Overanalyzing The New Shin-Godzilla Design

I'm back and ready to pick apart everything about the latest Godzilla design for the 2016 Toho Pictures film 'Godzilla: Resurgence.' This is an opinion piece (specifically my opinion) and I’m sure there will be a lot of fans out there that will harshly disagree with my thoughts on the design. Nevertheless, I have a lot to say about specific choices they made, for better or worse, and I think that some of you out there will agree with me. I’m going to break this down by parts of his body and then talk about the design as a whole at the end. Starting off with the-

Head

What I like:  I really enjoy the return of the googly eyes from the original 54' puppet that was used for all the close-up shots in the original film. His teeth being so sporadic and different than any design for this creature that has come before is also a plus for me.

What I do not like: Unfortunately, I have more dislikes than likes for the head design we got. First decision I have to question is why you would make a reference to the puppet from the original film with the head design instead of the much better looking and much more universally liked suit from the same film. This facial structure doesn’t really work for me either. I can talk for days about how the pulled back mouth makes no sense anatomically speaking. Why did his whole skull structure change while regenerating from whatever awful thing happened to him? I can understand the jawline going that far back and looking like it does except for one thing, there shouldn’t be any teeth that far back on the jaw! I’m also okay with the huge amount of teeth in general, but what I’m not fine with is the blatant disregard for how exaggerated the skull looks. The mouth just looks really awkward when he opens it (more like a Muppet than an actual creature).  As I mentioned above I like the googly-ness of the eyes, but I don’t like how small they are. I would prefer if they were 25% bigger than they are now. Oh, and one last thing about the head…

It really has problems from certain angles, especially from the front. This isn’t the first suit design that looks a bit odd forward facing, but I was hoping that they had evolved to the point of tweaking where they could get it looking good from all angles.

He especially looks silly from the front when he opens his mouth. His head also lacks any real definition and is a bit too large for his body.

Chest and Neck

What I like:  Here is where we get to some good stuff. His skin is amazing! I love how it looks like burnt flesh that is either trying to regrow or could just fall off because it is barely attached. Really, it's another call back to the 54' design and the horrors of the atomic bomb in general. I actually do like the chest spike which seems to change sizes depending on the angle that you look at it. I know it contradicts everything I said above with the whole staying anatomically correct speech, but hear me out. The chest spike could explain Heisei Godzilla’ s weird third boob thing in the middle of his chest.

What I don’t like: His neck is a wee bit too long and is surprisingly devoid of much burn/scar tissue (other than the weird gill like structure toward the back half of his neck). Other Godzilla designs have had long necks as well, so this specific nitpick is just a personal preference.

Arms and Hands

What I like: I like that they keep the burned off flesh look from the torso and once again, I love the call backs to 54' but…

What I don’t like:  ...the arms are super tiny! 54' had small arms as well but they at least looked like they could grasp onto something and pull it down.

The new arms look vestigial, as if he evolved or mutated one step further he wouldn’t even have them. His hands also seem to have very little movement with the bit of footage that we have seen so far. As of right now, I don’t think he’s going to be using these to do much of anything in the film. One last note, they seem to be stuck in a strange upward position which adds to the overall creepiness of the design.

Back & Dorsal Plates

What I like: EVERYTHING! I love the red glowing parts in the crevices of his spines, and the fact that he has five rows in general. I love that his spines are not all uniform to each other and that they look like they are continuing to grow.

Legs and Feet

What I like: I like the basic structure of his legs and the fact that he has four toes. The saurian influences are extremely apparent with how his lower leg contorts.

What I don’t like: They really missed the mark with the actual feet… I really like what they were going for, all except one huge thing they forgot when designing a creature with saurian features; dinosaurs still had heels!

The oversight makes him look like he is standing on his tiptoes at all times and pretty unstable. I do want to point out that it is completely possible that the toy (only good look at his feet available) is supposed to be taking a step with his left foot. If that is the case, my complaints about the feet are null and void. Though I’m also not the biggest fan of the claws on his feet being curled upwards either. They almost look like they are glued on to the toe instead of it being an actual part of the foot itself.

The Tail

What I don’t like: I really don’t have much positive to say about the tail, actually. It's so thick that the rows of spines along it look even smaller than they normally do on other Godzilla designs. It has a very strange group of bulky ridges to it that make it look trapezoidal in shape. The tip of the tail has a weird bulge to it that almost looks like it would evolve into some sort of ankylosaurian weapon. Then there is the now infamous whale skeleton…

This may get explained in the film, but for right now it's just strange. The length isn’t really a problem for me, but the way it flops around up in the air through most of the footage doesn't work for me. It should be versatile, but it is used mostly for counter balance. Final thought on the tail: can we officially move away from the rounded end of the tail design? Even the 54' Godzilla design had a pointed tail (which they make multiple references to within this design as stated above).

Overall Thoughts

Overall I feel like this take on Godzilla is a little bit over-designed in some areas (mouth, tail, feet) and under-designed in others (head and arms/hands). The overall look really does evoke the 54' Godzilla, but the extremely awkward head design and the strange proportions are very off-putting.  

So, now for the big question: do I like it or not? I actually can’t decide, and I know that seems like a cop out, but let me explain. There are a lot of design decisions that completely baffle me, but may be made clear through the story of the film. It is still possible that he is healing throughout the film and his design will change significantly. As a one-off film I think it is perfectly acceptable, but I hope that they look back at some of their more popular designs (not the hand puppets of them) for future films in this newly revived Japanese 'Godzilla' series.

What did you think of the design? Do you agree with my thoughts? Do you want to take up your pitchforks and hunt me down? Let me know in the comment section below.

Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa Revealed in 'Power Rangers' Reboot

Dean Israelite's upcoming 'Power Rangers' is a weird and fascinating project, whether you watched the original series as a kid or not. From having an actual age appropriate cast, to talking about the suits as if they were going to be metaphysical extensions of the Ranger's skin, you have to give them credit for apparently not just phoning this reboot in and cashing out. Announcements since the beginning of pre-production have shown that they were taking a different approach with this film and casting actor and director Elizabeth Banks as the lead villain confirmed that even further. Now we have our first look at Rita Repulsa as she'll appear in the film. Check it out below.

This is a pretty big departure from any iteration of the character we've seen in the past. I do like that she's actually pretty repulsive looking, with blemishes and 'Star Trek' esque facial structure deformities. We here at Tokyo Lives would also like to point out that they've moved her completely into the green color palate, at least clothing wise, which seems like a deliberate connection to a certain future Rita-created evil Power Ranger who nearly wipes out the good guys and plays a mean flute.

We'll just have to wait until the movie releases on March 24, 2017 to see how this design looks in motion. Or at least until the first trailer.

'Jurassic World 2' Moving Forward With 'The Orphanage' Director Juan Antonio Bayona

While Colin Treverrow, who directed the widely successful 'Jurassic World,' is not finished with the rebooted franchise, he has signed on to direct another massive sequel called 'Star Wars Episode IX.' This left the door open for another filmmaker to step in and take over, as Universal wasn't about to hold off on moving forward with the sequel to one of the highest grossing tentpoles of all time.

Producer Frank Marshall and Colin Treverrow took to twitter to announce that the Spanish director of such films as 'The Orphanage,' and 'The Impossible' Juan Antonio Bayona is set to helm the next iteration of the genetically engineered dinosaur romp fest. His latest film 'A Monster Calls' is arriving later this year and although he was attached to direct the 'World War Z' sequel, he dropped out of that project making him available for JW2.

Colin Treverrow is still onboard as a producer and will be writing the script alongside longtime collaborator Derek Connolly. The sequel is rumored to focus on multiple companies developing their own dinosaur hybrids and the assumption that they will be loosed upon society to teach us the error of our God-playing ways.

'Jurassic World 2' arrives in theaters July 22, 2018.

New 'Godzilla: Resurgence' Figure Reveal Uncovers Full Design And Hints At Multiple Forms

We are in full 'Godzilla: Resurgence' mode right now, and why not? We just got our first look at the film in the form of a trailer, the promotion for the film is in full swing, and there are tentative hints at an American release.

If you're not excited to see this film, then in the next couple months, the entire island nation of Japan is going to do their damnedest to get you onboard. Obviously for giant monster fans, one of the best ways to do that is to bring out the merchandise, and 'Godzilla: Resurgence' is no different.

Banpresto will release a 35cm vinyl figure of Shin-Goji in July for just under $10 USD. While this is exciting for a lot of collectors wanting to get the earliest merch from a new Godzilla film, we here at Tokyo Lives are more interested in getting our first full look at the Shin Gojira design. Check it out below.

The biggest reveal is the feet, which is already a heated topic online with fans, showing off a new, almost theropod look. We also get a better idea of his proportions and I think it really helps the design seeing it in full view like this.

If that wasn't enough, the magazine that revealed this figure also mentions a series coming out in tandem with the new film. It supposedly includes three figures: Movie Monster Series Godzilla 2016, "Godzilla 2016 Kaiju A," and "Godzilla 2016 Kaiju B." What those include is a mystery, but here's the magazine page scan:

Is it possible that there are multiple monsters that will be introduced in the new film to fight Godzilla? Maybe, but I think the much more likely scenario is that this proves that the rumors going around since the first leaks of the new Shin-Goji design are true; multiple forms of Godzilla will appear in the film as he slowly regenerates to his new rebooted design. Obviously, that's speculation on my part, but I think it makes sense with what Toho has said about the film and the direction they're taking the series.

New monstrous enemies, or a mutating, regenerating Godzilla tearing up Tokyo? Tell us in the comment section what you think.

'Godzilla: Resurgence' To Get An American Release

This is the news we've all been waiting for, but maybe not what we expected or in the form we wanted. New World Cinemas has announced that they will release the film in 2017 on DVD. They have not mentioned a Blu-ray release, or a theater distribution plan as of this writing. 

Many of the blogs jumping on this story are treating the announcement as evidence that there will not be a theatrical distribution at all. I think it's a little early to claim that, as we've seen in the past, Fathom Events and a few other foreign distribution models have worked well in doing limited releases of big movies coming from abroad. 

With Toho Picture's tight lipped promotion of this film, I believe this is an announcement that we'll hear in the coming months. We have to keep in mind that they created an international title for this film and know that there is an audience for it outside of Japan.

We'll keep an eye out for further developments. The "in progress" 'Godzilla: Resurgence' page on the New World Cinemas website can be found here. 

Would you travel to a theater presenting the film in a one-time-only event style? Let us know in the comments.

Breaking Down The 'Godzilla: Resurgence' First Trailer Footage

It’s that time again, folks! I'm here to break down a trailer and think way too much about every little bit of information I can glean from it. Toho Pictures released their first full trailer yesterday for ‘Godzilla: Resurgence’ (‘Shin-Gojira’ in Japan) and it actually gave us a great amount of insight into the film for being a one minute and thirty second long trailer. Let’s jump in.

First, we have the good old Toho Scope logo. I believe this is actually a throwback to their older films since most of the time they use the Toho Co., LTD logo. Not much else to say about this image though.

Here we get our first CGI enhanced shot of Godzilla in the trailer. I originally thought this was just a puppet, but on further inspection it does appear to be aided with effects. It weirdly looks like Shin-Goji lost some jaw ligaments with how wide his mouth can open. I also think the roar used here is from the later 90's Godzilla films (end of the Heisei film series). Personally, I hope that this is a placeholder as it doesn’t really fit the design all too well.

Next up, we have a really nice scene where Godzilla’s huge tail sweeps above a suburban area. There is actually some really neat shot composition going on here, and I love how the people in the street are just kind of looking up in awe at the massive object passing overhead. I’m pretty sure I’d do the exact same thing.

First good full look at the design moving at a shuffling pace. This Godzilla definitely seems like he is in a constant amount of pain just from moving around. Whatever happened to him before this movie (or during) must have really done a number on the Big Guy.

“You are one ugly mother----." This design is not easy on the eyes… but in a good way! He has a very sinister grin at all times, and always looks like he is up to no good. I think his face from the front actually kinda looks like a bunch of ground up meat that formed into the shape of a head but…. well, that’s just my opinion. The eyes are super tiny and have a laziness to them, which is actually similar to the original 1954 design. I wish they were a little bigger though.

Great shot of the new design's back! I really love the red accents this design has going throughout it! Makes him look like drying lava and also may be a callback to Burning Godzilla from ‘Godzilla vs Destroyah.' It is interesting that he appears to have five rows of dorsal plates instead of the typical 3 which may also be a nod to the Heisei designs.

This is Hiroki Hasegawa, who is playing "Rando Yaguchi" the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary. Pretty sure he is going to be the one running the war room we see later in the trailer.

Satomi Ishihara is playing "Kayoko Ann Patterson" an advisor to the President of the United States. Not sure how she is involved. She is said to be speaking a lot of English in this film, which is not this particular actress's strong suit.

Akira Nakao is playing some sort of military officer. He has been in other Godzilla films before including ‘Godzilla vs. Destoroyah,' ‘Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II,' 'Godzilla: Final Wars,' and ‘Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.'

Not quite 100% on this, but I’m pretty sure this is Kenpachiro Satsuma, a.k.a. the suit actor for the 90’s Godzilla films. I’m just noticing this now, but it sure does seem like they are really harkening back to the Heisei series a lot…

Really cool night shot of people evacuating Tokyo, (I assume). None of the Godzilla shots are from a night sequence except for the first shot of him roaring... end of the film maybe?

Really beautiful shot of the Tokyo skyline! I wonder how much of this will be standing by the time the end credits roll.

Here's war room I mentioned where all the higher ups are going to gather and discuss a way to deal with the threat of Godzilla.

I think this is from one of Godzilla’s first rampages in the film, a.k.a. the scene where the tail shot is taken from. Looks like some great prop work and CGI background matting. This really shows you how much Toho is trying to undertake with their revival of the Godzilla series. Not too sure who this character is… maybe Yutaka Takenouchi? 

CGI shot of some helicopters on their way to assault Godzilla. I think the CGI in this scene is alright, but not the greatest. Then again, we have had some really bad CGI air vehicles in previous Godzilla films, and these are leagues better than those (I’m looking at you ‘Godzilla 2000’).

Once again, some really spectacular cinematography going on here. The camera moves with the tank as it swings around to take a shot at Godzilla.

Take a good look at Shin-Godzilla’s shear size in relation to modern skyscrapers in this shot where he is about to be hit in the eyes. Not the eyes! Anything but the eyes!

Yet another great shot, but Goji’s silhouette looks a little strange here. His arms are super tiny!

(Editor's note: They're not that small. Very reminiscent of 54's arms.)

Another glimpse at the design from the front; not something you’d want to wake up to in the morning!

Really nice scene of Godzilla wading through a city at dusk, possibly heading to his final destination. I’m sure this shot of him is all CGI, but with the way his tail is moving maybe it is a CGI enhanced suit. His tail actually looks really weird in this shot; almost like it has no weight to it at all.

Super close-up look at his leg. The reason I wanted to post this shot is that shows that his hands are so skinny and stiff that they continuously stay in this weird upward facing position. If you look back at any of the other shots where you can see his hands, they don’t really move too much.

Finally, a profile shot showing how messed up he really is. Looks to me like his flesh is in the process of regrowing, which is why we are seeing this glowing redness all around his body. Some of the dorsal spikes seem to have just sprouted once he started regenerating. I’m not claiming that the original rumors about him becoming a fully skinned Godzilla by the end of the film are true, but it is pretty obvious that he is coming back from being injured at the hands of something devastating.

And that’s it for our breakdown of the trailer for Godzilla's latest return to the silver screen. What did you think of the footage ? Do you think some of my wild accusations are correct? Do you like the design of Toho’s new Godzilla? Let us know in the comments below!

'Shin Gojira' arrives in Japanese theaters on July 29th, 2016.

First 'Godzilla: Resurgence' Trailer Released

Just hours after we posted news that more info was on the way for 'Shin Godzilla/Godzilla: Resurgence,' the first full trailer dropped for the film. Watch it now below.

Before this was revealed we had only gotten a teaser trailer of some bystanders running in the streets amidst Godzilla's classic roar. This shows much more than that, but still retains the qualities of a teaser trailer to me. 

We still don't know anything about the story or the characters, but this should give fans more to chew on while Toho still gets to keep most of its cards hidden. Hopefully, this is just the start of a larger dump of information and promotional teases.

What do you think of the new Godzilla design in action? Are you going to go out of your way to see this if it opens stateside in limited release? Fight it out in the comments section and keep a look out for our breakdown of this unique trailer.

'Godzilla: Resurgence' Advance Ticket Sales Theater List To Be Posted Tomorrow

According to the official 'Shin Godzilla/Godzilla: Resurgence' website, a full theater list for advance ticket sales will be posted tomorrow, April 14th. It goes on to say that a limited amount of theaters will have the opportunity to distribute exclusive prints of the Godzilla vs Evangelion artwork that was revealed at the beginning of the month.

The big question here is whether we will see a trailer tomorrow as well, or if we'll hear any updates on an American release. With the movie's opening coming in just a few short months, it seems likely that news and promotions will pick up at some point this month, but when is the real question. At the very least, we can expect to see the full Godzilla design and possibly some more information coming on April 29th as we've previously discussed here.

What are you most looking forward to seeing? Is the wait for information discouraging your hype for the movie at all? Let us know in the comments.

Breaking Down The 'Kong: Skull Island' First Look Footage

So, if you're like me, you've already watched Legendary Picture's first look at 'Kong: Skull Island' at least a few times, but I ended up going a little further than that. Below are some specific screenshots from the featurette and my thoughts on a few different interesting aspects of the new footage.

These first couple shots remind me of a scene straight out of 'Jurassic Park.' I'm sure they take place in-between a couple of action set pieces as the team explores the island in search of whatever it is the story has them looking for. Have they already encountered Kong at these two separate points?

This shot is a couple of frames before an explosion sends one of the characters soaring. Maybe taking place at their camp or even at the native's village? It's hard to tell, but I think we'll lose a couple characters here. 

After playing Loki, it's hard to see Tom Hiddleston in such a man's man role, but he seems perfectly comfortable running around in this footage. In the film, he plays a former British SAS officer who travels with the group and probably has more than a passing interest in Brie Larson's character.

Easily the most popular image from the video, it's hard to tell what's going on in this shot. The imagery is undeniably striking though.

Our first look at Samuel L. Jackson's character before zooming out to reveal...

...THE BONES OF A DEAD KONG! 

Obviously either a sibling/parent/rival/etc to the leading ape in the film, this at least answers a few of the questions concerning what his size might be in this new shared universe with Godzilla. Let's hope the actual Kong is even bigger than this or the 2020 rematch with the big G won't last very long.

So many Vietnam war callbacks. I really do hope it does more with tying into the time period than just flashing familiar uniforms and guns. It could make for a much deeper film. 

This looks like it takes place on the ship before reaching Skull Island. I'm really digging the look of the film from these monitor shots, but they obviously don't fully reflect what the Arri Alexa cameras are capturing and sending off to the colorist. Take them with a grain of salt.

This looks like a downed helicopter, or something along those lines, so I'm guessing they arrive on the island with a bang and part of the plot centers around them trying to get back to the boat.

If I were a betting man, I'd put some money on this shot taking place later in the film. It really has that feel to it, and who knows what matte is going to be placed on that green screen in the background. 1970's New York from a high vantage point, maybe? I doubt it, but it would be pretty amazing to see the classic third act played out with the type of style they're going for in this film.

These last two really interest me because of how different they are from the rest. Here are at least two characters who never make it to the island presumably, but are pulling all the strings. John Goodman in particular looks to be up to no good, but again, we'll have to see more of the movie before we really know what's going on or what his character's sinister desires truly are.

What do you think of this early look at the film? Does it make you want to see more, or are you worried about the direction they're taking? Let us know in the comments below.

UPDATE: 

So, it was pointed out to us here at Tokyo Lives that John Goodman can in fact be seen in the above "group shot" of the military on the island. So, he does make it there despite my speculating otherwise.

'Kong: Skull Island' Featurette Gives First Look At 2017 Film

After a drought of news besides the occasional leaked photo, 'Kong: Skull Island' revealed itself last night at the MTV Movie Awards. Check out the first look after the jump that contains a ton of new info coming from stars of the film Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson, as well as some brief glimpses of the film itself while in production.

Get More: 2016 MTV Movie Awards, Latest Movie News, A Sneak Peek From The Set Of 'Kong: Skull Island' - 2016 MTV Movie Awards

It looks like a completely different film than I was expecting. This really does seem to be a different take on the Kong mythos, at least from the visuals presented here. Whether the story will take on the original's basic plotting or try to pave its own path, we'll have to wait for the first full trailer to be able to do anything more than guess.

So far, I think the Vietnam imagery and the look at some of the cast that doesn't set foot on the island are the most interesting to me. But what Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston end up doing that separates them from the classic lead roles already has me incredibly curious. Look out for a breakdown of some of the high points of this featurette later today.

'Kong: Skull Island' opens March 10, 2017. Also starring are Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Thomas Mann, Shea Whigham, Eugene Cordero, Tian Jing, and more. Because everything exists in a shared universe now, 'Kong:Skull Island' takes place in the same continuity as 2014's 'Godzilla.' It’ll be followed by 'Godzilla 2' in 2018 and then the two series will come together for 'Godzilla vs. King Kong' in 2020.