic movie monsters go, Mothra is royalty, and her history goes back almost as far as Godzilla’s. She’s often a “supporting character,” so to speak, in theGodzillaseries, but has also had a handful of solo movies over the years; ones that didn’t feature Godzilla. Of those four, to date, it feels likeRebirth of Mothra IIIis the best, or at least the most enjoyable.
It concluded what was known astheRebirth of Mothratrilogy, and improved considerably upon the two earlier movies in said trilogy. InRebirth of Mothra III,Mothra takes on a younger version of King Ghidorah, and generally gets up to more wild things than she didin the other solo movies of hers. It’s a bit silly, but it’s also admirably non-stop and, thereby, inevitably very entertaining.
Rebirth of Mothra III
7’Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon' (1994)
Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragonis themost underrated and overlooked monster moviein this ranking. Indeed, at the time of writing, it hasless than 1000 views on Letterboxd, which makes it pretty obscure, at least by that site’s standards. It’s a Japanese monster movie, but differs from most produced in the country, given its focus is on monsters within a fantastical context rather than more of a sci-fi one.
In Orochi, the Eight-Headed Dragon, a prince and a priestess have to join forces to undertake a dangerous journey which, yes, does at one point involve an eight-headed dragon.
The plot here is simple stuff, with a prince and a priestess having to join forces to undertake a dangerous journey which, yes, does at one point involve an eight-headed dragon.You can understand putting said eight-headed dragon front and center when it comes to the title and poster, because seeing an eight-headed dragon sounds awesome, andOrochi, the Eight-Headed Dragondoes indeed make the monster (alongside some other fantastical sights and creatures) look pretty great.
6’Tremors' (1990)
Directed by Ron Underwood
Perhapsdefinable as a B-movie, and also easy to label as a cult classic,Tremorsis a good bit of fun, feeling of its time, but in a way that’s charming rather than dated in some kind of bad way. And the premise, in typical monster movie style, is pretty straightforward, given it centers on a small town that becomes threatened by gigantic underground creatures.
There are some broad but endearing individuals who live in said town, andTremorshas them inevitably banding together to fight back against a common (and, again, underground) threat.It’s got a good deal of suspense, plenty of humor, and quite a lot of action/excitement packed into a briskly-paced filmthat doesn’t exceed 90 minutes by much, with that runtime also ensuringTremorsdoesn’t run the risk of overstaying its welcome.
5’Gamera 2: Attack of Legion' (1996)
Directed by Shusuke Kaneko
For a bit of a history ofGamera, perhaps a little simplified, his first movies came out in the 1960s, and they did, for a while, kind of feel likeGodzillaknock-offs. Some of them were funny because of how silly they were, but then others just felt dreadfully cheap; lazy in comparison to the lower-budgetedGodzillamovies which,besidesAll Monsters Attack, often felt low-budget in charming/endearing ways.
But then in the 1990s,Gamerawas made a hell of a lot cooler, with the Heisei era ofGameraflicks being great, and potentially even better than some of theGodzillamovies coming out around the same time. 1995’sGamera: Guardian of the Universegot things off to a strong start, but then the second film in the trilogy,Gamera 2: Attack of Legion,helped makeGamera even more of a cinematic forceto be reckoned with. And yet, the best was still to come…
Gamera 2: Attack of Legion
4’Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah' (1991)
Directed by Kazuki Ōmori
While not everyGodzillamovie can be called gonzo,Godzilla vs. King Ghidorahcertainly can. It’s a movie that might sound like typical stuff for theGodzillaseries, especially because King Ghidorah is such an iconic and continually recurring villain, but mostGodzillafilms—Ghidorah-filled or otherwise—don’t go so far as to include time travel as a vital element of their narratives.
Though it jumps back and then forward again in time,Godzilla vs. King Ghidorahnever stops moving forward as far as pacing is concerned. It’s constantly ridiculous, over-the-top, and exceptionally entertaining. Those who prefer thedarker or more contemplativeGodzillafilms(think the original from 1954) might not click with this one quite as much, butif you want a good mindless, playful, and oftentimes goofy monster flick,Godzilla vs. King Ghidorahsatisfies.
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah
3’Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris' (1999)
More than just a greatGameramovie,Gamera 3: Revenge of Irisis up there among the bestgiant monster movies of the past few decades. It concludes the aforementioned Heisei trilogy on an undeniable high, with the plot here concerning having to deal with an old threat while displaying increasingly erratic behavior, throwing into question the idea of whether he is still worthy of being called humanity’s protector.
Gamera 3: Revenge of Irisgets prettydark and emotionally intense at times, especially in its surprisingly good non-monster-focused scenes, but it’s never overly depressing. It remembers to include plenty of spectacle and action, and largely does for Gamera, as a character, what a certain 1995 film did for Godzilla, as a legendary character. Speaking of thatGodzillamovie that came out in 1995…
Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris
2’Godzilla vs. Destoroyah' (1995)
WhileGodzilla vs. Destoroyahwas the finalGodzillafilm of the Heisei era, it wasn’t technically the finalGodzillafilm of the 1990s, given that the Millennium era began in the final year of the decade, with the release ofGodzilla 2000: Millennium. Still,Godzilla vs. Destoroyahcan be calledthe greatestGodzillafilm of the 1990s, and, if you discount the original 1954 film, there’s an argument to be made that it’s the bestGodzillafilm of the 20th century.
Speaking of the originalGodzillamovie,Godzilla vs. Destoroyahhas a plot that concerns the aftermath of that film pretty directly, with Destoroyah being a foe who’s evolved thanks to the effects of the 1954 film’s Oxygen Destroyer: the weapon that originally killed Godzilla. It’s a dark film and one that definitely feels like a final statement for one era ofGodzillamovies and,if it had been the finalGodzillamovie overall, it also would’ve felt like a fitting way to conclude the entire series/franchise.
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
1’Jurassic Park' (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
So long as you’re okay with counting dinosaurs as monsters, then yes:Jurassic Parkis obviously the best monster movie of the 1990s, and that’s as easy to claim asJawsbeingthe best shark movie of all time.Steven Spielbergwill always be known for more than just those two movies, sure, but his talents as a filmmaker have basically ensured no one will ever make a better dinosaur or shark movie.
And that’s okay.Jurassic Parkis perfect, and every human being either has to learn to accept—or has already accepted—the idea that perfection cannot be improved upon.Jurassic Parkhaseverything, from groundbreaking special effects to memorable dialogue to great characters to immense imagination to pitch-perfect pacing, and it’s a joy to watch and rewatch over and over again, being one of those wonderful (and rare) movies that never really gets old.
