While American audiences are only a year removed from their last Godzilla film, it has been 11 whole years since Godzilla: Final Wars was released as the last entry in the original Toho canon. Now, it's time for a reboot, and Godzilla: Resurgence has a killer poster to herald his return! Behold, Godzilla: King of the Monsters!
Godzilla: Resurgence is the first new Toho produced Godzilla film since 2004, and with just one look of the legendary monster's eye, the world feels all that much smaller. How Uproxx could have posted that image without having nightmares is beyond us, but we have to admit – it's a bold strategy. Mainly because this first look at the 2016 release shows us the lizard king's face up-close and personal.
Whenever there's a reboot of the 61 year old lizard, the strategy is usually to shy away from seeing the monster's face and to tease out different details. Whether it's a silhouette, a close-up of one of Godzilla's features, or even a full shot of the monster with its back turned to the camera, the face usually doesn't get to be featured in the marketing campaign. Undoubtedly, the mystery of the creature's appearance has always been milked as a sort of lure for the audience to plant themselves in theaters come showtime. But Godzilla: Resurgence doesn't have time or interest in playing it quiet, as their incarnation of Tomoyuki Tanaka's nightmare child has been touted as the largest yet.
If you're a fan of Godzilla as an anti-heroic protector of mankind, you're not going to want to see this film as it promises to revert the beast back to his villainous origins. This is the smartest move Godzilla: Resurgence can make to distance itself from the Gareth Edwards helmed franchise, as both series will be competing for the hearts and minds of their shared brand. Though it doesn't necessarily have to be a vicious cage match, as both franchises can offer there unique take on the character without butting heads.
Still, Toho is more than likely keen to reclaim the crown of the "best" version of their product, and a good old-fashioned war between monster and humanity seems to be their preferred vision of Godzilla and his interaction with our species. With Godzilla: Resurgence set to be released on July 29, 2016, it won't be long until we figure out how effective a new and vilified Godzilla will play with audiences – though this release date is for Japanese audiences. Though seeing how successful Godzilla was at last summer's box office marketplace, it's probably a safe bet that Toho's latest creation will land, at the very least, a boutique release window for US audiences.
Godzilla: Resurgence hits Japan on July 29, 2016; while Gareth Edwards' Godzilla 2 is penciled in for a June 4, 2018 release date.
