After 12 years in storage (or on Monster Island) a Japanese Godzilla is roaring again. Toho film studios has revived the world¡¯s favorite atomic-breathed monster in ¡°Shin Godzilla,¡± which is set for nationwide release today.
However, a lot has changed since the big guy last tromped through Japan in Ryuhei Kitamura¡¯s widely panned box-office flop, ¡°Godzilla: Final Wars¡± (2004). For one thing, Gareth Edwards¡¯ 2014 ¡°Godzilla,¡± a Hollywood-produced CGI hit that earned $529 million worldwide and paid homage to the Japanese franchise (though without the series¡¯ classic practical effects), revived fan interest in Toho¡¯s signature character. Japan, where the film made a solid ?3.2 billion, was no exception.
In addition to that, the series¡¯ 60th anniversary in 2014 prompted retro screenings and reappraisals that centered on the work of the men who had started it all: Ishiro Honda, director of the 1954 ¡°Godzilla¡± film, special effects wizard Eiji Tsuburaya and long-time series producer Tomoyuki Tanaka.
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