Monster Business...

Above, the iconic Godzilla. Don't mess with an icon! Photo copyright 1954 by Toho Co., Ltd.

...or, A Memo To Legendary Pictures

Alright, word is hitting Godzilla fandom like a rocket throughout the Internet. This is a good thing. For if the G-fans aren't excited, then the fortunes of any new movie, American or Japanese, would be dealt a severe blow.

Naturally, there's some apprehension on whether the new Legendary Pictures Godzilla movie will be a turkey like Sony/TriStar's of 1998.

To avoid the hostility of the fanbase, Legendary (along with their partners Warner Bros.) has to keep a few things in mind:

1. Keep true to the spirit of Godzilla. Even as a super-hero or as a nuclear terror, Godzilla has always been the product of mankind's unleashing of nuclear power. In other words, let Godzilla be Godzilla.

2. Make sure Godzilla looks like Godzilla. While it may be a good thing to change the appearance of a character, it is folly to mess with an iconic image. The TriStar design wasn't bad, it just wasn't Godzilla. The planned Nicholas Cage Superman never got past the drawing boards as the costume that was contemplated looked nothing like Superman's. Neither did the proposed actor, no matter how good a toupee they give him. The fans rebelled and the plans were shelved.

3. Godzilla must act like Godzilla. The TriStar version strayed from this and paid a price in bad word-of-mouth. They portrayed him as a monster who flees the military, can be too easily killed and an egg-layer. Godzilla always advances, never retreats.

4. Cut the camp! The campiness of Sony/TriStar's Godzilla made a bad movie even worse. It is fine to have some occasional situational humor, but the extremes that the Sony/TriStar's movie took drove the stake into the heart of the picture.

If Legendary and Warner Bros. keeps these things in mind (is that too much to ask for?), and have a good script, then they should have a successful movie that will please general audiences, as well as the fans.

More Monster Business...

My shipment of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan arrived and the orders I already received were immediately sent out. This includes an order for two copies to the Australian college professors who will be in Tokyo next month to do some Godzilla research.