How talk of Godzilla 2014 produced the nerdiest conversation this side of the internet

I don't know if I should even admit to this, but yes, I comment on io9 on some of the silliest topics and sometimes the conversations I get into with fellow nerds are nothing short of epic.

Ladies and gentlemen, what you see above is the tail of Godzilla as it will appear in the 2014 Hollywood reboot of the "king of all monsters." It debuted at this year's San Diego Comic Con: a celebration of nerds so huge that it holds entire industries hostage each time it starts. And of course, anything worth a nerdgasm or two is going to be hosted by this guy: Chris Hardwick.

You may recognize him from the television show, The Talking Dead, or another television show, The Nerdist. Yes, it's not just you. Both of those shows have nerd/geek written all over them. Well he was at the epicenter of the Godzilla panel as well. For the record I like Chris Hardwick.

So here's what io9 has to say. Pay attention, by the way, because it relates to my oh so intelligent comment that produced the nerdiest conversation this side of the internet:

There was tons of shots of disasters and people running and human characters, and more of that in a second. But the centerpiece of the footage was a sequence where a big monster is attacking an airport, shredding airplanes and trashing buildings. It looks sort of like the Cloverfield monster with a more of a beetle-like carapace and spindly insect legs. It looks massive and powerful.

Yesterday, director Gareth Edwards told us there would be other creatures in the film — and here's our first sight of one. It looks scary and huge.

And then Godzilla's foot comes down next to the creature. Godzilla's FOOT. Which is dwarfing this poor spindly little creature.

And then there's a massive hero shot of this previously big-looking creature looming over the airport, and then Godzilla rises up behind it, and it's like a skyscraper next to a hut. Godzilla is this ginormous dark scaly beast with a gaping maw and a mighty screaming roar, and the crowd basically lost its shit. Host Chris Hardwick made a joke about people having to change their pants, and this seemed totally accurate.

Those of you that know me probably realize I'm good for a comment or two. Here's what I wrote:

And lo and behold, here are the responses:

Click to EMBIGGEN in order to read.

OMG...I love nerds. My favorite answer from this batch is from Tim Smith. He took my question seriously (as should all people because anything I say is worth paying attention to), and I love how he broke down the issue of the kaiju scientifically. Not to be outdone, other nerds chimed in:

Click to EMBIGGEN in order to read.

My favorite response in this batch comes from "kewlball" although I do like the "throwdown" potential initiated by commenter igndk11r when he said, "Category 7. He'd atomize a Jaeger in a single atomic breath." I should reply, "Says you! But 'Gypsy Danger' has got some serious kung fu cred with Mako at the helm, and she'd sidestep your atomic breath to give your big Godzuki a shot of liquid nitro TO THE FACE! BAM! The 'King of all Monsters' just got his ass kicked by a leftover prop from Evangelion. How do you like them apples? Boo Yah!"

I dare you to point out which one of these is the female. THAT is the fun
of all Japanese anime, inventor of the original "twink badass."

As entertaining as that is, I do feel obligated to point out that I may have failed all of you by NOT asking a more important question: But...but...will Godzilla be able to fly in this new movie? Because this footage from a TOHO film (considered canon by kaiju lovers) clearly shows that Godzilla has jet powers:

I would have loved to have heard Chris Hardwick trying to answer my question. I'm sure he'd have all kinds of fun with it. But alas...there is so much to discuss about Godzilla that the questions are probably endless.

*DISCLAIMER: I am in fact jealous that I did not come up with the handle "Octopussoup." Names like that are the only way to get respect in the prestigious kaiju community forums. Sigh and *hangs head in shame.

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Will Godzilla be in Pacific Rim? Let's hope the superstar of kaiju movies puts in an appearance.

Shark kaiju looks angry.

Over on io9, writer Meredith Woerner posted an exclusive video (CLICK HERE TO VIEW) that Warner Brothers sent to them explaining the background process that Guillermo and team went to in order to create the kaiju for Pacific Rim. I urge you to go and watch it because it is simply AWESOME.

My thoughts (after viewing the video like four times) start with this: Guillermo del Toro is doing to kaiju what Steven Spielberg did for dinosaurs when he created Jurassic Park more than twenty years ago. To borrow a term from Andrew Leon in a blog post he wrote, this is a "game changer." I still remember the lead up to Jurassic Park. The studios and test audiences were awed by the realism of the dinosaurs on screen, how their eyes would dilate, and how their skin would move over bones, all thanks to computer-aided graphics. And oh boy have we come a long way since then.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Guillermo del Toro (who dispels any notion in me that this movie will somehow NOT be the movie of the entire summer). Seriously, I know this is a bold claim, but I personally think I will see this movie every single day on its opening weekend.

"When I watched a monster movie, the big money shot for me was the monster. In kaiju movies, that's what it was about." 

This is a screen grab I made from the io9 featurette. How would you like
to be in that submarine. This moment in the film is totally what del Toro
is talking about when he refers to the monster as the money shot.

del Toro is honoring kaijus that appeared in older Japanese films that were
cheesy but fun. Here is one that bears a remarkable similarity to the one
featured above. I like it when directors know their subject matter so well
it literally paints them as a fanboy of their own work.

My thoughts: Guillermo totally gets this right. I've seen plenty of monster movies, and I always loved it when the monster showed up. Take King Kong...it wasn't interesting until Kong showed up and started wrestling with multiple T-Rexes.

"Kaijus in Japan have many forms. We wanted to stick to the basics...we tried to echo real animals. We tried to echo a gorilla. We tried to echo a shark."

My thoughts: I love this approach. It's basing a monster on something we are familiar with and making a chimaera: a creature that's got components of something familiar and already terrifying and doing drastic things with both its scale, its power, and its appearance.

In this screen grab from the io9 video, see the scale of the Jaeger robot as
compared to a jumbo jet and a T-Rex (the tiny lizard that doesn't even reach
to the kaiju's elbow. Scale is going to be one reason this show is made for IMAX.

"The moment you saw it [the kaiju] on the screen the first time, you knew they were deadly, and capable of destroying the jaeger. One of the rules I gave to the designers is to try and honor the spirit and feeling of the classical kaiju. Two-legged [just like in the old Japanese films] And once a week we would do an American idol and eliminate the silly ones."

My thoughts: I think American Idol style elimination for silliness is brilliant. George Lucas could have benefited from this by opening his prequels to criticism. And as writers, many of you will no doubt agree that critical input at just the right time can make or break a story.

Okay, so here's the big question I have for you oh kaiju fans. There's been no mention of Godzilla. But you know del Toro is a huge fan of Godzilla. So...do you think Godzilla will make an appearance in Pacific Rim? If so, I think it would be too awesome for words and would most likely come at the end. Here is your moment of zen:

Note that it's being made by "Legendary Pictures" which is the same studio bringing you "Pacific Rim." Tee hee I so want a Godzilla cameo.

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