This Looks Promising

I’m cautiously optimistic about this bit of news out of the San Diego comic con, where Legendary Pictures revealed an early poster and teaser trailer for the upcoming American Godzilla film. The details of the trailer are covered over on iO9, but the general reaction from the fans has been pretty positive. Even though the footage is brief, it contains two encouraging elements which fills me with hope that Legendary is on the right track with this project: a demolished city and the silhouette of a creature that is definitely Godzilla-esque.

Granted, you can’t make out too much from that grainy image, but the outline is a heck of a lot closer to the Japanese Godzilla than the 1998 version ever was. In fact, its somewhat stocky proportions remind me of the design that was used for Godzilla's cameo in the Japanese film “Always on Third Street 2”:

Alright, director Gareth Edwards... you’ve got my hopes up for this thing. Do not pull a “Tri-Star” on me. My sensitive geek heart couldn’t take it. 

Links of Note and Dapper Ultramen

Being Ultraman isn’t always about fighting monsters. Sometimes it’s just about looking classy.

Some details of the Godzilla: Half-Century War comic mini-series due out in August by artist/writer James Stokoe. (Comics Alliance)

Comic Book Resources has revealed further info and conceptual artwork for the Dinosaurs vs. Aliens project. (Comic Book Resources)

Obliterate puny humans as a Martian tripod in this click-and-point game. (Tripod Attack)

Robotman vs Godzilla

Back in the 80’s, the Robotman comic strip first appeared as a tie-in to a rather saccharine mass-marketing/toy concept. While the toy failed to catch on with consumers, the strip continued to run in newspapers and was slowly re-imagined as a means to parody pop culture, films and television- particularly those of a science fiction persuasion. Below are some scans from a storyline spoofing Godzilla movies. I really can’t picture any currently-running comic strip embracing subject matter like this nowadays.

Please Stand By...

Yeah, I’m still around. Unfortunately, just as I was on the verge of finishing a new movie review, my computer’s hard drive decided to kick the bucket. I’m still in the process of picking up the pieces but in the meantime, I figured that I needed to put up a little filler post... so here are some awesome Godzilla doodles by artist Derek Thompson that I came across recently. You can view the full-sized version plus another page of sketches (along with tons of supah-cool artwork) over at his blog, “DerekMonster.”

Godzilla 2012 Design?

If you’ve been visiting any of the linked sites found on the right-hand margin of this blog, you’ve probably come across the above image of what is purported to be the design of the upcoming Legendary Pictures version of Godzilla that’s been making the rounds on various sites. So... could this sculpture be the genuine article?

To put things in perspective, we’re talking about the internet here... speculation has a long-standing tradition of running completely rampant online. Remember all the crazy theories flying around about Cloverfield before the movie came out in theaters? Y’know- the ones that, as it eventually turned out, were either flat-out wrong or had nothing to do with the final, finished film?

I fully admit to getting every bit as caught up in that hoopla at the time; now looking back, a little bit of restraint and common sense might have been a better path to take. As the old Proverb goes: fool me once, shame on you... fool me twice, shame on me.

This is why I really don’t have any sort of opinion about the photo in question at this point in time for a movie that has only JUST started development... other than it’s a nice sculpt. The guy (or girl) responsible is clearly talented. One thing I can say with certainty is that, given how Hollywood normally does things, whatever this new American Godzilla finally ends up looking like will probably be kept pretty confidential up until the movie’s actual release.

New American Godzilla Film and Giant Japanese Robots in 2012

From Variety (with thanks to Benjamin for the link!):

"Godzilla" is coming back -- this time, with Legendary Pictures taking the lead, co-producing and co-financing with Warner Bros. for release in 2012.Legendary announced Monday it had obtained rights to the iconic monster character from Japan's Toho Co., which has overseen more than 25 "Godzilla" films. Toho will release the pic in Japan.

Legendary said it's planning to announce a director shortly.

In addition to Legendary, producers on the new film will be Dan Lin, Roy Lee and Brian Rogers. Yoshimitsu Banno, Kenji Okuhira and Doug Davison will exec produce.

"Godzilla is one of the world's most powerful pop culture icons, and we at Legendary are thrilled to be able to create a modern epic based on this long-loved Toho franchise," said Thomas Tull, Chairman and CEO of Legendary. "Our plans are to produce the Godzilla that we, as fans, would want to see. We intend to do justice to those essential elements that have allowed this character to remain as pop-culturally relevant for as long as it has."

Legendary noted the film will fall under its co-production and co-financing deal with Warner Bros. Legendary's productions with Warners have included "The Dark Knight," "300" and "The Hangover."

Speculation about a new "Godzilla" has been active since last summer. The Bloody Disgusting web site reported in August that the project was in development.

I originally refrained from reporting on this news tidbit a few months back when it was just an internet rumor, but it seems to have become nice and official. I’m a wee bit concerned that Yoshimitsu “Godzilla flying by means of using his atomic breath like a rocket is a good idea and not at all asinine” Banno is attached to the project in executive producer capacity, but I suppose I shouldn’t get too worked up when a director hasn't even been chosen as of yet. The fact that the intention is to create a Godzilla movie that will appeal to fans of the character does fill me with hope, however.

In non-Godzilla-related news, I came across this today:

Looks like somebody really liked the design aesthetic of the Michael Bay Transformers movies- it’s still awfully neat, though. Supposedly, this is only test/teaser footage for a proposed “Gaiking” movie by director Matthew Gratzner and F/X artist Jules Urbach. The film is also aiming for a release in 2012 with a possible sequel, Shogun Warriors, provided the box office returns are plentiful enough. It’s interesting to note that the American “Shogun Warriors” toy line from the 70’s was comprised of Japanese giant robot characters which all hailed from different anime and manga series- it would not surprise me if this film doesn’t end up being an adaptation of the original Gaiking animated television show but instead, goes with an entirely new story concept.

Book Review: The Essential Godzilla Collection

Growing up as a North American Godzilla fan in the 70's could be best described as an exercise in compromise. This was long before video was commonplace, which meant that seeing the films was a matter of catching their occasional broadcasts on television. Related toys or books were practically non-existent, and what little merchandising that did exist of the character produced for the North American market suffered from aesthetic inaccuracy.

This was apparently due in part to Toho's legal department, as anything involving Godzilla from an American source had to conform to a stipulation of being slightly altered so as to not exactly resemble the Japanese version- but since the alternative was a whole lot of nothing, you'd mostly put up what you could get back then. Such was the case with Marvel Comics' version of the character who starred in his own self-titled comic book between 1977 and 1979; one that I rabidly sought out every month, even though many of the elements and ideas in it didn't always sit well with my younger self. Not too long ago, Marvel assembled the entire 24-issue run of the series as a part of their “Essentials” line of black and white collections and so I decided to pick up a copy- partially for reasons of nostalgia, and also to see how the comic held up against my older, cynical adult perspective.

Having revisited the series as a whole I would say that Marvel's Godzilla is sort of a mixed bag. In accordance with Toho's legal mandate, the character's design was changed to a much more reptilian appearance with a larger, bulkier head and a fire-breathing ability instead of a radioactive energy beam. No longer a wholly destructive symbol of the atomic bomb, the monster was dropped into the Marvel Comics universe as a sort of misunderstood beast on the run while being pursued by the forces of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Marvel's high-tech government defense organization).

Since it would have cost additional money to legally use other Toho creations, the comic had Godzilla face off against a number of original monster creations, including (but not limited to) a giant mutated yeti, a huge samurai robot (operated by the prerequisite, annoying Japanese kid who is the only one with a sympathetic view of Godzilla) and a trio of alien war beasts. While it wasn't terribly faithful to the original Japanese incarnation, in its own self-contained way the story/concept dynamic worked, and was actually an entertaining read and overall decent, giant monster-themed comic... that is, while it stayed in that particular framework.

Unfortunately, because the series took place in the Marvel Universe, Godzilla inevitably began running across the resident superhero groups of the time, such as the Fantastic Four and the Avengers- crossovers not being an uncommon thing to happen in a DC or Marvel comic.

All the same, it doesn't mean I cared much for it... even as a kid. Having now revisited the same stories decades later, it still comes off like an oil and water mixture to me. It's not that I have anything against superheroes, but if I wanted to read a story about the Fantastic Four, I'd simply go buy their book. It also probably didn't help sway my opinion that the increased amount of superhero content came in around the time that the comic's stories started going down some rather gimmicky and arguably unbefitting story paths involving Godzilla battling cowboys and an extended plot wherein the monster is shrunk down to the size of a rat and subsequently sent back in time (where he meets up with Devil Dinosaur- admittedly, a fun story).

I suppose that this opinion was (and still is) mostly due to being a bit of a stubborn purist- as far as a Godzilla comic was concerned, all I wanted was Godzilla fighting giant monsters or the military, so the moment things strayed too far away from that realm, I lost interest pretty quick.

Overall, my memories of this book keep me from being too terribly harsh with my opinion of it, although I'm not sure if I would necessarily recommend it to younger generation of Godzilla fans who lack the nostalgic buffer. Still, it's an interesting example of one of the many ways that the character has been interpreted over the years and in this case, as by a foreign creative culture outside of Japan. Three and a half out of five.

Hey kids! Free Foreign Comics!

A recent post on the Kaijuphile message forum provided a link to an online Godzilla comic from a Japanese website and I figured that I'd mention it here on the blog. It’s uncertain whether it’s a scan of a previously published manga or some sort of fan-produced work (a lot of amateur artists in Japan are often as talented as their professional counterparts), but given that the site hasn’t updated in four years, it’s safe to assume that there won’t be any new material any time soon. Still, it’s an interesting perusal all the same and Godzilla actually looks like his cinematic representation, which is more than could be said for his old Marvel comics appearance. You can skip right to the comic here (the monster-heavy content is in the third chapter called “The Struggle”:

Godzilla Manga

Uchusen Daikaiju Art

The first issue of the newly revitalized Space Magazine Uchusen- a Japanese magazine covering sci-fi/fantasy in film and television (kind of a cooler and more picture-heavy version of Starlog magazine here in North America)- featured a nifty little pictorial of painted artwork concerning the monsters of Toho films, which I've scanned and posted below. As my Japanese reading skills are currently dulled to point of non-existence, I'm not quite sure what the context of the article is, but it seems to be first in a series. I'll post more as they come.

Game Review: Godzilla Unleashed (PS2)

An interesting particularity that I've noticed in many video game-related magazines comes about when an upcoming and anticipated game is the recipient of a large, extensive preview article, only to be subsequently mentioned a few issues later in the form of a brief review (usually found towards the back of the publication) when said game turns out to be a big, fat disappointment. It’s almost as if the editors are embarrassed that they made such a big deal out of something that ended up being considerably less than the sum of the hype surrounding it. I will admit that whenever I would come across this, I would revel in a slight amount of smug amusement... that is, until the cold hand of irony decided to slap me upside the head in the form of Godzilla Unleashed.

If you’ve followed this blog to any degree over the last year, Godzilla Unleashed is a something that I had committed a fairly subsequent amount of entries to, mostly concerning the various monsters that were slated to appear in the game. I finally bought a copy and after playing for a few hours, felt kind of silly for all the attention I had previously heaped upon it because, frankly-speaking, Unleashed is a disappointing mess. It was then that I became enlightened to the ‘merits’ of the aforementioned techniques used by gaming magazines, and was sorely tempted to post a skeletal entry containing links to miscellaneous game review sites with a smidgen of text along the lines of, “Oh well- as it turns out, the game sucks. See links”. However, I ultimately decided that it would be better to properly see this whole thing through to the end with a relatively full review. So here goes:

Overall, Unleashed can be best described as a clunky version of Atari/Pipeworks’ previous Godzilla-themed videogame effort, Save the Earth. The story (as told via a bunch of voiced-over static illustrations, reused over and over to an annoying degree) is as follows: Earth is bombarded by crystalline meteorites which pepper the planet and send weather patterns- as well as the resident daikaiju- into a tizzy. After picking out a monster to control, the player visits various cities around the globe in order to engage whichever opponents are occupying the location. During each level, the player can:

A) Beat up the enemy monster.

B) Assist or fight a second monster (of an allied, enemy or neutral relationship) that is also trying to beat up the enemy monster.

C) Get defeated by the enemy monster.

D) Destroy all of the huge crystals that are littered about the environment. Some will renew the health or energy of the player’s monster.

E) Run around and wait for the level’s timer to run out.

F) Smash buildings.

G) Go make a sandwich.

Any one of these choices will do, simply because there is no bad decision to be made here: the game will continue onward, regardless of what happens. Screwing up the level doesn’t mean starting over- you just return to the map screen, choose another area and then battle a new foe. This is the game's biggest crime in a nutshell: the whole thing feels like an exercise in pointlessness. I’d imagine that there probably is some sort of internalized significance to the various outcomes- good or bad- but since it doesn’t really seem to overtly affect the gameplay, who cares? Perhaps it subtly alters details of the game’s plot; an uninteresting yarn concerning an alien invasion scheme and an insane military officer, made all the more intolerable from the fact that the game necessitates playing through the story mode numerous times in order to accumulate enough points necessary to unlock all of the monsters (as well as some other extras).

Speaking of which; if you’re looking forward to playing the new monsters like Biollante, Titanosaurus and King Caesar, forget about it- they’re all Wii exclusives. The only new beasts in the PS2 port are Battra (Mothra with a different skin) and Obsidius (one of the non-Toho creatures created specifically for the game).

I could go on in detail about the ugly environment designs, the simplified and unresponsive controls, the dumb-looking “Critical Mass” states (an empowered form that makes the affected monster look like a black and orange candy cane), or the annoying camera, but it’s already painfully evident that I’m advising against a purchase of Godzilla Unleashed. I can’t speak for the Wii version, but according to reviews found around the web, the general opinion isn’t really much better. For those who still own a PS2 or an Xbox, stick with Save the Earth instead; it’s a much more satisfying game by comparison.

Two out of five.

Godzilla Unleashed: Final Four

Oops- my bad. Looks like there were still four final monster reveals to go for Godzilla: Unleashed. So, without further ado, here they are:

Mechagodzilla (90’s)

‘Nother MechaGodzilla...

Godzilla (90’s)

‘Nother Godzilla...

Godzilla (’54)

‘Nother Godzilla...

Space Godzilla

Actually, I like Space Godzilla a lot, as his abilities and attacks are weird and varied enough to make him more than just another Godzilla clone. Mind you, he’s the second monster in the game based around a crystal theme (the other being Obsidius)- do we really need two?

So we now have the final lineup. There are a few characters missing in the IGN galleries that are slated to appear in the final game, including Varan (who has a profile on the game’s official website), Moguera (who also has an official profile) and Showa-era Mechagodzilla (I think you can see him briefly in one of the game site’s trailers).

While I’m not terribly thrilled about the fact that there are quite a few repeating characters (three Godzillas, three Mechagodzillas and two King Ghidorahs) and two non-Toho, original creations (Krystalak and Obsidius), I’ll take what I can get when it comes to a new Godzilla-themed fighting game. It’s better than nothing. All the same though, here’s a quick list of the monsters I would have liked to have seen in this release in place of the variants and the two exclusive characters:

Hedorah

I’m actually kinda surprised that Hedorah didn’t make it into this new game as all of his strange abilities would make for a great fighting game character.

Kumonga

I had mentioned in a previous blog entry on the subject that Kumonga would be a welcome addition to the list of characters, and they could even give him the leaping ability from his Final Wars incarnation.

The Gargantuas

Admittedly, one of the fun aspects of a fighting game featuring Toho’s cast of daikaiju is to enact brawls that never actually happened in the films. Although the Gargantuas would be entirely melee-based in terms of their attacks, the game could compensate by giving them their signature regenerative abilities and allow them to slowly regain their health when not being hit.

Gezora

Yeah, it’s an odd choice, but I’ve always liked this beastie from Space Ameoba- goofy design and all- and it never hurts to have a few non-humanoid entries in the games’ roster to mix things up visually. Although he never displayed the ability in his film appearance, it wouldn’t be terribly out of character to give him some sort of pressurized water spray-like ranged attack for the sake of the game.

Kamacuras

The War of the Monsters fighting game for the PS2 featured a giant mantis as a playable character- why not a Godzilla game? Kamacuras could be totally based around speed and his flying ability, making him more of a “hit and run” fighter. Although he was briefly shown having a camouflage/invisibility power in Final Wars, that ability would be somewhat hard to pull off in the context of a two-player game.

Bagan

If you really want a new and exclusive monster in the game, why not make it one that was actually meant to legitimately appear in a movie? Bagan is sort of an infamous monster in Toho fan circles, as he has appeared in various projects, including early drafts of The Return of Godzilla (a.k.a. Godzilla 1985), as the headlining villain in the unmade Mothra vs Bagan film and again in another Godzilla installment which would eventually become Godzilla vs Destoroyah. He did finally show up in the Super Nintendo game, Super Godzilla as a final boss, but it would be cool to see him in a fully rendered, 3D incarnation. The best thing about Bagan though, is that he actually looks like a proper Japanese-style kaiju... unlike certain, other exclusive creations that I could name.

Zilla/GINO

Although having this monster appear in this game might be considered a blasphemous maneuver by some fans, I can think of no better way of making up for the American re-imagining than by turning the character into a virtual punching bag to vent frustrations upon.

Three More Monsters (Minus One)

In a recent update, IGN.com has revealed what may be the final two monsters for Godzilla: Unleashed line-up:

Biollante

At last, the genetic combination of Godzilla, human and plant DNA finally shows up as a playable character. The game designers have seemed to given her quite a number of varied abilities, including long-distance-reaching tentacle attacks, a ranged acid spray and what seems to be the ability to burrow underground (like Megalon and Baragon). In fact, she almost seems a little... too powerful and versatile. I guess we won’t know for sure until the final game is actually played.

Orga

It’s not unexpected to see Orga returning for this new release, as he has become sort of a staple for the Atari Godzilla games. Not that it’s a bad thing by any stretch; he’s a hard-hitting badass that can do some real damage to his opponent if he gets in close enough. When playing as some of the more delicate monsters in the game, it’s often best to keep your distance and throw stuff at him like a big coward.

Three More Monsters: Part 4

Another crop of playable monsters for Godzilla: Unleashed has been unveiled at IGN.com:

Mecha-King Ghidorah

As I have previously mentioned in one of my earlier posts on the subject, I’m not a terribly huge fan of variations on a given character taking up entire playable slots in fighting games- it just seems like a bit of a cheat as it arguably amounts to playing the same character twice with only slight differences in strengths, abilities and appearance. Mecha-King Ghidorah is certainly no exception to this opinion. Ah, well.

Obsidius

So anyhow, moving right along...

Megaguirus

Admittedly, Megaguirus was one of the last characters I played in Godzilla: Save the Earth but I was surprised to find out what an effective and versatile fighter she can be with her speed and energy-draining abilities. I’m happy Pipeworks included her in this new sequel.

Three More Monsters (Plus One)

IGN.com has rolled out more Godzilla: Unleashed character reveals- this newest batch however, featured a rather unexpected (and thankfully pleasant) surprise.

Baragon

I’m glad that see that Baragon in all his GMK-version glory is making a return in this new title as a playable monster. He was one of my favorites from Godzilla: Save the Earth.

Rodan

Well, it really wouldn’t be a proper Toho daikaiju game without Rodan. He is kind of a fun character to play as his flying ability gives him an almost unfair advantage on terrain-heavy maps, although it conversely does turn him into a bit of an open target for most ranged attacks.

Jet Jaguar

Ah, the composite hybrid of Ultraman and Jack Nicholson. I was never terribly adept at using Jet Jaguar in G:STE, although strangely enough, I did find him to be a bit of a headache as a computer-controlled opponent.

Titanosaurus

And here I thought that this character would never make an appearance due to the same messy licensing problems that kept him out of the previous game incarnations- I’m glad I was wrong! I’d imagine that Titanosaurus be able to use his signature whirlwind-inducing tail whip maneuver that he displayed in Terror of Mechagodzilla; although within the context of the game, it will probably be relegated as a special ranged attack.