AtoZ2018 - D is for ... #MovieMonsters #AtoZChallenge

D is for ... Dinosaurs

Half way through the first week of the AtoZChallenge, pat yourself on the back for getting this far. I hope you are enjoying my choices of movie monsters, today I have my first theme within a theme post. All of my monsters today are dinosaurs of some description, even if they are mutant ones. There were many to choose from, but I have selected 3.

Scariness Rating

The little skulls by their name are my scariness rating as to how monstrous and scary I think the creatures are when seen in their films.

•  1 skull (not scary at all) - 5 skulls (very scary)
•  and there is a special rating for a few - 5 red skulls (utterly terrifying)

Velociraptors (Jurassic Park)

So the T-Rex in Jurrasic Park was magnificent and scary, but, let's face it, the Velociraptors were more so. The whole stomp, stomp chasing the car and eating the lawyer put the T-Rex on the map, but the scariest scene in the movie is in the kitchen.

The fact the raptors are so intelligent and work as a team makes them that much more scary. They are big (compared to a human) and fast and so very, very deadly. They are the perfect predator and make us squishy humans looks so incredibly pathetic.

I don't think I know anyone who hasn't seen Jurassic Park, or at least heard of it. It's one of those movies that is so iconic it's mainstream.

Rhedosaurus (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms)

The Rhedosaurus is a Ray Harryhausen classic from 1953. This beasty was frozen in ice in the Arctic and held in suspended animation, until released by a nuclear bomb test.

One of the test team actually saw it thawed out, but he was the only survivor, so, of course, they think he's delusional. Meanwhile this stop motion monster goes on a spree of sinking ships and buildings, until it reaches Manhattan. Here they try to kill it, but it bleeds and shows it is twice as deadly, because there is an ancient contagion in its blood. How will they stop it? (I feel there should be a dun dun dun in here :)).

What with all of us being used to CGI, sometimes the stop motion effects can seem corny, but they are so beautifully produced. This is not a very scary monster, but he is a classic.

Godzilla (Gojira)

How could I have a D is for dinosaur without mentioning the greatest dino-style monster of them all - Godzilla.

I first saw Godzilla in the 70s cartoon Godzilla, which was a staple of my childhood. To this day I can still sing the theme tune (see below). However, it is much older than that. Godzilla started in 1954 and it is a huge, prehistoric monster, who has been given greater power by nuclear radiation.

Godzilla's skin is deliberately inspired by keloid scars as seen on survivors of Hiroshima.

Over the years Godzilla has been played by men in suits, been animated in pen and ink, and of course had been CGI'd into existence. As an iconic monster, Godzilla has gone down in history and all should beware its 'atomic breath'.

Indominus Rex (Jurassic World)

And so back round the the Jurassic universe to Jurassic World. Now many people disliked this movie for various reasons (I rather enjoyed it), but either way, the Indominus Rex is a great monster.

She is a genetically engineered hybrid, has the size of the T-Rex, the intelligence of the velociraptors and the arsenal of both plus some, and she can convince other raptors to join her cause. She can mask her heat signature and camouflage herself, making her so very, very dangerous.

This is one truly special monster.

Q: What is your favourite dinosaur monster? Have you ever seen the 70s cartoon and can you hear the theme tune in your head without rewatching it?

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