Is this our first look at a fully regenerated Shin Godzilla?

Action figure gives us a closer look at the resurgent Godzilla

 

 

If you've seen the trailer or any of the images for Godzilla Resurgence released so far, you'll know that this version of the King of Monsters isn't quite as photogenic as some of his previous incarnations. In fact, Shin Godzilla is downright gruesome; a mangy concatenation of scales, scars and exposed gristle. Rumour has it, however, that Godzilla will not stay in this attenuated state for the entire film, but will slowly regenerate over time, ending the film, presumably, in a state that more closely resembles the Godzilla we all know and love.

He's certainly looking a little less peaky in the image above which shows a Godzilla markedly less gaunt and wasted than the one glimpsed in the film's other promotional materials. Of course, this could just be down to the sculpt - at a glance, this Godzilla still seems to be crisscrossed with scars and wounds - as this particular line of figures isn't exactly known for its movie-accurate modelling.

Personally, I think this one's down to the sculpt, although I do believe we will see Godzilla in different stages of recovery in the final film. If (as is believed) this is the original Godzilla, rising, revenant-like, after being exposed to the oxygen destroyer at the end of Godzilla 1954, the film may even kick off with an even mangier, more grizzled version of the Big G than the one we've seen so far. The image of a grossly malformed, half-skeletal Godzilla rising out of the ocean like the world's largest zombie would be pretty terrifying. 

Source: Scified.com

Godzilla looks terrifying in this new Resurgence poster

The not-so-jolly green giant

This lightened version of the poster shows off  the new Godzilla in all his gruesome glory

Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, the filmmakers heading up Godzilla: Resurgence, promised that Godzilla's return to Japanese cinemas would recapture some of the dread and hopelessness of the original 1954 film, and if our first look at their take on the King of Monsters is any indication, it certainly looks like they're on the right track.

Looking like something that's stepped out of a nightmare, the new Godzilla is a far cry from the noble, bear-like beast glimpsed in Gareth Edward's recent US reboot. This Kaiju looks like he got up on the wrong side of nuclear explosion, coming across more mutant than lizard with its lumpy, misshapen profile, creepy staring eye and a maw studded with row upon row of wicked-looking chompers. In many ways it is very true to the creature's original design, just with lots of nightmare fuel poured on top. In short, we think the new design's a bit of a winner and can't wait to see what the suit looks like in action.

From what we can gather, the movie use a combination of traditional man-in-suit effects work and spiffy CGI effects to bring Godzilla to life. Only time will tell whether or not the film can live up to its billing as the "most terrifying" Godzilla ever, but after seeing this poster we're inclined to believe Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi might just be able to pull it off. Although, to be fair, they've got a lot of work to do if they want to make a movie scarier than Godzilla: Final Wars; just thinking about that movie is enough to make most Godzilla fans break out in a nervous sweat.