“King Kong” has become an icon of cinema and pop culture. The character and films have inspired countless rip-off movies, theme park rides and the videogame character Donkey Kong (Universal even sued Nintendo at one point). The character has even had cameo appearances in other movies such as “Ready Player One” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy”. Here’s my personal ranking of the all the “King Kong” films.

9. King Kong vs. Godzilla

The original showdown between cinema’s greatest giant monsters. While the end battle is a cheesy fun (it’s hilarious when Kong shoves a tree in Godzilla’s mouth), a lot of the movie is pretty boring. The Kong costume also looks horrendous.

8. King Kong Escapes

Another Japanese “King Kong” movie. This one sees King Kong fight the robot MechaKong. It’s pretty much the same as “King Kong vs. Godzilla” but it’s a little more exciting.

7. King Kong Lives

King Kong is out for a mate in “King Kong Lives”, the sequel to the 1976 remake. While this one has a few decent moments, a lot of it is pretty underwhelming. The movie also stars Linda Hamilton shortly after she had her big role as Sarah Connor in “The Terminator”.

6. King Kong (1976)

While it doesn’t really add anything of value, I still have a soft spot for the 1976 remake. The movie stars Jeff Bridges (“Tron”, “The Big Lebowski”). It’s also notable for switch the Empire State Buildings for the World Trade Centre.

5. Son Of Kong

Often forgotten, this was one of the first big movie sequels. While it never matches the first movie, it is still worth checking out for fans. One of the shots featuring pterodactyls flying was even used in the magnificent “Citizen Kane”.

4. Godzilla vs. Kong

The 2021 rematch was a big improvement over the 1960s original. Better special effects allow for a far more impressive showdown. It was really satisfying to see these two finally battle again after all these years.

3. King Kong (2005)

The Peter Jackson (“Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”) remake got some criticism for being a little too long. While it certainly takes its time, the middle section of the movie is just terrific. Kong looks fantastic and the sense of adventure is just great. The film also has an all-star cast with Naomi Watts (“The Ring”), Jack Black (“Nacho Libre”) and Adrien Brody (“The Pianist”). It’s very faithful to the original and feels like a more justified update than the 1976 version.

2. Kong: Skull Island

“Kong: Skull Island” blends monster action with a Vietnam War aesthetic. With some truly amazing action sequences, I was very impressed with how this one did something different with Kong as we already had the great Peter Jackson remake. Samuel L. Jackson (“Pulp Fiction”), John Goodman (“The Flintstones”) and Tom Hiddleston (“Thor”) all appear with Jackson probably being my favourite.

1. King Kong

The original classic from 1933 still stands as the best of the bunch. Despite the dated effects, there is something still remarkable about it. Unlike the 2005 remake, this one doesn’t waste any time and gets us to the island much faster. For a film so old, it’s incredible how it still sucks you into the brilliant adventure in a strange land.

“Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” is an overlooked entry in the “Godzilla” franchise. It’s a big improvement after the seriously disappointing “Godzilla 2000” failed to capture my interest. Like most of the ones the 2000s “Godzilla” movies, this one is another reboot that ignores any of the other instalments besides the original 1954 film.

Every time that Japan tries to utilise nuclear power, Godzilla attacks the nation. With continuing energy problems, scientists come up with a new weapon that may finally destroy Godzilla for good. They intend to suck up the monster in an artificial black hole. However, another giant monster, Megaguirus appears. Japanese authorities now must wait to see who the victor is as the two monsters begin their battle.

While none of the “Godzilla” films have the most fascinating characters, the ones we have here actually are not that bad. Of course, the focus is still on the giant monsters. Godzilla looks great for the most part. Megaguirus and the other smaller insect monsters that you see are also quite impressive. Megaguirus is maybe not the best foe from the series but I do think the design is rather good. It’s great watching the two monsters fight as they cause mass destruction.

“Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” has some interesting ideas and I really like the whole concept of the black hole weapon as it’s certainly a nice change from stuff we have seen in other “Godzilla” movies. I actually really liked this film considering it’s not one that seems to be brought up a lot by fans. I think the action sequences are very satisfying and some of the plot points about Japan’s energy struggles are intriguing. Of course, people that are not really into giant monster films are probably not going to like this. However, if you like “Godzilla” or giant monster films in general then this one is worth seeing.

“Cosmic Sin” is an appropriately titled movie because it is pretty darn bad. It’s a lot like the movie “Doom” but instead of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in the starring role, we have a completely bored Bruce Willis (“Die Hard”, “The Last Boy Scout”).

“Cosmic Sin” is set in the distant future where mankind has been colonising other worlds for centuries. James Ford (Willis) is an ex-military man called out of retirement after aliens are discovered. When they prove to be hostile during the first encounter, Ford suggests destroying them entirely before they can launch a full-scale attack. Would this be an unjustifiable genocidal act or a sensible means of protecting humanity?

I’ve never seen an actor look more bored than Bruce Willis does in this movie. Even Steven Seagal (“Pistol Whipped”) has more enthusiasm in his recent movies. Willis was once energetic and likeable in his movies but here, he seems completely detached from anything and everything that is happening. The other characters are really boring too. Most of the humans wear these stupid space suits that look a little bit like knock-off versions of the ones from the “Halo” videogames. The aliens are rather unremarkable and seem more like zombies.

While some of the ideas in this movie are interesting, it pretty much just ends up being a whole movie of watching Bruce Willis shooting at a few alien zombies while looking like he can’t wait for the movie to be over. The special effects are horrendous during a few scenes. A lot of the movie is just really dark and it can be hard to see what is going on. If you’ve seen the “Doom” movie and any of the recent Bruce Willis movies where he’s incapable of caring about his performance then in your mind, you can pretty much put “Cosmic Sin” together.

“Re-Animator” is one of the goriest horror movies you’ll ever see full of lots of gruesome acts of violence and a lot of nudity but the movie manages to justify all of this with a very smart script and some excellent humour. “Re-Animator” is a really great horror comedy up there with “Gremlins”.

In “Re-Animator”, Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott “Bad Dreams”) is a dedicated medical student and he’s in love with the dean’s daughter (Barbara Crampton “Fraternity Vacation”). Things starting getting weird for Cain when the arrogant and unpleasant Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs “The Frighteners”) joins his school and moves into his apartment as West has developed a formula for re-animating the dead.

Herbert West is a great film character done in the style of Doctor Frankenstein; they’re both obsessed with their work and somewhat blind to horrifying nature of the creatures they create. Jeffrey Combs does a remarkable job as West. I think the character of Dan is a lot less interesting than West but he still works fine and Bruce Abbott’s performance is okay. Barbara Crampton is good as Megan. The real villain of the movie is not West but rather Doctor Hill (David Gale), who intends to use West’s serum for his own evil purposes. The special effects in the movie are terrific as we see lots of weird looking re-animated people and there’s evil a re-animated cat thrown in there.

Do not confuse “Re-Animator” with mindlessly violent rubbish such as “Friday The 13th” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” because although they feature the same levels of gore as this movie, they don’t have the intelligence and the sense of humour. I would instead compare this film to other horror comedies such as “Army Of Darkness” and “Gremlins”. “Re-Animator” contains many truly crazy sequences such as one in which a man’s decapitated head is placed in a bag so that his body, which has a dummy’s head resting on its shoulders, can carry it. If you want an insane but smart movie, this is certainly worth checking out.

Steven Spielberg (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”) has delivered another true classic with “Ready Player One”. This is arguably the ultimate love letter to pop culture with literally hundreds of references to movies, tv shows, videogames, comics and music. However, it also works as a fun adventure flick and a commentary on technology and consumerism.

Set in 2045, “Ready Player One” depicts a world where millions of people across the world escape the grim nature of reality by playing on the OASIS, an immersive virtual universe. When the creator of the OASIS (Mark Rylance “Dunkirk”) died, he revealed that inside the OASIS is an Easter egg and whoever finds it will become the heir to his fortune. Wade Wilson (Tye Sheridan “X-Men: Apocalypse”) plays online as his digital counterpart, Parzival, to find the Easter egg.

The main characters in the movie are actually fairly likeable and while I did not necessarily like the look of the effects for their online avatars, it works fine considering that it is meant to be a computer game character. I really like the villainous Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”). There are countless cameo appearances so keep an eye out for King Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog, Duke Nukem, He-Man, Freddy Krueger, Batman, the Iron Giant, Boba Fett and many, many more.

The film includes so many references, it is unbelievable. This is a movie that throws in conversations about “Buckaroo Banzai Across The 8th Dimension”, has a fight scene between one of the robots from “Mobile Suit Gundam” and Mechagodzilla and features a race scene involving the Batmobile and the DeLorean from “Back To The Future”. This is a true spectacle that contains some very interesting concepts, some very unique moments and it was clearly made by people that adore pop culture. Some may find it overwhelming (particularly if they are unfamiliar with many of the references) but you have to see “Ready Player One” if you are a true fan of cinema.

“Raw Deal” is another action flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (“The Terminator”, “True Lies”). However, unlike the majority of his other films (even many of the bad ones), it seems to lack any real spark or personality. These are things that have helped separate Schwarzenegger’s pictures from most of the competition so this one is a real disappointment.

In this film, Schwarzenegger plays a former-F.B.I. agent, who gets the chance to go undercover on an off-the-books operation to infiltrate a vicious gang of Chicago mobsters and ultimately bring down their operation. The idea of the protagonist going undercover to bring down the bad guys is one of the most used formulas in action films and this one seems to enjoy following the rulebook exactly.

Schwarzenegger himself is not as good as he is in many of his other roles, simply because the script isn’t there to support him. There’s a female in the form of Kathryn Harold (“The Hunter”) but the film never really explains her importance, she’s just there from time to time. Interestingly, the main bad guy (Sam Wanamaker “Superman IV”) and the main henchman (Robert Davi “Licence To Kill”) are pretty good but they get very little screen-time.

I guess some of the action sequences are good but I would’ve enjoyed them a lot more had the whole film been a little better. The one-liners aren’t there, the good story isn’t there and the characters certainly aren’t. This is another action film that believes action is the only thing you need to make it work. Although it’s definitely not Schwarzenegger’s worst film, it’s definitely one of his blandest and in a way, being bland is worse than being bad because at least some of the really bad stuff is stuff you can remember. “Raw Deal” certainly shouldn’t be one to look out for (unless you’ve exhausted most of the Schwarzenegger library).

“Mr. Bean” is an iconic British comedy series that has made people across the world laugh. Starring Rowan Atkinson (“Blackadder”), the series was known for relying almost entirely on slapstick antics and is very reminiscent of the comedies of the silent era. Here, I give you a list of my personal favourites.

5. Tee Off, Mr. Bean

After some antics at the launderette, Mr. Bean goes off to play some crazy golf. However, his poor aim leads to him racking up a truly insane score.

4. Mr. Bean

The very first episode of the series is still one of the best. From the moment the character is introduced, we know he’s going to be comedy gold. Mr. Bean causes mischief as tries to cheat in a maths exam and struggles to stay awake during a church service.

3. Hair By Mr. Bean Of London

Mr. Bean gives out some terrible haircuts before heading off to a fete where he enters his stuffed toy ‘Teddy’ into a dog show. It all ends with him accidentally shipping himself to Moscow.

2. Merry Christmas, Mr. Bean

Mr. Bean spreads the Christmas joy in this episode. Whether it’s the nativity scene in Harrods or the finale involving the turkey, there are just so many wonderful moments in here. It’s one of my favourite Christmas specials ever.

1. Mr. Bean In Room 426

To me, the funniest one will always be “Mr. Bean In Room 426”. Seeing Mr. Bean cause so much havoc in a hotel is just darn hilarious. The sequence on the stairs with the old people is brilliant and the way he tries to irritate a fellow guest for no real reason is just brilliant.

I love the martial arts genre despite the fact that there are plenty of terrible films in it. Some films deserve the criticism they receive while others don’t and some just get overlooked completely. Here’s a list of some underrated ones that you should check out.

5. Revenge of the Ninja

There were a lot of ninja movies made in the 80s but “Revenge of the Ninja” with Shô Kosugi (“Black Eagle”) is one that deserves a little more love. It’s undeniably goofy but what do you expect with that title? It’s got a few really fun fight scenes and I found it to be way better than other films of the era such as “Ninja Terminator” and “American Ninja”.

4. Triple Threat

“Triple Threat” is a lot like “The Expendables” but with a greater focus on martial arts stars rather than more general action stars. Its cast includes Tonya Jaa (“Ong-Bak”), Iko Uwais (“The Raid”) and Scott Adkins (“Undisputed III: Redemption”). The movie has some really impressive action sequences and should have got more attention.

3. Best of the Best

Despite having a string of sequels, “Best of the Best” never gets talked about. It’s a lot like “The Karate Kid” but with better fights and better performances. Eric Roberts (“The Dark Knight”) and James Earl Jones (“Star Wars”) appear alongside martial artist Phillip Rhee (“Ninja Turf”). It’s a really satisfying sports movie.

2. Fist of the North Star (1995)

Gary Daniels (“Firepower”, “Rage”) has done a lot of underrated martial arts movies. However, it’s his live-action version of “Fist of the North Star” that seems to be hated and I don’t really get why. It’s not as good as the anime version but I think it does a pretty good job of capturing the dystopian sci-fi aesthetic and the outrageous action.

1. Clementine

Steven Seagal (“Hard To Kill”, “Into The Sun”) has done plenty of bad movies so it’s easy for people to dismiss anything he does. However, “Clementine” is very different from really anything else he’s done. It’s a Korean drama movie with some great martial arts fights. Seagal shows up at the end of the movie and it’s probably the best fight of his entire film career.

There are few things funnier in movies than watching characters lose their tempers and have huge outbursts like children. Here is a list of outbursts that have you rolling in the aisle.

5. Room Service – Johnny Mnemonic

In sci-fi/action flick “Johnny Mnemonic”, Keanu Reeves (“The Matrix”) plays an information courier with too much data in his head. In one of the most memorable moments, he starts screaming and shouting as he demands luxuries such as room service. It’s truly hilarious.

4. Take The Pink Elephant – Darkman

While on a date at a carnival with his girlfriend, Darkman (Liam Neeson “Taken”, “Schindler’s List”) turns violent when a carnival worker refuses to give him a prize. This rather cartoonish scene ends in violence and it’s all over a stuffed pink elephant toy.

3. Car Rental – Planes, Trains & Automobiles

Steve Martin (“Roxanne”, “The Jerk”) loses his cool as he goes to hire a car. Filled with profanity, Martin goes ballistic at the woman behind the car rental desk. It’s the most shocking scene in the whole movie and shows us an angrier side of Martin than we usually get to see.

2. Alphabet Rant – Vampire’s Kiss

You could probably make an entire list of outbursts from Nicolas Cage (“Face/Off”, “The Wicker Man”) movies but probably his greatest one comes from “Vampire’s Kiss”. During a meeting with his psychiatrist, he gets incredibly aggressive while discussing an employee’s inability to retrieve a file. In the most hilarious way possible, he explains the alphabetical ordering system for files.

1. The Courtroom – Liar Liar

Jim Carrey (“Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”) plays a lawyer that finds he can’t lie for a whole day. The hilarity reaches new height during the lengthy courtroom sequence at the end where Carrey just goes absolutely crazy. It’s one of the funniest moments of his entire career as he badgers his own witness and repeatedly leaves the judge with a baffled look on his face.

Honourable mentions:
No Bonus – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

A direct sequel to “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla”. This one improves upon its predecessor by giving us more action and by throwing Mothra in the mix. The previous one felt a little tame but this one delivers the goods.

After the last battle with Godzilla, Mechagodzilla was in need of some serious repair work. The nation of Japan desperately wants the robot fixed in case Godzilla attacks again. However, Mothra wants Mechagodzilla destroyed as she will defend Japan from Godzilla. It all leads to an epic confrontation between all three monsters with the fate of the nation being decided by them.

Godzilla looks really good still and I like having him as a bad guy here. The Mechagodzilla here looks impressive too. Like I said in my “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla” review, I still preferred it when Mechagodzilla was evil rather than being controlled by the humans to save the day. It’s great seeing Mothra yet again. There are plenty of human characters but I felt like the movie knew to keep enough of the focus on the monsters. We have three giant monsters here; we don’t need a ton of information about all the human characters. I’m glad the filmmakers clearly knew that.

It may not win awards for having the best story or anything like that but when the monster carnage starts, “Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.” really packs a punch. It’s so satisfying to see all three monsters battling and knocking over everything. I think that there are some “Godzilla” films that are better but this one certainly gives you a lot of action. If you are a fan of “Godzilla” movies then make sure to check this one out. It’s not essential that you watch “Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla” but you may want to just so you fully understand everything that’s going on here.