Godzilla, King of the Monsters trailer

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Godzilla 2014 vs. Amazing Spiderman 2: Who Will Win?

New Godzilla 2014 Movie Poster!

No, this isn't a crossover movie idea, though that's not half bad, and it's not a fan-made movie poster like the Captain America one. This is a battle of the trailers and speculation about which movie will be better or make more money. The trailers for Godzilla 2014 and The Amazing Spiderman 2 came out around the same time and the movies are released in the same month next year; Spiderman 2 coming out first on May 2nd, and then Godzilla on May 16th.

A lot of this talk comes from the guys over at the AMC Theaters movie talk show on youtube. Host John Campea and others wouldn't say which one would be better, but all agreed that Spiderman 2 would make more money mostly on the merits that it's a sequel of a successful franchise  with a hip, young cast, whereas Godzilla 2014 is more of an unknown and has to contend with bad memories of the previous American Godzilla film 10 years ago. They have a good point. Check it out:


Also, some in the industry analysed the two trailers and said that the Godzilla trailer was good for people who know Godzilla, but not so good for people who don't.

Personally, I think Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures have overcome two main problems in promoting their film;

1. They need to make Godzilla appeal to wider general audience, not just Godzilla or monster fans. Besides the obvious superior special effects, they need to play up the human drama and that this is a very character driven story. This movie takes the high road. It's a disaster film that focuses on how the events affect the world and peoples lives in a believable way. It's not just a monster action movie like Pacific Rim. Also, they need to show off their, albeit slightly more mature, stellar cast. This film's got some heavy hitters; Arron Taylor-Johnson(Kick-Ass), Bryan Cranston(Breaking Bad), and Elizabeth Olsen(Martha Marcy May Marlene). It also has international stars Ken Watanabe(Last Samurai, Batman Begins) and French actress Juliette Binoche. David Strathairn also co-stars. His name is not as well known, but his face and voice are. We hear him giving the motivational speech to the Halo jump team at the beginning of the trailer. At this point, Legendary shouldn't play up their director, Gareth Edwards. We know he's a great film maker; he cares about telling a compelling story and uses special effects effectively, but he's an unknown and this is his first major Hollywood picture. Save the director bios until after the movie is released.

2. They need to distance themselves from the Ronald Emmerich Godzilla film. That film was a general disappointment with fans because the design and character of Godzilla was so altered. It was a giant, mutated iguana that spent the whole film running and hiding from the military. Gone were Godzilla's trademark aggressiveness, atomic breath, and invulnerability. Legendary needs to make it clear that this is a reboot, not a sequel and has no connection to the previous film whatsoever. This is precisely why they are giving us glimpses of the monster. Also, I think in future trailer, we'll see Godzilla use his atomic breath. They want to make it clear to us this is the Godzilla we know and love.

However, I think Godzilla has something in it's favor that will help it to be a critical and financial success; it's different and something we haven't seen before.
I know superhero movies are a hot commodity in Hollywood now and more are on the way. I love them too, but they've been around for a while. Now, when I see a new superhero movie, even if it's good, I often feel, "Been there, done that".The more I see, the more I feel I'm watching the same movie over and over, they just rotate the characters. I think many people might feel the same way. But Godzilla is something very different. It's not just a fast-paced action film with superheros diving through the sky and lots of energy beams flying everywhere. It has a slower pace, a darker feel, building suspense and our interest. I think that's why many people will choose to see Godzilla. This and the fact it will be a superior movie will make it a huge hit, potentially bigger than Spiderman

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