Giant Monsters on the Big Screen – answers and explanations
Here are the answers to all 15 questions in the Giant Monsters on the Big Screen quiz, each with a short explanation. From King Kong to Pacific Rim – how well do you know cinema's biggest monsters? Haven't played yet? Take the quiz first and compare your score.
Play the quiz · 15 questions1. In the 1933 King Kong, which New York skyscraper does Kong climb in the finale?
Answer: Empire State Building
In the climax of the 1933 King Kong, Kong climbs the Empire State Building, which was then the tallest structure in New York City. Biplanes attack him there and he falls to his death.
2. In Toho's original 1954 Godzilla, what awakens the monster?
Answer: Nuclear weapons testing
In Toho's 1954 Godzilla, American hydrogen bomb tests in the Pacific disturb and awaken the monster. Director Ishirō Honda used the creature as a metaphor for nuclear devastation in postwar Japan.
3. In Jurassic Park, rippling water in a cup warns of which dinosaur's approach?
Answer: Tyrannosaurus rex
In Jurassic Park (1993), concentric ripples in a cup of water on a jeep's dashboard signal the Tyrannosaurus rex's heavy footsteps. Moments later the T. rex breaks through the paddock fence during the park's power outage.
4. Who directed Pacific Rim, the 2013 film of giant robots versus kaiju?
Answer: Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro directed Pacific Rim (2013), in which giant piloted robots called Jaegers fight kaiju coming from a rift in the Pacific Ocean floor. He also co-wrote the script with Travis Beacham.
5. The 2008 monster film Cloverfield is presented as what kind of footage?
Answer: Found camcorder footage
Cloverfield (2008), directed by Matt Reeves and produced by J. J. Abrams, is presented as camcorder footage recovered by the US government after a giant monster attacks Manhattan.
6. Which Toho monster is a three-headed golden dragon and a classic Godzilla foe?
Answer: King Ghidorah
King Ghidorah is Toho's three-headed golden space dragon. It first appeared in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964), where Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra team up against it.
7. In Tremors (1990), what are the giant underground worm monsters called?
Answer: Graboids
The underground worm monsters in Tremors (1990) are called Graboids. They terrorize the small desert town of Perfection, Nevada. Shriekers are a later life stage that first appears in Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996).
8. In Jaws, what is the name of Quint's shark-hunting boat?
Answer: Orca
Quint's shark-hunting boat in Jaws (1975) is the Orca, named after the killer whale, a natural predator of sharks. The boat sinks in the film's final battle with the great white.
9. In Jurassic Park, which frilled dinosaur spits venom at Dennis Nedry?
Answer: Dilophosaurus
In Jurassic Park (1993), a Dilophosaurus spreads its neck frill and spits venom at Dennis Nedry while he tries to escape with stolen embryos. The frill and the spitting were invented for the film and are not based on fossil evidence.
10. Which director, fresh from The Lord of the Rings, remade King Kong in 2005?
Answer: Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson directed the 2005 remake of King Kong after finishing The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The 1933 original was his childhood favourite, and the remake won three Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects.
11. In Jurassic Park, dinosaur DNA was recovered from mosquitoes preserved in what?
Answer: Amber
In Jurassic Park, InGen scientists got dinosaur DNA from the blood inside mosquitoes trapped in fossilized tree resin (amber). They filled the gaps in the genetic code with frog DNA.
12. What is the name of the remote island where King Kong is found?
Answer: Skull Island
King Kong is found on Skull Island, a remote, uncharted island in the 1933 film and its remakes. The island is also the setting of the 2017 MonsterVerse film Kong: Skull Island.
13. In Jaws, which fictional island resort town does the great white shark terrorize?
Answer: Amity Island
In Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975), a great white shark terrorizes the fictional resort town of Amity Island. The town's scenes were filmed on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
14. Which giant flying Toho monster is based on a prehistoric pteranodon?
Answer: Rodan
Rodan is a giant flying Toho monster based on the prehistoric Pteranodon. He first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film Rodan and later became a regular foe and ally of Godzilla.
15. Which studio partnered with Warner Bros. to create the Godzilla-Kong MonsterVerse?
Answer: Legendary Pictures
The MonsterVerse is a shared film universe made by Legendary Pictures with Warner Bros., using Toho's licensed monsters. It began with Godzilla (2014) and includes Godzilla vs. Kong (2021).