Godzilla 2014: Why Everyone Should Be Excited

Last week, my dreams came true. That which I had waited so long for finally happened:

I got to see the first teaser for the newest Godzilla movie.

The film, slated for a May 2014 release, has been steadily building hype since its announcement. Having (hopefully) learned from the giant shit-storm that was Roland Emmerich's 1998 film of the same name, Legendary Pictures went about recruiting an amazing cast and crew. We have some serious acting talent on board with this project, not the least of which is Bryan Cranston, best known for his flawless performance in the excellent television show Breaking Bad.

But what really has me excited is the director, Gareth Edwards. Edwards is best known for his 2009 ultra-low budget sci-fi film Monsters. With this film, Edwards demonstrated several qualities that make him an ideal for Godzilla. He clearly has a deep love for the kaiju genre, as well as an ability to portray a giant monster story in a believable and emotionally impacting way. But most importantly, he showed an affinity for character-driven stories, something that has been sorely missing from the genre for quite some time.

Then there's the trailer. The 90 second teaser was not an official release, and was removed within a few days. In those few days, I probably watched the teaser fifty times.

It looks amazing.

The tone is appropriately grim, with the addition of Oppenheimer's words regarding the creation of the atomic bomb striking the tone. The trailer shows some serious destruction: Buildings with holes torn through them, a cityscape in ruins, a flattened train with what look like dead bodies strewn about. Maybe most importantly, it also shows the body of some giant, multi-armed creature, that Godzilla has presumably fought and destroyed. And when Oppenheimer says the famous words "I have become death, destroyer of worlds," Godzilla emerges from the dust and roars. And when he roars, it's the roar. Even more exciting, the design for this new Godzilla, while certainly updated, looks more or less true to the original design.

Here's what we've learned from this trailer>: For one, it looks like Edwards is definitely not shying away from death, destruction, and darkness. Furthermore, we can see that Godzilla will be fighting another monster at some point in the film. We also see a potential for the continued exploration of Godzilla as a metaphor for atomic war, as seen in the inclusion of the Oppenheimer quote. And, of course, we see that the Godzilla of the film will be recognizable as true to the original concept and design.

Now, I know that a great teaser does not a great film make. For example, I remember being blown away by the Man of Steel trailer, but ended up feeling only so-so about the film. But, based on everything that we've heard from the people working on the film, and based on the track record of those people, I think it's safe to have some pretty high expectations.

-Michael Weiss