In this blog entry for the Herald, I celebrate the insane magnitude of the title creature in the frankly awesome Kong: Skull Island by citing some of the biggest movie monsters ever. Most of them are recent. The modern era has been kind to gargantuan beasties.

The principal manner in which the new blockbuster Kong: Skull Island (now showing in NZ theatres) distinguishes itself from previous King Kong movies, particularly Peter Jackson’s still underrated 2005 film, is through the sheer size of its titular monster—this is the biggest Kong ever seen in an English-language iteration of the character.

To mark the magnificent monkey’s mammoth magnitude, here I will cite the biggest movie monsters ever. Starting from now, looking back into cinematic history.

Kong from Kong: Skull Island (2017)

The new Kong was always going to have to be a biggie, as before the film had even completed production it was announced that he would square off against the giant lizard from the next entry in this list in 2020’s Godzilla Vs. Kong. The inspiration for that showdown comes from Japanese film company (and creators of Godzilla) Toho’s licensed usage of Kong in 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla.