Wednesday 4 April 2018

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?

AtoZ List of All Participants

44 comments:

  1. Another great post, good Lady Tasha...

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  2. I’ve only seen the first two Jurassic Park films. I have to agree that the velociraptor is scarier even than the T Rex. I’m a fan of Ray Harryhausen but haven’t seen that one. Maybe it’s on YouTube... Yes, the Godzilla movies were a response to what happened at Hiroshima- I never did care for the American remake.

    I’ve got a cartoon tune running in my head, but not the lyrics!

    A to Z theme: Aussie Children’s Writers

    https://suebursztynski.blogspot.com.au/2018/04/a-to-z-blogging-challenge-2018-d-is-for.html

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    1. I suspect it will indeed be on youtube somewhere - or dailymotion :) You don't have the thank me for the ear-worm, it's all part of the service ;)

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  3. Hari oM
    Dinosaurs...okay, I can do dinosaurs! Diplodocus, tricerotops, pterodactyls... yes I like dinosaurs... YAM xx

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    1. I have always thought dinosaurs were awesome - ever since Primary School. I remember being obsessed for a little while (probably only a matter of weeks - but it felt like forever at that age ;)).

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  4. Jurassic park was the first movie I saw in a movie theater. I remember the effect it had on me.
    Nice read

    Tongue Twister for D

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    1. Thank you - and wow, you are making me feel old ;) The first movie I ever saw in a cinema was Pinnochio I think, when it was re-released in the late 70s.

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  5. Velociraptors. Yikes.

    Dena
    Wow that's really close up! And still sharply focused. Great shot.

    Dena
    https://denapawling.blogspot.com/

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    1. So many sharp teeth and that claw designed simply for eviscerating prey - scary!

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  6. Jurassic Park was really scary - never felt squishier in my life!

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    1. Dinosaurs do make one feel small and vulnerable, don't they :)

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  7. The 'dinosaurs' in Kong Skull Island were especially monstrous.
    Jurassic Park still rates as a great film for its special effects - I remember the gasps in the cinema and the little kids hiding under their seats.

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    1. I loved Kong Skull Island - great movie, and not just because I like to drool over Tom Hiddleston ;)
      Jurassic Park was amazing and still looks great today - a tribute to its art.

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  8. The Jurassic Park films are some of my favourite films ever. I cannot wait for the next installment!

    Down Goes Another One by McFly

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    1. They are always entertaining. I know some people didn't like Jurassic World, but I really enjoyed it.

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  9. Yeah, the raptors were the best -- and scariest! -- of the Jurassic Park cast :-)

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  10. Yeah, Godzilla, my dude! I've always been a casual fan of his, and as such hadn't heard about the keloid scars. Great bit of trivia to bring up on my next movie night, and great post!

    Song a Day
    C is for Carach Angren

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    1. I have to admit, I learned about the keloid scars from wikipedia when researching for the post :) - glad to pass it on.

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  11. I really like the Jurassic films, although I find them scary. Slightly off topic, but the theme song is magical (John Williams is an amazing composer). And now, because of this post, I have had to go and youtube the music...

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    1. The music for Jurassic park is brilliant - have you seen the clip where the conductor is in a dinosaur suit? :)
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5QCbogbOuc

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  12. Of course I can sing the theme tune!!!!

    I think that little dinosaur from Jurassic park that gets the nephew by spitting poison was pretty badass. It was deceptively cute until it attacked.

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    1. :D
      I always forget about him - yep, you are right.

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  13. Wow! This is a very very interesting theme for the A to Z Challenge! I can imagine the amount of time that you must have invested in research/gathering from your memory.

    I honestly did not know about the reason behind Godzilla's keloid scars. I never really liked Godzilla, to be frank. I found him laughable, but now I kinda know why it's an icon.

    All the best for the Challenge. Do drop by mine.

    Scripted In Sanity

    Cheers,
    CRD

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    1. Thank you - honestly, my memory for useless information like movie monsters is fantastic - it's only useful stuff I always forget ;)

      I knew of the link between Godzilla and the bombs, but the bit about the keloid scars I found when researching dates for Godzilla movies. It's amazing what your learn just browsing wikipedia!

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  14. Dinosaurs were amazing. Time simply passed them by.

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    1. It's amazing how much more we are learning from the fossil record. So many misconceptions it seems.

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  15. Ah dinosaurs are great! Never think of them as monsters, but I suppose they are really. Love your analysis.

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    1. When they're in movies they're usually the baddies, which is how I decided to define monsters :)

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  16. I definitely agree with you about the Velociraptors.

    ~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
    My A to Z’s of Dining with IC
    Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

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    1. They were scary! I did like what they did with them in Jurassic World though.

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  17. I'll be talking about Jurassic Park later and that film scared the pants off me from the first entrance of the meany to those nasty critters that work in teams. I love Godzilla and all his other companions from Rodan to Mothra and more. I have a real soft spot for Ray Harryhausen

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    1. Ray Harryhausen defines part of my childhood - so many of his films were always on at Christmas and Easter in the 70s and then 80s.

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  18. Mary and I are big Godzilla fans, our favorite movie being "King Kong vs. Godzilla." Mothra runs a close second, with the two fairies singing her song to make her appear, but she's not really a dinosaur. King Ghidora is another good dinosaur-like creature, and we can't leave out Rodan, a giant pterodactyl...

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  19. I may have seen the move Jurassic Park, on TV, but what I remember is hearing the book read on the radio.

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    1. I have never heard or read the book - was it good?

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  20. Visiting for the first time finding you on the #Challenge Participation list. It is obvious you have had fun preparing for April. I love being able to find bloggers like yourself that I invision sitting in front of their computer like me, researching, writing, finding joy. If you have time and love to read, my theme this year is BOOKSHOPS, their architecture, location and the great folks who sell books. Hopefully you can join my on the tour. Here's to lots of kindred spirits finding your theme up their alley. Congratulations on a great start. Stephenyhoughtlin.com

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    1. Thinking up the theme and rushing round Google to make sure all the letters are filled is half the fun :D Thank you so much for dropping by, I shall visit back asap.

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  21. Oh yes, the Velociraptors! They really made me jump when I saw Jurassic Park!

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    1. They made me shrink down in my seat and try and hide ;)

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  22. Dinosaurs are scary - well some are - and amazing creatures. I've even tamed a few............well, in a game I play called Ark Survival. I have a pack of those poison-spitting ones from Jurassic Park - dilophosaurs. And some raptors and T-Rexs. Great when tamed but not when they are the predators.

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