I Haven't Been Paying Close Attention To Minus One Due To Grad School, But After The Size Escalation

I haven't been paying close attention to Minus One due to grad school, but after the size escalation in the post Legendary/Reiwa eras I can appreciate the silliness of making the new Godzilla 4 inches taller than the original.

The chances of this are low but never zero considering del Toro's interests.

Obviously I'm excited for Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein film for Netflix, but I'm also thinking ahead.

I want to see a giant Jacob Elordi fight Baragon at the foot of Mt. Fuji in the sequel.

Godzilla Minus One

If I had a nickel for every post New Century Toho Godzilla film with an inciting incident involving failure to fire an aircraft cannon at a potentially vulnerable early form of Godzilla, I would have two nickels. If I had a nickel for every post 2000 Toho Godzilla film ending with an internally injured Godzilla torn apart by its own atomic breath, only for a remaining piece in the depths of the ocean to show signs of life, I would also have two nickels. Bonus points (pennies?) for criticism of Imperial Japan and a heat ray that recreates the effects of the atomic bombings. Jokes aside, this movie was excellent. A return to basics yet bristling with themes and character depth, not just good kaiju eiga but great cinema in general. If it doesn't take the number 1 spot for best Godzilla films of all time, its definitely in the top 3.

While I haven't read the novel myself, I remember reading that the original Mr. Hyde was actually closer to the Garwolf, in that Jekyll deliberately transforms into Hyde in order to act out his immoral impulses without fear of consequences, rather than it being purely involuntary like it is in many later tellings.

Who's your favorite of the classic universal monsters and why? (based solely on their portrayals in the universal movies, sequels and crossovers included, not their original book counterparts.)

The Wolf Man, because the character was both written and performed so well that he basically redefined what werewolves are in Western culture. None of the other Universal monsters can claim that impact, and since they never recast him, he also remains the most consistently well characterized and acted monster from film to film. Dracula and Frankenstein got their characters shaved down in sequel after sequel, but Lon Chaney Jr. made sure Larry Talbot was never less than his best.

The Mysterians are my favorite out of all Toho's seijin, they just have so much swag. I also like how they start with relatively modest goals before escalating to more conquest oriented ones: it gives them a bit more complexity then later seijin with the standard "conquer earth" plans.

After their 1957 film, The Mysterians went on the road as a rock-n-roll band. Here they are with their manager, Bernie Tanaka, right before playing a gig before thousands of screaming Japanese teenagers.

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