The bulk of the trailer is Ghidorah's full awakening, and we finally see the three-headed terror break free from his icy prison and unleash hell on the hapless humans below. And while he gleefully torches his victims, something else catches his attention as a second signal begins to bleep on the radar. Cue Godzilla bursting out from beneath the ice, his dorsal spines glowing brightly, and he and Ghidorah lock eyes, preparing for battle...
As in the first movie, the villainous monster is wreaking utter havoc, but once Godzilla shows up? Everything falls dead silent.
Several more snippets are shown in the trailer's end, all set to somber classical pieces. Here we get to see Madison's mother telling about "saving the world", more shots of devastation in the city, Mothra and Rodan in an aerial battle,Godzilla and Ghidorah engaged in a Beam-O-War, and finally, BURNING GODZILLA IN ALL HIS FIERY GLORY.
Not to mention Godzilla, holding two of Ghidorah's heads in a headlock, shoving him straight into a building and going right through it!
Mothra's design is revealed to be in a brilliant orange color scheme similar to a monarch butterfly, and most notably her design is very reminiscent of the Male MUTO from the first film, with a pair of hooked forelimbs, digitigrade hind limbs, and a pair of smaller arms on her chest. She also appears to have a furry mane surrounding her thorax.
Rodan looks truly menacing, with burnt, layered rough skin resembling hardened magma flows, befitting a volcano-dwelling beast, as well as a serrated, toothy beak and multiple horns adorning his head.
And of course, the dreaded Ghidorah himself, with a design that's undeniably the perfect blend of demonic and majestic, neatly combining beautiful with terrifying, and the crowns of horns adorning his three heads complete the image of an ancient ruler of unfathomable evil.
After several scenes of destruction and ominous happenings in the trailer, we see Madison Russell in an area under attack, but she's smirking knowingly. Why? The King of the Monsters has arrived. Godzilla lets out his iconic roar while his dorsal spines glow, clearly ready for battle as jets zoom past him.
For the first time the military isn't trying to stop Godzilla. They are UNITED.
This is made even better when you consider that typically, Godzilla can't beat Ghidorah without help. In nearly every encounter, he's needed assistance to push things in his favor. For once, it looks like we will be that assistance.
It really looks as if the military is escorting Godzilla into battle, and in a way, are going to fight alongside him. Given the stakes and what they're up against, it's like the military is saying to Godzilla, "We'll distract him, but it's up to you to kill the son of a bitch."
From the second trailer, you can even see what appears to be the jets firing on Ghidorah before the charge.
Godzilla's atomic breath is far more bright and powerful in this film, and his eyes light up as well as his spines when he uses it!
There is a GORGEOUS shot of Mothra's wings lighting up through a deluge in the trailer, where blue light comes from the body to the outside and it follows the patterns on the wings.
Many of the introductions of the Titans are these.
The introduction of Godzilla as his body glows with atomic energy.
The emergence of Mothra as she spreads her wings in magnificent glory.
Rodan coming out of the volcano and leveling the city nearby.
Godzilla unleashing his Pillar of Light with his atomic breath. No words can describe it.
We get a sneak look at Ghidorah with his body covered by smoke but his incredibly magnificent and menacing figure can still be made out as he unfurls his wings.
The final shot of the first trailer: Godzilla giving his iconic roar as dozens of aircraft fly into battle behind him.
The first trailer's music. Given that most action films are backed by rock music or fast-paced action themes, a somber "Clair de Lune" is strangely haunting and unusual.
To elaborate on this, typically, we see monsters as scary and out to kill us. This song brings with it not only that feeling, but something else entirely: wonder. We end up being amazed at the rising of these classic monsters, and how nature can create beings like this.
The "Beautiful" trailer lives up to its name with its use of a spectacular rendition of "Over the Rainbow."
The new trailer's music features "Nessun Dorma".
Mothra's title is "Queen of the Monsters". The fact that she's being seen on par with Godzilla in this respect is a nice touch for Mothra fans.
Rodan discarding a plane from his claws, implying he grabbed it midflight.
The trailer really goes out of its way to show how dangerous Rodan is, from mid-air fights with planes to decimating a city by simply flying over it.
Rodan isn't just powerful, he's far more agile and graceful than any creature that size should be; he can skim the surface of the ocean low enough to dip his wings, snatch jet fighters in mid flight, and even pulls a Hammerhead maneuver near the end of the first trailer. Forget soaring and gliding, this is one Titan who can truly fly!
The second trailer takes it to the next level, showing Rodan performing a freaking aileron roll.
Mothra unleashing her 'god rays' in a display of blinding light and storm clouds clearing. Light Is Good indeed.
In days past, Mothra has been called a guardian goddess so seeing her portrayed as this majestic divine creature whose arrival is backed up by a heavenly chorus is sure to invoke tears of joy in any and all of her fans.
At the end of the second trailer we got Godzilla and Ghidorah charging at each other.
Just the way Godzilla and Ghidorah charge at each other. These two have been waiting for another round for over millennia’s and just can't wait to get back into action. The fact they are seemingly enraged just goes to show how much the two hate each other.
Dr. Serizawa's epic rebuke to the US Senate committee, which while funny highlights just how precarious mankind's place in the world is.
Senator: So, you'd want to make Godzilla our pet? [other senators chuckle] Dr. Serizawa: No. We would be his.
Mothra dive-bombing through a storm-cloud with her raptorial limbs extended, presumably poised to attack Ghidorah.
Look through the clouds in the back. Rodan is right there, faintly visible in the clouds. A more recent TV spot shows a snippet more of this, with Rodan swooping down and preparing to intercept her as he turns toward her when he grows level with her position. The Queen and the Fire Demon are about to have their own battle.
Another TV Spot shows Rodan and Ghidorah charging at each other while flying.
The latest TV spot finally shows a snippet of Godzilla and Ghidorah's fight...where Godzilla choke-slams Ghidorah's middle head and smashes it into the ground, while the other two heads bite at him. It's every bit the Showa-era monster wrestling we all know and love.
The final trailer shows even more of Godzilla and Ghidorah's battle, with the the latter overpowering his opponent, only to get a face full of Godzilla's atomic breath.
The final trailer shows Ghidorah slamming his heads into Godzilla with lightning speed before slamming him into the ground.
A May 1st TV spot shows Burning Godzilla unleashing a Nuclear Pulse akin to the one Godzilla 2000 used to kill Orga.
The Movie
The film opens with the classic Toho Godzilla roar! Which is now one of this Godzilla's vocalizations and one he throws out multiple times, including his big entrance for the final battle with Ghidorah.
Godzilla's roar-off with Ghidorah in the Antarctic. In the previous movie when he did this with the Mutos, Godzilla's roar was significantly louder and more forceful than that of the former. This time around, when Ghidorah roars in return, it's every bit as powerful, showing that this new enemy is easily a match for our hero.
Ghidorah maintaining the upper hand against Godzilla in the Antarctica fight. Other than one of the former's heads being bitten into and subsequently choke slammed by Godzilla, Ghidorah’s never touched once. This is notable for being the first time Ghidorah ever decisively beat a Godzilla in a straight fight since the Showa movies.
At one point, Godzilla fires his Breath Weapon and Ghidorah dodges it, quickly returning fire with his Gravity Beams. Godzilla is floored and eventually knocked into the hole Ghidorah climbed out of, while the space dragon is untouched.
The ocean fight is the only fight where Ghidorah doesn’t defeat Godzilla (normal, not burning) one on one. Godzilla is winning chokeslamming and even biting off one of Ghidorah’s heads. But the humans interfered.
Made even better by the fact that according to Word of God, if the military hadn't interfered and launched the oxygen destroyer, Godzilla would have won.
The start of the fight. Ghidorah is chasing after the Argo and is about to chow down... and then with a roar, Godzilla leaps in out of nowhere and tackles the bastard into the water, as if to say, "Lay off them, freak!"
The Argo. Just... just look at it. Monarch's field headquarters is an Airborne Aircraft Carrier that can deploy threeOsprey tiltrotors, has all the amenities of a seabound warship on board, and looks to have around half of Rodan's prodigious 265-meter wingspan but still handles like a jet fighter. In and of itself, The Argo's admittedly not much use against a Titan, but it's still a little snippet of that Humans Are Warriors action that brought you Pacific Rim.
To plant the cherry ever-so-gracefully on top, the Argo is a flying wing. It has no tail or vertical stabilizer; like the B-2 Spirit, it really is just a big blade that goes into the air. How a flying wing as big as the Argo can have the temperament of a one-seat fighter jet can only be chalked down to human ingenuity.
Rodan's entire introductory scene is absolutely GLORIOUS, near instantly becoming one of the most heavily marketed and memorable scenes in the film. After awakening all the villagers being evacuated go silent, before hearing his roar and all of them begin running even more desperately than before. Once provoked, Rodan then proceeds to destroy much of the village simply by flying over it, then beginning his attack on the Argo and it's protective squadron, beginning by clapping upwards and destroying multiple jets before coming diving back down and catching two of them in his claws and ripping them apart. After destroying the rest of the jets in short order he begins closing in on the Argo, before going into a nearby tropical storm... He isn't called the King of the Skies for nothing.
Rodan actually lasts about two minutes against Ghidorah with no back up at all, and holds his own admirably considering he's fighting an apex titan.
The film has reached its Darkest Hour. Godzilla has apparently been killed by the Oxygen Destroyer missile, Ghidorah reigns unchallenged over the waking Titans, humanity has nothing at all left with which to attempt to cancel the apocalypse. Mark has nothing left but to try and find his daughter, and as he prepares to leave to do just that, a small ray of sunlight pierces the thick, black stormclouds generated by Ghidorah. The light grows larger and brighter, Mark has to shield his eyes from the radiance...and it's not the sun, but Mothra, who with a flap of her wings dispels the stormclouds and brings forth the real sun. Humanity, and the rightful rulers of the Titans, may be down, but they are far from out. Mothra lets humanity know there's still hope, and through her calls, MONARCH is able to locate Godzilla, still alive but badly wounded, and revive him for one last showdown against the "False King."
Don't forget the sheer epicness that was the debut of Queen of the Monsters herself. As Monarch members gather in front of the waterfall where her cocoon is located, she slowly emerges out of it, set to a hauntingly beautiful rendition of classic "Mothra's Song". As she spreads her wings in a majestic display, all that Monarch members can do is stare in awe and fascination. And almost as one, they smile. . . Mothra has brought them hope.
The sheer magnitude of the sunken city Godzilla occupies. It seems to be uniquely built to house Godzilla and give him somewhere to recuperate unseen. This is not counting the architecture, which includes mammoth stone carvings and humanoid statues in his likeness. It is explicitly described as ancient Egyptian, but also resembles that of Mesopotamia and Mesoamerica, giving the inference that the foremost builders and artisans in all of human history had a hand in constructing a safe haven for the King of the Monsters. The light beaming from Godzilla's room at the end of the tunnel seals it as a true Kingdom of God.
Serizawa knowingly powers through lethal radiation to hand-deliver a nuke to the downed Godzilla. That the man is standing against such rads is astonishing of itself, but he also drags a damn heavy warhead up a giant temple and takes a final few moments as the timer is set to call Godzilla an old friend in earnest serenity.
You wouldn't think the oft-played trailer scene where Godzilla rises out the water in front of a submarine of stunned onlookers and fires his atomic breath heavenwards could still be awesome, having seen it so many times—but then the film combines it with this breathtaking redo of Akira Ifukube's original Godzilla theme. This being the first we see of Godzilla after Serizawa's Heroic Sacrifice to charge him up once more, it really gives it a "Hail to the king, baby" feel.
After all the Titans are released on Emma's doing, Madison has this to say to her mother: "You're a monster."
Madison taking the Orca from the terrorists and heading to Fenway Park all by herself to broadcast a frequency to lure all the Titans in that direction.
On top of that, Ghidorah has her cornered in Fenway and is getting ready to vaporize her. Does she cry? Panic? Quietly accept her fate? Nope. When the Kaiju equivalent of Satan roars in her face, she roars right back. It'd seem Maddie's ferocity matches that of Eleven.
Godzilla's Big Damn Heroes moment to save Madison. First, we see Ghidorah toppled by a blast of atomic breath just as he's about to incinerate Madison. Then we hear the impact tremors of incoming footfalls. Then we hear a familiar iconic roar. And THEN Godzilla moves into view, with a fleet of navy ships and fighter jets flanking him and the swelling beats of his classic Ifukube theme in the background, capping it off with a Mighty Roar! No wonder Madison's smiling when she sees him. It might be one of the best entrances in Godzilla's history, and that for a character known for awesome entrances.
For the first time in the franchise's history, the military actively teams up with Godzilla in his fight against King Ghidorah. In a series that has over 30 films and has lasted 60+ years with multiple incarnations of the character, never has there been one instance of the two factions teaming up. The closest it got was in Final Wars, but even then it wasn’t the military, just a small faction of remaining survivors, and they weren’t technically fighting with Godzilla, just using him as a weapon to stop the Xiliens. Here? Warships sail alongside him and fighter jets fly above the Kaiju king, soaring in to shoot the Three-Headed Monster as Godzilla triumphantly marches his way to Ghidorah. All with Godzilla's original theme playing as he advances. Many cheers, applause and tears of joy were had at the sight alone.
Godzilla's atomic breath has historically never been that effective against Ghidorah, except on rare occasions like Godzilla vs. King Ghidorahnote where he'd both gotten a major power-up not long beforehand and had hit the weak point of Ghidorah's middle neck or Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack!note where he was the villain and way more powerful than normal . As such, it's incredibly satisfying to see it knock Ghidorah flat on his ass when Godzilla arrives to save Madison.
In the climactic Boston battle, Godzilla and King Ghidorah smash into each other so hard, they actually create a visible shockwave.
Even before Ghidorah got his power up, he was still making Godzilla work for it. The biggest example is his three heads biting Godzilla in rapid unison then taking flight and pushing Godzilla across the ground.
Then he returns the favor by shooting his atomic breath, which shoves Ghidorah off him and a good distance away.
Mothra enters the final battle by blindsiding Ghidorah and binds his heads to a building, leaving the space monster wide open to being body slammed through it by Godzilla. It's rather obvious why Ghidorah instantly calls for Rodan's help.
Godzilla has his second wind and is beating the hell out of Ghidorah, smashing one of his heads through part of a building. Ghidorah’s middle head, in a moment of clear combative intelligence, notices a nearby power transformer and chomps down on it, absorbing the energy. Ghidorah then raises up and unleashes Gravity Bolts from every orifice destroying all the fighter jets and forcing Godzilla back.
Mothra unfortunately got a surprise attack from Rodan and is losing the fight. Rodan is merciless and attacks her even with her back to a building. He tries to bite her head off but she moves her head both times and just before he can try a third time he suddenly stops: due to Mothra ramming her stinger through his shoulder. It takes the fight right out of him when Mothra had barely any left.
This deserves special mention, as Mothra intentionally crawls up the building to position herself so she can pull this off. She also manages to do this with no leverage or momentum, she just straight up impales Rodan.
And Rodan deserves some props for surviving that, too!
Earlier in the battle she gets another moment: slamming Rodan straight into the ground and dragging him across it for a short distance. Note that Rodan is twice her size. She might be small, but she's more than capable of throwing down with the other kaiju.
Ghidorah CARRYING Godzilla thousands of feet into the sky and then dropping him into the Earth, essentially turning him into a living meteor, is both an awesome and terrifying sight to behold.
Mothra knows she's too hurt to stand up to Ghidorah, but that if she doesn't, Ghidorah will kill Godzilla. So she stands between them and charges Ghidorah head on, knowing she's going to die but in the process gives Godzilla power to win the day. Doubles as a Heartwarming Moment.
Also note that as Godzilla lets loose his first and second nuclear pulses, we hear Mothra's roar and faintly see an outline of her wings in the fiery blasts. Even in death, Mothra continues to fight alongside Godzilla in spirit.
The now powered up Godzilla slowly makes his way towards Ghidorah, his body radiating so much heat that the surrounding buildings begin to melt.
Godzilla gives Ghidorah what can only be described as a cocky grin as he power-walks through the Gravity Beams.
Godzilla finishes off Ghidorah once and for all by obliterating his body with two nuclear pulses that take out two of his heads, followed by a stomp and decapitation of the final head, who he takes into his mouth, still living, as he fires his Atomic Breath THROUGH Ghidorah's neck and out final mouth and eyes until it too finally disintegrates.
The last scene where all the remaining Titans, including Rodan, gather around Godzilla, and collectively bow to him. The king has returned...
Not only that, but one of the Titans present is a MUTO, just like the ones Godzilla fought in San Francisco five years ago. This time, the Titan simply follows Rodan's lead in bowing to Godzilla.
Rodan looks ready to contest it but Godzilla simply gives him a death glare and Rodan, his shoulder still wounded, wises up and decides it would be best to yield.
What's more, that death glare is accompanied by a challenging snort that blows steam, or perhaps even the last of Ghidorah's ashes out of Godzilla's nostrils. It's almost as if he's telling Rodan "You saw what happened to the last one, don't try it."
The epic final shot of the film, as Godzilla roars triumphantly into the sunrise, as a throng of other giant monsters bow before him, accepting him as their new king. Smash cut to the ending title card: "GODZILLA:" ...before the subtitle fades in— King of the Monsters as if to cement the fact.
The ending credits neatly wrap up all loose ends in the plot, cutting between images of news headlines highlighting the beneficial effects the return of the Titans had with medieval and ancient artworks portraying mythical monsters, truly driving home the point that the Titans are the rulers of the world long ago...and now, they still are.
And the final Wham Shot of the credits montage? An ancient tapestry of Godzilla fighting Kong. The two kings have clashed in ancient times, and it certainly won't be their last battle.
The fact that Madison could even find her old home in Boston, amidst all the destruction and chaos going on around her with the Titans duking it out as she runs away, it really attests to the survival training that her mother put her through.
have finally been revealed at Tokyo Comic Con 2018 and they are glorious.