Summary
- Sea monster movies tap into the fear of the unknown depths, offering a mix of horror and entertainment that resonates with audiences.
- Films like "The Shape of Water" and "Godzilla" bring sea monsters to life with emotional stories that elevate the genre to new heights.
- From classic creature features to modern horrors, sea monster movies continue to captivate and terrify viewers with their imaginative tales.
As much as the ocean is a popular tourist destination, the best sea monster movies have caused anxiety about going into unfamiliar waters. Just as the vastness of space has given way to countless fictional stories about possible terrors up there, the unknown depths of the world's oceans offer tales of aquatic mystery. Though the topic of sea monsters has given the world a seemingly endless amount of schlock, there have been several cinematic riffs on the formula, mostly in the horror genre, but not always.
There has always been something terrifying about the possibility of creatures lurking below the surface, and these movies capitalize on that shared fear. Some tell more grounded stories, while others embrace the campiness of the horror subgenre. The wide variety of aquatic creature features of this kind shows just how much these stories resonate and entertain people. From Best Picture Oscar winners to enduring B-Movie classics, the best sea monster movies stand out for both the monsters themselves and the world in which they live.
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20 Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Toho Revives Godzilla
Godzilla Minus One
- Release Date
- November 3, 2023
- Runtime
- 124 minutes
- Director
- Takashi Yamazaki
Cast
Ryunosuke KamikiKoichi Shikishima-
Minami HamabeNoriko Oishi
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio(s)
- Toho Studios, Robot
There have been a lot of Godzilla movies released over the years. The American versions finally picked up steam with the MonsterVerse, but many fans prefer the Japanese movies. But no matter what kind of Godzilla enthusiast a viewer may be, the fandom's world was rocked in 2023 when Toho released its latest version of Godzilla in the new movie, Godzilla Minus One. This film does several things right, but the most important is that it makes the sea monster scary once again.
The best thing about Godzilla Minus One is that it makes the humans mean something as well.
Godzilla is a force of nature here. He isn't trying to save Japan from other monsters nor is he making connections with humans and finding some sort of soul. This Godzilla is a rampaging beast who destroys everything in his path and can't be stopped. The best thing about Godzilla Minus One is that it makes the humans mean something as well, as it is one of the rare movies where viewers actually feel for the people rather than just wanting to see the monster destroy everything.
19 Pacific Rim (2013)
Giant Robots Versus Underwater Kaijus
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Pacific Rim
- Release Date
- July 12, 2013
- Runtime
- 131 minutes
- Director
- Guillermo del Toro
Cast
Charlie Hunnam
WHERE TO WATCH
Guillermo Del Toro has become a master at making art that geek fans love and doing it in a way that pays homage to his love of melodrama, fairy tales, and classic horror monsters. Here, Del Toro appeals to monster movie nerds tenfold and throws giant mech robots together with giant kaiju sea monsters rising from the bottom of the ocean in an epic battle. The movie sees humans controlling the robots, but the battle with the kaiju seems to be one that they can't win.
There was a sequel that arrived to lackluster reviews, but this original movie delivers what fans wanted to see — giant robots punching and shooting giant kaiju, and vice versa. There are some solid human actions and drama as well, but even in a movie by Del Toro, who wants to make things as well-rounded and fulfilling as possible, it is all about visceral action. For movies about sea monsters and giant robots, Pacific Rim delivers everything a fan could want.
18 Deep Blue Sea
Genetically Engineered Sharks
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Deep Blue Sea
- Release Date
- July 28, 1999
- Runtime
- 105 minutes
- Director
- Renny Harlin
Cast
Saffron Burrows
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Duncan Kennedy, Donna Powers, Wayne Powers
There are a lot of shark attack movies, but those are about animals in the oceans, and they are not technically "monsters." However, that is not the case with Deep Blue Sea. These sharks are not regular beasts swimming in the waters and protecting their homes. The sharks in this movie are genetically engineered, which gives them increased intelligence, super strength and speed, and the ability to hunt and kill humans with relentless precision.
The story is silly, as a scientist (Saffron Burrows) has genetically engineered these killing machines in an attempt to learn more about Alzheimer's disease. However, everything goes wrong when the sharks decide they are tired of the experiments and want to kill everyone aboard the water research station. There is also the "tough guy" (Thomas Jane), a shocking and crowd-pleasing death (Samuel L. Jackson), and a chef who wants revenge for his dead parrot (LL Cool J).
17 The Meg (2018)
A Megalodon Rises From The Deep
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The Meg
- Release Date
- August 10, 2018
- Runtime
- 113 Minutes
- Director
- Jon Turteltaub
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- James Vanderbilt
Sharks tend to get a bad rap within the movie world despite generally being standoffish creatures. However, the giant prehistoric shark in The Meg would turn off even the staunchest shark defenders. The movie stars Jason Statham as a deep sea diver who faces off with the megalodon shark, one of the largest predators in existence that was slumbering deep in the ocean's depths.
Though shark movies generally follow a human-vs-the-wild story, The Meg is truly a monster movie. The shark is impossibly large and can destroy an entire ship if it feels angry enough. It is also a fun action movie, with Statham fighting the megalodon one-on-one in the finale. continued the story in 2023, turning this into a new sea monster movie franchise by adding more Megs, prehistoric dino-creatures, and a giant octopus, all attacking a small island.
16 The Sea Beast (2022)
An Animated Movie Based On A Legendary Beast
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The Sea Beast
- Release Date
- June 15, 2022
- Runtime
- 115minutes
- Director
- Chris Williams
Cast
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio(s)
- Netflix
The Oscar-nominated animated adventure The Sea Beast delightfully throws the concept of sea monsters on its head by suggesting the creatures people fear are just animals trying to exist. The Netflix original movie follows a veteran sea monster hunter on the trail of Red Bluster, a legendary destructive beast, before finding a young stowaway. They then discover the unseen side of these creatures. With most sea monster movies focusing on horror, this refreshing take still delivers great monster action.
The animation in this movie is top-notch, with similar techniques used in the Spider-Verse movies used here. The reviews were overwhelmingly positive, with the movie sitting at 94% positive on Rotten Tomatoes. On top of the Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature, it also picked up six Annie Awards nominations and four nominations from the Visual Effects Society Awards.
15 Leviathan (1989)
A Mutated Aquatic Monster Is Discovered By A Submarine
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RoboCop's Peter Weller stars in 1989's Leviathan as a geologist overseeing a mining operation that discovers a scuttled Soviet sub at the bottom of the sea, where they discover a safe containing information about the ship's crew as well as a deadly infection. That infection begins to kill and mutate the staff of the mining facility, using their bodies to transform into a horrifying giant aquatic monster that becomes known as homo aquaticus, as it earned a spot in cinematic history.
It is an unforgettable creature design and one of the most grotesque cinematic creatures to emerge from the ocean
Though the movie itself seems to have faded from relevancy, it is an unforgettable creature design and one of the most grotesque cinematic creatures to emerge from the ocean depths. It's the perfect example of a sea monster movie that isn't widely known to those who aren't fans of the subgenre but is highly enjoyable for those who are. For horror movie fans, there is a lot to love about this monster classic.
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The ocean is a scary place, which is why Hollywood has terrified moviegoers for decades by using different sea monsters, from sharks to mutated crabs.
14 Deep Rising (1998)
A Giant Tentacled Sea Creature Of Unknown Origin
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Deep Rising
- Release Date
- February 2, 1998
- Runtime
- 106 Minutes
- Director
- Stephen Sommers
Cast
Treat Williams
Famke Janssen
Anthony Heald-
Wes Studi
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Stephen Sommers
- Studio(s)
- Hollywood Pictures, Cinergi Pictures
1998's Deep Rising follows a team of jewel thieves as they attempt to infiltrate a luxury gambling cruise ship only to discover it has already been attacked by strange tentacle-like monsters that begin devouring the survivors. As they make their way through the ship on the hunt for their big score while attempting to survive the beast, they learn the tentacles are all a part of the giant Octalus, which was nesting in the ship as it fed on the crew and gamblers after attacking and disabling it.
It is a clever way of hiding the monster to have its sentient tentacles appear to be a threat for most of the movie, only to reveal they are attached to a gigantic monster at the end. The movie was a box office failure with a few familiar faces (Famke Janssen, Djimon Hounsou, Jason Flemyng), but it has since become a cult classic for fans of monster movies.
13 Cloverfield (2008)
A Creature From A Deep Sea Incident Attacks The Surface World
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Cloverfield
- Release Date
- January 15, 2008
- Runtime
- 85 minutes
- Director
- Matt Reeves
Cast
Lizzy Caplan
WHERE TO WATCH
- Studio(s)
- Paramount Pictures
While the found-footage horror Cloverfield takes place in Manhattan as a giant and mysterious monster attacks it, the "Clover" is revealed to have started its attack after exiting the ocean. During the film's promotion, an alternate reality game was launched that teased the monster's origins through the revelation of a deep-sea drilling accident that awakened it. The movie only glimpses the monster as the characters run, yet it makes for a memorable monster to universe.
It sits at 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and is compared to The Blair Witch Project meeting Godzilla.
While the original film itself didn't reveal its status as a sea monster movie, its status as one after the fact makes it one of the most successful in the genre. It was a huge success, making $172.4 million on a $25 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). It also received mostly positive reviews, sitting at 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, and is often described as The Blair Witch Project meets Godzilla.
12 Godzilla (2014)
A World War II Era Atomic Sea Monster
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Godzilla
- Release Date
- May 16, 2014
- Runtime
- 123 Minutes
- Director
- Gareth Edwards
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Max Borenstein, David Callaham
- Studio(s)
- Legendary Pictures
The giant atomic lizard first appeared in 1954's Godzilla before the legendary kaiju achieved mega-stardom and appeared in 30+ movies over the years that further cemented the sea monster's cinematic legacy. While Godzilla has appeared as a villain against humanity, he is also seen as Earth's protector against other kaiju — including other sea monsters. 2014's Godzilla kicked off the new MonsterVerse that eventually pits the sea monster against a giant ape in Godzilla vs. Kong.
This movie wasn't Hollywood's first time trying to make a Godzilla movie, but the last attempt failed with Roland Emmerich's 1990s version. This time, things worked out better, with great visual effects and a story featuring some exciting humans and a new mythology for the sea monster. It worked out so well that it spawned several sequels and a TV series on Apple TV+ exploring Godzilla's past.
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11 The Host (2006)
A Mutated Sea Creature Rises In South Korea
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The Host
- Release Date
- July 27, 2006
- Runtime
- 119 Minutes
- Director
- Bong Joon-ho
Cast
Song Kang-ho-
Byun Hee-bong
-
Park Hae-il
Bae Doona
WHERE TO WATCH
Before winning an Oscar for his Korean drama Parasite, Bong Joon-Ho's 2006 monster movie The Host explores the consequences of the U.S. Military's disposal of toxic waste in Seoul's Han River, which mutates an aquatic lifeform into the monstrous Gwoemul, the original name of the South Korean film. The Gwoemul attacks the citizens of Seoul and kidnaps a small child after unleashing an infectious disease on the city.
The first scene of the Gwoemul attacking the on-lookers cements it as a brilliant 21st-century movie sea monster.
This plot point further highlights the dangers of the illegal disposal of toxic waste that has led to the creation of far too many dangerous sea monsters over the years. The first scene of the Gwoemul attacking the on-lookers cements it as a brilliant 21st-century movie monster, capturing the feeling of an animal causing chaos without reason. However, what makes the movie special is the family trying to survive, as they are more than just canon fodder for a sea monster; they are characters viewers want to see make it to the end.
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