Garu-Garu returned as Garu-Garu II in the 1997 film, "Rebirth of Mothra II." In this film, after being revealed to be a robotic kaiju after being destroyed in its last outing, Garu-Garu was brought back to “life” by its master, Belvera, who also enhanced its abilities with some mechanical modifications. These abilities included new, more robotic wings with cannons mounted on them and a more powerful beam from the little creature’s mouth. Eager to once again try to destroy all humanity, Belvera and Garu-Garu II flew off to capture something known as the Ghogo. This creature was the “treasure” of an undersea kingdom called Nilai Kanai, but unknown to Belvera, Ghogo was actually a living creature. A young Japanese girl finds Ghogo first, however, and she befriends it, but is attacked and chased by Belvera and Garu-Garu II, who were spying on them and retreat only when Moll and Lora arrive on Fairy Mothra. Failing to capture Ghogo, Belvera takes control of the minds of two treasure hunters to help her capture it, but they are unable to as Belvera and Garu-Garu II’s latest evil plan is once again thwarted by the good Elias and Mothra as they fly away in retreat.
Garu-Garu II was 20 centimeters tall, 55 centimeters long, had a wingspan of 30 centimeters, and weighed 50 kilograms. This little kaiju, being completely under the control of Belvera, had limited fighting capabilities. It did, however, use these abilities effectively against Fairy with his agile flight, beam from his mouth, and cannons on its wings.
Check out this section in DECEMBER, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... GARU-GARU III!
OCTOBER 2008
EBIRAH 2004
The latest version of Ebirah made his debut in the 2004 film, "Godzilla: Final Wars." In this film it is the near future, a century of nuclear tests and modern warfare, as well as unchecked scientific advances, have resulted in serious damage to the planet’s environment. These events have also caused the creation or revival of many giant monsters. One of these monsters was Ebirah, the giant shrimp. The day that several monsters attacked cities all over the world, Ebirah rampaged through the Japanese city of Tokai. Ebirah tore through a large industrial complex, knocking down smoke stacks and causing huge explosions. The EDF quickly deploys their mutant soldiers to engage Ebirah with rocket launchers and maser rifles. The mutant soldiers split up and take tactical positions throughout the area, attacking Ebirah from all angles. The soldiers bounce around like crazy, taking the explosions and falls, but getting up to fight again. The quick and strong mutants overwhelm Ebirah and defeat him, but the giant shrimp suddenly disappears in a flash of light, as do the rest of the attacking monsters across the globe. It is soon discovered that this is being done by UFOs and after getting rid of the monsters, they all converge on Tokyo and form one gigantic ship. These aliens, called the Xiliens, convince the people of Earth that they are here to aid humanity by warning Earth about an impending danger, that the Planet Gorath is currently hurtling toward Earth and will destroy the planet unless all of Earth’s weapons are concentrated and fired at Gorath at one time. However, the Xiliens true intent is soon revealed: Gorath is a lie and they have come to Earth to make humans their food, for the Xiliens must consume the mitochodrate in human beings to survive. They also control all of the monsters that were attacking the cities, having reconstructed their DNA to include the M-Base, something that the Xiliens also have in their bodies, so that they could control them. The monsters are then once again unleashed upon the cities that they were attacking and ultimately destroy these cities, but Ebirah does not return. Meanwhile, in Japan, a plan is formed by the few survivors and they take the Gotengo down to the South Pole and release Godzilla, who is trapped in the Antarctic ice thanks to the old Gotengo and is not under the control of the Xiliens, so that he may battle the monsters. The ship succeeds and Godzilla is freed. After a brief battle with Gigan, Godzilla begins chasing the Gotengo, thinking that his fight with the battleship back in the 1960s is still on, and follows it over land and sea. Godzilla, in his quest to destroy the Gotengo, eventually arrives in Sydney, New Guinea, and later Japan where he fights and defeats the mutated desert lizard, Zilla, the giant spider Kumonga, the giant mantis Kamakiras, and the three monsters Anguirus, King Seesar, and Rodan before again returning to the ocean. Later, in Tokyo Bay, both the monsters Hedorah and Ebirah are launched out of the water and onto the city one by one, first the Smog Monster, and then the giant shrimp. Hedorah slams into a building and Ebirah lands on top of it, impaling its eyes with its pinchers. Hedorah and Ebirah shriek at one another as they crash into the building again. Godzilla then emerges from the bay, being the one who launched the two kaiju out of the water, and blasts them with his radioactive heat ray. The force of the ray sends Hedorah, Ebirah, and the building they rest against, hurtling backward until all three explode.
For Ebirah's return in 2004, the giant shrimp stood at a height of 100 meters and weighed 50,000 tons. Appearing on land for the first time in the Godzilla series, this Ebirah seemed quite mobile on land and wreaked havoc in Tokai, using his strong pinchers to punish buildings and an industrial plant. However, Ebirah was unable to overcome the combined might of the EDF and their maser rifles, or the might of Godzilla even when teamed with Hedorah, showing that this Ebirah wasn't as strong as his showa counterpart.
Check out this section in NOVEMBER, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... GARU-GARU II!
SEPTEMBER 2008
RODAN 2004
The latest version of Rodan made his debut in the 2004 film, "Godzilla: Final Wars." In this film it is the near future, a century of nuclear tests and modern warfare, as well as unchecked scientific advances, have resulted in serious damage to the planet’s environment. These events have also caused the creation or revival of many giant monsters. One of these monsters was the mutated pteranodon Rodan and the day that several monsters attacked cities all over the world, New York City did not escape this fate. In the skies above New York City, UN Secretary General Daigo is flying in his private jet, which is just about to being landing procedures when it is suddenly blown out of the sky by a giant, flying monster. Meanwhile, a cop and pimp are having an argument when suddenly the argument gets heated and they pull guns on each other. A bum on the side of the street points up, and the wind begins to kick up. They all look up and Rodan appears in the skies above, diving from the sky and passes overhead. The crowds in the streets scream and run as Rodan weaves in and out through the city’s skyscrapers, his sonic booms destroying everything in his path. He then lands, cackling on the top of a skyscraper, the roof crumbling beneath his weight as his body is silhouetted by the full moon behind him. In Japan, EDF Commander Namikawa issues an order to dispatch the aerial battleships to engage the monsters Rodan, Anguirus, and Kamakiras. The battleship “Rumbling” engages Rodan in NYC and an aerial battle ensues, but Rodan suddenly disappears in a giant flash of light, as do the rest of the attacking monsters across the globe.
It is soon discovered that this is being done by UFOs and after getting rid of the monsters, they all converge on Tokyo and form one gigantic ship. These aliens, called the Xiliens, convince the people of Earth that they are here to aid humanity by warning Earth about an impending danger, that the Planet Gorath is currently hurtling toward Earth and will destroy the planet unless all of Earth’s weapons are concentrated and fired at Gorath at one time. However, the Xiliens true intent is soon revealed: Gorath is a lie and they have come to Earth to make humans their food, for the Xiliens must consume the mitochodrate in human beings to survive. They also control all of the monsters that were attacking the cities, having reconstructed their DNA to include the M-Base, something that the Xiliens also have in their bodies, so that they could control them. The monsters are then once again unleashed upon the cities that they were attacking. Rodan suddenly reappears in New York City and continues his rampage along with hundreds of Xilien fighters. The Rumbling is overwhelmed and soon destroyed by the combination of Rodan and the Xilien fighters as New York City is left in complete ruin. Meanwhile in Japan, a plan is formed by the few survivors and they take the Gotengo down to the South Pole and release Godzilla, who is trapped in the Antarctic ice thanks to the old Gotengo and is not under the control of the Xiliens, so that he may battle the monsters. The ship succeeds and Godzilla is freed. After a brief battle with Gigan, Godzilla begins chasing the Gotengo, thinking that his fight with the battleship back in the 1960s is still on, and follows it over land and sea.
Godzilla, in his quest to destroy the Gotengo, eventually arrives in Sydney, New Guinea, and Kanto along the Japanese shoreline where he fights and defeats the mutated desert lizard, Zilla, the giant spider Kumonga, and the giant mantis Kamakiras. After defeating Kamakiras, Godzilla travels across the Japanese countryside to Mount Fuji, where the Xiliens send three monsters to engage the Monster King. Anguirus, King Seesar, and Rodan all surround Godzilla, preparing to attack. The monsters all bellow at one another and then charge at each other. Godzilla rushes toward a charging Anguirus and stomps on his head, launching himself into the air and avoiding Rodan and King Seesar, who crash into one another. Godzilla then lands and spins around, ready to engage his enemies once again. All four kaiju then go at it again, King Seesar comes at Godzilla with a flying kick, but Godzilla grabs and throws him aside. Anguirus then curls into a spiky ball and bounces at Godzilla, striking him and knocking him down. Godzilla rises, but is again taken down by Rodan, who strikes him from above. Godzilla again rises and Anguirus ends up being used as a soccer ball. King Seesar kicks Anguirus at Godzilla, who blocks and sends him flying into the sky, slamming into Rodan who goes spiraling into a nearby cliff. Godzilla then sends both Anguirus and King Seesar flying into the same cliff, piling all three knocked out kaiju on top of one another. Godzilla roars in victory and walks off, continuing his quest to destroy the Gotengo.
For Rodan's return in 2004, the samurai warrior of the sky stood at a height of 100 meters and weighed 30,000 tons. Rodan was a great destroyer of cities and army forces alike in this film, even destroying the flying battleship, The Rumbling. In battle or on rampages, the mutated pteranodon would employ his mach speed flight, powerful beak, wings that can create windstorms and sonic booms during flight, talons, his protective plate of bone/spikes on his chest, and the horns on head. With his abilities, Rodan was a fairly formidable foe in GFW, but under the control of the Xiliens was no match, not even with Anguirus and King Seesar by his side, for the mighty King of the Monsters, Godzilla. However, Rodan, along with King Seesar, and Anguirus, were the only three kaiju spared by Godzilla in the film, so he lives to fight another day.
Check out this section in OCTOBER, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... EBIRAH (2004)!
AUGUST 2008
FAIRY
Fairy made its debut in the 1996 film, "Rebirth of Mothra." In this film, born from the mind of Mothra, Fairy is the steed of two of the three Elias priestesses, Moll and Lora. Fairy was first called to aid Moll and Lora in order to retrieve the Seal of Elias that Belvera had stolen to awaken Death Ghidorah. After several battles between Mothra and Death Ghidorah / Fairy and Garu-Garu, the seal was returned and Death Ghidorah entombed once more. Later, Fairy, along with Moll & Lora, aided two children as they unraveled the mystery of Nilai-Kanai and Ghogo when the monster Dagahra returned. After Rainbow Mothra defeated Dagahra, Fairy would return once more to help defeat Grand King Ghidorah when the powerful monster attacked Earth in order to feed on the life force of the planet.
Fairy is 15 centimeters tall, 18 centimeters long, has a wingspan of 30 centimeters, and weighs 30 kilograms. This little kaiju's main weapons are, much like Garu-Garu, its agile flight and beams from its antennas, which she successfully used against the flying dragon a few times.
Check out this section in SEPTEMBER, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... RODAN (2004)!
JULY 2008
GARU-GARU
Garu-Garu made its debut in the 1996 film, "Rebirth of Mothra." In this film, much like Fairy Mothra is the transportation creature for the Elias Moll and Lora, Garu-Garu is the little flying kaiju that transports their evil sister, Belvera, where she needs to go. Completely under Belvera’s control, Garu-Garu does her bidding without question. Even going so far as attacking Moll and Lora when they tried to save a family that Belvera had under her control, as they road atop Fairy Mothra. After temporarily taking out the twin Elias and Fairy Mothra, Garu-Garu then flew Belvera to the locations where Death Ghidorah, whom Belvera released, had wreaked havoc. This continued until Garu-Garu was once again engaged by Fairy Mothra, who destroyed the little flying kaiju with a new ability it had gained. This also revealed that Garu-Garu was, in fact, a robot that Belvera had constructed, not a living creature at all.
Garu-Garu was 20 centimeters tall, 55 centimeters long, had a wingspan of 30 centimeters, and weighed 59 kilograms. This little kaiju, being completely under the control of Belvera, had limited fighting capabilities. It did, however, use these abilities effectively against Fairy with his agile flight and beam from his mouth.
Check out this section in AUGUST, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... FAIRY!
JUNE 2008
HEDORAH 2004
The latest version of Hedorah made its debut in the 2004 film, "Godzilla: Final Wars." In this film it is the near future, a century of nuclear tests and modern warfare, as well as unchecked scientific advances, have resulted in serious damage to the planet’s environment. These events have also caused the creation or revival of many giant monsters. One of these monsters was Hedorah, a mutated monster made from the very pollution we all create. However, the day that several monsters attacked cities all over the world, Hedorah did not make an appearance. Later, the all of the giant monsters suddenly disappeared in giant flashes of light all over the globe. It is soon discovered that this is being done by UFOs and after getting rid of the monsters, they all converge on Tokyo and form one gigantic ship. These aliens, called the Xiliens, convince the people of Earth that they are here to aid humanity by warning Earth about an impending danger, that the Planet Gorath is currently hurtling toward Earth and will destroy the planet unless all of Earth’s weapons are concentrated and fired at Gorath at one time. However, the Xiliens true intent is soon revealed: Gorath is a lie and they have come to Earth to make humans their food, for the Xiliens must consume the mitochodrate in human beings to survive. They also control all of the monsters that were attacking the cities, having reconstructed their DNA to include the M-Base, something that the Xiliens also have in their bodies, so that they could control them. The monsters are then once again unleashed upon the cities that they were attacking and ultimately destroy these cities. Meanwhile, in Japan, a plan is formed by the few survivors and they take the Gotengo down to the South Pole and release Godzilla, who is trapped in the Antarctic ice thanks to the old Gotengo and is not under the control of the Xiliens, so that he may battle the monsters. The ship succeeds and Godzilla is freed. After a brief battle with Gigan, Godzilla begins chasing the Gotengo, thinking that his fight with the battleship back in the 1960s is still on, and follows it over land and sea. Godzilla, in his quest to destroy the Gotengo, eventually arrives in Sydney, New Guinea, and later Japan where he fights and defeats the mutated desert lizard, Zilla, the giant spider Kumonga, the giant mantis Kamakiras, and the three monsters Anguirus, King Seesar, and Rodan before again returning to the ocean. Later, in Tokyo Bay, both the monsters Hedorah and Ebirah are launched out of the water and onto the city one by one, first the Smog Monster, and then the giant shrimp. Hedorah slams into a building and Ebirah lands on top of it, impaling its eyes with its pinchers. Hedorah and Ebirah shriek at one another as they crash into the building again. Godzilla then emerges from the bay, being the one who launched the two kaiju out of the water, and blasts them with his radioactive heat ray. The force of the ray sends Hedorah, Ebirah, and the building they rest against, hurtling backward until all three explode.
When Hedorah returned in 2004, the Smog Monster stood at a height of 120 meters and weighed 70,000 tons. Just like Gigan, this latest version of Hedorah seemed far weaker than its old counterpart from back in 1971. This Smog Monster was definatly not as strong as the one from the 1970s that took Godzilla to the brink of defeat. While not much is known about this Hedorah's fighting ability, it is assumed that this 2004 Smog Monster was capable of producing sulfuric from a body tube, throwing sludge bullets, and could produce crimson eye beams. However, Godzilla defeated Hedorah, along with Ebirah, so quickly that these fighting abilities were never witnessed.
Check out this section in JULY, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... GARU-GARU!
MAY 2008
GIGAN 2004
The latest version of Gigan made his debut in the 2004 film, "Godzilla: Final Wars." In this film it is the near future, a century of nuclear tests and modern warfare, as well as unchecked scientific advances, have resulted in serious damage to the planet’s environment. These events have also caused the creation or revival of many giant monsters. During this time, the ancient mummy of a monster has been discovered off the coast of Hokkaido by paleontologist Dr. Jinguji. The monster is excavated and moved to a giant warehouse where it is suspended by wires. Mutant soldier Shinichi Ozaki and molecular biologist Miyuki meet Dr. Jinguji at the warehouse and begin discussing the mummified monster. Dr. Jinguji explains that the monster is approximately 12,000 years old and seems to contain traces of the M-base, the same unique DNA base found in the human mutants. “How can this be and what happened to this monster?” asks Ozaki. “The monster is “Gigan”. It was defeated by Mothra,” says a pair of female voices. Suddenly, the room changes, and they find themselves in a cave. Mothra’s two Shobijin appear standing on a pedestal and explain that Gigan came to the earth thousands of years ago to destroy the planet, but Mothra defeated him. They also say that Mothra will again come to Earth’s defense, if needed, before the trio suddenly find themselves back in the lab, wondering if it was a hallucination. Meanwhile, several monsters suddenly appear and attack cities all over the world, only to suddenly disappear in giant flashes of light in the midst of their attacks. It is soon discovered that this is being done by UFOs and after getting rid of the monsters, they all converge on Tokyo and form one gigantic ship. These aliens, called the Xiliens, convince the people of Earth that they are here to aid humanity by warning Earth about an impending danger, that the Planet Gorath is currently hurtling toward Earth and will destroy the planet unless all of Earth’s weapons are concentrated and fired at Gorath at one time. However, the Xiliens true intent is soon revealed: Gorath is a lie and they have come to Earth to make humans their food, for the Xiliens must consume the mitochodrate in human beings to survive. They also control all of the monsters that were attacking the cities, having reconstructed their DNA to include the M-Base, something that the Xiliens also have in their bodies, so that they could control them. The monsters are then once again unleashed upon the cities that they were attacking, thousands of Xilien fighters also attack, and Gigan is awaked by the Xilien leader and begins destroying all the buildings around him before heading toward the Earth Defense Forces HQ and destroying it.
Meanwhile, a plan is formed by the few survivors and they take the Gotengo down to the South Pole and release Godzilla, who is trapped in the Antarctic ice thanks to the old Gotengo and is not under the control of the Xiliens, so that he may battle the monsters. The ship succeeds and Godzilla is freed, but not before Gigan arrives and strikes down the Gotengo. Godzilla rises and bellows at the cyborg kaiju, who approaches Godzilla and fires cables from his wrists at the King of the Monsters, who dodges one and grabs the other. The Monster King then pulls Gigan closer and blasts him in the face with his heat ray, destroying Gigan’s head and leaving only a smoking neck behind. With Gigan defeated, Godzilla turns his attention to the Gotengo and begins chasing it, thinking that his fight with the battleship back in the 1960s is still on, and follows it over land and sea. Godzilla, in his quest to destroy the Gotengo, eventually arrives in Australia, New Guinea, and finally Japan. Along the way he defeats the monsters Zilla, Kumonga, Kamakiras, Anguirus, King Seesar, Rodan, Hedorah, and Ebirah. Once Godzilla arrives in Tokyo, he is attacked by Monster X. The two kaiju battle back and forth until Mothra suddenly arrives and strikes Monster X with one of her wings, knocking him back. The Xilien leader then sends a repaired and upgraded Gigan after Mothra, now equipped with dual-chainsaws for hands and an armored neck brace for his replaced head. Gigan attacks Mothra and slices off part of one of her wings, knocking her out of the sky before Gigan joins Monster X in battling Godzilla. However, Mothra soon recovers and flies back to assist Godzilla, knocking both Gigan and Monster X to the ground. Gigan then turns his attention back to Mothra and the two kaiju battle once again. Gigan suddenly fires dual razor-sharp disks at Mothra from his shoulders, but the insect kaiju dodges them. Gigan then fires his cluster beam at Mothra, striking her and she bursts into flames. Then, from the smoke and flames, Gigan’s own disks boomerang back at him and slice his head off. Mothra then soars out of the smoke and slams into Gigan, apparently destroying them both.
For Gigan's return in 2004, the cyborg kaiju stood at a height of 120 meters and weighed 60,000 tons. Compared to his older version, Gigan seemed even less capable of doing battle this time around then back in the 70s. Having lost to Mothra in the past and in the present and being defeated by Godzilla twice in the present, this Gigan only tasted victory briefly when he temporarily defeated Mothra by slicing off part of one of her wings. In his original form, Gigan would attack his opponents with the following abilities: Cluster beam from his eye, flight at mach speed, hammer-claw hands/feet, buzzsaw in abdomen, sharp tooth-lined beak, able to fire cables from wrists that grab opponents, tail can grab opponents, spikes on elbows and knees. Once being upgraded after losing to Godzilla the first time, Gigan added to his weapons with the following: dual chainsaws on each hand and the ability to fire razor-sharp disks from shoulders. However, all this was not enough to defeat the likes of Godzilla or Mothra and Gigan perished in battle.
Check out this section in JUNE, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... HEDORAH (2004)!
APRIL 2008
THE GIANT GILA MONSTER
The Giant Gila Monster made its debut in the 1959 film of the same name. In this film, a young couple parked in a remote location overlooking a ravine disappear after being attacked by a Giant Gila Monster. After not returning home, their families alert the local sheriff and their friends decide to assist the sheriff in his search. In the mean time, more people are going missing (actually being attacked and eaten by the Gila Monster) as well as witnessing strange things and the sheriff and kids investigate them as well. Eventually the couple's car is located deep in the ravine and evidence is found that something large has been moving around down there. Still with no hard evidence of the couple's location or what knocked the car into the ravine, a barn dance is organized and the town's teenagers gather there. However, unknown to all except teen Chase Winstead, the sheriff, and the town drunk who witnessed it, the Gila Monster attacked and derailed a train full of people. Soon the giant lizard makes for the barn dance and attacks, but is driven off by the sheriff and a few others armed with guns, which seemingly have no large effect on the creature. The Gila Monster retreats and makes for the plains, but Chase, who is a mechanic and owns a custom hotrod, loads his car with four tins of nitroglycerin and rams his hotrod into the Giant Gila Monster, destroying it in a fiery explosion.
Stats for the Giant Gila Monster are still pending at this time.
Check out this section in MAY, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... GIGAN (2004)!
MARCH 2008
THE CLOVERFIELD PARASITES
The Cloverfield Parasites made their debut in the 2008 film, "Cloverfield". In this film, on May 22, 2008, Jason Hawkins and his girlfriend, Lily Ford, plan a surprise going away party for Jason's brother, Rob Hawkins, who has accepted a business position in Japan. The job that he’s taking in Japan is as the Vice President of Marketing and Promotions for Slusho, a frozen drink which is owned by Tagruato, a deep-sea drilling company. For the party, Jason entrusts Rob’s best friend, Hudson “Hud” Platt, with the video camera, so he can tape the party and document Rob’s last night in America. The party is at Rob’s Manhattan apartment and all is well as it begins, however, Hud has no luck flirting with his crush, Marlena Diamond, from behind the camera.
Rob arrives and is happy to see all his friends. Things get complicated quickly, though, as Beth arrives with a date and it is revealed that Rob recently slept with her, making their longtime friendship more complicated, but Rob confronts her about the date, she claims they have not spoken in weeks and then leaves with her date. The building’s power then temporarily fails and partygoers watch a news report saying that an oil tanker near the Statue of Liberty that is owned by the Japanese company, Tagruato, has toppled into the ocean. Dozens of people head to the roof to get a look, only to witness a huge explosion in the distance and are then pelted by falling debris, forcing them to retreat to the ground floor. Upon reaching the street, the Statue of Liberty's head suddenly crashes down in front of them and everyone witnesses more explosions and a gigantic form moving form in the distance. The group then heads for the Brooklyn Bridge, but while on the bridge, Rob gets a call from Beth, who is now injured and trapped in her Midtown apartment after an explosion. Suddenly, a giant limb comes out of the water and destroys the bridge, killing Jason among many others. Rob and his friends then head back to Manhattan.
Rob says that he is heading to Midtown to save Beth and his friends reluctantly follow. Meanwhile, everyone starts to learn more about what exactly is attacking the city. Marlena says that she saw something huge eating people while a TV newscast shows the giant moving creature dropping large, spider-like parasites onto the ground, which immediately attack nearby humans. These parasites were apparently an irritant to the giant monster and it was able to remove them by rubbing its back against a building, thereby setting free the fast and very vicious parasites to ravage the citizens of New York City.
The foursome’s journey into Midtown then brings them to a battle between the monster and military forces. Rob and his friends quickly escape into the subway system for safety and decide to walk the tracks to Beth’s building. In the darkened tunnel, however, they are ambushed by several of the spider-like parasites and Marlena is bitten by one of them. They escape the creatures and then rendezvous with military officers. One of the officers informs them of an evacuation helicopter site, and reveals that the situation in the city is so out of control that it will not be long before the government authorizes a plan to destroy all of Manhattan in an attempt to kill the creature. Then, Marlena begins to bleed from her eyes and complains of intense pain, two hazmat-suited military men quickly carry her away behind a tarp, through which the group sees her expand out and explode due to the parasite’s bite.
The remaining three friends then arrive at Beth’s partially destroyed apartment building, but must access it through another building and dangerously cross damaged rooftops high above Manhattan. They discover Beth, who has fallen and impaled her shoulder. After freeing her and fending off another parasite attack, they escape the buildings and board evacuation helicopters just as the giant creature attacks nearby. Lily is separated during the evacuation, with her escaping in a different helicopter. Flying above Manhattan as day breaks, Rob, Beth and Hud witness military planes attacking, and seemingly killing, the giant creature; however, the creature leaps out of the smoke plumes and swipes at the helicopter, causing it to crash in Central Park. Hud, Rob and Beth survive the crash, only to look up and see the creature towering over them. After the creature kills Hud, Rob grabs Beth and the camera and hides underneath a bridge. He gives a final testimonial to the camera and tells Beth that he loves her. In the background, air-raid sirens begin to go off, and a massive explosion rocks all of Manhattan, leaving the camera covered in rubble and presumably killing them both. Although it was later confirmed that the Cloverfield Monster was killed in the final bombing, the fate of the dozens, if not hundreds of parasites released from the monster is unknown.
*Stats for the creatures are unknown at this time.*
Check out this section in APRIL, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... THE GIANT GILA MONSTER!
FEBRUARY 2008
THE CLOVERFIELD MONSTER
The Cloverfield Monster made its debut in the 2008 film, "Cloverfield". In this film, it begins with a message from the U.S. Government media display, saying that the following footage was recovered from the site formerly known as Central Park as a splash screen to the rest of the film, depicted through retrieved handheld video footage, recorded over Rob and Beth filming themselves on April 27th with intermittent flashes of underlying footage during periods the new footage has not recorded over. On May 22, Jason “Hawk” Hawkins and his girlfriend, Lily Ford, plan a surprise going away party for Jason's brother, Rob Hawkins, who has accepted a business position in Japan. The job that he’s taking in Japan is as the Vice President of Marketing and Promotions for Slusho, a frozen drink (the main ingredient for this drink is found in the deep ocean), which is owned by Tagruato, a deep-sea drilling company. For the party, Jason entrusts Rob’s best friend, Hudson “Hud” Platt, with the video camera, so he can tape the party and document Rob’s last night in America. The party is at Rob’s Manhattan apartment and all is well as it begins, however, Hud has no luck flirting with his crush, Marlena Diamond, from behind the camera.
Rob arrives and is happy to see all his friends. Things get complicated quickly, though, as it is revealed that Rob recently slept with Beth McIntyre, making their longtime friendship more complicated just before he leaves the country. Beth arrives at the party - but with a date. When Rob confronts her about the date, she claims they have not spoken in weeks and then leaves with her date, with Rob hinting to his brother that he cares for Beth, although he never told her this. The building’s power then temporarily fails and partygoers watch a news report saying that a Tagruato oil tanker near the Statue of Liberty has toppled into the ocean. Dozens of people head to the roof to get a look, only to witness a huge explosion in the distance and are then pelted by falling debris, forcing them to retreat to the ground floor. Upon reaching the street, the Statue of Liberty's head suddenly crashes down in front of them and everyone witnesses more explosions and a gigantic form moving form in the distance. Rob, Jason, Lily, Marlena and Hud all head for the Brooklyn Bridge, but while on the bridge, Rob gets a call from Beth, who is now injured and trapped in her Midtown apartment after an explosion. Suddenly, a giant limb comes out of the water and destroys the bridge, killing Jason among many others. Rob and his friends then head back to Manhattan.
Rob says that he is heading to Midtown to save Beth and after unsuccessfully pleading with him not to do so, his friends reluctantly follow. Meanwhile, everyone starts to learn more about what exactly is attacking the city. Marlena says that she saw something huge eating people while a TV newscast shows the giant moving creature dropping large, spider-like parasites onto the ground, which immediately attack nearby humans. The foursome’s journey into Midtown brings them to a battle between the monster and military forces (the monster is apparently impervious to military assaults). Rob and his friends quickly escape into the subway system for safety and decide to walk the tracks to Beth’s building. In the darkened tunnel, they are ambushed by several of the spider-like parasites and Marlena is bitten by one of them. They escape the creatures and then rendezvous with military officers. One of the officers informs them of an evacuation helicopter site, and reveals that the situation in the city is so out of control that it will not be long before the government authorizes a plan to destroy all of Manhattan in an attempt to kill the creature. Then, Marlena begins to bleed from her eyes and complains of intense pain, two hazmat-suited military men quickly carry her away behind a tarp, through which the group sees her expand out and explode due to the parasite’s bite, something that deeply affects Hud.
The remaining three friends then arrive at Beth’s partially destroyed apartment building, but must access it through another building and dangerously cross damaged rooftops high above Manhattan. They discover Beth, who has fallen and impaled her shoulder. After freeing her and fending off another parasite attack, they escape the buildings and board evacuation helicopters just as the giant creature attacks nearby. Lily is separated during the evacuation, with her escaping in a different helicopter. Flying above Manhattan as day breaks, Rob, Beth and Hud witness military planes attacking, and seemingly killing, the giant creature; however, the creature leaps out of the smoke plumes and swipes at the helicopter, causing it to crash in Central Park. Hud, Rob and Beth survive the crash, only to look up and see the creature towering over them. After the creature kills Hud, Rob grabs Beth and the camera and hides underneath a bridge. He gives a final testimonial to the camera and tells Beth that he loves her. In the background, air-raid sirens begin to go off, and a massive explosion rocks all of Manhattan, leaving the camera covered in rubble and presumably killing them both. The movie then cuts to a scene from Rob and Beth enjoying their Coney Island date a month before. The lovers turn the camera towards the fairgrounds and the pier, and a piece of the Japanese government’s ChimpanzIII satellite can be seen falling into the sea on the right-hand horizon (this and the recovery of the satellite by the Tagruato company is what is believed to have awakened the monster from its thousand year slumber). The camera is turned back to Rob and Beth, and Rob asks Beth to comment on her Coney Island experience. Beth says, "I had a good day."
After this, garbled radio static can be heard with what is believed to either be the phrase "Help Us" or "It's still alive". However, it was later confirmed that the bombing eventually killed the Cloverfield Monster.
*Stats for the creature are unknown at this time.*
Check out this section in MARCH, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... THE CLOVERFIELD PARASITES!
JANUARY 2008
GIANT SEA LOUSE
The Giant Sea Louse, also known by the name Shockirus, made its debut in the 1984 film, “The Return of Godzilla”. In this film, the Giant Sea Louse first made their presence known in when Godzilla made his return in 1984. Having apparently mutating to their current state due to feeding from or just simply having contact with Godzilla’s body, the Giant Sea Louse attacked the fishing boat “Yahata Maru” after the ship came into very close contact with Godzilla. The insect kaiju ransacked the ship, killing and draining all the fluids from their victims, ultimately leaving only one survivor aboard the ship (Naoko Okumura). After the attack, the Yahata Maru drifts lifelessly in the ocean until news reporter Goro Maki locates the ship and boards it, looking for the crew. Goro does locate them and is horrified at what he finds; the crew’s bodies have been sucked dry of all fluids by the Giant Sea Louse. However, after making his discovery, Goro himself is attacked by the insect kaiju, who knocks him to the floor and prepares to plunge its sharp mandibles into Goro’s throat. Unfortunately for the Giant Sea Louse, Okumura comes out of his hiding place and attacks the insect kaiju with a hatchet, saving Goro and killing the Giant Sea Louse, whose mutated species is never seen again.
The Giant Sea Louse’s was one meter long and weighed 45 kilograms. These little kaiju were far too small to content with any of the kaiju we know and love, but could certainly give humans a run for their money with their hard carapace, excellent jumping ability, and piercing mandibles capable of sucking bodily fluids from their hosts.
Check out this section in February, when the Kaiju of the Month will be... THE CLOVERFIELD MONSTER!
