How Godzilla: King of the Monsters Pays Homage to the Original
Krampus has become one of my favorite films and one of the highlights was absolutely the creature building. The attic toy attack was a gruesome burst of creativity and the Christmas demon himself was fearsome and mesmerizing. That’s why I was thrilled to hear director Michael Dougherty would be helming the next installment of Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
The franchise is picking directors on the rise and giving a few different creators a shot at the atomic lizard. I am a sucker for nostalgia and film history, so Dougherty recently revealed details about how he crafted the beast that renew my enthusiasm. Building off Gareth Edwards’ vision in Godzilla and making a few historically based tweaks, Dougherty’s design is even more intriguing.
Twitter user GORMARU shared the comments from Dougherty’s interview with Tamashii JP.
Dougherty: With #Godzilla, I really liked what Gareth had done in the previous film with Godzilla’s look, so I just wanted to make tiny tweaks, like changing his back spikes to look like the 1954 Godzilla. These in particular were taken right off the back (Part #9–)
— GORMARU (@OMEGAGORMARU) January 7, 2019
“With Godzilla, I really liked what [director Gareth Edwards] had done in the previous film with Godzilla’s look, so I just wanted to make tiny tweaks, like changing his back spikes to look like the 1954 Godzilla. These, in particular, were taken right off the back of the original 1954 Godzilla. So I took Photoshop, and just photoshopped these spikes onto the back of Gareth’s film.”
Photoshop is an amazing tool. Those spikes do look incredible, particularly when they’re illuminated with burning blue energy. The scaly, fire-breathing defender is already cool enough to endure a more than five-decade career. He doesn’t need a ton of tweaks to make him awesome. However, it’s neat to see Dougherty adding his own imprint to the franchise. That, after all, is the point of giving a character to several directors.
Godzilla will go up against classic rivals Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah in the upcoming sequel. They’re also incredible creatures with a rich history, but none are more recognizable than Godzilla himself. Those three, Mothra in particular, appear to have undergone more of a makeover. When the battle unfolds, you can be sure the King of the Monsters will be looking his best.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters stomps into theaters May 31.
Featured Image: Caption: Godzilla rises from the depths and unleashes his atomic breath to claim his crown as King of the Monsters in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ action adventure “GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
