GODZILLA vs. KONG (November 20, 2020)

[Benjamin Haines]

[Gwangi]

[Mexigojira]

[lhb412]

^ It's the most overplayed joke ever, but I must give points where points are due with the Mechanikong armor.

[KaijuMilitia]

It's better to release it this year because if warner bros keeps pushing it back I see the general audiences forgetting about GKOTM and KSI having any connection.

[Gwangi]

Well, here is what Campea and Robert Meyer Burnett think of this situation:

[Moonlight SY-3]

"Your message contains too few characters."

OK, how about now?? The site must be broken! Anybody seeing these posts??

Just trying again...sigh...

Well, I can edit posts. Just can't start new ones. Hello? Hello? Anybody here??

EDIT 2020.04.16:
OK, checking in again using the edit function...Anybody out there? Can you see this?
Can you see the buggy text at the top of the site? Like this:
p on line 112: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/prime_links.php on line 129: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/prime_links.php on line 130: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4780: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3906)
[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4782: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3906)


EDIT 2020.04.28:
No changes. Site loads and looks fine, but no new content in over a month...can't post, can only edit this post. PMs do not work, either. So, dead? Or is it just me?

EDIT 2020.05.08:
Still no changes, although I've noticed there are a ton of "users" on the site:

"In total there are 254 users online :: 1 registered, 0 hidden and 253 guests (based on users active over the past 5 minutes)"

All bots or spammers or some kind of cyberattack? Dunno. Site is still dead, although the corpse is still available for viewing...can't find any other info on this anywhere on the Net. Sad and mysterious.

EDIT 2020.05.11:

So was the site killed by bots? So many "guests" on the site all the time, and even right now the other registered user besides me is listed as "Bot".

WHO IS ONLINE
In total there are 229 users online :: 2 registered, 0 hidden and 227 guests (based on users active over the past 5 minutes)
Most users ever online was 485 on Sat May 09, 2020 2:57 am
Registered users: Majestic-12 [Bot], Moonlight SY-3


Has anybody else tried editing an old post like this to try to communicate? Haven't seen anything around the site. Really weird clicking around in here...

EDIT 2020/05/18:
Oh look, another futile edit after a trip around the dead site! Really weird. I'm starting to feel like Hachiko waiting for his deceased owner at Shibuya station...

EDIT 2020/05/22:
Just confirmed that I can't edit any of my other posts around the site...only this one, it seems. I sent an email to the admins (forum@scifijapan.com), but who knows if that still works...

EDIT 2020/05/25:
This will probably be my last edit in this thread. I found and joined the SciFi Japan group on FB, and found some info there. As per SciFi Japan's Keith Aiken: "My understanding is Gene Cahill is still looking to get the forums repaired. I have no idea how long that will take."

I never received a reply from forum@scifijapan.com .

Sad as the busted site is, I'm relieved to find it's not just me, and also that they are (maybe) making an effort to get it repaired. I'll keep checking in to see how that's going. Good luck to whoever is doing it (Gene Cahill?), and thanks for your efforts. The FB page is nice, but nowhere near as good as these forums.
Hope to see you all around here if/when it's back up.

EDIT 2020/06/25:
What the heck, might as well edit in an update at the one month mark. So, no progress here, eh? Sad. Funny how the site is actually quick and snappy. Basically seems fine at first glance, then you notice the lack of new content, missing content in old posts, and the inability to add new posts. But, I can still edit this old post.
Not that anyone's reading this, but it's worth noting that Godzilla vs. Kong has been rescheduled for May 21, 2021.
Oh well...guess I'll check back in again next month.

EDIT: 2020/07/20:
Not quite a month since my last edit, but Gene posted this in the Sci-Fi Japan FB page, so I thought it worth putting in here:

"Hi folks. I just wanted to address the Monster Zero boards being down since March. My sincere apologies; I have been running the board for the last several years but i am not the "nuts and bolts" person who maintains it. When the board went down; I reached out but the technical issues that crashed the board are beyond our tech person's skills. Everything about the board was old and out of date and it looked like recovery might be impossible. At this point we are looking at another possibility but it will be 4-6 weeks at minimum if that works out. Please bear with us; hopefully there's life in the old Zilla yet...."

Thanks Gene, and good luck!

EDIT:2020/08/20:
Another month, another check-in edit...No changes, it seems. Dang.
Oh well, see you again next month!

EDIT: 2020/09/24
Been over a month since the last check-in edit...still no changes, better or worse. Still holding on to hope, but it ain't looking good...
Right, I'll be back again in October!

EDIT: 2020/10/20
Ah, the monthly check-in edit! Aaaanddd....no changes.
OK, see you again in November!

EDIT: 2020/11/24
And yet another month goes by...still no visible changes, for better or worse. Still between 7 and 50 visitors every time I log on, me being the only "registered" member, the rest being "guests". The occasional "bot" shows up, too, but it's usually just me and the "guests".
I have to wonder...isn't somebody paying to keep the site up? Seems like they'd either fix it, or pull the plug if that was the case...
It will be interesting to see how long I'll be able to log on here with monthly check-in edits. And if anybody is seeing these edits, Hello! I sure do miss the site. Still not a big fan of the FB page, so I hope the site gets fixed. The probability of that seems pretty low now, what being basically "dead" for 8 months now, but you never know...I'll still keep checking in.
See you in December, maybe!

EDIT: 2020/12/21
And here we are in December already...9 months since the site "died." It's really incredible how the site has remained in this strange state of stasis for these 9 months. Right now, there are 26 users on the site, although I'm the only registered member, as usual.
The loss of this site was just another of the numerous unfortunate things that have happened in 2020, although in the grand scheme of things, this one was the least harmful. Still, sure do miss the site. Hopefully 2021 will bring better things.
See you in January!

EDIT: 2021/01/20
Happy New Year! Already January 20...my my, how the time flies. Nothing has changed here, eh? Still a crazy zombie site. Well, as long as I can keep editing this post, I'll keep dropping in monthly for a checkup.
I guess the best news now is Godzilla vs Kong has been moved up to a March 26, 2021 release! Almost there.
See you in February!

EDIT:2021.01.25
Not Feb yet, but the first full trailer for G vs K is up! Looks FANTASTIC.
OK, see you next month...

EDIT: 2021.02.09
Not the usual check-in time, but just an update to say the release date has again been pushed back, now to May 14, at least in Japan. Back and forth, like a yo-yo! Well, I guess that would be more like up and down, but you get it, right?
So, current release date: May 14, 2021. WE SHALL SEE!

EDIT: 2021.02.22
OK, the monthly check-in...no changes. None. Still dead, yet still...ALIVE. Coming up on one year! Isn't somebody paying for this? Well, as long as it's still clinging to life, there is hope, I guess.
Still bummed the GvsK release was moved back to May 14 for Japan...gonna be hard to avoid spoilers. Well, with this site being non-operational, maybe not so hard!
See you next month...

EDIT: 2021.03.23
And here we are, the one-year anniversary of the site going to Zombieland! Kinda crazy I'm keeping up with it, but as long as it's still up, I guess there's hope...
Even if it's resurrected, will members return?
Keeping the thread on topic, it seems early opinions of G vs K are pretty good. Strong monster action, weak human drama...just as I like it!
Right, I'll keep checking in monthly until the site is truly gone...see ya.

EDIT: 2021.04.20
Lessee here...any changes? NOPE! Same as it ever was...
Shout-outs to Russzilla and a coupla other folks who mentioned on the FB page they were checking in here regularly, and reading these edits. Nice to know somebody's actually seeing this!

In thread topic-related news, it seems G vs K is a big hit, happily! Glad it's being well received. I'm trying not to get too spoiled, but it's hard avoiding all the vids on FB and YT, so I've seen some of the action...looks fantastic! Only three weeks to go before it hits the theaters here...I guess I'll need to add "SPOILER WARNING!" to my next edit!

EDIT: 2021.04.30
Well dang, Toho just announced the release of G vs K will be postponed indefinitely due to the recent spike in Covid cases here...was scheduled for a May 14th release. WELL DANG. No other legit way to watch it in Japan...

EDIT: 2021.05.24
No changes? No changes. Pffft. Well, there are 77 "users" online here right now, so it seems the site still draws some attention! Maybe they're all bots?
So now I see the Blu-ray release for G vs K is scheduled for what, June 15? Still no theater release date here in Japan...the Blu-ray will probably be out first. I'll do both, of course!

EDIT: 2021.05.25
From the "WHO IS ONLINE" section of the board index:
"In total there are 97 users online :: 3 registered, 0 hidden and 94 guests (based on users active over the past 5 minutes)"
"Most users ever online was 485 on Sat May 09, 2020 2:57 am"
"Registered users: Bing [Bot], Majestic-12 [Bot], Moonlight SY-3"

Sooo...how do bots get registered? Hacks? I'm not a tech guy, so no idea. Nice to see 94 guests, I guess!

EDIT: 2021.06.07
Happy news: G vs K has been rescheduled here in Japan! The new start date is now July 2, 2021. FINALLY!
As long as the 5th Corona wave doesn't start before that, we should be good here.

EDIT: 2021.06.21
Site still dead? Site still dead. Sigh...
The good news is that the July 2 start of G vs K is still holding here, barring another big Corona outbreak.
Fingers crossed!

EDIT: 2021.07.01: FINALLY! Got tickets for me and my son for a 2:50pm showing of G vs K this Sunday, July 4th! Really looking forward to this. Been tough trying to avoid spoilers these last few months...

EDIT: 2021.07.08
OK, finally saw it! As expected, we loved it. Went to a 2:50pm showing on Sunday, July 4 (Japanese dubbed version). Theater was about half full, but it was also showing at the same time with the English (Japanese subtitles) version, and the 4DX3D version, so no idea how the crowds were overall.
Great monster action, moderately OK story, fairly forgettable (but by no means bad) human characters...but the whole thing was such a spectacular roller coaster ride from start to finish, none of the weak points bothered me. Kong was the focal point, which was fine with me. I read somewhere the screentime breakdown was Kong: 26 minutes, Godzlla: 11 minutes, MechaG: 5 minutes. Worked for me!
Going back soon to see it in English, at least a couple of more times!

EDIT: 2021.07.17
Saw it again, this time in English (Japanese subtitles) with some of my Japanese employees. They loved it, too! Really hoping the MonsterVerse continues...this stuff's too good to end it here!

EDIT: 2021.08.24
G vs K just left theaters here, got to see it three times, loved it more each time. Looking forward to the Blu-Ray when it's available here!
And oh, the site...no changes, eh? Oh well, seems I can still edit! So weird...
Also, this marks a year and a half since the site went into zombie mode...will it ever come back? And even if it did, would members return?

EDIT: 2021.09.27
No news? No news.
Wonder when we're getting the Blu-ray in Japan...
EDIT: OK, found the info: November 3, 2021. Been out since June in the States? Sheesh!

EDIT: 2021.10.25
The monthly check-in and edit...seems there are no changes, and I can still edit this post. I wonder how long this will last? Getting kinda morbid now...
See you next month!

EDIT: 2021.11.26
Happy Thanksgiving! But...no changes here. Oh well. See you next month!
But wait! I just saw this:

"The Board is Down with no repair ETR. My apologies but we don't have the money or resources to repair the issue. It is broken on the back-end and is only here to view as an archive. Thank you for your years of patronage."

Well dang. This was one of my favorite boards. Thanks to the staff for maintaining it all these years. I'll keep checking in...just in case!

EDIT: 2021.12.29
Whoops, almost forgot to check in! Right, so no changes.
Picked up the G vs K Blu-ray this week, love it more than ever! Great movie. Hope we see more in the MonsterVerse.
OK, see you 2022...

EDIT: 2022.01.28
Happy New Year! How's the Omicron treating you? Just when we thought we could see the light at the end of the tunnel, another variant...
Oh well, stay safe and healthy! See you next month...

EDIT: 2022.02.27
Nothing to see here? Nothing to see here. Oh well.
See you next month!

EDIT: 2022.03.28
Yup, site is still dead...but at least the MonsterVerse is not! The followup to G vs K has apparently been greenlit and will begin shooting soon in Australia.
Geez...at least that's some good news in this crazy world of ours!

EDIT: 2022.04.25
Interesting I can still edit this "Archive only" site! Just me? Has anyone else tried? Can anyone see this? Hmmm...
In genre news, Shin-Ultraman starts here on May 13, looking forward to that! So far, the trailers look good, as do the designs for Ultraman, Gabora, and Neronga (and Zarab!). I hope the story is good, too. It seems Mephilas will play some role...
See you next month!

EDIT: 2022.05.24
Another month, another update...aaaaand nothing to see here..no changes to the site at all. Still kicking! Wonder how long this zombie site will linger? Oh well, as long as it's here, I'll keep the monthly updates going.
Shin-Ultraman: Saw it twice this past weekend, loved it! Fantastic! They really crammed a lot into it, but it works...good effects, good story, interesting characters...all around good movie, and it hits on so many Ultra Q and Ultraman references that knowledgeable fans will be smiling from start to finish. Hopefully it gets an overseas release like Shin-Godzilla did. A must-see for any Ultra-fan!
Right, see you next month!

EDIT: 2022.06.27
Wow, another month gone by already? Time sure does fly...and the site is still dead, which I guess it will probably always be. I'll still keep checking in and editing this post for as long as I can.
Went and saw Shin-Ultraman in the theater one more time...I was surprised how crowded the theater was even thought the movie has been out for over a month now. Great movie! Looking forward to grabbing the Blu-ray when it's out.
OK, I'll be back in a month!

EDIT: 2022.07.25
OK, here's the last edit I'll do, since DannyBeane figured out how to post "normally". Wow...2 years and 3 months of edits! The time flies...
Went and saw Shin-Ultraman a total of 5 times now, the last two times included showings of Ep. 33 (Mephilas) and Ep. 39 (Zetton), which was pretty cool to see on the big screen.
Also watching Ultraman Decker every Saturday, which is...OK so far.
And that's it, the final edit! See you in the "regular" threads!

[DannyBeane]

Test

[DannyBeane]

Dude I did it

[DannyBeane]

I've been following your edits since the site went down. If you ccheck do not automatically parse URLs you can post!

[kiryugoji04]

The post-MZ internet sucks.

[DannyBeane]

[quote="kiryugoji04"]The post-MZ internet sucks.[/quote] I concur. Also the quote function works.

[kiryugoji04]

Does it, though?

[DannyBeane]

Ehhhh close enough

[Moonlight SY-3]

Lemme try this...
EDIT (you know I love editing):
IT WORKS!


....OK, now what do we do??

[Benjamin Haines]

Moonlight SY-3, thank you for diligently editing your post in this thread for the past two years since the forums broke. I've wanted to communicate to you how reassuring it's been to check in and see your monthly edits but I could never figure out how to do it with my own posts.


Regarding the thread topic, Godzilla vs. Kong has been out for more than a year! Surely we've all seen it by now.

I like the movie. I think it's an improvement over Godzilla: King of the Monsters but it falls short of G'2014 and Kong: Skull Island. It is easily the dumbest of Legendary's Godzilla movies, and it abandons any remaining trace of G'14's realism that G:KotM didn't already shred, but it is a lot of fun. It's more focused on monster action than anything else and it really delivers on that front.

I don't mind that this flick isn't as good as Kong: Skull Island but I really don't like how Godzilla vs Kong just throws away Skull Island's population of Iwi people offscreen before the story even begins. One thing I appreciate about K:SI is how it breaks away from tradition by depicting the island’s native people as neither savage nor disposable. The Iwi people didn’t offer any women to Kong for ritual sacrifice and they weren’t in the movie just to be slaughtered, unlike the natives who kidnapped Ann Darrow in the 1933 King Kong and then were unceremoniously wiped from the face of the Earth at the end of The Son of Kong. After K:SI’s fresh take on Skull Island and the Iwi people, it’s disappointing that GvsK reverted to a variation of what SoK did nearly 90 years ago, with the island still intact but rendered uninhabitable by an endless storm and all of the Iwi people besides Jia said to have been wiped out between films.

It’s hard to believe that Legendary not only had to put together a writers room for this but that they credited the movie's story to three different writers and the screenplay to two other writers, considering how simple and straightforward the finished film is. It definitely feels like it was cut to pieces in post-production, with subplots and even characters having been removed entirely. That exposition-heavy scene that introduces Alexander Skarsgard, Demian Bichir and Shun Oguri's characters in a college office at night seems like it was added in reshoots to replace a much longer opening, with a reference to Dr. Lind's alleged brother who supposedly died trying to reach the Hollow Earth even though he's quickly forgotten after that scene. Jessica Henwick and Ziyi Zhang aren't in the film at all even though they were announced as part of the cast, and Lance Reddick is barely in it. Shun Oguri’s character is named Ren Serizawa but there's nothing in the film that indicates whether he's connected to Ken Watanabe’s Dr. Serizawa at all. I don't think a Godzilla vs. Kong movie needs to be particularly long, and I think it's great that Legendary produced a Godzilla vs. Kong movie that starts rolling the end credits at 1 hour and 45 minutes, but I get the impression that this film's whittled-down editing was just a knee-jerk reaction to the negative feedback for the human characters in G:KotM more than anything else. It's like they listened to all of the mainstream reviews that repeated variations of "We only care about seeing Godzilla, the human characters are always a waste of time" from critics who never even watch Godzilla movies.

Godzilla vs. Kong is a movie that aims low and plays it safe but it certainly delivers on the monster action. Kong is the protagonist of the story and it's nice to see Godzilla as the villain for most of the film. This take on Mechagodzilla incorporates elements from the Showa, Heisei and Millennium incarnations. It's a welcome return to MG's original role as a dastardly villain that Godzilla can't handle alone, although the lack of any metallic crest on top of his head makes him look strangely bald. Beyond the monster battles, the exploration of the Hollow Earth is where the movie really comes alive and it sets up a terrific new status quo for Kong.


Pacific Rim > Shin Godzilla > Colossal > Kong: Skull Island > Godzilla (2014) > Rampage > Godzilla vs Kong > Jurassic World > Godzilla: King of the Monsters > Power Rangers > The Meg > Pacific Rim: Uprising > Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

[Dai]

[quote="Benjamin Haines"]I really don't like how Godzilla vs Kong just throws away Skull Island's population of Iwi people offscreen before the story even begins.
...
It’s hard to believe that Legendary not only had to put together a writers room for this but that they credited the movie's story to three different writers and the screenplay to two other writers, considering how simple and straightforward the finished film is. It definitely feels like it was cut to pieces in post-production, with subplots and even characters having been removed entirely. ...I get the impression that this film's whittled-down editing was just a knee-jerk reaction to the negative feedback for the human characters in G:KotM more than anything else.[/quote]

Definitely agree that killing off the Iwi was a bad move. It felt pointless too, since the island didn't need to be uninhabitable to humans for there to be a need to contain Kong. Hiding him from Godzilla would be reason enough. Even the killer storm scenario could have easily been reworked to have the Iwi evacuated, with the girl having to stay because Kong goes ballistic when they try to take her away.

As for the edit, I'm normally critical of movies that have clearly been hacked down by the studio or producers in post, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. When I first watched GvK I described the human scenes as 'good enough'. They do the job of getting the plot from A to B, but they drag a little more every time I rewatch the movie. I would not be at all surprised if there's a work print that's half an hour or an hour longer, but I doubt that version is a better movie. The theatrical cut plays to Wingard's strength: world-class monster action.

[lhb412]

I enjoyed this film. It's a mess in the same way the previous one was, but instead of me finding it relentlessly irritating this one was mostly enjoyable. It helps that the action sequences that are the centerpiece of the film are much better staged and the characters of Godzilla and Kong really shine. Despite the fact that Godzilla is still nominally a hero in this storyline I was happy that plot contrivances serve to put him in the position of the "heel," which I quite enjoyed.

It's funny how the original Mechagodzilla seemed to predate the original Terminator in interesting ways and now we have a Mechagodzilla obviously visually inspired by The Terminator! We've come full circle.

For the next film I desperately want a script that doesn't feel like a 13 episode Netflix series that has been hacked together into a 2-hour movie that has then been substantially reshot to make the plot simpler or whatever. I'm actually happy that Wingard is returning for the next one with seemingly a bit of clout from this films success. These films badly need someone in authority to be able to rein in the circus, and maybe now he'll be able to do that?

[Benjamin Haines]

Dai,
Yeah, I think the way they edited this movie was probably for the best, but I'll always wonder about what exactly they cut and reshot to make it as streamlined as it is. It's not like with G:KotM, where Michael Dougherty described having a much longer assembly cut that just had longer versions of the film's existing dialogue scenes. Godzilla vs. Kong seems to be missing entire scenes and actors in its first act.

I find the core 'Team Kong' cast of Kaylee Hottle, Rebecca Hall and Alexander Skarsgard to be much more compellingly written than the whole Apex Cybernetics side of the plot. Maybe whatever subplots or exposition got removed from the film were as generic as the Apex stuff but it'd be a shame if there was a genuinely more ambitious story here that got axed because of how G:KotM's characters were received.


lhb412,
There's definitely some Terminator inspiration in this take on Mechagodzilla but I think the filmmakers were also influenced by Megatron from Michael Bay's first Transformers movie. The aesthetic works better here because MG is actually shaped like Godzilla rather than a vaguely humanoid mound of scrap metal.

[Moonlight SY-3]

[quote="Benjamin Haines"]Moonlight SY-3, thank you for diligently editing your post in this thread for the past two years since the forums broke. I've wanted to communicate to you how reassuring it's been to check in and see your monthly edits but I could never figure out how to do it with my own posts.
[/quote]

Thanks for your kind words! Glad some folks were tuning in over the years...wow, it really was years!

And of course thanks to DannyBeane for figuring out how to post! The ol' site still has some life in it!

[Kailem]

First off, huge props to Moonlight SY-3 for keeping the lights on these past two years since the boards broke. Like Benjamin I've also been checking in every month or so on the off-chance that someone might have figured out a way to get this place back up and running again, it's been good to see I've not been the only one!

And great job DannyBeane for figuring out how to actually post again! It might not be back to 100% functionality, but this is a hell of a lot better than anything we've had for the past two+ years!

So yeah, a year and a bit late, but overall I really enjoys Godzilla vs Kong! I pretty much agree with everything Benjamin said. They definitely decided to go "full summer blockbuster" with this one, even more so than King of the Monsters, but I certainly liked GvK more. It really delivered on those big main event fights, but unlike KotM (and G'14), it seems like they [i]finally[/i] realised that cutting away constantly and not letting us actually see the majority of how they play out was something they should stop doing. So that was great that we were able to enjoy this epic smackdown in all its multi-coloured glory.

I liked the idea of splitting the human characters into "Team Kong" and "Team Godzilla", and although the Team Godzilla side was a bit more cartoony than I would have liked, I didn't find the cast to as as overstuffed and generally irksome (in some cases) as in KotM.

Agreed about the Iwi too. I get that they wanted an excuse to move Kong off the island, but it still kinda felt like there was a lot of potential there with them for future movies, especially with their low-key seemingly physic abilities, but unless they go back and do something in the past again like Kong: Skull Island, that's all out the window now.

And yes, you're definitely right about a lot being changed in editing. Adam Wingard straight-up says as much on the commentary. Lance Reddick was going to have a larger role as the head of Monarch early on, and apparently Godzilla was originally going to be attacking a Monarch facility at the beginning of the movie, not Apex (he specifically points out the shot of Godzilla torching those Humvees and sending soldiers flying as them being Monarch soldiers when they shot the scene), just as a couple of brief examples he mentions. So I'd definitely be interesting in knowing how much was changed and from what. But ultimately I didn't think it actually hurt the movie much, so it wasn't something that bothered me.

So yeah, overall I really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun! The Hollow Earth is the obvious place to take the next movie, and that sounds like exactly where they're going to be going with it, at least in part. And it's also great that after both a cinema-killing pandemic and lower than expected box office numbers for King of the Monsters, that this movie not only essentially saved cinema but also did well enough that we're getting not only a Godzilla TV show but another Godzilla and Kong-starring Monsterverse movie too! That's definitely a really big win in my books!

[Benjamin Haines]

^ I haven't listened to Adam Wingard's audio commentary yet but I'm surprised that he even said that much about what they changed. I figured that WB would have had him not approach the topic at all. It makes sense that Lance Reddick's character was supposed to be the head of Monarch when they shot the movie. His only spoken line in the finished film is just after Godzilla arrives in Hong Kong when he says to Mark Russell, "This is the day we've feared. I've given the order, Doctor."

Speaking of Monarch soldiers, remember these early set photos from when Godzilla vs. Kong started shooting in November 2018?

https://i.imgur.com/oaKOCT2.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/sEXkitS.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/dCGOvfb.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QXzmtPU.jpg

Alexander Skarsgard's character seems to have been punching that other Monarch trooper, outside on the ground in broad daylight. That had to have been from the movie's original first act, right? There's no point during the journey with Kong to Hollow Earth when that could have happened.

Yeah, as terrible as the pandemic has been for the world at large, and as devastating as the cinema closures and delayed films were for people who owned or worked in movie theaters, the circumstances of Godzilla vs. Kong's eventual release ended up being the best thing that could have happened for this particular film. When WB and Legendary hashed out their plan for the MonsterVerse back in 2015, with a Kong reboot and a Godzilla sequel leading up to this matchup, they were naturally banking on this big crossover event to be the biggest box office hit of this cinematic universe. They weren't hoping for Godzilla vs. Kong to make less than G'14 and Kong: Skull Island worldwide, and they certainly weren't hoping for it to be the lowest-grossing MonsterVerse entry at the domestic box office, but that's exactly what happened.

MonsterVerse domestic box office comparison (bar graph): https://i.imgur.com/QZ8yvyi.png
MonsterVerse worldwide box office (bar graph): https://i.imgur.com/vTXDcye.png

And in an alternate timeline with no pandemic, no theater closures and no gaps in the release calendar, Godzilla vs. Kong's $100m domestic and $467m worldwide total would have been rightly understood as a big disappointment, just like when Justice League made less in theaters than all five of the prior DC Extended Universe films.

But with the way things shook out, with WB delaying the film from November 2020 to May 2021 and then changing it again to the end of March, just in time to be the first and only big movie in reopened theaters right when covid vaccines became widely available, it didn't matter how Godzilla vs. Kong's box office numbers stacked up to its predecessors. This movie literally saved cinemas by bringing theaters an influx of revenue after a long and painful drought. And even though it failed to be the MonsterVerse's box office equivalent of The Avengers in North America or most of the rest of the world, it absolutely did become the biggest hit of the MonsterVerse in China.

MonsterVerse Chinese box office comparison (bar graph): https://i.imgur.com/LbtuAjd.png

Chinese audiences had already embraced the MonsterVerse, with China being the one bright spot in Godzilla: King of the Monsters' otherwise disappointing run back in 2019. WB changing Godzilla vs. Kong's release date from May 2021 to the end of March also positioned it to be in theaters during China's Qingming Festival in early April. Worldwide, GvsK did +21% more business in theaters than G:KotM overall, with 65% of that growth coming from China alone.

MonsterVerse overall box office comparison (spreadsheet): https://i.imgur.com/Secryvm.png

More importantly than any comparison to the prior MonsterVerse entries or the mitigating circumstances of the pandemic, Godzilla vs. Kong turned a profit at the worldwide box office, pulling in 2.83x its $165 million production budget. That's the bottom line, and that's why we're getting a sequel!

[Kailem]

Yeah after I'd watched the film I was also thinking back to those on-location photos and how they never seemed to be a place in the actual film where they could fit. The closest thing we got to it was probably the part where the Apex guys turn on the main characters down in Kong's throne room, but even then we never see any actual fighting.

And I don't think I ever noticed they had Monarch insignia in those photos either! I wonder if part of what they ended up changing in post was that Monarch (or a faction within Monarch) was secretly involved in the creation of MechaGodzilla and that's why Godzilla attacked their facility at the beginning, with the Apex guys who went down into Hollow Earth originally being Monarch too, before then deciding to create or expand the role of Apex as a separate "bad guy" entity?

Either way you do briefly also see that beach in the behind-the-scenes stuff on the Blu-ray where those shots were obviously taken, but even there you can't really tell what the original context was going to be.

[Russzilla]

Thank you Moonlight for diligently making posts in here for the last two years, I’ve been reading them without knowledge of knowing how to post myself… until now. The old girl still has some life left in her.

[Kailem]

A look at one of the crew shirts: https://twitter.com/mikes_monsters/status/1644774001422774273?s=20

That's likely just a working title, but it certainly underlines how Godzilla and Kong are likely going to be allies in this one rather than adversaries.