'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!

 

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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!

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

'Godzilla: Resurgence' - Funimation To Distribute The Film In America!

A few days ago Toho announced that they would be offering distribution licenses across the globe for the new Godzilla film ('Godzilla: Resurgence'). I held off on writing an article about it specifically because I had a feeling we'd be getting an official announcement soon. That day came today and we now have a world famous company taking the reigns for the American release. Funimation will be handleing the Theatrical and Blu-Ray/DVD release in the good old USA!

Announced via their official twitter in preparation for San Diego Comic-Con (you'll be seeing quite a few big pieces of news this weekend I would bet), Fans were completely awestruck by the great news. After the New World Cinemas debacle there was a lot of doubt that we were going to get the film anytime soon. Now we know that the film is going to be coming to American theaters (no idea if it is going to be a wide release or a Fathom event) late 2016. While we may not have a specific date for the release or many details at this time, everyone in the fandom is super pumped!

Funimation is a super reputible company out of Texas that mostly releases anime but have dabbled with live action Japanese films before.  They have distributed the live action Ruroni Kenshin films and also the Attack on Titan movies. Funimation are pros at dubbing the stuff they release but it is still possible we will get a subbed version of Resurgence instead (I'm fine either way).

Keep an eye on our site as we will be updating you guys as soon as more is revealed throughout the weekend and beyond!

'Godzilla: Resurgence' - Behind The Scenes And Trailer 2 Footage Breakdown

Time for the honored tradition of taking screenshots from a trailer and over-analyzing them. 'Godzilla: Resurgence' has a new trailer (Watch it here) that released early this morning and they also had a short behind-the-scenes special on a morning radio show (Watch that one here). There is a ton of new footage and plenty to talk about so let's dive in.

We open the trailer with a nice low angle shot of Godzilla's head with his hand in the foreground. I think this is the only shot of his hand that it doesn't look like a little baby hand (yeah I'm not gonna let the size of his arms and hands go) and it's a nice shot to start us off with. We get a couple of reused Godzilla shots from the previous trailer after this, with one cool perspective shot of Godzilla and his tail peaking through the buildings as the crowd runs away. Afterwards we get to watch a group of people talking about something, but unfortunately we still have no idea what is going on. Just like the first trailer, this one is completely devoid of dialogue and that makes the middle of the trailer especially hard to get through. But I'll tell you what there is a lot of... I'll give you one guess...

Boardroom scenes! You get a boardroom and you get a boardroom! Seriously though, in this trailer alone there are four completely different boardroom sets/scenes and to be honest it worries me. To me, this makes it seem like the main cast members are going to be away from the action every time, which will definitely cause a major disconnect when we cut from one to the other. The best Godzilla attack moments usually come when we have a person on the ground is involved in the action, like a military commander that gets to be right at the forefront when the tanks and helicopters do their thing. Speaking of helicopters next up we have an awesome shot from the TV spots.

I love, and I do mean love, how much the camera is moving around with the military vehicles during the attack sequences we have seen. This juxtaposes well with Godzilla's overall lack of movement (other than his tail...man that thing is crazy!) and makes the scenes exciting to watch. This movie is definitely going to be visually stunning!

I know everybody loves the charging shot from later in the trailer, but this is actually my favorite shot from this new trailer. The mini-gun bullets are literally bouncing off of his face! It reminds me of one of the cooler scenes from 'Superman Returns' (some might say the only good scene) where the bullet bounces off of his eye and Superman doesn't even flinch. Speaking of not flinching:

We now see a group of shots where Godzilla is bombarded to the face and knees, all of which show off some pretty impressive CGI explosions. Godzilla takes all these hits and keeps on coming like a champ! I think that these scenes are actually helped by this Godzilla designs apparent lack of movement as it really gives you the feeling that this monster is unstoppable. If all that ordinance does nothing, then what will? How can they stop this immovable object?

Just like I said in the TV spot article, this design really shines in the night sequences. These shots are some of the few from which I actually feel the terror that the design is trying to portray. This shot reminds me of the scene in 'Godzilla 1985' when he arrives at the nuclear plant and steps on the hapless worker.

Man this shot is cool! It radiates demonic vibe, and that is a very good thing. Now this would be something that would fundamentally frighten me if I saw this from the rooftop of a building. Love the glowing red parts of his body at night (very 'Godzilla vs Destoroyah').

We end on the roar shot from the first trailer but it looks less awkward now that we can see the beginning and end of the roar. I don't know why they didn't use this slightly extended version in the first trailer, since it looks better with just 5 seconds more of footage. 

Now we get to the biggest talking point of the trailer, Godzilla's beam charges up purple! In my humble opinion, I don't think that we are actually getting a fully purple beam but the glowing purple images are extremely striking. I think that the beam is going to start out purple at the base of his mouth and then turn blue as it goes farther out from his mouth. The reason he charges up purple is of course because this Godzilla is constantly glowing red. Red+Blue = Purple. This would also make sense given that a purple chemical flame is hotter than a blue flame, so naturally the farther the beam is from the source (Godzilla's gaping maw) the cooler and less intense the beam will be.

Now finally we have some shots from the little behind the scenes morning show clip. All of the good images are super far away shots to show the scale of Godzilla as he comes ashore. Please excuse the poor quality of the images and the little bits of text that sneak their way into the images.

Unfortunately this design still looks extremely silly from the front. If I were Anno (the director of 'Godzilla: Resurgence') I would have avoided this angle at all costs but it actually seems to be one of his favorite shots for an approaching Godzilla. Which is weird when it is followed by the following beautiful image.

Now that is a Godzilla silhouette that I can get behind! This is the first long distance shot of the Shin-Goji design that I have actually been stunned by. He really looks like '84 Goji, and I (personally) love it.

There are two other really cool sequences that I couldn't get a worthy grab of from the behind the scenes: a shot of Godzilla walking and making shingles fall off a building, as well as a quick scene with one of the main actors seeing Godzilla's head (very similar to the 'Gojira (1954)' puppet shots) and speaking a line of dialogue. Both of these are very interesting and I can't wait to see them in better quality at some point in the future.

I can't wait to hear fans reactions to the full film when it releases in Japan on July 29th. What did you guys think of the trailer? Do you agree that the breath may still turn blue throughout Godzilla's beam? Let us know in the comments below.

'Godzilla: Resurgence' Trailer 2 - Purple?!

Well this week is officially awesome! First we get two TV spots and now we get a final trailer for 'Godzilla: Resurgence.' Check it out!

There sure is a lot of cool stuff in this trailer! The human side of the story does look a bit worrisome though (boardrooms galore!).

Keep an eye out for my full trailer breakdown later today!

Shin-Chan Vs Shin-Gojira Crossover Is Releasing On July 22nd

Apparently Toho is going all out with anime crossovers for their new Godzilla film. Our buddies over at Gormaru Island have translated a Japanese news report that breaks down a very interesting (weird if you ask me) crossover. The popular anime 'Crayon Shin-Chan' will be having a special crossover episode on July 22 featuring a certain familar icon that we all love and hold dear.

The plot of this crossover seems pretty much what you would expect from anything Godzilla related:

The mysterious giant monster Godzilla has invaded Kasukabe, Saitama. The story of the cross-over episode involves Godzilla wrecking Shinnosuke's home town of Kasukabe, and since all of the residents are still paying off 30 year mortgages on their homes, they arrange an impromptu Self Defense Force to counter the interloping monster.

The biggest and coolest bit of news within this utterly ridiculous crossover is that Shin-Godzilla's official roar will be used in the anime. The fact that they specify this means that the roar we have heard in the trailer has not been the official roar and was definitely just a placeholder. This is super exciting and definitely allows us to continue to speculate about his possible roar (I'm hoping for a return of the Bio-Goji roar myself).

Apparently, the creators of the episode will be attempting to recreate Shin-Goji's movements from the upcoming film to make this a faithful adaptation. The actual design shines in an anime format surprisingly and I have less problems with it then I ever have. I still think it looks super goofy from certain angles but hopefully when he is constantly moving my issues will fade to the back of my mind. We also get a glance at Godzilla's nuclear breath and it definitely looks like they are going more wispy with it, ala 'Gojira' (1954). Weird that it is most definitely blue though.

This will probably be our best glimpse from what to expect out of the new Godzilla in 'Godzilla Resurgence' before it opens in Japan on July 29.

Is This Shin Godzilla's Roar?

I woke up this morning in a usual routine which includes checking in to see what the Godzilla community was up to late into the night, and I was pleasantly surprised. Fans were discussing and arguing about whether or not a part of the soundtrack had been leaked and included a snippet of Godzilla's new roar from the upcoming 2016 film. The video in question and the answer to our click-baity headline is below.

If that is the roar for Shin-Goji, I actually wouldn't mind at all. Not because it sounds particularly good, but because it would show that they're going even further with setting their Godzilla apart, without throwing tradition out the window. 

Unfortunately, this is definitely a fake. The Japanese title reads "My idea for Shin Gojira's roar." Also, if you listen, the dialog in the clip is from a much older film, and the roar itself is a heavily modified sound bite.

I still wanted to post it because the discussion around Godzilla's new roar and the possibilities are endless, and I want to know what noise you think will come out of this undead behemoth.

Hopefully, we'll get another trailer that actually answers this question before Shin Godzilla releases on July 29th in Japan.

'Godzilla Resurgence' News Round-Up, Massive Plot Detail Emerges

These last few weeks have been peppered with tiny pieces of information about 'Godzilla Resurgence' and we thought there might be enough little bits of info to warrant a full breakdown of the new stuff. These news bites range from marketing info to huge plot details, so let's get to it!

'GODZILLA RESURGENCE' SOUNDTRACK UP FOR PRE-ORDER

The soundtrack for the new films has shown up on the Japanese Amazon and is showing the same release date as the film (July, 29th). The coolest thing about the release is the new image of a snarling Shin-Goji that looks amazing! This picture really stands out and kind of proves my point that this Godzilla design will look good from some angles, but not so much from others. My co-host Coleman pointed out that it looks like he may be a bit more regenerated in this image, but I think that may be just hopeful thinking.

'GODZILLA RESURGENCE' PLOT DETAIL AND NEW IMAGES

The biggest news of the last few weeks has been relayed by Sci-Fi Japan. This article not only revealed some great new hi-res photos of the film, but also gave an interesting (but crucial) plot detail that was not known until now. 'Godzilla Resurgence' is not connected to the original 1954 'Gojira' and will be the first appearance of Godzilla in the film's universe. This is the first time that a Japanese-made Godzilla film has tried to separate itself from the original, and makes this movie a reboot of the franchise instead of a sequel. I personally don't like that we don't have a baseline for how this Godzilla will act, but I do see how this may free Toho to make some pretty radical changes to the formula we know Godzilla to adhere to. I mean, the design itself is a decently large departure from what we have seen from Toho in the past.
 

CROSS MARKETING EVERYWHERE

The last few pieces of "news" really just show how hardcore Toho is marketing the new film in the hopes to make it a smash hit over the summer. First we have a little commercial for a cross-promotion with the company PARCO. In the ad, Shin-Goji seems to be going up against the companies giant Koala mascot. There are actually a couple of quick new shots for the film which makes the 30 second ad worth a watch.

Lastly, we have a interesting little event going on at Umihotaru which is an artificial island that is apparently a huge tourist spot.  The full breakdown was done by our friends over at the Gormaru Island facebook page, but it looks like there is going to a 1/60th scale Shin-Goji image put up and some activities like a Godzilla photo session and a talk show interview with Shinji Higuchi. I doubt we will get much more information from the event but at least we got the super silly image out of it right?

Hopefully, we'll be getting some more substantial news in the near future! Maybe a final trailer soon or an actual US distributor will rear their head? A fan can always hope and dream.

Sony and Toho Announce 'Godzilla Resurgence' Video Game Demo for Playstation VR

With this year's Sony E3 conference over and done with, my list entitled "reasons to avoid getting the PSVR headset" is shrinking drastically. Now Sony and Toho have activated their "Wonder Twin" powers to bring us our first Kaiju meets VR experience.

Yesterday, Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia and Toho announced the mouthful of a tentative title 'Shin Godzilla Special Demo Content for Playstation VR.' I scoured both our source and our source's source, but the only gameplay detail I can find is that you will "confront a 118.5 meter tall CG Godzilla." Does that mean you will be fighting Godzilla? With so little to go on right now all we can do is speculate. Though it has been reported that the game will use the exact 3D model from 'Godzilla Resurgence,' which is being supplied by Toho directly.

'Shin Godzilla Special Demo Content for Playstation VR' will be available October 13th, which makes it a launch demo for the PSVR. If you are getting a PSVR day one, make sure you pick up this demo on the Playstation Store as it is currently the only Godzilla content heading to any video game platform in the near future.

Fukuoka Art Museum Features Massive Godzilla Exhibit

It seems that Toho is pulling out all the stops for the upcoming 'Godzilla Resurgence.' In the past few months alone, they have organized product crossovers with the massively popular 'Evangelion' series and "Gudetama," a Japanese company's popular lazy egg mascot.

Now, from July 15 through August 31, the Fukuoka Art Museum will honor Godzilla's past and promote the future by hosting a massive exhibit featuring the entirety of the Toho roster called "Godzilla at the Museum: Creative Tracks of Daikaiju" 

The exhibit will be a guided tour through Toho history lead by the voice of Shiro Sano, an acting veteran in the Godzilla franchise. It will feature a vast library of memorabilia including such things as notable props, concept art, production notes and photographs, character moldings and some of the original suits worn in the classic movies. I'm only scratching the surface here, though; all in all, there will be over five hundred items from Godzilla history for fans to see!

Some special events throughout the duration of the exhibit will keep Kaiju fans coming back week after week. On July 24th the original film will be shown. If that wasn't cool enough, Toshio Miike, the art director and special effects expert for Godzilla, is stopping by to chat with fans on August 11th.

So, if you're a Godzilla fan with some free time and a few grand lying around this might be the perfect time to take that jump over to the land of the rising sun for a month or two and check out the exhibit.

Another Distributor Steps Forward To Release 'Godzilla Resurgence' Outside Of Japan

A new trailer for 'Godzilla Resurgence' just dropped, but don't get too excited. As far as I can tell, there isn't any new footage shown and a lot of what we've seen already actually got cut. The trailer is actually out to promote the Chinese release of the film, and we've just got our first news of who will be handling it. Foreign distribution news. Is this what we're supposed to get excited about nowadays with the drought of information that Toho has been greedily keeping to themselves? No, I think there is a larger story to this trailer release than just the back end of a film's business model. Check out the most recent trailer below and my thoughts on why this matters to you seeing 'Godzilla Resurgence' as soon as possible.

Here's the "new" trailer:

Right there at the beginning you can see who will be distributing the film to Chinese audiences: Intercontinental Film Distributers (H.K.) Limited. They've handled some major film distribution for the country that includes: 'Transformers 4,' 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' 'Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation,' 'Terminator: Genesis,' 'The Wind Rises,' 'World War Z,' etc. Their home video distribution arm includes 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' if that helps give you an idea of how massive a company this is and what that means for 'Godzilla Resurgence.' It looks like the film is going to get a wide theatrical release in one of the most important film markets in the world.

Is it starting to make sense why I'm treating this as major news? If Toho has sought out a distributor of this size in the second largest movie market in the world, it is now ridiculous to think that they don't have major plans for an American release. They're not going with a smallish company just to push this into another Asian country and make a quick buck, they accepted the bid of a huge distributor based in an integral region. Legendary's 2014 'Godzilla' was the number one movie when it opened in China and it did great business during it's run. The only place the film did better? Domestically, here in the United States.

I can't imagine a scenario after hearing about this where a major distributor like Sony doesn't pick up the film for an western release at some point. There's no guarantee that we'll get a day and date theater opening with Japanese audiences, but I think we'll see it in theaters and definitely in homes carried by a large company we know and trust. That's a lot more than we could say even yesterday.

Sorry New World Cinemas. 

'Godzilla Resurgence' will release in China on August 25th, 2016.