Does Hollywood’s newest entry in the Godzilla Monsterverse live up to Japanese expectations?

Monster movie fans are probably chomping at the bit right now because the trailer for the newest Legendary’s MonsterVerse film is out, and it promises to be an epic watch!

The trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong is a lengthy and informative two minutes and 24 seconds long, filled with explosions, tense one-liners, and insane battles between Godzilla and Kong, including one on top of what looks like a naval aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean. Whereas in previous films, it was Godzilla who came to save the day against other monsters, it seems like this time Kong is the one destined to preserve humanity, while experts try to ferret out what happened to Godzilla and why he seems to have gone berserk.

The film stars several big name celebrities, including Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, and Rebecca Hall, as well as popular Japanese actor Shun Oguri (who makes an extremely brief appearance in the trailer), and although the story seems like it takes a backseat to the special effects (as it often does in kaiju movies), the fierce battle between the monsters is sure to be highly entertaining based on the sneak peeks presented in this trailer, and there also appear to be some stunning visuals included as well.

English-language responses to the trailer were overall positive, with many making jokes about the line in the film where someone says, “Godzilla is hurting people and we don’t know why!”. People seem to be excited to watch the two giant monsters duke it out, in spite of the lackluster ratings of the previous MonsterVerse movies:

“If this comes out while we are in lockdown and the cinemas are closed…….”
 “This little moment of my life is called happiness”
“Critics : ‘this movie sucks because there is no real plotline’ Me : big monster.”
“OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!! I’M SO EXCITED!!”

But what do Japanese fans think? Since Godzilla was created in Japan, the franchise’s original fans can be critical of Hollywood’s interpretation of the monster, like when they thought the Godzilla that appeared in the 2014 Godzilla, was too fat. But even so, Japanese fans were equally excited about Godzilla vs. Kong’s trailer, and netizens were, as always, quick to point out small Easter eggs that might indicate new developments in the MonsterVerse:

“Is that a Super X behind Kong in the scene where he’s looking at his hand?”
“Kong vs. Godzilla, King of the Monsters…could this be the film where Kong grows into King Kong?”
“Is this raging Godzilla maybe Mechagodzilla?”
“Woooaaaahhh I can’t wait to see it!”
“Did I see Rodan?!”
“This is the best trailer ever! I’m so happy to be alive!”
“Isn’t Godzilla a little small? Or maybe the aircraft carrier is just really big?”
“Aaaah! I wanna see it!”
“I hope Godzilla wins”
“King Kong vs. Godzilla vs. Shun Oguri…I’m super excited”
“I have to see the Hollywood Godzilla in the theater! Burn coronavirus to death before Kong comes!”

So as it turns out, kaiju fans around the world seem to be universally excited to see the new Monsterverse film, so hopefully it lives up to expectations! The film is expected to be released in theaters everywhere in the world and on the streaming service HBO MAX in the U.S. on March 26, but With COVID-19 still a threat worldwide, it might be a stretch to say theaters will be safe for everyone by then. Let’s all cross our fingers and hope they will be, because this is one that would be great to see in IMAX!

Source: Twitter/@eigahiho via Kinisoku, YouTube/Warner Bros. Pictures
Images: YouTube/Warner Bros. Pictures
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