Godzilla Legends

New Japanese Godzilla Movie in 2016!

2015-04-02T07:51:00.001-07:00

We've known for awhile that Toho, the Japanese studio that created the iconic Godzilla series is planning a revival of the King of the Monsters. This all comes in the wake of the hugely successful Legendary Pictures "Godzilla" by director Gareth Edwards. Godzilla earned $525 million worldwide and $26 million in Japan. Edwards is already signed to direct Godzilla 2 for 2018, but Japan isn't going to wait that long. With renewed interest in Godzilla, Toho feels it's time to bring an all new Japanese Godzilla to the world.

The new film is scheduled for a 2016 release and recently Toho announced the project will be co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi. Anno is famous in Japan for creating the Neon Genesis: Evangelion anime series and directed the recent Evangelion movies that are a re-telling of the stories. Higuchi's work should be well-known to kaiju fans as he was special effects director the Gamera trilogy of the 1990s directed by Shunske Kaneko. Higushi has gain more attention in recently as he is helming the live-action adaptation of Attack on Titan manga and anime.

Anno and Higuchi have been long time friends and recently collaborated on the impressive short film, Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo. It is set in modern day and is a kind of prequel to the famous Animated feature Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and tries to show the origin of the giant warrior "men" that destroy the world. Watching it, one can't help but think that the two men were making a resume for a future Godzilla film. Some destruction sequences are obvious re-enactments from old Godzilla movies and astute fans will even recognize specific sound effects pulled directly from the old Showa series. Anno and Higuchi's backgrounds make them perfectly suited to take up the mantle for a new Godzilla in 2016. Along with the announcement was an image of Godzilla's foot with a never before scene 5th toe. In addition, Toho said Godzilla 2016 will break 2014's size record of 108 meters(354 feet). Making him the biggest Godzilla of all time!. We'll soon see two Godzilla franchises running at the same time on both sides of the Pacific...(joygasm)

Follow the link to watch the short film, Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo

Realistic Godzilla 2014 Suit

2014-07-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

This is an awesome image of a real Godzilla walking in the fog. Amazing!

Godzilla 2014 Fan Art Round-Up

2014-07-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here's an awesome round-up of some great Godzilla 2014 fan art images, each with a different take. Which is your favorite? Long live the king!

Epic Godzilla vs. Muto Panel

2014-07-10T16:13:00.003-07:00

This is a classic confrontation, the alpha predator, the King of the Monsters against his deadly nemesis, Muto.

Funny Godzilla Fan Art

2014-07-10T16:11:00.002-07:00

Yes, Godzilla is the King of the Monsters, but he has a funny, lighter side, too. Here's a selection of some great art that takes a comedic look at our serious monster. enjoy

Cute and sexy Godzilla

Gareth Edwards to Direct Godzila 2 and 3

2014-06-05T19:04:00.001-07:00

With his smash hit Godzilla by Legendary Pictures, soft spoken, and virtually unknown director Gareth Edwards has been thrust into the limelight and the big times. His only film prior to Godzilla was Monsters, a low budget, independent sci-fi movie about alien invaders which won rave reviews and turned heads in Hollywood.

Now Edwards talent for making monster movies has been proven at the box office. Godzilla has already made over $112 million domestically and nearly double that overseas.

As recently reported on Godzilla Movies, Legendary Pictures has confirmed Edwards is set to direct Godzilla 2 and 3, as well as the Star Wars spin off movies. They already have story ideas for Godzilla 2, but it's still early in development and they don't even have a script yet.

The web is all a buzz as to what kind of story or monsters will be in the sequel. In an article on KDrama Stars via JapNation AniManga, it was reported that in selected Asian countries and not in the US, there was a post credits scene to Godzilla. It showed an army of flying Muto being led by Mothra who creates hurricane force winds with her wings.

Also, in a Cinema Blend interview, Godzilla star Aaron Taylor-Johnson suggested Mothra as a possible sequel monster. There was also apparently an Easter egg scene in Godzilla where the Fords return to their abandoned home and there was a long dead moth inside an old terrarium.

Mothra is one of Godzilla's greatest adversaries. She's the complete opposite of Godzilla, beautiful, graceful, and benevolent; a guardian goddess. Will the Mothra appear in Godzilla 2? I personally doubt the rumors. Although beloved by fans, I think it would be difficult to make Mothra a believable monster to modern American audiences. She's a giant moth for goodness sake. The name itself is a play on words. Also, Mothra is too similar physically to the flying Muto.

But there's a deeper reason. Mothra is a benevolent monster-goddess defending mankind. She first battled Godzilla at a time when he was clearly the villain. But Gareth Edwards's Godzilla comes out as the hero, saving us from the 'evil' Muto. To keep Mothra's character intact, you'd need to do a role-reversal for Godzilla. Or, heaven forbid, make Mothra bad.

No, I think we're more likely to see another of Godzilla's foes resurrected. Probably a space monster, King Ghidorah I hope. The genetically morphing Gryphon monster would be great too. That unmade monster was dropped from an earlier script of the Tri-Star Godzilla movie. Only time will tell who Godzilla will fight next, but one thing is certain, the King of the Monsters will return.

The Lighter Side of Godzilla 2014

2014-06-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a few hilarious images that poke a little fun at the serious King of the Monsters.

First, imagine Godzilla as a family orientated, romantic comedy that helps bring the human characters together. "Godzilla: He's big, He's green. He's lovable."

Godzilla doesn't like any kaiju hanky panky. (Personally, I think He's just jealous.)

This one is very telling. It shows Godzilla 2014 flying backwards in pursuit of the Mutos in the same style as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster. Actually, the director of Smog Monster in 1971 was Yoshimitsu Banno. This silly scene enraged Godzilla producer Tomoyuki Tanaka so much, he banned Banno from ever working on a Godzilla film again. However, it was Banno who was instrumental in bringing the Godzilla 2014 project to America and was executive producer. I guess Banno got the last laugh. Still, I'm happy this scene never appeared in the film.

Just goes to sow Wall Street doesn't know diddly about Godzilla!

Feral Godzilla 2014 Movie Still

2014-06-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

Here's an awesome shot from Godzilla 2014. Godzilla turns to face his opponent with eyes flashing red with feral rage. A nightmarish image of brutal force.

More great Godzilla Fan Art

2014-06-05T18:19:00.001-07:00

Here's a selection of some powerful Godzilla fan art. I'd love to see these visions come true.

Awesome Godzilla 2014 Movie Photos

2014-06-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of great shots from Godzilla. The first is Godzilla roaring at night.

The second is a subdued, grey shot of Godzilla's dorsal spines in the ocean. I really like this second one. It reminds me of lines from another great monster movie, "Moby Dick",

"One day ye smell land where there be no land...

bits and pieces of all the oceans he ever swam in...an island onto himself."

Godzilla: the forbidden island.

Gareth Edwards' 'Godzilla' Brings Back Suspense to Summer Movies

2014-06-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

This great article at Moviepilot by Sean Huchinson really hits the nail on the head. He goes against nit picking critics and tells us how Gareth Edwards and Godzilla have brought back a kind of storytelling that in this modern age of instant gratification, Hollywood has forgotten about; teasing an audience. This kind of movie was made popular by the bearded one himself, Steven Spielberg in monster movies like Jaws or Jurassic Park, where the big monster shots don't come until the movie is more than halfway over.

These days, the Michael Bays of the world throw up as many special effects on the screen as possible, and the story takes a back seat to the action. This environment has made audiences impatient for the next fix.

People complained that the new Godzilla had too little screen time, but they didn't understand Edwards was teasing us and creating suspense. Hollywood would do well to follow Edwards example and audiences shoul learn to be teased again. It'l make for much more interesting films.

Cool Godzilla Attacks Fan Art

2014-06-05T17:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a pretty cool Godzilla fan art with helicopters all around. Nothing can stop the king. Great

Incredible Godzilla 2014 vs. Biollante Fan Art

2014-05-31T20:01:00.001-07:00

Here's a truly awe-inspiring fan art showing the 2014 Godzilla battling an updated Biollante. Biollante is the massive, Godzilla/plant hybrid monster that appeared in Godzilla vs. Biollante(1989). This was one of the best and most original monsters from the entire series. This is how it might look if the Biollante appears in the Godzilla sequel. It would really be something to see. Both monsters getting ready to fire their weapons.

Original 'Godzilla' Soundtrack Vinyl Cover Art

2014-05-24T19:05:00.003-07:00

As recently reported on Bloddy Disgusting, Death Waltz Records is releasing the original Gojira 1954 movie soundtrack by Akira Ifukbe on vinyl. The record will be released on June 21st in both a green vinyl and 400 limited edition blue and white, "Atomic Breath" vinyl. The amazing cover art pictured above is by Cheung Chung Tat. The Godzilla in the picture is actually the Heisei design Godzilla of the 1990's, done in a retro look with Japanese Zeros flying in the background. Truly awesome. Go to Bloody Disgusting to stream the full album and reserve your copy today.

Artistic Godzilla 2014 vs. Muto Oil Painting Fan Art

2014-05-24T19:05:00.002-07:00

Here's a beautiful and artistic oil painting of Legendary's Godzilla facing off with the large, female, winged Muto monster in the climactic battle scene from Godzilla 2014. It'a a really stunning fan art. An almost mythic confrontation of Good vs. Evil.

Godzilla Atomic Breath Movie Stills

2014-05-24T01:53:00.002-07:00

Here are a couple of incredible movie stills from Godzilla 2014. Godzilla uses his trademark atomic breath to kill the Muto monsters. The top image shows Godzilla firing on the Female Muto in the climactic final battle scene. The bottom image shows a Godzilla meme posted on Facebook comparing King Kong's T-rex battle with Godzilla ripping open the male Muto's mouth and firing his atomic breath at point blank range, the kiss of death. I don't care for the meme, but it shows the image pretty clearly. Below s a fan art of the same scene. I'm really glad Godzilla used his atomic breath in this movie. If e didn't have it, it wouldn't be Godzilla. Go see this movie now!

Godzilla 2014 Akira Takarada Airport Movie Still

2014-05-24T00:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a movie still from Godzilla 2014 showing a scene that was ultimately cut from the final version. It shows veteran Japanese Godzilla actor Akira Takarada as the immigration officer interviewing Sergeant Ford(Aaron Taylor-Johnson) at the Japanese airport.

Takarada, a fan favorite appeared in the original Gojira in 1954 as Hideto, the dashing young sailor, Hideto, part of the love triangle including the beautiful Emiko and Dr. Serizwawa, who creates the oxygen destroyer which ultimately kills Godzilla. Ken Watanabe's character is also Serizawa. It's a real shame Takarada was cut from the movie, but his scene will surely appear in the Blue-Ray or special edition.

Cool Godzilla 2014 Fan Art

2014-05-24T00:38:00.001-07:00

Here's a really cool Godzilla 2014 fan art showing the big G walking in the ocean and turning. This clearly shows the detail of the new design with a strong chest, thick, tapering neck and small head. Notice the expert details of the scales and plates on the chest and body. Awesome!

Godzilla's Colossal Opening Beats Spider-Man at Box Office!

2014-05-18T17:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I called it here first folks, and if you don't believe me, check out my earlier post:

Godzilla 2014 vs. Amazing Spiderman 2: Who Will Win?

Here's to all you nay-sayers out there that said Spider-man 2 would do better on the merits of it's a sequel to a household-named, famous character franchise. What's Godzilla, buttered toast!? You can get more famous than him.

It's official, Legendary Pictures' Godzilla is a smash hit(notice I didn't day 'monster'), obliterating any competition at the box office this weekend and doing even better overseas. It officially earned $93.2 million in it's opening weekend, far above initial estimates around $70 million. It slowed down on Sunday, falling short of a hoped $100, but still beat out Amazing Spider-man 2 which earned $91 million in its opening weekend and has dramatically slowed down since then. Take that Spidey! Go spin a web or something.

Godzilla broke a lot of stuff in the movie, but he didn't break any records though, falling only $2 million short of Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier for the biggest opening weekend this year.

Reviews of Godzilla were mixed, but generally positive, especially of people who had low expectations going into it. Who can imagine that!?:) But even those who criticized Godzilla would have to admit, it's still a much better film than either of those mangled superhero movies.

The summer is just getting started though, and it will be interesting to see what happens when the highly anticipated X-Men: Days of Future Past opens this coming weekend. Can Godzilla hold his own against Hugh Jackman and the huge ensemble X-men cast? Personally, I'm excited, but I think the overwhelming number of characters will work against it. Anyway, I think you know whose corner I'm in. Godzilla has returned to reclaim his throne. Long live the King!

Yahoo

Interview with Steve Ryfle, Author of "Japan's Favorite Mon-Star" about Godzilla 2014

2014-05-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a great interview with a true Godzilla expert about the new Godzilla 2014 reboot from Legendary Pictures. Steve Ryfle is author of Japan's Favorite Mon-Star, a great, unauthorized biography of the Godzilla series. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in Godzilla and I've referred to his book many times in writing this blog. Steve is also currently working on a biography of Godzilla director Ishiro Honda.

He's actually interviewed by his wife about is opinions on the new film. I have to say, he answers every question expertly and I agree with everything he says. He answers such interesting questions like:

Is the new movie a sequal or an origin story?

How much does it honor the Japanese films?

How does it compare to Ronald Emmerich's 1998 Godzilla?

Why haven't there been any new Japanese Godzilla movies? and...

Is Godzilla too fat?

It's a great read. My hats off to you Mr. Ryfle. See if you agree with what he says, and be sure to get a copy of his book.

Yahoo Movies!

Why is Godzilla So Popular?

2014-05-09T05:06:00.000-07:00

2014 marks the 60th anniversary of the original Gojira in 1954. This year the world will see the fury of Godzilla unleashed in the new reboot from Legendary Pictures. With all the excitement, it's timely to ask the question why is Godzilla so popular and endured so long with a career spanning 60 years and 30 movies?

Let me get a little philosophical for a moment and examine a deeper question. What does Godzilla represent? Of course, we know that Godzilla was originally a metaphor for the nuclear attacks on Japan during the war, but I don't mean in the original Gojira or the 2014 reboot specifically, but overall, as a character.

Why do we need Monsters?

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the earliest written story, over 4000 years old, and it's filled with monsters and gods. But stories of monsters are much older than that, dating back to the beginning of human speech. I'm sure the first human conversation was something like, "I couldn't see it very well, but something was chasing me!"

The ancient world was a dangerous place with wild animals like bears and lions and natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons, not to mention things like war, famine, and disease. Life was short and full of very real dangers, so why do we have monsters in stories? Of course, there's a fantasy, escapist quality to it, but it's more than that. Monsters are bigger than life, outside our ordinary experience. Monsters are usually half hidden, unseen, just beyond the firelight. They represent a fear of things we can't expect or imagine and we need to put a face to our fears. Monsters are our fear of the unknown.

Another clue came when I was reading one of my favorite stories from ancient Greek literature,The Iliad, the story of Helen and the Trojan war. The introduction was written by a French woman Simone Weil before WWII:

“The true hero, the true subject, the center of the Iliad, is force. Force as man’s instrument, force as man’s master, force before which human flesh shrink back. The human soul in this poem is shown always in its relation to force: swept away, blinded by the force it thinks it can direct, bent under the pressure of the force to which it is subjected. Those who had dreamed that force, thanks to progress, now belonged in the past, have seen the poem as a historic document; those that can see that force, today as in the past, is the center of all human history, find in the Iliad its most beautiful, its purest mirror…..force is what makes the person subjected to it into a thing.”

When I read those words, I immediately thought of Godzilla. That's what he is to me, an unstoppable, god-like force. Force is what makes the person subjected to it into a thing. At this point, "monster", and "force" are interchangeable. Monsters represent a challenge, something to be overcome and define the hero. It's overcoming great challenges in our lives that defines us. This is most obvious in challenges like war or sports.

About Monsters, I think Godzilla director Ishiro Honda said it best;

"Monsters are tragic beings; they are born too tall, too strong, too heavy, they are not evil by choice. That is their tragedy"

So, Godzilla represents an unstoppable force of the unknown. But, I think that's only half the answer. If so, Godzilla would have just been a great movie monster in Gojira and it would have stopped there, but it didn't.

The Hero Monster

Godzilla started as a dark metaphor for the atomic bomb and the horrors of war, but he didn't stay that way. Unlike most movie monsters, he became the hero, especially to children. This change wasn't gradual over time, but happened all at once in one movie. That movie was, Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster(1964) and was the 5th movie in the series. In all previous films, Godzilla was clearly an evil creature bent on destruction. But Ghidorah changed things. In that film, both Godzilla and Rodan re-emerge, wreaking havoc. But then Ghidorah appears from space and is an even greater threat. Baby Mothra tries to persuade the other two to join her in battling Ghidorah to save the Earth, but both Godzilla and Rodan are stubborn and care nothing about what happens to the world. Then bravely, Mothra goes to confront Ghidorah alone. That when it happens. When Mothra is getting pummeled by a far stronger Ghidorah, Godzilla suddenly appears over the mountain to save the day, followed closely by Rodan and the three of them join forces to defeat the space dragon.

From that movie on, Godzilla would walk a fine line between destroyer and savior, sometimes more one or the other. At times, he would come to the aid of those in danger to battle another monster, but usually these battles were territorial. This was his world. He would save the planet from some marauding monster, only to turn around and destroy it himself.

In addition, Godzilla has personality. There have been were many other giant movie monsters created by nuclear radiation, but they were mostly imagined as giant animals acting on instinct. This was the main problem with 1998's Godzilla film by Ronald Emmerich. That monster, often referred to as Gino, Godzilla In Name Only, or simply Zilla, spent most of the film running and hiding from the military. But the true Godzilla has personality, and attitude and never ran from a fight. This personality would grow and change over the years. As the hero, we identified with Godzilla. We were rooting for him now. His victories became our own. Children especially, imagined being him, stomping through cities. Godzilla goes his own way, and isn't swayed by others. This independence is attractive to kids as well as adults. Godzilla was invulnerable to attack and possessed a deadly offensive weapon, his trademark, blue atomic ray. These things also set him apart from most monsters.

Godzilla was a hero with immense power and strength. In this he was like Superman, the greatest hero of comic books, who can overcome any difficulty or adversary. It's been said that Superman is as strong as he needs to be. It's no surprise then, that as our world grew, so did Godzilla to match the times. The original Godzilla was 50 meters(164 feet) tall. The new Godzilla in 2014 is over twice as big at 106 meters(350 feet). He is at once the irresistible force and the immovable object. Godzilla becomes as big and as strong as we need him to be.

I'm sure Godzilla will endure for years to come. He will continue to grow and evolve and be our unstoppable, lovable monster hero.

Incredible Godzilla 2014 Art Movie Poster

2014-05-08T20:26:00.000-07:00

If a picture's worth a thousand words, then this awesome, new Godzilla 2014 art movie poster says it all. Will this movie get here already!?

Godzilla: The Art of Destruction Book Trailer

2014-05-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

Below is a newly released trailer for the book, Godzilla: The Art of Destruction by Mark Cotta Vaz. This in-depth book chronicles the making of Legendary Pictures Godzilla reboot with director Gareth Edwards. It features lots of concept art and behind-the-scenes development.

Here's the official description:

Published to coincide with the release of Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards, this visually stunning book presents an extraordinary new vision for the beloved character through a dynamic selection of concept illustrations, sketches, storyboards, and other pre-production materials. Godzilla: The Art of Destruction is the definitive book on one of the most anticipated films of 2014. Featuring interviews with the director and key crew and cast members, the book tells the complete story of the making of Godzilla from concept to final frames. Comprehensive and enthralling, Godzilla: The Art of Destruction is a book that no fan will want to be without.

Review

“Art of Destruction provides a glimpse at how the filmmakers envisioned the chaos and devastation they wanted their film to encompass. From what we’ve seen from the finished product, they did a hell of a job translating the ideas from page to screen. Even the cover of this book is freaking epic.”
—Giant Freakin Robot

Below is a cool image from the book, showing Godzilla trapped in the ice. There's also another image from the trailer showing a nuclear submarine perched upside down in the mountains. I hope we see these shots in the movie. Get your copy of this awesome book, today!

Godzilla 2014 3D Spot with New Footage!

2014-05-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

Here's an absolutely amazing short Godzilla 2014 featurette (Spanish sub-titled)with director Gareth Edwards and others on how they converted the film into 3D and that Edwards said it was better than shooting the movie first in 3D because you have more control afterwards.

But most excitingly, the spot features new footage we haven't seen before, especially of Godzilla swimming toward naval ships in the ocean with his huge spines and tail coming up. Later, there's an aerial shot of Godzilla swimming with ships on both sides like an escort. There are also shots of Muto's feet dwarfing soldiers beneath as it walks.

I can't wait!

How Did They Make Godzilla's Roar? And Video

2014-05-08T19:33:00.000-07:00

Akira Ifukube

Godzilla's characteristic roar is undoubtedly one of the most original and unmistakable sounds in film history. The roar has gone through many tunings and tweaking over the years including the newest version in 2014, but the basic roar has remained the same. But, how did they make the original sound?

The man responsible was Japanese composer Akira Ifukube, who wrote Godzilla's iconic music themes and scored most of the Godzilla series. In making the original Gojira in 1954, Ifukube and his team had very little time to write the music and create the movies sound effects. For Godzilla's roar, they first looked at real animal sounds like lions, tigers, or elephants. These proved unsatisfactory, however. Godzilla was an enormous monster beyond our imagination, so it stands to reason he should have a wholly unique and unearthly sound. Ifukube hit on an idea to use a stringed intrument, an inorganic sound. He used a contra bass( double bass), one of the lowest pitched stringed instruments in the world. He actually had to borrow one of the rare instruments from the Japan Art University's music department. He loosened the strings and ran his hand across them with a leather glove. They recorded the sound and played it back at reduced speed to create Godzilla's iconic roar. He also created Godzilla's thunderous footsteps with a primitive amplifier.

Unlike American movie monsters, which used animal sounds, this technique of using metallic, or inorganic sounds would become standard practice for Toho's monsters, including the likes of Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah. Notable exceptions are King Kong and King Caesar, both mammalian monsters, which used elephant sounds.

Of course, Godzilla's roar has been updated for his new appearance in 2014, but the base is the same. Below are a couple of related videos. The first is the full roar from Godzilla 2014. This is the scene in Chinatown and his roar is a challenge to the other monster, Muto. It's so loud and powerful and sooo long it goes on forever. You feel like he's going to swallow you whole. Members of the press at advanced screenings said it shook the whole theater! The second video is a mini-documentary with Godzilla director Gareth Edwards and others about how they wanted to pay homage to Godzilla's characteristic sound.