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Bigger Than a Barn: The One Perfect Monster Bracket

Last year the One Perfect Shot team went in search of the One Perfect Binge. In 2021, we’ve built a bracket that will help us name cinema’s One Perfect Monster.
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By  · Published on March 25th, 2021

One Perfect Monster – Third Round Recap

We are gathered here today to remember those we’ve lost in the most recent round. The T-Rex returns to her life as Queen of Jurassic Park, a theme park that will always try to open again sometime in the future. Cloverfield slides back into the Atlantic Ocean from whence it came, where it no-doubt awaits another entry in its own cinematic universe. Gamera, Friend to All Children and Guardian of the Universe, could not take down Godzilla, but he did capture our hearts. And last, but certainly not least, shout out to The Mothra Hive. It was a valiant effort and the second round’s closest matchup, but now only Kings remain on that side of the bracket. Will the voting populace of One Perfect Shot’s following choose the matchup that was promised — Godzilla vs. Kong — or does this bracket project have one last big upset? Either way, we’re excited to see how it turns out. On to the Final Four!


One Perfect Monster – The Final Four

Below you will find arguments for every monster in each of the 2 matchups in the Fourth Round. Twitter polls will be added to this page as they go live.

🚨 Spoiler Warning: Even though all of these monsters appear in movies that are a year old or more, some of these descriptions and images might be considered spoilers. Please consider this your warning.

Matchup 1 – Godzilla vs. The Balrog

One Perfect Monster Finalfour Godzilla Vs Balrog

The case for Godzilla: Let’s be honest, this entire bracket is Godzilla vs. The Field. We’ve been told over and over again — since its massive frame first towered on the silver screen in 1954 — that this is the King of the Monsters. And we’re about to find out. Godzilla brings size, tenacity, and atomic breath to the table — plus more than six decades of experience stomping on building and punching other monsters. That’s an impressive resume, befitting some kind of King, but will it be enough to be King of This Bracket? We’ll know soon enough. (Neil Miller)

The case for The Balrog: What sends hoards of goblins running for cover? What felled Gandalf the Grey? That would be the creature that resides deep in the mines of Moria; a towering figure of ash and cinder known as Durin’s Bane, a corrupt Balrog of Morgoth. Fuelled by a fire fierce enough to light up the darkest pit, Durin’s Bane is magma incarnate. But make no mistake: this is not a physical being. This is shadow and flame. And it has a goddamn whip. Durin’s Bane is a volcanic nightmare imbued with furious purpose. Namely, and emphatically: to absolutely wreck any and all foolish enough to re-awaken it. (Meg Shields)

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Matchup 2 – King Kong vs. King Ghidorah

One Perfect Monster Finalfour Kong Vs Ghidorah

The case for King Kong: Humanity is a plague. We tear through this world, ripping whatever we want out of the ground, making meals from the animals that were here before us. King Kong was the first creature to bash against our ravenous greed. We went to Skull Island looking to make dollars from wonders, and we found Kong. He showed how awe comes with terror, and only when he tired from yanking limbs from slack-jawed city slickers did Carl Denham’s gang get the jump on him. He may have fallen from our tallest spire, but out of his sacrifice, hundreds upon hundreds of giant monsters rose. King Kong birthed a genre, and none of these other beasties on this bracket would be here without him. Attention must be paid. (Brad Gullickson)

The case for King Ghidorah: Move over King Kong, King Ghidorah is Godzilla’s true arch-nemesis. This three-headed intergalactic dragon was introduced in Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster (1964). Born from a meteor, this is one of the few kaiju that couldn’t just be defeated by Godzilla. Instead, he has to call back-up from Mothra and Rodan. So, in monster-to-monster combat, no single creature in this bracket would stand a chance against such a beast. I mean, Ghidorah was given the title of “king” for a reason. (Mary Beth McAndrews)

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Read about the previous rounds starting on the next page.

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