Aliens (1986)
[10] Writer/director James Cameron accomplishes a rare feat with a sequel that doesn't shame the original and succeeds on its own merits. Aliens is so different in tone than the original Alien, I think of it as a sequel only…
The Wiz (1978)
[5] Based on the hit Broadway musical, The Wiz puts an urban spin on The Wizard of Oz with an all-black cast and a post-apocalyptic New York City backdrop. Music sensation Diana Ross stars as Dorothy, a Harlem school teacher…
Predator 2 (1990)
[7] Predator's screenwriting brothers, Jim and John Thomas, return for this sequel, transplanting the action from the Central American jungles to dystopian Los Angeles. 'Ah-nold' is replaced with Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon, The Color Purple) and Stephen Hopkins (A Nightmare…
Predator (1987)
[8] Arnold Schwarzenegger leads an elite commando team into a Central American jungle to help a CIA operative (Rocky's Carl Weathers) fulfill a clandestine mission. The mission becomes a distant afterthought, however, when a mysterious alien with advanced weaponry and…
Leviathan (1989)
[6] Deepsea miners dig for silver and find a genetically mutated monster that picks them off one by one -- you know, Alien under the sea. Even though the script is a hack job, Leviathan should still satisfy anyone in…
The Relic (1997)
[7] If you love creature features as much as I do, you'll enjoy Peter Hyams' The Relic. Penelope Ann Miller stars as an anthropologist who teams with a cop (Tom Sizemore) to stop a supernatural creature after it wreaks havoc…
The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
[7]
I usually appreciate an interesting mess more than a tidy bore. So sue me: Yes, I like one of the most famous bad movies of the last few decades. You wanna fight about it?
Lake Placid (1999)
[7] Bridget Fonda and Bill Pullman star in this good old fashioned creature feature about a 30-foot crocodile that begins weeding out the population of a lakeside Maine community. The script is from TV titan David E. Kelly (Boston Legal,…
Jurassic Park (1993)
[9] If you think of this movie as Jaws on land, as director Steven Spielberg has suggested, it can't quite compare to that masterpiece. The characters aren't strong enough. But it's still a hell of a summer event movie, delivering…
Pumpkinhead (1988)
[9]
As far as monster movies go, this is the one to beat. It’s the only film directed by the late Stan Winston, the special effects wizard who brought so many creatures and otherworldly characters to life in movies like Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, and Edward Scissorhands. I always wished he’d directed another movie, because Pumpkinhead is creepy as hell, a superb dark fairy tale that’s drenched in atmosphere.Â