GODZILLA VS HEDORAH 2021 SHORT FILM

[eabaker]

It was fun for me to watch but also reminded me how the practical effects still look horrible and how a man in a suit just does not translate well today.

And you're saying that after watching a 5 minute short made on a tiny budget using 15 year old costumes and paying tribute to a movie made 50 years ago. Come on now.

With time, effort and money there could still be a place for suitmation and practical effects in future Japanese Godzilla films. But Toho isn't a fan of time, effort and money so....

Exactly. It's not like this thing represents the peak of modern suitmation technology; there's content from over 20 years ago that looks significantly better than this.

[Legion1979]

Toho is in a weird place right now. They aren't going to use practical effects again. I'm pretty sure of that. I don't believe they even have their own effects department anymore. But their CGI in Shin Godzilla didn't unstill me with confidence that they're capable of doing CGI kaiju that act or move in a way that doesn't look horrifically fake. But I'm already over the idea of an anime Godzilla if cell shaded CG is the only way they're going to do it. When they decide to eventually do another live action Godzilla film I'm curious to see how they do it.

[Vakanai]

Toho is in a weird place right now. They aren't going to use practical effects again. I'm pretty sure of that. I don't believe they even have their own effects department anymore. But their CGI in Shin Godzilla didn't unstill me with confidence that they're capable of doing CGI kaiju that act or move in a way that doesn't look horrifically fake. But I'm already over the idea of an anime Godzilla if cell shaded CG is the only way they're going to do it. When they decide to eventually do another live action Godzilla film I'm curious to see how they do it.

I don't think they're in a weird place - while you might not have been instilled with confidence by Shin's CGI, most of their audience were. Shin was one of the most successful if not the most successful film in the franchise they've ever done. They got a ton of positive comments for their special effects. So most importantly, they themselves were instilled with confidence that they're capable of doing CGI kaiju that look and move in a way that's good enough for them. So whenever (hopefully sooner than later) they do make a new live action Godzilla, whether it's a similar or different design to Shin, they'll feel confident doing it in CGI.

[Legion1979]

I think you missed what I meant. Shin Godzilla barely moved so the CGI was good enough. But I'm having a hard time picturing truly active CGI monsters attacking cities and battling each other in a live action film.

Oh and I'm pretty sure it was the story and politics that made Shin Godzilla truly successful in Japan. Not the effects.

[godjacob]

Look I get that each film is subjective but if someone is gonna sell me that this is bad effects I just can't agree

[Legion1979]

Look I get that each film is subjective but if someone is gonna sell me that this is bad effects I just can't agree

Lord...

I didn't say the movie had bad special effects. That's a GREAT scene. But Godzilla isn't really moving. The power is in the animated effects and explosions.

WHAT I'M SAYING is that, I still can't picture Toho's CGI doing the kinds of things they were able to do with the monsters via suitmation or what American CGI is able to do. The worst effects in Shin Godzilla are when Godzilla has to move quickly. That's when the CG falls apart. Would Toho be able to pull off a monster brawl in a live action film if that's the best they can do with CGI? Probably not.

[Platypus Prime]

I really enjoyed it, I thought it was great to see suit action again, and using a lesser known (to me) monster. I know it wasn't intended as an elaborate commercial for a toy Hedorah, but now I want one where as the day before seeing this I'd not have remembered which one that was.

[LegendZilla]

Look I get that each film is subjective but if someone is gonna sell me that this is bad effects I just can't agree

The funny thing is, if that scene was made in the 90's during the Heisei series' run, everyone around here would've ripped it apart.

[Terasawa]

I know some are extremely adamant that there won't be another man-in-suit Godzilla movie again, but I'd like to reiterate that there's no reason to believe that such a hypothetical movie would look anything like this, which was shot in an afternoon, with deteriorated 17-year-old costumes, for an online convention.

The funny thing is, if that scene was made in the 90's during the Heisei series' run, everyone around here would've ripped it apart.

If you think the only reason fans don't like the Heisei Series is because the monsters fire their rays a lot, then yes, I guess that would appear to be true. Otherwise, I don't get your point. That's the only thing that Shin Godzilla sequence has in common with Kawakita's work -- it's a money shot of Godzilla firing his atomic ray.

[Vakanai]

I think you missed what I meant. Shin Godzilla barely moved so the CGI was good enough. But I'm having a hard time picturing truly active CGI monsters attacking cities and battling each other in a live action film.

Oh and I'm pretty sure it was the story and politics that made Shin Godzilla truly successful in Japan. Not the effects.

I hear some people make the argument but I have to disagree strongly - Shin Godzilla barely moved because that's what they wanted, not because of technical limitations. They were going for that, not stuck with it.

Yes and no. Yes, it was the story and the politics that made it successful (wish other movies would follow suit), but the effects were also largely praised and applauded. The response to the effects domestically was overwhelmingly positive.

Added in 4 minutes 43 seconds:

Look I get that each film is subjective but if someone is gonna sell me that this is bad effects I just can't agree

Lord...

I didn't say the movie had bad special effects. That's a GREAT scene. But Godzilla isn't really moving. The power is in the animated effects and explosions.

WHAT I'M SAYING is that, I still can't picture Toho's CGI doing the kinds of things they were able to do with the monsters via suitmation or what American CGI is able to do. The worst effects in Shin Godzilla are when Godzilla has to move quickly. That's when the CG falls apart. Would Toho be able to pull off a monster brawl in a live action film if that's the best they can do with CGI? Probably not.

Three things - first, the film was 5 years ago, CGI can improve a lot in 5 years. Second, do they need to pull off a monster brawl? They can't compete with Legendary in a big monster beat em up, so honestly they're better off focusing away from the kaiju rumbles and focusing more on doing other stuff in the space like Shin did. Thirdly, look at what they did with the most recent ride, honestly I'd be happy with something like that in film but more polished up.

[_JNavs_]

I'm hearing Toho privated the short film on their YouTube page? Any ideas as to why they'd do it?

[LSD Jellyfish]

^^Who knows. Pretty stupid if it's not to fix or add something and not re-upload it.

However, there's mirrors of it on YouTube.

[Legion1979]

I'm hearing Toho privated the short film on their YouTube page? Any ideas as to why they'd do it?

Here's my guess. They're planning on including it as a special feature in a $150+ box set of the 4K version of Godzilla vs Hedorah, complete with yet another repaint of the 6" Hedorah figure from 2006. Meanwhile, the single disc $40 release won't include the short, the toy or the actual UHD disc. Because Toho gonna Toho.

[Terasawa]

I'm hearing Toho privated the short film on their YouTube page? Any ideas as to why they'd do it?

Here's my guess. They're planning on including it as a special feature in a $150+ box set of the 4K version of Godzilla vs Hedorah, complete with yet another repaint of the 6" Hedorah figure from 2006. Meanwhile, the single disc $40 release won't include the short, the toy or the actual UHD disc. Because Toho gonna Toho.

The problem with this theory is that it requires Toho to release more of their 4K Godzilla masters, which it seems like they have no intention of doing lol.

I'm guessing it was de-listed because these short films are only meant to be public for a short time. IIRC, last year's short was only available if you bought a digital ticket to the con and was never publicly available for free.

[Legion1979]

To be fair, that was more of a joke than a sincere theory

[Terasawa]

I understood you, I just took the opportunity to make a snotty comment about Toho's priorities.

[GigaBowserG]

I'm hearing Toho privated the short film on their YouTube page? Any ideas as to why they'd do it?

Their Godzilla Store sub emails went out around the time the livestream ended, and they mentioned the archive would only be available until November 10th, 2021. Guess it just took them a little longer to get to the short. No idea why the exclusivity, though.

[Gailah 1966]

This has the feeling of an Ultraman-TV-series. Suitmation is not always the same. The Final Wars influence is pretty much visuable.
But hey they gave us something...

[MechaGoji Bro7503]

Hey I mean if we got a toku Godzilla show I'm sure we'd get a tie-in movie after it hehehe. Hell, I'm sure a Jiro Torahata kind of guy at Toho is looking at No Way Home and probably thinking: "Hey we can make bank if we bring back all of Godzillas that still have suits for the new Reiwa Godzilla..."

[Voyager]

Hey I mean if we got a toku Godzilla show I'm sure we'd get a tie-in movie after it hehehe. Hell, I'm sure a Jiro Torahata kind of guy at Toho is looking at No Way Home and probably thinking: "Hey we can make bank if we bring back all of Godzillas that still have suits for the new Reiwa Godzilla..."

Praying for a recreated Godzilla 74 or 75 suit…