Who is America's Giant Monster?

As a fan of giant monster's I often think about things that may never cross the mind of a non-fan. Who would win; Godzilla or Gamera? Is the Giant Claw really as big as a Battleship? Will there ever be a Gorgo sequel? Who is America's Giant Monster? That last one has been on my mind for a few weeks now. Actually I've been using it as inspiration to create my own Giant Monster and Universe. But I still ask; Who is America's Giant Monster?

I think to answer that question we have to establish what makes something like a Kaiju an icon on a national, or international, scale. Godzilla has existed since 1953, and was created as an allegory for nuclear devastation and death. Starring in nearly 30 films created by Japan's TOHO Co. LTD., he has been a horror, a superhero, a savior, and a deity. His longevity could only be compared to such characters as James Bond and Batman. Two character's who have also traveled to countless area's of creativity in their native mediums and beyond. It seems that icon's can be anything at any time, from thoughtful and real to cartoony and fun. Maybe that's the secret, than again there are plenty of character's who have only been in a single film and have earned some measure of fame.

So what is it? At the end of the day it's likely many different thing's. For some it's the right place at the right time, for other's nostalgia can be a powerful thing. But no matter the circumstances the power of an icon can't be denied. Virtually everyone knows something about Godzilla, Bond and Batman.

This ultimately feeds directly into my question; Who Is America's Giant Monster? When you think of Godzilla, what do you think of? Monster Battles, Model cities and armies being wiped out, Japan. Japan and Godzilla go together like peanut-butter and jelly. So much so, that Gamera, another giant reptile from Japan, is often overshadowed almost into non-existence. When I think of England, I think of Gorgo, a giant sea-monster whose mother ravaged London in the film of the same name. When I think of Denmark, I think of Reptilicus, a flying serpent and the only Danish monster in existence. But who do you think of when you think of America? I'm thinking I know exactly who you're thinking of.

The original KING KONG was released in 1933.

In fact I'm willing to bet that most people think of King Kong right away. Actually, I bet everyone thinks of Kong without even thinking. It's like a reflex; American monster, King Kong. But is Kong really America's monster. Let's look at the fact's;

1933's KINGKONG, SONofKONG followed 9 Months later.

Kong first appeared in the 1933 film of the same name. And was one of the first movies to ever use the revolutionary process of stop-motion to create Kong and the dinosaurs which lived on Skull Island. The film is often regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time. And served as inspiration for countless film-makers and creature creators for decades. We all know how it end's, but there was still a sequel released only month's later; The Son of Kong. Which featured another giant ape, the Son of Kong, once again on Skull Island. However, without spoiling anything, there simply wasn't any room for yet another sequel. Since the original films Kong has been featured in numerous comic books, and novels, but lets stick with his appearances on screen both big and small.

Kong in Japan; KingKongVSGodzilla(1962)/TheKingKongShow(1966)/KingKongEscapes(1967).

Moving on and Kong's next appearance is in the 1960's. This time he is once again found on an island, is brought to civilization, and goes toe-to-toe with Godzilla. The making of TOHO's KingKong VS. Godzilla is a very long and fascinating story and I encourage everyone to go look it up. Because the making of that film actually has influences and connections all over the place and you could write more than a few books on the subject. After this appearance Kong went on to star in his own cartoon series produced in Japan in which he befriends a family and goes on adventures, called The KingKongShow. It didn't run for very long but is still remembered. Not too long after that however he starred in his own TOHO film with KingKong Escapes. In this movie Kong is once again found on an island, is brought to civilization, but this time around he has to face a powerful robot version of himself called MechaniKong, created by an evil scientist. There was another TOHO Kong film planned, actually inspired by the cartoon series, but it would eventually be re-written and become a movie starring Godzilla. After KingKong Escapes it would be another decade before Kong returned to the screen.

The first Kong remake; KingKong (1976) and it's sequel KingKongLives! (1986)

In 1976 Producer Dino De Laurentiis Produced the first remake of KingKong. And this was the first time the character had been in an American film in a little over 40 years. Starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange this time around Kong was realized in the same way he had been in his TOHO incarnation, a man in a suit. In this case the Kong suit was created, and worn, by Academy Award winning creature creator Rick Baker. It went on to be a commercial success. And spawned a sequel of it's own; KingKong Lives! 10 years later. A commercial failure, creature creator Rick baker was not involved in any way. In the sequel as Kong is brought back to life, using what may the be the largest artificial heart ever seen, a second, female, member of his species is discovered in Borneo. When the two are finally brought together, Kong brakes them out of containment and they go on the run from the U.S. military. I won't spoil how it all ends but I will say that in the final scenes there is clearly what could be viewed as a setup for a third movie, but KingKong3 ultimately never came to be.

Musical; TheMightyKong (1998) and Adventure; Kong:TheAnimatedSeries (2000).

In 1998 an animated musical called TheMightyKong was released to the home market in an attempt to cash in on SONY's big-screen remake of Godzilla. It starred Jodi Benson and the late Dudley Moore in his final role. The musical was more or less another remake of the original film, but unfortunately it contained a story that was heavily edited to be "family friendly". There is no violence and the final ending was changed so that Kong survived. This feature is universally panned by both viewers and critics. A few years later, as an animated series featuring the SONY Godzilla was airing an animated series featuring Kong was created as direct competition. KONG:The Animated Series was set in what may have been the not-to-distant future and followed the adventures of Kong, a clone of the original 1933 creature, and his human allies as he faces the machinations and greed of an evil Archaeologist who seeks ultimate power. There is a heavy science fiction element to the series which is a bit awkward to explain, but week after week episodes would feature Kong and friends facing evil schemes and giant monsters. The animated series would be followed by two direct-to-video features and two GAMEBOY video games.

KingKong (2005) brought to you by the Director of TheLordOfTheRings.

In 2005 after years of development, and false starts and stops. Director Peter Jackson finally saw the release of his long dreamed remake of KingKong. A childhood ambition, Jackson brought everything he had learned in his career, and especially the experience he had gained making the LordOfTheRingsTrilogy, to the table. Funny enough Jackson had been approached for the project before he ever made the LordOfTheRings. And with the backing of UNIVERSAL, who had been trying to remake KingKong for decades, his dream became reality. Jackson, a life-long Kong fan, he owns one of the largest Kong collections in the world and even took time out of production to recreate one of several lost scenes from the 1933 film called the 'Spider-Pit' sequence for the release of the special uncut DVD of the original movie complete with stop-motion effects, obsessed over every detail and design. Rewriting the script while in production, and working on Kong's look for years, this was nothing less than a true labor of love. He even included a 2005 version of the lost 'Spider-Pit' sequence to make his Kong even truer to the original. Kong, and the other creatures of Skull Island, this time were brought to life using state of the art CGI pioneered by Jackson's company WETA. The film, starring Naomi Watts, Adrien Brody, Jack Black and Andy Serkis, was released to positive reviews and audience response. It went on to become an award winner and commercial success.

While in production Jackson kept an online video journal of everything going on. And in one episode he and the cast and crew, as an April Fools joke, announced that they had begun planning not one but two sequels. These fake sequels would follow the SonofKong as he, along with several main characters from the first film, fought off the Nazi's during WW2. This entry in the video journals was quite well done, featuring fake; concept art, animatics, set designs, and interviews. It went on to fool a great many people looking forward to the 2005 film. And was posted just about anywhere you could think of.

Almost 80 years of Legacy behind him, but where do we go from here?

That doesn't cover everything Kong related, but it's still quite a bit to go on. Kong like many characters has crossed genre, and artistic mediums. He is known all around the world, and comes to mind when you think of America and giant monsters. The problem though is simply this; it seems that every attempt to continue his story past the initial introduction either falls flat or doesn't last very long. If Kong is America's giant monster than he needs keep going beyond 1 or 2 movies or even an animated series.

But it seems like death, or obscurity, is around every corner. How do we get around this, the answer may be in 1933. TheSonOfKong. If we allow Kong to meet his fate, than his Son may be the only logical way to continue, short of cloning the original as in the animated series of course. I don't know about you but I'd be very into seeing the SonOfKong facing off with other giant monsters in an ongoing film series. Plus, because his Son is already apparently albino and a completely out of nowhere character you could think of any number of origins. Genetic experiment? Long lost hybrid offspring? And any limitation Kong had, such as the fact that he is incredibly small compared to other giant monsters, you could remove and his Son's potential could be limitless. Thinking about it, it kind of makes you wonder why no one is interested in doing it.

**UPDATE** 20thCenturyFox has announced that they are going ahead with an animated feature told from Kong's perspective. **END OF UPDATE**

Where do we go from here? Well, film history is filled with giant monsters who have attacked America. From the GiantClaw in TheGiantClaw, to the Rhedosaurus in TheBeastFrom20,000Fathoms, to Graboids from the Tremors films and series, to the 1998 SONY American Godzilla (just needs a name change), to Cloverfield from Cloverfield, to even the DeadlyMantis from TheDeadlyMantis. There are many, many, giant monsters in American cinema. But which is The American Monster? What do you think?

TOP(Left To Right); TheGiantClaw, TheDeadlyMantis, Graboid, 1998Godzilla. BOTTOM(Left To Right); Rhedosaurus, Cloverfield, 2005KingKong.

I've already touched on SONY's 1998 Godzilla before. But I'll say again, the character is worth bringing back if it's by a different name than that's fine. Aside from Kong and Zilla, I was also thinking about Rhedosaurus. He's a great creature, he along with Kong actually served as inspiration for the original Japanese Godzilla, and again has some potential.

The Rhedosaurus first appeared in 1953's TheBeastFrom20,000Fathoms.

TheBeastFrom20,000Fathoms was based on a short story called 'TheFogHorn' by Ray Bradbury and is best known for its fantastic stop-motion by film legend Ray Harryhausen. In the film an Atomic test in the Arctic Circle awakens a frozen, prehistoric, predator who goes on a rampage down America's East Coast and attacks New York City. To this day it stands as one of the great monster movies. And was among the first to usher in the Atomic Age of movie monsters.

One of the criticisms of the 1998 Godzilla was that the creature had more in common with Rhedosaurus than the original Godzilla. While that may be a negative thing to some, I simply see that as reiterating Rhedosaurus' position in the public consciousness. He's a classic, clips from the film have been used in several TV shows and movies over the decades. Not only did he inspire Godzilla, but also Gorgo, TheGiantBehemoth, THEM! and countless others. And a physical approximation of the character had a cameo in the low-budget movie PlanetOfTheDinosaurs. Of the classic monsters on the micro-list above he's the one that would be most appropriate for a major comeback and ongoing series.

The Rhedosaurus rampages through New York in 1953, and in 1978 may have appeared on the PlanetOfTheDinosaurs.

At the same time of course we could also go with something a bit different and embrace a monster like the GiantClaw. But could you get behind the adventures of a massive space faring, or ancient, vulture? I'm willing to give anything a chance.

1957's TheGiantClaw.

Widely mocked and considered not only obscure but almost an in-joke for monster movie fans. TheGiantClaw was released in 1957 to not exactly a great reception. Audiences often laughed any time the titular creature appeared on screen, a result of an odd design and poor effects. Actors featured in the film walked out of screenings as they realized just how terribly it was being received. In the film, the GiantClaw appears during a radar test and begins attacking jets and ultimately New York. While most monsters often have a singular definitive origin, the GiantClaw has two. The initial thought being that it came from deep within an Antimatter Galaxy, while later its put forward that its a beast from 17 Million B.C.. Cosmic terror or living fossil, how different can you get.

TheGiantClaw has since become, understandably, a cult film. And a regular in the bootleg film market. While Kong, Zilla, or Rhedosaurus would benefit from a comeback. GiantClaw would benefit from a total rethinking. We're talking; redesign him, create a definitive origin, and take a unique story approach. Only than might he, or she, be able to join the New Age of the Giant Monster.

A Return of the GiantClaw?

Or maybe, I'm just crazy.