'Kong: Skull Island' - 4 New TV Spots Introduce Us to a Bunch of New Footage

Yesterday was a literal minefield of Giant monster news! Probably my most anticipated film of the year, 'Kong:Skull Island' got 4 30 second TV spots to really kick the marketing into high gear. These things are filled to the brim with new footage and include some of the good old universe building movies are so fond of these days. That's enough teasing! It's time to take a look and breakdown some of the cooler things seen in the Spots.

I love seeing the softer side of Kong at the beginning of this spot. Most of the footage in this one is repeat footage from the trailers but there are a couple of really cool stand out moments.

There seems to be a giant octopus that is attacking Kong which may be the film calling back to one of the more famous sequences in 'King Kong vs Godzilla' (more on that later).

Also the really beautiful shot of Kong standing in the afternoon sun is back and it is just as amazing as it was before.

The lines of dialogue at the end of this Spot are super interesting since it gives a couple of tiny plot details. It looks like Sam Jackson is out to kill Kong and Tom Hiddleston is out to save him. This could lead to some really awesome human drama in the film itself. It also appears that they try to capture Kong at some point.

Finally, Brie Larson doesn't look too good in this last shot. Maybe Kong saves her from the octopus? Onto to the next one!

Now this one made me freak out at the beginning! We all wondered how open they were going to be about this film being attached to 'Godzilla (2014)' and I think this one shows we are in for some nice treats. 

"The 1954 tests were not tests they were trying to kill something!" Man I hope we get to see the same footage of the bomb going off with Godzilla rising that we saw in 2014! It would be great if John Goodman had that footage and we briefly see Godzilla in 'Kong: Skull Island'. Even just a tiny second of him would get the general audiences riled up!

It really looks like Kong is going to be jumping around a lot when he fights and using the momentum to make his hits even stronger . This will come in hand when he comes up against the King of the Monsters in 2020.

The Skull Crawler have Yoshi tongues!? That's awesome!

And finally it's the big confrontation moment! 2 down 2 to go!

"We came here looking for a dragon." Wait did they come to Skull Island in search of Godzilla?! This line plus the little bit in the other Spot makes it seem like they were actually thinking Godzilla came and hid on Skull Island after the Nuclear tests. There's also an  awesome shot of Kong swinging a tree like a baseball bat and hitting the Skull Crawler in the face. Unfortunately there is not a high resolution enough version to get a good screenshot. Let's move onto the final one!

More of the same really but there are a couple stand out moments.

Looks like Kong is in trouble! He is definitely chained in this picture and the Skull Crawler is taking advantage of his enemies weakness. The humans seem to be firing at the Crawler so at least he seems to have a bit of help.

Well that's all of them! Did you enjoy them? Are you on the hype train along with me? Do you think little hints towards 'Godzilla (2014)' are going to be enough or do they need to show Godzilla in the film in some way?

Power Rangers Trailer - It's Morphin time!

Well we've been complaining about the lack of marketing for the new Power Rangers film for awhile now  but that looks to be changing very quickly. Take a look at the full trailer that shows us everything we wanted to see in the teaser. 

So I have been a bit letdown by everything the movie has released thus far but oh man, that trailer was fantastic! It really makes me wish they had held off on the toys and waited until we this trailer had come out. Are the designs still funky? Yes, but seeing everything in motion makes it all look way better. 

I love the new putties but I do think Goldar still looks weird and I am annoyed that he looks to be a generic villain when he was originally one of the more iconic things from the original show. Rita is shown in both he morphed and unmorphed forms so it looks like she definitely is tapping into the Green Ranger coin's power a little bit. Looks like all of those leaks an Rumors are true.

I think the biggest thing this trailer adds is that little bit of fun. This feels like Power Rangers now. Maybe a bit more grounded in reality but it just oozes that style that I felt was missing before.

What did you think of the trailer? Are you excited to go see it? 

New 'Godzilla 2' and 'Pacific Rim: Maelstrom' Titles Revealed!

In a shocking turn of events, Legendary Pictures revealed the new titles for the hotly anticipated sequels to 'Godzilla' and 'Pacific Rim' in a hirinmg announcement press release. This is definitely an unorthodox way of making an announcement and could mean these new titles are simply working titles but this is still exciting.

Here is the press release in full:

Legendary today announced the hiring of three veteran production executives to its feature film operations including Herbert W. Gains, who has been named EVP of Physical Production, Valerie Flueger Veras who has been named SVP of Post- Production and Sara Flamm who will take on the SVP Physical Production role. The new additions were announced by Mary Parent, Legendary’s Vice Chairman of Worldwide Production.

“Herb comes to us with a tremendous body of experience working alongside some of the most prolific filmmakers in our industry,” said Parent. “His strong business acumen and commitment to supporting the vision of storytellers with preeminent production resources makes him an excellent complement to our team here at Legendary.” Gains will report directly to Parent, effective immediately.

Best known for his work as Executive Producer on such films as Warner Bros’ The Judge and Watchmen, as well as the recently released Jack Reacher: Never Go Back from Paramount, Gains’ responsibilities will include overseeing production of Legendary’s feature film slate including such highly anticipated projects as Pacific Rim: Uprising, Pokemon’s Detective Pikachu and Godzilla: King of Monsters. Gains will also work closely with the post-production team insuring that the filmmaker’s vision remains intact through production to final distribution.

“I’m extremely gratified to be entrusted with this unique opportunity,” said Gains. “Legendary’s evolution over the past decade has been nothing short of remarkable. I am proud to take a key role in the company’s continued growth in feature film production and excited by the potential of its established franchises and the diverse slate of films currently in development.”

Reporting to Gains at Legendary, is Valerie Flueger Veras, who will assume the role of SVP of Post-Production. “I have had the good fortune of working closely with Valerie on multiple films over the last few years,” said Parent. “She brings experience from all aspects of filmmaking to the post-production process and really understands how to support filmmakers whether they are making an intimate character drama or a big VFX driven tentpole.”

Flueger Veras is a seasoned executive who has lead the post-production efforts on some of the most critically-acclaimed films of the last decade including Oscar-nominated feature films, The Revenant, Selma and Nebraska. As SVP of Post-Production, Flueger Veras will immediately begin overseeing post on the upcoming Spring action film, Kong: Skull Island.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Legendary,” said Flueger Veras. “In addition to having an opportunity to re-team with Mary Parent who I have long respected, I am extremely excited to be working alongside such an imaginative and highly respected team of professionals and can’t wait to dive in on this truly iconic slate of films.”

Rounding out Legendary’s production team is Sara Flamm, who will step into the SVP of Physical Production role and will also report to Gains. “Sara brings with her a wealth of experience working on the types of genre films that Legendary is best known for,” said Parent. “We’re excited to be adding her expertise to this skilled new team.”

Most recently Flamm worked alongside Gains as Unit Production Manager on on Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and the upcoming film Geostorm. She has also worked as Production Supervisor on numerous hit films including The Judge as well as comic adaptations, Green Lantern and Legendary’s own Watchmen. In Flamm’s new role she has already begun work on the production of Pacific Rim: Uprising, currently shooting in Australia.

“Having worked with Legendary in the past, I’ve long admired their focus on delivering a truly elevated cinematic experience to their audiences,” said Flamm. They’ve had an incredible history of blockbuster films, and I’m looking forward to being a part of this team’s continued success.”

Did you catch them in that wall of text? If not it appears that 'Pacifc Rim: Uprising' is our new title instead of Maelstrom and the temporary title of 'Godzilla 2'  has been replaced by the much cooler sounding 'Godzilla: King of Monsters'.

I'm not a big fan of the new Pacific Rim title since Maelstrom was such a unique name but I guess I'll just have to get used to it.  'Godzilla: King of Monsters' on the other hand is awesome! It's a nice call back to the americanization of the orginal 'Gojira' and I think it will be a very buzz worthy name that will get alot of attention. As I said above it is quite possible that these are both still working titles so take them with a grain of salt until we see them on some official marketing materials.

What do you think of the new titles?

'Kong: Skull Island' - Trailer #2 Breakdown

So I completely got bogged down with work back when the comic-con trailer for 'Kong: Skull Island' dropped and was unable to get a trailer breakdown out to you folks quickly enough. Luckily I can make up for it by breaking down the latest exciting trailer and giving my predictions about the film. Let's do this guys!

First off we get a good look at the set-up of the film. It seems like they may be borrowing some from the 1976 Kong in that these people seem to be on some sort of survey mission. I do really like the design of the island as it does really evoke a skull without being completely over the top.

So this is the first of many repeat shots from the original trailer but it is a very important one. It looks like they are suggesting that Skull Island is constantly hidden behind a hurricane and the viral marketing via discoverskullisland.com further confirms that idea. I think it's actually a way more interesting idea than the usual "hidden in perpetual fog" since if I were a ship captain I would more likely avoid this giant storm system.

Really cool shot of the bombs exploding being reflected in this dude's glasses. This movie is extremely well shot and is oozing with personality in every frame. I really dig it. I like the idea that they piss Kong off by dropping these survey bombs. Probably not the best idea guys.

"Is that a monkey?" is probably the funniest line in the whole trailer and is extremely well timed. Not a huge Toby Kebbell fan but no one can deny the greatness of this line of dialogue.

Now it's time for the shot from the EW interview earlier this week. I'm really impressed with how much they were able to sneak the '33 Kong's design in there but there are definitely elements of '76 Kong and maybe even a little Toho Kong in there too. Very impressive design work.

This shot looks almost directly ripped from 'King Kong Lives' which could be a good or bad thing. Needless to say I think that the people in this chopper are the dead soldiers that John Goodman talks about later on in the trailer.when Kong gets mad there are few survivors.

Once again this film impresses with its visuals! I think that this shot directly connects to the Kong on fire shot and is definitely from the climax of the film. It seems like Samuel L. Jackson is the human antagonist and takes the death of his men by Kong very seriously. 

A better look at the outside of the village in which the group of heroes is threatened by the villagers with spears. As far as we can see it seems that these villagers on Skull Island have no giant wall protecting them and they live in harmony with Kong. The yellow design on the ruins is pretty cool and matches the outfits the villagers are wearing. Is it a language or just cool design?

And its time to introduce the most controversial person in this trailer! John C. Reilly is playing what appears to be a WWII fighter pilot that crashed landed on Skull Island and has been living there for quite some time. He may be a little crazy (ala Lawrenc Fishburne's character in Predators) which would explain his humor and general disconnect from all of the other characters we have seen thus far. Most people have been saying this is a huge tone shift but I just think we are seeing a very small piece of this character and he won't be jokes all of the time. 

Very very interesting imagery here! Why just make a mural when we can paint a bunch of different pillars to form Kong's face once we pan around. Not very practical but on the other hand it is very cool.

The hero shot! Judging from the information given in both of the trailers it really seems like the group of people from the ship get split up at some point and with Sam Jackson being the villain I assume most of the military guys get roped onto his side.

The Shadow of the Colossus shot as I have come to call it. I love that wemay see some just day in the life of Kong stuff instead of Kong always being in kill everyone mode. We rarely get to see the monsters just living their day to day lives. You also get a good glimpse of his massive size here. While he still may not be Godzilla size he is definitely on his way there.

Look at those back muscles! I love Peter Jackson's realistic Kong but there is something so right about seeing an upright Kong.

"You don't go into some's house and start dropping bombs unless your picking a fight!"
 This dialogue really establishes that Kong is going to be more of an Anti-hero in this film instead of the out right villain. In the past we have felt bad for Kong but it seems they are really trying to make us root for him.

The lair of the Skull Crawlers seems to be filled with various skeletons and overall just seems like a very bad place. I'm guessing one of the scientifc devices from earlier caused the tunnel to become exposed.

I'm really guessing that these may be Kong's parents that were killed by the Skull Crawlers. Also I think this gives us a good glimpse at how big fully grown Kong will be. These skeletons have got to be close to 250 feet long at least which while not Godzilla's size would be a good size to fight him.

Our first glimpse of the Skull Crawlers is tinged with a strange blue light and the creature itself seems to be glowing. Some sort of crazy ability? A beam weapon like Godzilla's breath?

The Skull Crawlers have a very interesting design that reminds me of Clover and the MUTOs in the way that they move. I do like that they are like serpents with only front legs though.

A more interesting design choice is their eyes being so far back on their head. Also they've got some really gnarly teeth going on there.

We know that this film is not going to follow the traditional Kong story but its nice to see that they are going to make some sort of reference to the Kong being entralled with a girl aspect. I just hope they don't go too far like '76 Kong did.

Here we have this crazy cool giant Ox coming out of the water. I like that we are seeing more of the Ecosystem of the island and how it can maintain such large predators like th Skull Crawlers and Kong.

Definitely from the Climax of the film and is most likely the moment where Sam Jackson realizes that he's fighting on the wrong side. This most likely is his death scene.

If you ever wanted to see Kong really mad all you need to do is set him on fire. Once again I love the imagery on display here.

Ah the iconic chest beating scene. You really get a good look at his brown fur here...which I really like. It furthers him from a normal gorrilla which helps him feel like his own species.

Is that Kumongra?! Nah, but it is a cool giant spider that we saw in the first trailer as well.

Nice to see John C. Reily is going to kick ass as well. It is interesting that the heroes have seemingly met back up with the military guys here. Maybe once the Skull Crawlers attack shit just hits the fan and causes everyone to work together? I also wonder if John C. Reily's character was the one we saw fighting a guy on the top of th mountain in the first trailer. Maybe it'll be a flashback showing when he crash landed on the island.

When did I put in 'Platoon'?!

I'm guessing this is some sort of Queen/Alpha Skull Crawler that will be Kong's final enemy in the film. It's interesting because all of the ones seen in the Skeleton graveyard seem to be pretty small. I think this may be the same one that was stalking towards Sam Jackson earlier. Also I am loving the skull look of their heads.

A really good look a Kong's scale in comparison to the humans.

We also get a glimpse at this crazy bug thing that seems to use a log as a hiding place. Very cool and is really adding to the ecosystem of Skull Island. I think it is very likly that they will rename the island Monster Island by the end of 'Kong vs Godzilla' which would be a pretty cool reference to the Toho films.

Well that guy is dead! The Skull Crawlers definitely have a unique way of moving around and it will be interesting to see Kong fight these slithering beasties.

Chest beat number two and this time it's to the drumbeat of the song. I love it when trailers do that!

Slightly new logo design with elements taken from the villager's ruins.

And finally one las shot of the Skull Crawler charging toward the screen after a horribly edited piece of dialogue from John C. Reily. Really can see the skull on the outside of their faces from the front.

Did you enjoy the trailer? What do you think of the Skull Crawlers? Did the tone of the new trailer scare you away from the final film?

'Kong: Skull Island' - Trailer and Posters released!

Today has been a super eventful day in the marketing of the new Kong film and I am extremely happy to share with you the full theatrical trailer for the film as well as a brand new poster! Check them out!

That is one sexy looking poster! I am a huge fan of the minimalist approach to it and it is definitely a poster that will catch peoples eyes as they walk by. But now time for the thing you have all been waiting for!

Wow...there is so much to talk bout in this trailer I don't even know where to begin. It's great that they really aren't shying away from showing Kong himself and even gave us a good look at the villain Kaiju of the film: The Skull Crawlers. This trailer has so much stuff to talk about in it that I will definitely be doing a full trailer breakdown and posting it up onto the site ASAP (I promise I actually will do it this time). 

What did you think of the trailer? Are you excited to see this completely new take on the King Kong story?

'Kong: Skull Island' - First Look At A Full Shot Of Kong!

We here at Tokyo Lives have been waiting with bated breath for some more glimpses of Kong from the new film 'Kong: Skull Island' and it looks like today is that day. We are supposed to be getting a new trailer some time before 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' according to some deep digging into the viral site discoverskullisland.com but Entertainment Weekly just released a photo of the titular beast ahead of next week.

And he looks...FANTASTIC! I see a lot of '33 Kong in his face and it looks like the design is really going back to its roots. I am a huge fan of this design! I'm guessing that this shot is from said trailer next week and it is super cool that they aren't hiding the design of Kong until the film releases!

What do you think of the design? Do you like it better than Peter Jackson's Kong? Let us know in the comments below!

'Kong: Skull Island' - New York Comic Con Poster Reveals Mysterious Messages

New York Comic Con is in full swing this weekend and while we may have gotten a 'Power Rangers' trailer, most of the giant monster world has been relatively silent. Until some people at the convention ended up receiving a mysterious poster tube with the Monarch logo on the side from some Warner Bros. employees. Monarch is of course the Government group that tracks down Megafauna like Godzilla or Kong that were introduced in 'Godzilla (2014)'. Inside of the white poster tube is a 'Kong: Skull Island' poster that seems to be a very basic teaser image showing the island from above with a little bit of writing from Monarch down near the bottom. Upon further investiagtion however of the poster conatins some awesome teasers for the shared universe with Godzilla.

Here is another look:

The images are of course taken by cell phone by friends of Scified.com and while not the greatest quality they show a really interesting image that I would love to plaster up on my wall. At the the bottom left there is a small little bit of text saying the following:

His mouth is fire; his roar the floodwater; his breath is death.
Enlil made him guardian of the Cedar Forest,
To frighten off the mortal who would venture there
BUT WHO WOULD VENTURE THERE?

Obviously this is kind of a refernce to both Kong and Godzilla at the same time and the mythological entity Enlil is part of Summerian mythology. Now this little piece of text as well as the huge connection to 'Godzilla (2014)' through the use of Monarch would be interesting on their own but upon further investigation of the poster (using a blacklight) more text was revealed.

Hypervore is definitely an interesting terminology to be using but I assume this is talking about some other creature since Kong is referred to by a different name on another part of the poster. The Boneyard is most likely the area in the first trailer where a lot of the action beats seem to be taking place.

As you can see it looks like Kong is going to labeled the Apex Primate by Monarch. This is cool since Godzilla is labeled the Alpha Predator (Apex Primate vs Alpha Predator is a cool marketing phrase). Also the biggest other reveal here comes in the form of a very specific phrase used: Adolescent Superspecies.  This phrase basically reveals how Kong will stand up to Godzilla once we get to the Godzilla vs Kong film as it suggests that Kong (or one of the Kongs if you believe there are 2 in this film) is not fully grown. This has been a big discussion amongst fans since Kong is supposed to be topping out at a height of 100 feet when Godzillais standing around 350 feet tall and people were wondering how they were going to have Kong fight the much larger creature. Obviously now it seems that will grow between 1973 and 2020 and get closer to Godzilla's height.

In the upper right hand corner there appears to be hidden behind yet another Monarch logo. It is kingd of hard to see on first glance but if you look hard enough you can definitely see a spine and some ribs. Someone at Toho Kingdom sharpened up the image.

Yeah that's definitely a snake of some kind.

Towards the center of the poster there appears to be some sort of giant Mosasaur skull. I wonder, do these two giant skeletons reveal that Kong will be fighting other Megafauna? Maybe we can get some cool references to other Toho monsters in this film to flesh out the Legendary universe. A man can dream!

The last little bit of information is justsome textfrom what appears to be an "official" Monarch document talking about the search for Kong.

Well what do you all think of this cool little ARG that Legendary/Warner Bros. set up? Did this help build up more hype for the film?

'Shin Godzilla'- American Theatrical Dates Announced!

Funimation has announced the full details of the theatrical run of 'Shin Godzilla'! Check out the press release and the american poster below! 

“SHIN GODZILLA” STOMPS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA THIS OCTOBER

LOS ANGELES, CA – September 2, 2016. The iconic science fiction monster Godzilla makes land fall in the U.S. and Canada this October with the North American theatrical release of “SHIN GODZILLA” from Toho Company, Ltd. Fans have been clamoring for news of the film’s theatrical dates ever since Funimation® Films made its surprise acquisition announcement in July at San Diego Comic Con 2016. And today, the company revealed that “SHIN GODZILLA” will roar into theaters for a limited engagement on October 11 – 18. The movie will screen in more than 440 theaters across the U.S. and Canada. Tickets for “SHIN GODZILLA” will be available for prepurchase on the official film website beginning on September 9.

“We are thrilled to bring ‘SHIN GODZILLA’ to theaters across North America this October,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and President of Funimation. “Toho established Godzilla as one of the most iconic monsters in science fiction history and we’re honored to now be a part of that history with the theatrical release of this new movie. Fans will not want to miss this limited theatrical event.“

Co‐directed by Hideaki Anno (creator of “EVANGELION”) and Shinji Higuchi (director of Toho’s 2015 “ATTACK ON TITAN” live action movies), “SHIN GODZILLA” is the 29th Godzilla film produced by Toho and represents a brand new chapter in the 62‐year history of this celebrated movie monster. The film stars Hiroki Hasegawa and Satomi Ishihara — both also from the “ATTACK ON TITAN” live action movies — as well as Yutaka Takenouchi.

“Movie audiences can look forward to a great time watching ’SHIN GODZILLA’ this October,” said Mike DuBoise, EVP and COO of Funimation. “A larger than life monster like Godzilla has to be experienced on the big screen. And we expect this movie to sellout in numerous theaters so we encourage fans to purchase tickets in advance.”

SHIN GODZILLA has been a big hit in Japan since its opening on July 29, 2016, which garnered a box office of ¥ 845,675,500 and total audience of 564,332 during its first three days. To date in Japan, the movie has grossed ¥5,302,014,700 at the box office and 3,637,748 in total attendance.

In advance of the movie’s opening, Funimation will be hosting two premieres of “SHIN GODZILLA” — on October 3 in Los Angeles and on October 5 in New York before opening day of New York Comic Con 2016. Additional details on these two events to be announced.

To purchase tickets to or find more information on “SHIN GODZILLA,” visit funimationfilms.com/shingodzilla.

Like us on Facebook at Facebook at facebook.com/funimation, and follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/funimation and Instagram at instagram.com/funimation.

This is of course super awesome news and we here at Tokyo Lives can't wait to see the new film on the big screen. We aren't 100% sure on our plans yet but we will be keeping you all posted and will be happy to talk to our fans at whatever screening we end up going to. Keep an eye on Tokyo Lives for further updates!

'Shin Godzilla' Bits: Box Office Results, Behind The Scenes Clip, and More!

This has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for us here at Tokyo Lives, and we are attempting to stay on top of the major news items as they happen. We have been going through some changes on the back side of things but please bear with us and make sure you stay tuned to the site for everything Giant Monster related (including a new podcast episode releasing later this week) . Now that I have gotten the disclaimer out of the way let's talk more about 'Shin Godzilla'! I know that most of the internet is trying to avoid spoilers for the new Godzilla film, so I will be staying spoiler free until the very end of this article where I will very clearly mark that you are heading into some spoiler-ish territory. Let's get started!

First up I'd like to share some Spoiler free reactions to the film that have come from a variety of sources. 'Shin Godzilla' has been very well received in Japan and is even being hailed as a masterpiece by some. Other however were not so impressed.

SHIN GOJIRA was an amazing film. The city rampage sequences are SPECTACULAR. This incarnation of Godzilla is the most terrifying version since the original. The story is heavy on dialogue between the various agencies and governments trying to deal with the threat, and I could not make out many key moments due to language limitations. There were many surprises, and it was not predictable by any means. There were aspects of the film that will be controversial, and it is definitely an entry in the series that will divide fans. I do like the film and what it adds to the overall mythos of Godzilla.   

Next:

After a few hours of sleep and thinking it over here is my spoiler free take on Shin Gojira…..this is a very unique spin on the character. It’s hard to make a full judgment on the film without seeing it subtitled and a chunk of the story I didn’t understand. It’s a film that is heavy on dialogue. There are some wonderful nods to the original film and fun Easter eggs. However I need another viewing of the film.
I can only say that I enjoyed the film. Was it my absolute favorite, not at all, but it isn’t a mess either. With that being said, this film will definitely be divided among fans much like G2014 and final wars was.
There is some wonderful tension in the movie and very unexpected elements. Visually; the cinematography is some of the best in be series in my opinion. The filmmakers get artistic with shots and camera movements and that was something great to see. It also helped engage the audience during the dialogue scenes. But expect things you never saw before for the franchise.
Overall the special effects are good and Godzilla is just this walking death machine. He is massive and you really feel his presence.
There are things about the film that drive me nuts especially with the way he moves but I won’t get into those due to spoiling the film. My major complaint is that the ending is anti climatic. Though the film ends on what is very symbolic shot but it is certainly creepy.
I could go more in depth on the film but I hate the trend nowadays on social media with spoiling films for the mass majority. Movies are meant to be experienced together and to surprise it’s audience. In a culture full of instant gratification we need to take a step back and relinquish that. Shin Gojia either you love it, hate it, or are middle of be road, you should view it for yourself as the filmmakers attended.
The experience of seeing this film is something I won’t ever forget.  

And finally a brief comment from a Japanese fan on 2chan: 

This is a great movie, but I'm not sure if it's a Godzilla. I could accept 2014, but not this. Also, while I was worried about it, I didn't think he'd ACTUALLY stick Evangelion in.                                                                                                                       

These are just a few of the great reviews that can be found around the web, but be wary because it is hard to talk about a lot of the film without getting into spoilers. It really seems like this Godzilla film needs to be seen in order to form a full opinion. 

The positive reaction from Japan has resulted in huge box office numbers, which is good news for everyone involved. 'Shin Godzilla' has already raked in $22.9 million as of Tuesday 8/9 -  a huge amount of money for the Japanese box office. It may seem tiny by american standards but keep in mind that reports are saying this film only cost around $10 million to make, so it is already on it's way to making a good profit for Toho. Even if you are not that excited about this specific film, this profit will allow Toho to make another film after this and truly start a new era of Godzilla films.

 There was also a new behind the scenes clip released that shows how the CG model of Shin-Goji was created and added into the real footage. This is really impressive when you consider that Japan has never really had the infrastructure for CGI effects before, but clearly they are well on their way to establishing it. I severely doubt we will be getting another fully Suitmation Godzilla film (especially with how well received the effects in 'Shin Godzilla' are).

  Now for the fun stuff...

 

WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW!

 

3

...

2

...

1

...

One of the more controversial aspects of the new film is that Godzilla has two additional forms in before he evolves into the final form that we have seen in all of the trailers. We had a couple images of the Bandai vinyls but no concrete look at their actual designs in the film itself. Just yesterday some fairly high resolution images of the maquettes used for the CG creatures made their way online. Check them out:

I definitely am getting a Baby Godzilla ('Godzilla Vs MechaGodzilla 2') vibe from the second form which is cool and really hits that nostalgia button. The first form, which has been dubbed "Turkey-zilla" by fans, is strange and I don't really like it. I do really like the gills on both of them, but I hate that Shin-Goji's tiny arms are even smaller on both of these designs.

Last thing I'll leave you with in this little spoiler section is a quick image and video showing off Shin-Goji's destructive atomic breath. Not much to say but this is going to be a spectacular scene to watch in full when the movie releases stateside.

LEAVING SPOILERS!

3

...

2

...

1

...

Well what do you guys think of Shin Godzilla so far? Let us know in the comments below!

Guest Editorial: Jet Jaguar - Paunch, Paunch, PAUNCH!

1973’s 'Godzilla vs Megalon' is my favorite showa era Godzilla movie. It’s not a particularly great movie in the classical sense but there is some impressive camera work, and the detail in the kaiju costumes is standard Toho excellence, but the plot is clunky and the characters are annoying. I don’t really like Megalon, I think the Seatopian costumes are incredibly stupid, and Hiroshi the racecar driver makes me irrationally angry for reasons I can’t quite explain. But it’s my favorite, because it introduced me to my favorite monster. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you, Jet Jaguar.

In the early 70’s there was big craze for giant robots/tokusatsu heroes, brought on by shows like Ultraman and Mazinger-z. Something about giant metal people punching the shit out of weirdo monsters really resonated with the kids, they couldn’t get enough of it. Toho saw this and wanted in. In 1972, they held a contest for fans to design a new hero for a new movie and eventually a tv show. The winning submission was a drawing of a robot named Red Alone. Toho tweaked the design a bit to distance it from Ultraman and christened him Jet Jaguar, the greatest and truest hero Japan had ever seen. He even got his own theme song, which happens to be the greatest song ever written. They put a lot of thought into this, really pushed Jaguar to be the next big sensation. But they weren’t totally confident in him. Toho wasn’t sure that a brand new, completely unknown character would be able to carry the film on his own. So, with a few small rewrites Toho added Jet Jaguar to the wildly popular Godzilla franchise with the title 'Godzilla vs Megalon'.

The film follows inventor Goro Ibuki, his nephew (or kid brother, depends on who you ask) Rokuro, and their friend Hiroshi Jinkawa. Goro has been working on a brightly colored robot named Jet Jaguar (for some reason...He never explains why, and no one asks). Goro’s lab is ransacked by agents of the subterranean civilization Seatopia, who aim to steal JJ so that he can guide their personal monster rhinoceros beetle Megalon so that he can destroy the earth, starting, of course, with Tokyo. They manage to take control of JJ’s computer control console and successfully lead Megalon to Japan, but Goro regains control of Jaguar, and sends him to go get Godzilla to defeat Megalon and save the world, but mostly Japan (Again). JJ returns with Goji, and reveals that somewhere between here and Monster Island, he reprogrammed himself and can now grow to kaiju size. He then floors Megalon with one punch! Knocks him right dead in the jaw. The Seatopians realize that this might not go their way, and call the M Space Hunter Aliens from the previous film and ask if they can borrow Gigan, who comes right away for some reason. He lands, Godzilla punches him right in his stupid beak mouth, and the fight really kicks off.

So when we first meet him, Jet Jaguar is 5’ 11”, weighs three hundred pounds, and is capable of flight. He’s equipped with a kind of learning computer that allows him to alter his programming on the fly (buh-dum-tish) to the point of giving himself limited sentience and somehow granted himself the ability to grow to incredible size, to better drop-kick the bad guys. In the film, he grows to 50m, equal to Goji, Megalon, and Gigan. He also learns japanese, though he can only respond with an enthusiastic thumbs-up. He has a vast knowledge of hand-to-hand combat, though instead of the semi-traditional judo, JJ seems to have learned all his moves from professional rasslers. He chops! He kicks! He sets up Goji for team attacks! He snaps Gigans goddamn arm! Seriously! Breaks it at the elbow on his knee! And then he lifts Gigan over his head and tosses him straight up in the air so Goji can hit him with atomic breath. Keep in mind, showa Gigan weighs around 25,000 tons.

It’s a tough fight (that feels a little long), but Goji and JJ come out on top. Gigan bails and returns to space, they beat the living shit of Megalon, the Seatopians give up, and JJ returns to a quiet life until he is called upon again to defend the good people of world in a weekly series that unfortunately never happened. We actually didn’t see much of Jaguar after that until the 'Godzilla Island' tv show in the late nineties.

He was featured in various video games, most recently in the PS4 game 'Godzilla' which came out in 2015. The game demonstrates his impressive speed and agility; he’s able to easily outflank his opponents and pull off somersaults and backflips. He also takes off his forearm and fires a laser beam. And that's pretty neat. He’s also a major character in IDW’s Godzilla: Rulers of Earth comic series where he’s beaten everyone up at least once. He’s laid out enhanced Gigan, knocked Goji out with a single punch, he even beat Destroyah, after big D beat Goji handily, though he did have to use Kiryu’s absolute zero cannon.  

So yeah, he’s surprisingly powerful and could have been placed as a sort of liaison between humans and monsters. He’s a real missed opportunity, given what he represents. He’s the first time in the Tohoverse that humanity builds a weapon that can really defend us from the monsters that seem to show up on at least yearly basis. We had Godzilla, but he just kind of….showed up whenever he felt like it. He always came to Japan on other business. Mothra likes us, but I feel like she likes the fairies more, and maybe she just fights bad guys cuz the fairies ask her to real nicely. And Anguirus is, let’s face it, kind of a follower. Jet Jaguar is genuinely on our side. He loves us, he’s one of us, born right down here among human society. He can see these threats from a human perspective. He can actively try to mitigate collateral damage, which is a big deal, the national economy must tank every time some radioactive cockroach climbs the Tokyo Tower. He would have been a huge asset in studying these creatures. The level of technology that went in to him, assuming Goro would be willing to replicate it, could have revolutionized the world. This robot learned how to change its size! Goro accidently discovered the Pym Particle! With the ability to shrink and enlarge things, space doesn’t become quite so big an issue in an overcrowded place like Japan. And the implications of a machine making decisions, teaching itself new things seemingly out of nowhere, are almost frightening. Had they kept Jet Jaguar around, Toho could have been sitting on a cyberpunk dystopia waiting to happen. Just imagine grinning, primary-colored police, arresting Godzilla for wearing a leather jacket and wrap around sunglasses, and everything’s lit by neon lights….

I’m holding out for Jaguars return. With comics and video games, he’s finally getting the respect he deserves. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a dark and gritty JJ, made from the bones of Goro’s dead nephew (or kid brother), powered by the souls of the victims of Hiroshima, armed with the oxygen destroyer, and also he’s a zombie, with a cocaine addiction that's tearing his family apart. Or maybe not. Maybe a dimensional portal will transport JJ from Showa into our darkest timeline and he can be horrified at his big scaly friend’s new look. He shakes his hand, it falls off. I’ll let you all know which genius idea Toho buys from me.