The world is ready for yet another version of Godzilla to take over. Godzilla II: King Of The Monsters hits theatres tomorrow, May 31, and fans are beyond excited to catch the monster in their nearest cinema hall
Following the global success of Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island comes the next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic Monsterverse: Godzilla II: King of the Monsters, an epic action-adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history.
Joining the film’s cast and reprising his role as Dr Ishiro Serizawa is none other than Ken Watanabe. Godzilla’s unmistakable roar in the film, in particular, was music to Ken Watanabe’s ears. “I get so excited when he lets out his roar,” he says. “It’s very strong, like a scream, but you feel sadness in it as well. It’s like he’s scorning humanity for our foolishness.”
So before you head on out to the movie hall to catch your favourite monster in action, here are a few fun, lesser known facts you should know.
Godzilla was originally called Gojira, which is a portmanteau of the Japanese words gorira (gorilla) and kujira (whale). Co-creator Eiji Tsuburaya was taken by the name, who used it as the title of his 1954 black and white feature.
Godzilla II: King of the Monsters is dedicated to executive producers Yoshimitsu Banno and Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit performer. Both Banno and Nakajima passed away in 2017.
Godzilla II: King Of The Monsters is the sequel to the 2014 film Godzilla, and is the 35th film in the Godzilla franchise. It is only the third Godzilla film to be completely produced by a Hollywood studio.
One of Godzilla’s consistent weaknesses is its gills. If struck directly in the gills by missiles, Godzilla reels back in pain. Godzilla is also vulnerable to ice; Godzilla was forced into hibernation by a man-made snowstorm in the 1967 film Son of Godzilla.
