Here are seven epic movie battles between kids and monsters.

Super 8

This year’s Super 8 was a classic example of kids vs. monsters. You’ve got a small band of nerdy child filmmakers who accidentally get embroiled in a government cover-up of a giant alien monster they’ve been experimenting on for decades.

It

Don’t think the kids from It have it easy just because they’re in a made-for-TV monster movie. As anyone who saw this movie will tell you, the monster from It, which preys on fear and has the ability to take the shape of anything that frightens you, is a lot scarier than the majority of big-screen movie monsters. His most terrifying form is as a murderous clown played by (of course) Tim Curry. If you’re still doubting the legitimacy of this monster, remember that by the time he was defeated, the kids had grown up into adults!

Battle: Los Angeles hits theaters this Friday. And while alien invasion movies are nothing new in Hollywood, the film’s cutting-edge special effects promise moviegoers an awe-inspiring cinematic experience. With filmgoers poised to witness the city of Los Angeles reduced to rubble, we thought we’d look back a nine great cinematic demolitions of tinsel town.

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War of the Worlds – 1953

One of the oldest alien invasion films, War of the Worlds is still widely considered one of the best. And while the special effects might seem tame by today’s standards, at the time they were state of the art, and the film set the bar by which other movies were judged. So, show some damn respect.

Earthquake – 1974

When it comes to destroying Los Angeles on film, aliens aren’t the only culprits. Charlton Heston and George Kennedy starred in Earthquake, a film that managed to wow audiences despite the ridiculous plot and poor reviews. Who would have thought that special effects would trump critical reception?

The Day After Tomorrow – 2004

Speaking of poor reviews, The Day After Tomorrow was a ridiculous film. But there’s no denying that watching Los Angeles get destroyed by a series of tornadoes was a lot of fun. If only they could have removed all the dialogue from the rest of the film, it might be more highly regarded.

Skyline – 2010

Aliens are at it again in Skyline, and as always, their sites are fixed squarely on Los Angeles. But this film managed to put a twist on an old classic. Rather than using laser weapons to destroy humanity on the ground, the aliens in this film used a tractor beam to draw their victims up.

Volcano – 1997

Tommy Lee Jones stars in this idiotic tale of a volcano springing up in the center of Los Angeles near the La Brea Tar Pits. Having been to the tar pits, I think a volcano would go a long way toward livening up the place.

Escape From LA – 1996

Los Angeles isn’t totally destroyed in this John Carpenter adventure film. An earthquake causes the valleys surrounding the city to flood, turning what’s left into an island. The government then decides to use the city as a prison, sending degenerates from the rest of the country to rot in the filthy cesspool. The metaphor was a little to literal for my taste.

ID4 1996

The special effects in Independence Day were groundbreaking, and the film was a huge success at the box office. But even so, the scene at the end of this clip where the dog jumps to safety ruins the entire film.

2012 – 2009

I’ve never seen 2012, so I don’t exactly know what is causing the wholesale destruction of Los Angeles in this scene. I’m even more perplexed about where all that stuff is falling. But I will admit it looks cool, and on this list, that’s almost all that matters.

Terminator 2- 1991

The time spent on the destruction of Los Angeles in Terminator 2: Judgment Day is probably shorter any other scene on the list. But the realism involved and the fact that it actually fits into the overall story makes it, by far, the most chilling.

It’s Groundhog Day. And unless you’re some sort of Bill Murray-hating mutant, the holiday invokes fond memories of the classic Harold Ramis film about Phil Conners, an arrogant weatherman who is forced to relive the same day over and over again.

The filmmakers chose the holiday because they felt it was the most mundane. And while spending an eternity stuck in Punxsutawney would surely be maddening, it could be worse. Here are 9 days that make being stuck in Groundhog Day look good by comparison.

Training Day

It’s one thing to be stuck in small-town Pennsylvania. Unless you’re over the age of 60, the undeniable quaintness can’t make up for the overwhelming boredom. That being said, Punxsutawney seems delightful when compared to the drug-infested, gang-controlled world of South Central L.A. depicted in Training Day. On top of the dangers inherent in any police job, you’d have to wake up every da knowing your partner is a corrupt bastard who has no problem killing you. Of course, I guess you could always call in sick and go do something fun instead of going to work. But since a blizzard blocks Phil from leaving Punxsutawney, I imagine the same rules apply in this scenario, and an endless traffic jam would keep you from heading to the beach.

The Longest Day

Yeah, spending eternity in Groundhog Day would be lik fighting a never-ending battle, metaphorically speaking. That said, it sure beats the hell out of fighting an actual battle, and that’s exactly what you’d be doing if you were stuck in The Longest Day. Watching your friends die as you stormed the same beach day after day would be horrifying. But at least you wouldn’t have to hear Sonny and Cher sing “I Got You Babe” every time you woke up.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

I’m fond of the original version of this film, and I’m not going to ruin it by watching the remake. (Spoiler Alert) That being said, if I’m going to relive one day over and over again, it better not be the day when Earth loses all of its electrical power. I’ve got an XBox to play, you alien bitch!

Day of the Dead

On the one hand, spending the rest of your existence fighting zombie hordes would be a horrible thing. But if you’re in a zombie apocalypse, you’re pretty much stuck in that situation regardless. At least with the Groundhog Day scenario, you have the piece of mind of knowing that if you are bitten by the undead, you’ll wake up with a fresh start. Even so, I’ll take Groundhog Day.

The Day After Tomorrow

Watching environmental disasters unfold and cause massive amounts of destruction would actually be kind of cool if you knew that no matter what happened, you’d wake up again the next day. However, would you really want to spend day after day listening to the same shitty dialogue? It’s a pretty horrifying thought. On a side note, the plot to Groundhog Day is actually more believable than The Day After Tomorrow.

Knight and Day

Imagine waking up day after day knowing that you had to hang out with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. Yeah, not a pleasant thought, is it? Suddenly, Ned Ryerson seems a whole lot more tolerable. He might try to sell you insurance, but at least he won’t try to convert you to Scientology.

Remains of the Day

You think small-town Pennsylvania is dull? Try spending your days as a lonely butler in the English countryside. Oh, by the way, it’s the early 1930’s, your boss is a Nazi sympathizer who treats you with contempt, and the woman you love (whom you work with every day) is going to marry some asshole. At least in Groundhog Day, Phil gets laid from time to time.

Daylight

What’s worse than being stuck in a tunnel that’s about to be flooded? Having an over-the-hill Sylvester Stallone as your only chance of escape. And even if he does get you to safety, you’re just going to wake up in the same situation the next day. It’s like Sisyphus pushing his boulder up the hill, except the myth of Sisyphus is a lot more entertaining than Daylight.

Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Liquid-Metal cyborgs, mental institutions, nuclear annihilation: Terminator 2: Judgment Day has it all. But does being hunted by a robot for all eternity sound like fun to you? Unless it’s some sort of sexbot, the answer is no. Although now that I think about it, being hunted by a sexbot is going on my bucket list.