So the latest U.S. made version of Godzilla is now in theatres. Trailers for it have been out for months. I recall when the previous 1998 version had trailers out, and the rumours and info snippets circulating the web at that point.
Die hard Godzilla fans, and I was one of them, were at best, disappointed with what was coming out. At worst, seething anger for the lack of understanding the filmmakers had with the subject matter, and of the creature itself. The creature design was frankly uninspiring, looking like the offspring of Jay Leno and an iguana following a drunken tryst. And admittedly, Godzilla films had turned into kid friendly monster action fun over the decades, but the creature had started out as a metaphor for nuclear weapons and destruction, with people in his wake suffering radiation burns and sickness. It was not kid friendly. Toho Studios, which had allowed Tri Star and Centropolis Entertainment to make the film, did a hasty backstep at the finished project, and pushed out a new Godzilla film, Godzilla 2000, to at least reduce the bad taste left in people's mouths.
Now we have a new version from Warner Brothers and Legendary Entertainment. I don't know if it was a respect for the source material from the get go, or learning from the 1998 disaster, but they seem to have gotten the gist of what makes Godzilla popular. I've been watching the trailers for months now, and from what I'm hearing from other die hard Godzilla fans stokes me up no end.
Hail to The King Of The Monsters, baby.