Toho is making their own Godzilla movies again!

[Christopher]

So, their Godzilla v. King Kong remake will be the last U.S. based film?

Of the current Legendary-Toho licensing contract. They could always renew that contract, just with different terms that allowed them both to make films at the same time.

I was hoping they'd have given their version of Godzilla a longer run considering they had the whole cave painting end credits sequence in Kong: Skull Island that showed versions of Mothra and King Ghidorah.

Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah are in the next film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019. Godzilla vs. Kong is the one after that.

 

[Noname Given]

Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah are in the next film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters in 2019. Godzilla vs. Kong is the one after that.

Ah, ok. I was unaware of the 2019 film. I thought the nest one was Godzilla v. King Kong.

 

[marillion]

Not sure if it's been posted yet, but I read today that part 2 of the new animated Godzilla movies: Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle will be released on Netflix on July 18th.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Right, "City on the Edge of Battle" is online, and it's a real improvement on part one. The story is actually interesting this time, to the point that, even though there's no real action until the last 20 minutes, it's never boring. Godzilla is still stiff like a statue, though.

 

[Kai "the spy"]

For those still following this, the trailer for the final part of the anime trilogy is up:

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[Skipper]

For those still following this, the trailer for the final part of the anime trilogy is up:

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I have just watched this and it was a quite depressing experience...

 

[Christopher]

Surprisingly slow-paced and talky for the climax of a trilogy. The kaiju action throughout the trilogy has been rather static, but Godzilla reaches new heights of motionlessness this time. These films were pretty well-made, and they're among the most conceptually ambitious Godzilla films ever made, but I don't think they'll be regarded as being among the best.

 

[captainkirk]

Godzilla basically just stands in one place for the entire movie. Surely they could have found something exciting for him to do?

 

[Christopher]

Godzilla basically just stands in one place for the entire movie.

Well, he stands in one place, then is briefly shown moving away from it, then spends essentially the whole climactic action standing in a different place. But the two places pretty much look alike, so it's easy to miss that he's moved. The problem with this whole trilogy is that Godzilla's surroundings are nondescript wilderness, so there's no sense of scale or geography. What makes giant monsters effective is seeing them contrasted against human civilization and dwarfing our creations.

 

[captainkirk]

Well, he stands in one place, then is briefly shown moving away from it, then spends essentially the whole climactic action standing in a different place. But the two places pretty much look alike, so it's easy to miss that he's moved. The problem with this whole trilogy is that Godzilla's surroundings are nondescript wilderness, so there's no sense of scale or geography. What makes giant monsters effective is seeing them contrasted against human civilization and dwarfing our creations.

Sense of scale was a big issue. They introduced the biggest Godzilla ever but compared to the terrain around him you wouldn't think so. I don't think they needed to make him so big either. It doesn't add to the story in any meaningful way because he wiped out humanity with his beam weapon and couldn't be killed due to his shield. It had nothing to do with size. Reducing him to a more conventional scale wouldn't change the story and would allow him to be more mobile.

 

[Skipper]

Let me see if I got this right. Every civilization reaches a point that create a "Godzilla", like an antibody. Then Ghidorah arrives, devours it and its planet. The Exif priests just facilitate the process. Or not..?

 

[Christopher]

^Good question.

My full review: https://christopherlbennett.wordpress.com/2019/01/10/thoughts-on-godzilla-the-planet-eater-spoilers/

 

[Skipper]

^Good question.

My full review: https://christopherlbennett.wordpress.com/2019/01/10/thoughts-on-godzilla-the-planet-eater-spoilers/

Thank you, very interesting. It's no clear in the movie if the Exif are just "facilitators" or they they are essential for the coming of Ghidorah. I'm partial to the latter because, well, Godzilla remained undisturbed for thousands of years. In any case every civilization is screwed in this universe because, I suspect, If they even manage to destroy a Godzilla, simply a more powerful one will come.

 

[Christopher]

I think the message at the end is that it is possible to coexist with Godzilla/nature so long as you respect its power rather than trying to conquer it, but it went too far with the "all technology will inevitably bring doom" angle.

 

[Skipper]

I think the message at the end is that it is possible to coexist with Godzilla/nature so long as you respect its power rather than trying to conquer it, but it went too far with the "all technology will inevitably bring doom" angle.

Yes, but before you can coexist with it, you need a civilization to create it, than this civilization has to renounce to its foolish ways (and killing 99% of its population in the process, I suspect). Then It has to remain stuck in the Stone Age forever...

You know, I'm thinking that those Exif guys had a point...

 

[Kai "the spy"]

For those attending SDCC this weekend, Toho will have a Godzilla booth for the first time.

• A fun green screen photo booth for unique social posts (#Godzilla65)
• A live mural painting by famed Godzilla artist Shinji Nishikawa on Thursday starting at 1pm
• The actual suit used in “Godzilla 2000”
• Props from films throughout the franchise’s history
• SDCC Exclusive – 65th Anniversary 1954 Godzilla Deluxe Vinyl Figure
• Giveaways, photo opportunities and much more gargantuan fun!

Also, there's now an official Toho Twitter account @TOHO_GODZILLA.

 

[kitik]

where's my sequel to Shin Godzilla?

 

[Kai "the spy"]

I doubt there'll be a direct sequel to Shin Godzilla at this point (though it's not impossible, there were five years between "Return of Godzilla" and "Godzilla vs. Biollante"), but KotM underperforming at the box office, there's a good chance the deal between Toho and Legendary won't continue past "Godzilla vs. Kong", and Toho will go back to making their own Godzilla movies. Although, compared to other non-Disney tentpole movies this summer, KotM isn't underperforming by that much, so there might be more need for analysis.

 

[Christopher]

where's my sequel to Shin Godzilla?

Its unlikely to happen. Toho's contract with Legendary precludes another live-action Godzilla movie until after Godzilla vs. Kong is released next year (which is why they went the anime route), and apparently Toho's decided to start fresh after that with a new "World of Godzilla" that sounds like it's going to be a stab at a new "cinematic universe."

 

[Kai "the spy"]

Here's some food for thought; KotM isn't even doing well in Japan. From May 31 to July 7, it made about $ 25 million. In comparison, the smash hit "Shin Godzilla" made $ 75.4 million.
True, KotM isn't quite at the end of its cinematic run, but consider that even in Japan audiences mostly go to see Hollywood blockbusters, and still their own weird, experimental G movie made about three times as much money as the big but more traditional and mainstream Hollywood movie.
But then, the very experimental anime trilogy was a huge failure that nobody liked.

Toho is probably really trying their hardest to figure this out before going into production.