7. King Kong's First Appearance (King Kong vs. Godzilla)
It is arguable whether King Kong can be considered more popular than Godzilla, but one thing that can't be argued is the importance the giant gorilla had in Godzilla's inception. Without the 1933 classic, Godzilla wouldn't exist. Since both had become immensely popular after their cinematic debuts, it was a big deal when the two were brought together to fight in King Kong vs. Godzilla. It was America's giant monster vs. Japan's. Of course, Kong had to be blown up to size and given extra powers in order to give him a chance against Godzilla. Nevertheless, the pairing was highly anticipated when it was released. The hype was strong, which means we can only imagine the horror Kong fans must have had when they saw what had been done to the famous beast. Where as the stop-motion creature of the original was so good it has become inspirational, Toho's King Kong is an embarrassment. Just look at it. It looks so stupid. He has a consistent derpy look on his face that generates laughter, not fear. He looks incredibly mangy; no doubt the result of what looks to be an extremely cheap suit. The proportions are all wrong, and as a result he doesn't look like a proper gorilla. Even the stop-motion of the original was able to achieve that. This is a huge WTF moment because you simply can't believe how terrible and unconvincing he looks. Yes, the art of suitmation will always leave a little to be desired in believability, but this goes beyond that into being genuinely awful. Once you get over this fact, the movie itself is actually pretty good. It's just unfortunate that the film couldn't afford a better looking Kong.
