On the Recent GODZILLA News and Manga

I will admit that Legendary's GODZILLA is my moat anticipated movie ever. (The record holder use to Spider-Man 3.) Last year was a pretty good year for updates, at the San Diego Comic Con they showed a teaser (which still hasn't been released for the general public) a poster, and a release date of May 16th, 2014. (Can you believe this film was originally meant to come out last year?) 2014 technically makes sense for marketing, it is the big G's 60th anniversary after all. Since then updates have been scarce, but this past week was full of them. Warner Bros. is committed to a March start date, which is just in two months. Casting has begun, no one has been picked yet, but the shortlist includes Henry Cavill (hey maybe Superman will come and try to save the day) and it looks like Aaron Johnson is being sought after now. (Believe it or not Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in discussions but he declined sadly.) All that is minor to these pieces of news...

Frank Darabont of THE WALKING DEAD has been hired to do a 'final re-write.' It's really quite scary seeing how many re-writes this thing has gotten, it definitely shows that TOHO isn't fooling around. It makes perfect sense, they've learned they can't fully put all their trust in us Americans when it comes to the big G. (And we all know why right? 1998 was an interesting year...) With Darabont re-writing, you can tell this film is going to put an emphasis on the gritty part. Now, we already know that Godzilla will fight another monster, but it looks like they'll be a second monster. And the key word here is 'new,' there will be two 'new' monsters. One of the age old questions for this movie was whether or not G would battle another monster from the TOHO universe. Well, it looks like we'll be getting two new monster creations. While I am disappointed that we won't see the likes of Rodan or Anguirus, it'll still be cool to get some new guys. I can't wait to see their official designs and names. 

The other piece of news and arguably biggest is the story will be about a soldier and that the film will be 'really different' than the TOHO movies. When I heard about the soldier part, Half Century War instantly came to mind. That mini-series follows a soldier as he narrates Godzilla's destruction over the years. This soldier will most likely narrate Godzilla's destruction too I would imagine. Now the second part, where it says it'll be 'really different' than the TOHO films is interesting. It might not have been the greatest thing to say, but I understand it. I do think this film should be its own unique thing, I'm not sure if it should be too different than the Japanese films, because we longtime fans still want to see the true Godzilla on the big screen. When they say TOHO they're most likely referring to the late 60s and 70s movies. They really want people knowing that this will be a very serious movie. With Gareth Edwards directing, I have a feeling we'll also have a strong human character. Unlike MONSTERS however, GODZILLA has to be about the title character, not just a plot device or an obstacle, but a character. I hope we'll see that.

While all that could be considered as good news, the bad news is that two producers have left the project, Dan Lin and Roy Lee. Now here comes the interesting part...they're actually attempting to stop the film from going forward. I've read the complaint and it doesn't look like they're going to win, but still a pretty intense thought. As you can see it's really all about the money, forget about the fans whom have been waiting since this was first announced four years ago. The case hasn't exactly happened yet, so it'll be interesting to see how much this sets back production.

Remember the Godzilla manga I talked about not too long ago? The one where it's set five years after Terror of Mechagodzilla? Well it turns out that it's actually a fan manga. It's a little un-surprising, since TOHO would probably never want to revisit the Showa timeline. Still, it's pretty impressive for a fan manga and shows there are still dedicated fans out there.

GODZILLA Gets a Release Date!

So I come home from the first night of AWANA and hit up Twitter. Right when I enter I see some people talking abut a GODZILLA update and that I should be extremely pleased about it. A few moments later I see that the release date has been unveiled. May 16th, 2014. I will admit that I haven't had much optimism in this being released, but now I have a strong confidence. Just check out this snippet from the press release.

Warner Bros. will return the character to its epic roots with a gritty, realistic actioner.

Epic roots? Gritty? Realistic actioner? Sounds like everything the 98 film wasn't. You can tell this is going to be ultra series with pretty much no humor, like the original film. Also since MONSTERS is Gareth Edward's only other film, I can see a tone similar to that. Anything else I have to say will just be pure speculation. We'll probably get a trailer with Pacific Rim next year, then the internet will really explode.

Monster of the Week: Zetton (Original)

Zetton is the most powerful monster in the Ultra-verse. Besides Gomora, he was the only to truly and completely defeat Ultraman. But unlike the battle with Gomora, there was no chance here. 'Space Dinosaur' Zetton was in complete control the whole time. He was far superior in power and strength. Zetton is the definition of 'final boss.' He's a merciless, evil, and just plain heartless brute. Thanks to Alien Z-Ton, Zetton came to earth. That is where the events of Farewell Ultraman takes place.

The Alien Z-Tons had invaded earth. Surprisingly their spaceships were pretty weak, a single missile could destroy one. Captain Mura, Arashi, and Hayata were chasing down Dr. Iwamoto. It turns out that he was an alien in disguise. After Hayata shot him, the alien shouted "Zetton" "Zetton." before fading away. Doing so made the final spaceship come and started blowing up some kind of space balloon....which then released the Space Dinosaur. (How they got the dinosaur part is beyond me.) Zetton is the Z-Ton's ultimate and secret weapon. He's the guy that was going to do the easy work of destroying everything that got in his way. Zetton is a cold brute, he obviously knows how powerful he is. If he were a human, he'd be the bragging type. You can see that he also enjoys some good destruction as he's waving his arms around when he rises out of that 'balloon.' Completely impervious to the Science Patrol's laser gun, he easily walks through, taunting with flaunting his arms. It's only until Hayata transforms into Ultraman that there's a glimmer of hope. Or so we had hoped...

Zetton isn't like Antlar, he's not one to show anger or quite as cunning. He's a brute, he doesn't bother dodging attacks. Why should he? He knows he's the most powerful monster in the Ultra-verse after all. Ultraman had come from behind and did this spinning attack which sent some rings onto Zetton. They managed to subdue him, making him immobile....until of course he turned around and shot some red beams that caused the dust around Ultraman to turn red. At that moment the most hardcore moment of the whole entire show happens, Zetton simply breaks out of the rings like a true boss. He knows Ultraman is a threat, so he jumps down to fight. He also likes to brag about his superiority. As he surprised Ultraman by teleporting behind him, you can see him taunting once again with flaunting his arms. He also has a bunch of surprising abilities, he can generate a barrier out of nothing, which helps quite a bit against Ultraman's mini ring attack, those little things break on contact. Ultraman then comes in for some close hand-to-hand combat, but Zetton just slaps him away. I will say it again, he just slaps Ultraman away like he's nothing other than a nuisance. This is when he comes in for the kill. Zetton isn't one to draw out fights too long, if the opponent is down, he will take that opportunity to finish them off. This time he went in to choke Ultraman to death. Ultraman fought and fought, but he just couldn't shake away this brute of a monster. Eventually he manages to throw Zetton off thanks to some encouragement from the narrator. But that wouldn't stop the Space Dinosaur, you can see he's one that's fully alert as he quickly rises up. Of course by now Ultraman uses his signature Spacium Ray. Zetton is pretty much laughing at this as he absorbs the beam, let Ultraman become shocked of what had just transpired, then fired the absorbed beam. This completely dazed Ultraman. Showcasing his cold and merciless demeanor, Zetton fired another blast after seeing him dazed from the previous one. Now he just stood there taunting with his strange robotic noises as Ultraman fell. Zetton looked down at his fallen oppenent, then left to destroy. This was just another battle to him, nothing more nothing less. He didn't truly care, Ultraman was just a minor threat that had stood in his way. However, somehow the Science Patrol had this monster destroyer weapon prototype that the real Dr. Iwamoto had brought. Zetton was caught off guard when it struck him, it had lifted him into the sky and and exploded him. (Imagine what the J.S.F. could do with that weapon in Godzilla world.)

So that was the un-dignified end of Zetton. Ironically, it wasn't Ultraman that stopped him, it was the Science Patrol. Nonetheless, there's no denying that he's one of the most original and powerful monsters out there. With such a unique look, evil demeanor, and creepy roar/sound, Zetton is as awesome as they get, he could give Godzilla a run for his money.

Godzilla: Final Wars Review

For my 16th birthday, I wanted to do something interesting. Instead of throwing some kind of party, I decided to revisit one of my favorite films: Godzilla: Final Wars. I've seen this film four times, (now five) and decided that for a special age, a special movie to revisit. So, let's start.

Final Wars has an interesting reputation. It's the 50th anniversary film. Truly a feat, fifty years of Godzilla. This film was meant to be the goodbye, the one where it ends on a high note. The one where you look back and say, "What a great end to a great franchise." Does it succeed? Read on.

The plot takes place in the near future. Monsters are the norm, and there exists "Mutants," the core of the Earth Defense Force. It's been several years since Godzilla was frozen in the South pole. Out of nowhere, Rodan attacks NYC, and before you know it, monsters galore! As the Earth Defense Force attempt to combat these beasts, a mysterious ship from outer space comes into earth's orbit. It "eliminates" the monsters and the beings inside, called "Xilians" say there here in peace. They explain that a planet called "Gorath" is en route to earth, and it will destroy the planet. However, things are not what they seem.....

Sound familiar? Veteran fans should instantly recall this plot. This film is basically a modern Destroy All Monsters combined with Monster Zero. Yes, so scratch all realism from the past Millennium films, this film is crazy like Showa. And that's a good thing. The past two Millennium films were deadly serious, Final Wars was a welcome change of pace and throwback to the 60's and 70's. I loved every second of it.

This film is a lot different than the ones you're used to watching. Not just Godzilla films, all films in general. Whereas other films gives you a breather, get to develop the characters, take time to explain things, Final Wars lets you have it with no stop of the action. Seriously, even the dialogue scenes, thanks to the music, doesn't feel like a "breather." It is nonstop. And I think that's the way to do it.

Everything about this film is different than the average Godzilla film. The characters have a certain cool "style." Think Matrix-type of fighting wouldn't mesh well with Godzilla? Think again. A lot of times in the previous films, the human screen time can get pretty dreadful. (I'm looking at you Destroy All Monsters.) Thanks to the fun characters and crazy fights, the human screen time I actually ENJOYED.

The main character, Ozaki, will remind you of Neo from the Matrix. A lot of the fights are reminiscent from it. Good or bad? I think it's great, a change of routine for the Godzilla films. Captain Gorden is such a fun guy to watch on screen. Sure, he may come off as corny sometimes, but it fits in with this crazy movie.

MONSTERS, MONSTERS, and MONSTERS! This is the selling point naturally. 50th anniversary? What better way to celebrate than with fifteen monsters?! Here we have the most monsters ever captured in a Godzilla film, or heck, all films. The monsters get some great screen time, and the effects are steps above anything TOHO has produced before.

Godzilla is looking his best, my personal favorite look after the 2000 one. He looks menacing, but at the same time, not evil like his look from GMK. Mothra is just about the same from the last film, Tokyo SOS. Thanks to the awesome effects, she hasn't looked more powerful. Gigan gets a big modern redesign, sporting a black and silver look rather than is classic green and yellow. He looks AMAZING. (Yes, he is my favorite monster) Showcasing his laser, something that was never showed in his early appearances. Rodan sports his Showa look, and flaps his wings with glory. Angurius sadly is the most disappointing. His look from Destroy All Monsters, a film over thirty years ago, looks better than this film. I am glad that they gave him a rolling ability, he actually doesn't look weak at all, boasting some impressive moves. King Caesar looks practically a copy of his look from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. A great modern update for Kamacurus, who now sports wings. Kumonga looks impressive, though his look from Son of Godzilla is equally great. (Amazing, considering that film came out over thirty years ago.) A great surprise was the inclusion of Zilla, a monster that looks strangely like the American Godzilla from the 98 film. The CGI is decent enough, and at least he actually looks impressive. (Remember the 98 film? Yeah, me neither.) Ebirah gets a nice modern look, but the film goes out of it way to show you how weak the monster is. (The only monster to go down by humanoid beings.) Manda gets a nice appearance, his first since Destroy All Monsters. His look is by far the most improvement, after that horrible look from Destroy All Monsters, this was welcome. Minya, well, it's pretty much impossible to make him look even a little feasible. Still, it's a lot less goofy looking than all of his previous appearances. New monster, Monster X, is a unique design. A new monster was welcomed, but who he transformed into was something else. I mean, how could we have a 50th anniversary without......

Even I was surprised when I saw this beast. Boasting an incredible menacing look, "Kaiser Ghidorah" made a satisfying final opponent for the King of Monsters. Not a fan of the four legged part, too similar to Mothra's Death Ghidorah. Still, Kaiser here was truly a great finisher for the film, standing even taller than Godzilla himself.

There are some really epic scenes no other film can surpass. You'll want to watch this with the speakers blasting. After a powerful opening featuring Godzilla, it only gets better. Rodan's attack on NYC is truly a standout moment I'll never forget. Gigan's rise was just cool, and just the monster scenes overall were a step above everything that has come before it. The monsters aren't slow moving at all, they are fast, and the fights are just top-notch. (Mothra's fight with Gigan being the best in the whole film.) Everything, from Manda attacking the Gotengo, to Monster X's transformation were some great scenes.

The soundtrack is (gets ready for a thrown tomato) I think, the best in all of the Godzilla films. It might be lacking the dramatic feel of the oldies, but the music here is just awesome, there's really no other word to describe it. Godzilla's new theme was excellent and greatly used. (They still use the classic one for the intro, which was nice.) The music is just energetic and keeps you entertained. (As it should, cause this film is pretty long, at two hours and five minutes.) We even get to hear a song from the band SUM 41, "We're All to Blame." That thing played during Godzilla's fight with his American counterpart. The fight only lasts about fifteen seconds, but that song makes it the most epic fifteen seconds of your life. (You'll want to really turn up the volume for this.)

The Xilians from Monster Zero get an updated look, even boasting the retro spandex and visors. The leader, (well, the one that takes charge later in the film) is an evil, emotionless villain, but at the same time, really funny. He makes the already great film even more enjoyable. "I knew that tuna-eating monster was useless!" Classic.

In closing, I can see why a lot of fans don't like this movie. It lacks the deepness of the ones before it, and some of the monsters lose too fast. Hedorah, who also makes a surprise appearance, gets finished very quickly. So I understand that. I on the other hand will always greatly enjoy this film. It's everything I've ever wanted in a Godzilla movie, lots of great monster destruction and fights, the humans are actually cool and fun to watch on screen, the music score is top-notch, no corny dubbing, it's just my film. Godzilla: Final Wars may not be the 50th anniversary "hurrah" everyone was looking for, but it's a darn fun film that will remind you why you got into the franchise in the first place.

I give this film a 9.5/10.