Brand New Toho/ Godzilla Ultimates and Reaction Figures from Super7! (Toy Previews)

Anybody who knows me or follows this site knows of my undying love for Godzilla. So, it's always exciting for me and my fellow Big-G fans, when cool new collectibles are announced/ come out. As such I'm really pumped about these new upcoming releases from Super7! They include an awesome new Ultimates edition (I didn't have any Toho from these yet, yet being the key word) and a new Reaction (I do have couple of the Toho Reaction figures but none from this series obviously) series.

Blazing Godzilla

(1200° Clear Orange)

Godzilla gets more than a little hot-under-the-collar when it faces off against the mighty Destoroyah and its devastating Oxygen Destroyer Ray!

Measuring 8” tall, 4.5” wide, and a monstrous 14” long to the tip of its tail, the latest highly articulated Toho ULTIMATES! Blazing Godzilla (1200º) figure is inspired by the 1995 film Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and depicts the mighty leviathan in a fiery translucent orange colorway, and comes with snap-on flame effects, an interchangeable head, and six interchangeable claws.  

Available and shipping now at Super7.com!

You can get him at Super7 here, or you can also pre-order him at Entertainment Earth here. And, remember over on Entertainment Earth, you get free shipping on all orders $99 and greater!

Toho ReAction Figures Wave 6

Mo’ monsters, mo’ problems, unless you’re a collector of Kaiju creations, of course!

Super7’s latest lineup of Toho ReAction Figures features a trio of classic film monsters with Godzilla 1974, King Caesar, and Godzilla 1964. Help protect your collection from marauding alien robots and humans with bad intentions by adding the latest Toho ReAction Figures!

You can order the complete wave from Super7 here

King Caesar

Even Godzilla needs help dealing with the alien robot monster Mechagodzilla, and King Caesar is there to lend assistance when it matters the most!

This articulated, 3.75” scale Toho ReAction Figure of King Caesar is inspired by its appearance in the 1974 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and features Okinawa’s guardian monster looking ready to do battle with the maniacal, mechanical monster. Available now at Super7.com!

You can order him from Super7 here. Or you can pre-order him at Entertainment Earth here. 

Godzilla 1974 (Charged Up)

   When a disguised Mechagodzilla makes it look like Godzilla is on a rampage against humanity, the real King of the Monsters emerges to defend its reputation and humanity from the alien robot menace!

The latest articulated, 3.75” scale Toho ReAction Figure of Charged Up Godzilla ‘74 is inspired by its appearance in the 1974 film Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and features the mighty kaiju in a dark gray colorway with blue charged-up dorsal spike detail. Available now at Super7.com!

You can get him from Super 7 here. Or you can pre-order him from Entertainment Earth here. 

Godzilla 1964

Is Godzilla trying to attack Mothra’s egg or is he trying to free it from captivity? Either way, the citizens of Yokkaichi and Nagoya are in for a very bad day! This articulated, 3.75” scale Toho ReAction Figure of Godzilla 1964 is inspired by its appearance in the 1964 film Mothra vs. Godzilla and features the mighty leviathan ready to battle the colossal insect god, with distinct, prominent eyebrow detail. Available now at Super7.com!

You can get him at Super7 here. Or you can pre-order him at Entertainment Earth here. 

What do you think of these figures? Are you planning to get any of them? Let me know in the comments section below. 

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The 10 Best Kaijus (Giant Monsters) from Toho Studios

As a lifelong monster fan, I have loved Godzilla and his friends and foes ever since I was a kid. And, with the latest in Legendary Films Monsterverse movie, the long awaited Godzilla Vs. Kong, coming out to theaters and HBO Max on March 31, 2021, it seemed like the perfect time to talk about the best of the best. Here then are the 10 best of Toho Studio's giant monsters.

Honorable Mentions:

Gargantuas

Mechgodzilla versions 2&3
Orga

Special Honorable Mention:

King Kong isn't a Toho creation, but he appeared in two Toho films, King Kong Vs. Godzilla and King Kong Escapes. He also appeared in the Legandary Monsterverse movie Kong: Skull Island, and, of course, in the aforementioned, Godzilla Vs. Kong. But, while he's one of the greatest monsters, ever (giant or otherwise), he isn't really appropriate for this list, being an American creation leant to Toho. But, I would be wrong to not mention him and given him his much deserved respect.

10. Biollante- One of the biggest of all of Godzilla's foes, Biollante is an awesome and highly original sight to behold. Extremely powerful and neither truly good nor bad. she is a kick ass monster that should've been used more than once. As, she only appeared in her own movie, Godzilla Vs. Biollante. Also, she is the first to use Godzilla's DNA (along with plants and a dead chick), a trend that would reappear many times afterwards. 

9. Anguirus- Godzilla's bestie has been in many flicks in the franchise. He has only fought the big G, twice, and its kinda odd when he does. He doesn't have any energy blasts, but he is tough, loyal, and lovable. 

8. Hedorah- Also, known as the Smog Monster, Hedorah is a monster with three forms that is made of sludge and waste. With various powers, including an eye beam, shooting acidic sludge, the ability to drown its enemy in toxic liquid, and flying to spread his smog which turns people into skeletons. Evil and gross, he has made only two appearances in the franchise but needs to make more!

7. Destroyah- Born from mutations caused by the Oxygen Destroyer, which killed the first Big G, Destoryah looks satanic and is purely evil. He starts off as a group of deadly man-killing monsters, they join to form this extremely powerful beast. While, he only appeared once, it was in one of the best in the franchise, Godzilla Vs. Destroyah. And, he fucking KILLS Godzilla! I don't think any other monster can make that claim. 

6. Rodan- One of Toho's big five (Mothra, Mechagodzilla, King Ghidorah, and Godzilla being the other four, obviously), Rodan is essentially a giant pterodactyl. But, alas his super sonic speed causes massive destruction. Sometimes he is born of fire (which totally makes me think of the Slayer song!) and sometimes has a beam attack. He is usually a Godzilla alley, but has on occasion, been his foe. 

5. Mothra- Always a force of good, unless her larva are controlled by evil aliens like in the classic Destroy All Monsters, she is a protector of the Earth. She has powerful attacks including her hurricane causing wings, energy blasts, and her final poison attack from her wings (or stinger like in Legendry's Godzilla: King of the Monsters). Mothra has defeated Godzilla various times (more than any other monster actually) and helped him in other occasions. She has beaten many other monsters, as well and is the undisputed Queen of the Monsters!

4. Gigan- This evil cyborg alien is one of Godzilla's coolest looking foes. He has hooks for hands and a buzzsaw on his chest. as well as his energy blast. And, in Final Wars, he gets fucking chainsaw hands! How can one love monsters and horror not love that?! Plus, he is the first monster to ever make Godzilla bleed! That has to be worth some extra points right there!

3. Mechagodzilla- You could argue that good guy Mechagodzilla is more powerful, but the heel version has the better and cooler movies, in my humble opinion. In this iteration he is a weapon used by two different sets of evil aliens. He has various beam attacks, shoots rockets, has energy force field, and can disguise himself as Godzilla. He really fucks up the Big G in the awesome Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla. He does this at a degree that is worse so than any other monster had up until point. As, he makes him bleed via arterial sprays! He is set to return in Godzilla Vs. Kong, probably as a baddie, which will only further solidify his legendary status. 

2. King Ghidorah- Godzilla's number one for, he is the Joker to his Batman. As such, no one else could have had the silver medal. He has always been evil, save for his single babyface turn for the amazing GMK. His powers include his hurricane causing wings and his gravity beams. Also think of this point, Godzilla, almost always needs help to defeat him. 

1. Godzilla- Come on did you really think anyone else could or should top this list? He has been mine and many others favorite since childhood. Sometimes evil, sometimes good, sometimes a neutral force of nature, he is always the King of the Monsters. The big G is one of the most iconic characters in genre history. All hail Godzilla! 

Who are your favorite Kaijus from Toho Studios? Let me know in the comments section below.

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The 10 Best Godzilla Movies of All Time

Godzilla, the undisputed King of the Monsters, is one of the most famous beasts in cinema history. I am a life long fan of his. His films are a bigger part, if not in fact the main part, of what began my interest in monsters and horror films. And, without him, I don't know if I would be into the genre, let alone be writing about it. Including the anime (of which I am NOT a fan of) and American films there are a total of 36 Godzilla movies, which vary in quality. The following though are the creme-de-la-creme and are presented in ascending order.

10. Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah (1991)- This wild flick is the third entry in the Heisei period in the series. A triumphant return of Godzilla's greatest foe, King Ghidorah, it has time travel and some really fun and crazy plot twists. Included among these is the fuckin' awesome Mecha-King Ghidorah! The climatic battle rocks real hard!

9. Godzilla 1984/ The Return of Godzilla (1984)- This is better known in the US as Godzilla 1985, but the original Japanese cut is the vastly superior one. It's a darker more violent flick and the first in the Heisei series. You can read my full review here.

8. Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)- The final entry in Showa series is a return to the darker and more serious tone of the early films. A direct sequel to the preceding film, Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla, you can read my review of it here. 

7. Godzilla Vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)- I've loved this fan favorite ever since I was a kid. It introduces one of the Big G's most persistent foes, the robotic terror known as Mechagodzilla. This, though, remains the best movie that he was featured in. Check out my review of it here.

6. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters Attack (2001)- Sometimes referred to as Godzilla: GMK, this is an imaginative, dark, and deadly serious take on the classic Toho monsters. Godzilla is possessed by the dead souls of those who died in the Pacific War. The other monsters are re-imagined as Guardian Monsters. The destruction scenes hold much more gravitas, than they had for a very a long time.

5. Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)- The final entry in the Millennium series (as well as being the last Godzilla flick for several years), this incredibly fun and absolutely bonkers movie tends to split fans. But, I am in the camp of it being awesome as fucking hell. My full review of it is here.

4. Godzilla Vs. Destroyah- The final entry in the Heisei series this an exciting, ass kicker that also has a lot of heart. Featuring a brand new, super powerful and scary looking, and evil monster in the form of Destroyah (his only appearance thus far), it's a truly excellent monster mash. My full review is here.

3. Destroy All Monsters (1968)- Featuring many of Toho's finest, and not necessarily finest, beasts. this fun and beloved spectacle is a most for monster fans. Sure it is a lot slow in some spots, but the film always holds your interest. The destruction scenes are cool, but it is the climatic battle that truly shines. In it, all the monsters team-up to battle the evil King Ghidorah in one of the best battles in the entire series.

2. Mothra Vs. Godzilla (1964)- Without a shadow of a doubt, this classic is one of the finest kaiju movies ever made. It is also the second best entry in the entire series. Godzilla is intimidating and deadly force of destruction, while Mothra solidifies herself place as one of the greatest heroic monster ever. A childhood favorite, I'll never forget TV Guide describing it as something to the effect of: "It's excellent FX makes this a must for horror fans". Fully fucking agreed.

1. Godzilla (Gojira) (1954)- Come on man, you knew this would be number one right? The only entry in the series, that can truly be called horror, it is one of the greatest sci-fi/ horror movies ever made. Especially in it's classic uncut/ non-Raymond Burr, original Japanese version. A dark, somber masterpiece that is a powerful and haunting take on the horrors of nuclear warfare. A huge personal favorite, I have watched this one many times and will watch it many more.





That concludes this list. Agree or disagree with it? What would your top 10 Godzilla films ranking look like? Let me know in the comments section below.

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King Kong Movies, Ranked from Worst to Best

Two Fridays ago, saw the release of the latest King Kong movie, Kong: Skull Island. The movie ties into the Monster Universe that began with the last American Godzilla movie. It opened up to killer numbers. But, it is only the latest entry of one of the oldest monster franchises in cinema. Kong was very important to me  growing. Like Godzilla, he and his movies were essential to me growing up as a horror and monster fan. The following list ranks all of the official King Kong movies (IE no Kong rip-offs here), from the very worst to the best. So sit back an enjoy the giant monkey monster action!

ALL REVIEWS OUT OF 4 MONKEYS:

8. King Kong Lives- This sequel to the '76 remake is, quite frankly, one of the worst giant monster movies ever made. It is brain numbingly stupid and lame.

If you have ever wanted to see romance between two giant apes, this is the monkey turd for you!

After, falling off the World Trade Center, Kong somehow fucking survived. He has been in a coma for a decade. Linda Hamilton plays the doc who gives him a giant robot heart. He also gets a transfusion from the blood of a lady Kong, who he falls in love with. And, the evil and very stupid military want him dead.

 

 King Kong gets bloody and fucked up, in this one.

If that sounds bad, well it is. And, just wait till we find out that Lady Kong is knocked up! Featuring awful scenes where he romances her and uneven FX, it's the fucking pits. It does have a hilarious scene where Kong graphically rips an evil hilly-billy in two and swallows another one, though. That's worth something right?

Humans, especially evil ones, are yummy and nutritious!

1/2 a MONKEY

7. King Kong Vs. Godzilla- A return to the monster mashes of Universal Pictures of yore like, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf-Man, this is a decent enough flick, even if does not deliver as much of the goods as you may want it to.

Kong tries to get the King of the Monsters to eat his veggies.

The first color appearance of both beasts, the Big-G plays the baddie, with Kong as the hero. He's made much bigger here, to be able to battle Godzilla. They meet once earlier in the film, but the real battle is at the film's climax. And, it is pretty damn awesome! Too bad the rest of it somewhat of a snooze and the Kong suit is kinda lame.

Still, this is a right of passage for any monster lover. I do think the intended American remake could easily improve on it. If they don't fuck it up, of course.

2 MONKEYS

6. King Kong (1976)- The '76 version is sometimes unjustly maligned. Honestly, it's pretty decent. It is just wholly uneven. Some of the FX are terrible, others are awesome. The acting ranges from crap to good. One wishes Kong would fight more monsters, but he does have a rousing and bloody fight with a giant snake. Speaking of bloody, Kong's demise is righteously gory and actually emotional.

 

Man, that giant snake gets fucked up!

Probably the bloodiest of all the Kong deaths.

Jessica Lange is, arguably, the most beautiful of all of Kong's love interests. Sadly, this is her worst performance, ever. I don't know if this is really on the bright side, but she got kicked out of another boat cause she wouldn't watch Deep Throat with them. Maybe she wasn't a Linda Lovelace fan? Speaking of sexual stuff, she shows off more skin than any of the other Kong babes and is overall, a more sexual flicks than the other ones. That just adds to the humor and fun, I feel. And, the overall weird/ WTF feel to it all.

 

 Kong has excellent tastes in ladies!

2 1/2 MONKEYS

5. King Kong Escapes- The second and last Toho Kong flick, has him battling Mechani-Kong, his evil robot double. Thanks to a better pace than the King Kong Vs. Godzilla, I find this one more enjoyable. It is sometimes over looked. But, with a decent Universal Blu-ray release from a few years ago. It really shouldn't be.

Kong does look awful in this movie, though. As in, he looks cheap and really silly. But, hey he also fights Gorosaurus who would go on to appear in the fan favorite Destroy All Monsters!

3 MONKEYS

4. Son of Kong- Unlike the darker and more serious original, this one is pretty far from being a horror movie. It ain't great as that classic, but there is a certain charm to it. 

Monster always had Son of movies (Dracula, Frankenstein, the Blob, Gozilla), so why not Kong? A much better go around than the next time he would have offspring (see, or wait, DON'T see King Kong Lives), this one is sometimes forgotten. But, honestly it is very much worth your time. I can also see some of you ranking this one much higher, and I would be very understanding, if that is the case.

3 MONKEYS

 

3. King Kong (2005)- From a technical standpoint, Peter Jackson's take on Kong is superior than the movies up and until this point, on the list. Well, expect for some of the CGI, as it some is great (the battle with the T-Rexes is wild!), others not so much (that brontosaurs stampede sucks!).

 

The cast is pretty good, especially memorable is the beautiful Naomi Watts. Her relationship with Kong is touching. It is also clear that Jackson loves the original. Dead Alive fans will love the monkey reference in this movie. But... it is waaaaaay too long (the fact that there is a longer cut is insane!). And, some of the movie hasn't aged that well. I never feel like revisting this one, as it is never as great as it was on that first viewing in the movies.

3 MONKEYS (4 if you see it for the first time, in the movies)

2. Kong: Skull Island- Is this technically a better movie than Jackson's flick? No. But, it is more fun, and I can see myself watching this one a lot when I get it on Blu-ray. It's also more fun than the last American Godzilla flick (which I did like, BTW). The only real problem I have is that human characters suck. They are not very interesting. But, you will wanna see the bad ones die. 

Thankfully the pacing is fast and the FX are great. The monsters battles are violent and push the PG-13 rating, something that should be done more often. Shit, there is even an violent homage Cannibal Holocaust! My fellow, horror fans, let me know if you caught it! It should be noted that this is the first time that Kong does not fall in love. Even, though Brie Larson is a babe, he ain't interested in her that way. Maybe, when he battles Godzilla, next time, he will find his new blonde love?

Even if Kong doesn't love her in that way, I do!

3.5 MONKEYS

1. King Kong (1933)- Well, you knew this one would top the list. It is a fucking given, as this one of the greatest movies ever made. The FX still hold up. Rotten Tomatoes has it ranked as the greatest horror movie of all time.

It is really the only one in the franchise that is a true horror movie. The B&W cinematography adds a starkness and creepy feel to the exciting and scary dinosaur and monster attacks battles. Included among the scarier images is Kong eating and trampling natives, something that was cut from some releases many, many years ago. And, the beautiful Fay Wray is the greatest of all of Kong's love interests. All hail her, for she is horror's first scream queen!! Long story short the original King Kong is a perfect, masterpiece!

4 MONKEYS! (of course!)

Your rankings may well be different than mine. Let me know in the comments below, if they are! Or let me know if you totally agree with me. 

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