The design of Shin Gojira revealed

"You're mistaken. This is not only the design, but the animatronic puppet being used for the majority of the film."

This is what I thought: that yesterday's reveal was the actual design. And it is beautiful, stunning and arresting. It befits the title "Shin Gojira."

The neck and the mouth are the highlights, both painting very different pictures about the monster. The neck appears to suffer at least 3rd degree burns and is the result of heavy exposure with no skin graft. This indicates a monster that could be a victim of some kind a callback to the original Godzilla's skin supposed to be that of a burn victim.

The mouth however paints a completely different picture. The jagged ill fitting teec thhow a killer. The fact they continue forming even to the very edges of his mouth almost protruding upward to make an evil grin. The mouth paints a monster, not one that was hit by a bomb and survived, one that was hit by a bomb and changed.The eyes being very small and piercing in this shot help confirm this idea. 

Either way definitely an original design of the monster that will help set it apart from other incarnations.Excited to see full bodyshot.

To Ben and any other, I know the effects of the radiation to the victims, like deformation and tumorations in some cases and in how it could destroy the cells in any tissue, beginning with the digestive system and consumming everything from inside in others; but in the context you are taking it could be meant that Godzilla already has a fatal disease and he will fade away pretty quickly anyway. I know Godzilla was reminder of the horros of the A bombs, specially when his scale pattern was based in the burning scars. What I meant that there are other monster that look terrific, but yet well designed, like Destoroyah or the new Gamera; for me this look is absurd.

I just saw the American art and Matt Frank drawings and both they look improved; but I just realized they probably are not only taking  the 1954 suit as starting point...

...They also are taking features from Marvel Godzilla! The big head and maw, and the little eyes fit to that design! Furthermore, when Toho needed to use a seal over a Godzilla related item like Bandai figures, they used the Marvel doddle, and maybe they had it present when they went into the scrapbook. @.@

Well, I really like the design. It's classic yet horribly horrifying. I look at this like anyone should. Why is it that Godzilla is a victim of the atomic bomb but, he seemingly wasn't affected by it and only harness its power? This new design says just that. Hideous, deformed, ugly in a good way, burnt, and mutated. 

It's staying true to the character and resembles the 54' original in the face. God willing, we haven't seen the rest of his body and only Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi, and Tohos production team know just how deformed the rest of him is. 

You guys can't say it looks like Godzilla, it doesn't. It's much more monstrous, the original 54 was still monstrous but regal in a way. This is cancerous, which is what they were going for.

@GorillaGodzilla

It shares an almost identical profile to G'54. How does that make it not look like Godzilla?

@GorillaGodzilla

Funny, I showed my girl it and she immediately knew it was Godzilla. If it doesn't look like Godzilla, then how would a non-fan know that it's Godzilla? You could say any Godzilla that ISN'T the original '54 doesn't actually look like Godzilla. G'14 doesn't look like Godzilla, G2000 doesn't look like Godzilla, and so on.

True I guess. Just too demonic for my taste, but it definitley resembles 54.

The artwork Matt Frank did is much better than the official pic.

Simply Marvelous.

@GorillaGodzilla,

"You guys can't say it looks like Godzilla." Yes we can. The entire "fan base " should realize what exactly is in front of them. A monster deceived, conflicted, and destroyed by humanity's arrogance. A monster who is and always has been a victim of the atomic bomb since 54'. A monster who is a warning. A monster who is a "nightmare become reality." 

"This is cancerous." Yes it is. Since you said you understand the hazardous effects of radiation you should realize that radiation causes cancer in any living being including Godzilla.  Again, no one on God's green earth said Godzilla should look a certain way or be "pretty"  or should just look like a dinosaur unharmed. 

"Just too demonic for my taste." Nothing wrong with that. I respect your point of view but, Godzilla is an oni. A demon God of destruction. In majority of the Godzilla films he's always caused destruction whether he meant to or not.

Just because Godzilla is being made in his home land doesn't really represent why I'm loving this design. I see what's in front of me and understand what it represents. This Godzilla represents the pure horrors of the atomic bomb and why radiation is no laughing matter. He's been mutated by it. He's been burnt to the point that it's almost beyond recognition. Ever human being should know that's what atomic bombs do. They burn, they cause cancer, etc. 

This is "our greatest worst nightmare " as promised by Shinji Higuchi. 

"You guys can't say it looks like Godzilla, it doesn't. It's much more monstrous,"

This is outright hilarious. An absolutely riotous, backwards, lost comment. Watch me:

"It looks like Godzilla. Because it does."

Seriously, the argument can be made very, very, very easily that it looks no more or less like Godzilla than the precious, sacred, perfect and flawless 2014 design that we must all bow down to and pray at before starting the day, GG.

I'm not saying it's a better or worse design than 2014. I like the 2014 design. But, to give you some perspective, "it doesn't look like Godzilla" is a comment that has as much weight to it as when fans said the 2014 design didn't look like Godzilla.

Here, let me help you out again:

There is no mandate, rule or reason for Godzilla to look "badass," "cool," "regal," or "handsome." There never has been. It's just want fans are used to since the late 80s. He's a monster. Being "monstrous" fits the bill.

I'm both shocked and impressed that it was Toho, not Legendary, that really stepped outside the expectation of something looking cool for the sake of the sake.

Not to go against anything you said Gman2887 but, that's the truth. No one said he had to look a certain way. This is actually a very smart move on Toho's part if you ask me.

@GorillaGodzilla,

Look, 2014 is far from perfect but, it does hold a higher ground than some Godzilla suits from earlier years. I think we can all agree that G98 is the one that "doesn't look like Godzilla." I respect your love for Godzilla 2014. And you should respect my love for Tohos Godzilla. Sounds demanding. I know but, as Gman2887 and myself have pointed out, there is no rules of thumb to say Godzilla needs to look a certain way. 

I always get insulted in these threads, *sighs*.

I never said it doesn't look cool, I even said I much like the Matt Frank artwork. What I'm seeing from this design, looks like a even more horrid version of the 1954 Godzilla. I don't know why saying that from my point of view, it doesn't really look like the usual Godzilla, is grounds for being insulted, but okay.

It looks a lot like a fish to be honest, if you look at his face closely, with the distorted teeth and microscopic eye. Like a deep-sea fish. Maybe that's what they were going for, he does rise up out of the ocean. If that was what they were going for, bravo cause he does look like a deep-sea creature.

I respect your opinions, but I don't think you guys really respect mine. This is a complete far reach from the Godzillas of late, and I pointed that out, but you guys don't seem to agree. I mean G-Man has left two comments pointing out such.

@GorillaGodzilla

Like this fish?

"This is a complete far reach from the Godzillas of late,"

So was 2014, but you seem okay with that.

The problem is less about your opinion and more about the hypocrisy. Don't like the eyes? Okay. Think it looks like a fish? Fine. Not a fan of a scary looking Godzilla? Sure. But saying it doesn't look like Godzilla? For someone who defended the 2014 design to the death over a year ago (and I was certainly with you on that) it just comes off as supremely hypocritical.

There's no doubt this isn't the norm, but we haven't had "the norm" since 2004. Complaining about it now after openly accepting another makes the comments pretty transparent and hard to take seriously.

GORILLAGODZILLA - You are very right! This new incarnation of Godzilla does indeed share features with other deep-sea fauna. I can understand your mixed emotions concerning the new design. All that I ask is that you wait to see it in action. All we have at this moment is a close-up view of the creature's profile. I guarantee you that he will look tremendously fantastic when in motion, obscured in shadow, and wading through flames! Imagine this creature in place of the original Godzilla during scenes in which he is attacking Tokyo; the atmosphere is what makes Godzilla so fantastic; not necessarily his physical appearance. :)

Now let's be a bit more respectful of other opinions even if you don't agree with them.

I wasn't trying to start and argument with this thread.

(P.S.This is the thread with the most replys that i have ever made :D)

A lot of sources close to the film that have seen the full design have said Jeff Zoronow's take on the design is pretty close. One mentioned that a notable difference is that one arm is smaller than the other. Pretty much matches everything I've heard about it:

SAITAMA - I am very pleased that your topic has generated such interest! :)

GMAN2887 - One of Godzilla's arms will be smaller than the other? That is incredibly fascinating - and unsettling! This rendition of Godzilla is certainly going to possess the physical characteristics of a malformed victim of radiation - a true and undeniably glaring warning against the abuses of nuclear power! :)

GMAN2887 - I wonder: do you suppose Godzilla will favor his more prominent arm while going about? Or do you think he will not be bothered by such a deformity? :)

Not sure. Part of me wonders if this is some sort of wink at the fact Nakajima couldn't move his right arm in the suit in 1954. He mainly just used one arm and whenever the right arm was used Godzilla would turn his entire body to make it work.

That may be looking too deep into things, but it's the first thing that came to mind.

Another thing that came to mind, which isn't looking to far into it, is how Godzilla was described as a victim in the 1954 movie. Yes this new design looks terrifying and ugly, but the fans who are calling it demonic aren't really seeing the scars for what they are. This Godzilla looks like a victim, not a destroyer. This isn't like GMK. This strikes me as something that's been wounded so badly and gone so crazy that it will inadvertantly show the world what its seen.

Like the 1954 version, it's horrific, but there's also sympathy for it.

GMAN2887 - Indeed. The more I look the images over, the more I see a badly maimed creature that seems to have gained a shadow of sentience from the mutations inflicted upon it by the atomic age - just enough to drive it mad from pain and its inability to comprehend it's own consciousness. It strikes me as a creature lashing out on fury because that is the only recourse with which we have left it.

@Gman2887 That pic... is this going to be Godzilla meeting Resident Evil?

Anyway, I would preferred the take that Matt Frank gave... less gross.

At least I found someone in Youtube being agree that this thing´s face looks like Marvel Godzilla.

As I said, Simply Marvelous.

well this is looking to be an emotional roller coaster. i dont know what im going to feel worse for. godzilla or the people hes killng. pack your bags i think were going on a feel trip

G-Man, I do feel now that I was being hypocritical, when I usually am more open to new designs. I do apologize for that. And Something Real you're most likely right that seeing the design in motion will, indeed, make the judgement. This closeup picture isn't enough to decide if it's bad or not.

However, I don't feel like we're going to feel sympathy for this Godzilla. Unless they go the 1954 route and make him REALLY a victim. Besides that this is Japan vs Godzilla, he is truly a monster now.

I'm curious how much smaller the one arm is. Maybe it has less skin and muscle covering it due to being the main exposure site to the blast, and due to the lack of muscle and pain it experiences it keeping it closer to its body making it appear smaller than it is. I can't really see a physiological meaning to why one would be shorter outside of deformities, but that would need to come from birth, moreso than a bomb.

That's the only answer I could think of, Durp.

I feel sympathy for him already, quite frankly. Yes he looks monstrous, but what is it that clearly made him look like that? We all know the answer. It's the same point that was hammered home in 1954.

Well, opinions vary. But I see in this design a look that is evocative of the 1954 Original. I would say that the horror aspect is being emphasized, presumedly to fit the overall feel and atmosphere of the story. So, we can say that 'it looks like Godzilla.' Just as much as, or rather moreso, than some designs from the late 60's and early 70's.I suppose, it depends on what Godzilla is to you, and what you feel he can be. In this, the Shin-Goji, I see the direct and tragic result of nuclear bomb testing and the exposure to a form of energy that can destroy all life. I also see a creature that has been transformed into something it should not have been.

This much of the design points to a film that will should be stark, filled with dread, but, at the same time, is visually stunning and moving in its narrative. If, it's indicative of the film as a whole. It's a big 'if,' but the potential is there given the artists entrusted with making this film and their skills and love for the genre and the character.

Once again Jamaal you just have to present the most thought out words of this character. 

I'm seeing a creature who must have had all the nuclear bombs in the 50's hit him at point blank and obviously, deformed him. He's just as much as a horror show as he is a victim. Something that was living his life peacefully until the arrogance of mankind took his life away and made him a monster, a killer, a remorseless, vengeful Grimm reaper.

"Not sure. Part of me wonders if this is some sort of wink at the fact Nakajima couldn't move his right arm in the suit in 1954. He mainly just used one arm and whenever the right arm was used Godzilla would turn his entire body to make it work."

You know: I wouldn't be surprised if this was a nod to the 1954 Suit and the difficulties encountered by Nakajima-san while protraying Godzilla. Especially given the love and respect that Anno and Higuchi have for the genre and character. It would be just like them. This film looks more and more like a valentine to tokusatsu as well as to the Series. Hence, this design for Godzilla, reminding us that he's a monster, transformed into one by The Bomb. So he should be monstrous, not only in what he does, but also in how he looks and how his appearance affects the one who sees him. That was my impression on the day of the Reveal. And, with repeated viewings (which have been many, by the way), I have come to feel sorry for him. This is tremendous in terms of becoming emotionally invested in the story: sorrow and pity toward a monster who's evoking horror through what he does and how he looks. It's this juxtaposing of two very different emotions toward a character like this that makes viewing him so intriguing. You won't be able to look away, while barely being able to look at him at the same time.

"I'm seeing a creature who must have had all the nuclear bombs in the 50's hit him at point blank and obviously, deformed him. He's just as much as a horror show as he is a victim. Something that was living his life peacefully until the arrogance of mankind took his life away and made him a monster, a killer, a remorseless, vengeful Grimm reaper."

Well stated by Huge-Ben, as usual. This statement mentions what happend and the reasons behind the now monstrous creature's motivation. I hope we see something of this nature unfold in the story against the backdrop of what will surely be astounding visuals. I'm expecting a well-written and ambitious story, well-directed and convincingly portrayed.

wolfguy said:

"This Godzilla is the first that looks truly mutilated and haunted by the blast. I honestly can't stop looking at the photo. As if, taking it a bit to the extreme here, this was once a beautiful creature, perhaps even covered in plummage as it's being discovered of dinosaurs today. But then hit by an atomic blast, flesh and sinew burnt away, ashen and scarred and forever in pain."

After the Blast, Exposure and Transformation, a possibly once beautiful creature found itself horribly transformed and made monstrous. But with the blast came a sentience not previously possessed. The Bomb made Godzilla intelligent and purposeful. And with this came an awareness of what has happened. Then rage and the urge to destroy and inflict harm and destruction. I hope the Operation Blast of 1954 is referenced and connected to the overall narrative that attempts to explain what happened to this creature,and why he's the threat to Japan he is now.

If this, is indeed close to the actual design, then our worst nightmare (in a good sense), kaiju eiga-wise, is at hand.

And if the actions and movements correspond to the appearance, this could be the most scary and fear-inducing Godzilla in the Series. 

I find it disgusting, and none good sense of any kind. Do you really want Godzilla should become a Freddy Krugger? Pretty much of the context you are aiming and rooting for, about the hate, revenge and the deformed look, is pretty similar to that, by the exception of course the motives and the film's genre. Even if it's aimed to create some conscience about the threat of what we neglect in order to progress and the pain we cause for doing so, it looks everything is going so morbid. 

A 'nightmarish' Godzilla, one that instills fear and dread, doen't have to add up to a morbid film experience. And it certaily doesn't mean a kaiju version of Freddy Kruger.

There can be hope-even for the transformed creature, made into a monster. But I have a feeling-and it's just a feeling-that Shin Gojira is going to be very cathartic: we're going to have to experience what we fear before we 'come out on the other side.' And it will be as a result of the advent of a monster who invokes fear and sympathy at the same time.

I do not see the Freddy Kruger analogy as being valid. In fact, it cheapens what the filmmakers may be attempting to protray. I say "may," because we haven't see the film yet. All that I cando is go by what they've said about the film, Godzilla and what they want to accomplish.   

Ahh......doesn't look like it's gonna very nice graphics like G14, but I guess I shouldn't complain cuz Japan don't have a big budget like America (legendary) and (Warner bros). Does anyone know the budget of this movie?