There are two kinds of people in the world , those who love monster movies and those who sneeze at them! If you belong in the latter category then chances are that the latest trailer for Godzilla has affected your life just as much as Chelsea going out of the Champions League did. "Huh?", exactly.
We take our films seriously here at TheThumbKey and a brand new Godzilla film is something we (at least I!) have been anticipating for close to 6 years now, ever since it was all but rumours whispered at comic-book conventions. The day is almost upon us and we simply MUST spare a thought of what is to come. Especially when the trailers are, almost universally, hailed and showered with comments that plead "Please, don't suck!". Such is the importance of this revered monster.
"What can be important about a monster film?" you might ask. Godzilla is a symbol and Ishiro Honda (the director of the very first Godzilla and evidently the very first Kaiju film EVER) treated it as such. The production had ended and the final product released a mere 9 years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki experienced the nuclear horror that brought the world to a halt. That is what Godzilla represents, the nuclear destruction that the land of the Rising Sun had experienced at the hands of man.
The, so-called, Sony-zilla released in 1998 did not do justice to the original material and I do not pin that solely on the rather weak design (in retrospect) but on the atrocious acting on behalf of at least 50% of the cast and the bad blockbuster writing (two climaxes, manipulation of the viewer to gain sympathy for the monster, the hammy Europe Vs. USA aspect etc.). Roland Emmerich simply filmed yet another destruction film with a monster theme (adding to his alien theme from ID4 and later throwing in end-of-the-world via natural disaster theme) and that simply didn't do. I must be honest here and say that the trailers of the 1998 Godzilla were absolutely fantastic. The 'museum' teaser still stands the test of time and perhaps acts as a warning for some of you out there who are hanging on that fence. You do not want to see this symbol and icon fall from grace yet again.
Now, forget about THAT 'Zilla. As much as the word 'reboot' strikes an awkward note in our ears, there have been some nice reboots in the last ten years (some morning rhyming for ya!). I am expecting the new Godzilla to be among them. The symbolism returns whereas the story at its heart is once again VERY human. From the many trailers that have seen the light of day it is understood that the horrendous tsunami disaster and the Fukushima nuclear reactor failure of 2011 reverberate through the words that are spoken and the destruction that is witnessed. Yes, the original 1954 Godzilla (Gojira!) involved only the titular Kaiju wreaking havoc while evil scientists were practically the villains of the film (Godzilla was the result of scientific arrogance after all). Through 60 years however there have been more monsters and some monumental clashes. This is what the 2014 release is aiming to combine. Well, pretty much everything involved in the Godzilla mythos. And let's not beat around the bush, there are TWO other Kaiju in that trailer, how can you not be excited?!
Will it deliver though? May 16 is the day.
And please... don't suck!
- Frixos Masouras 2014
(Every single right involved in the audiovisual material above belongs to Warner Bros. and Legendary pictures)*
*: So you know who to blame in case it does suck....IT WON'T! Hopefully... Maybe... I'll stop now.