Horror enthusiasts are aware that the concept of the monster is typically far more terrifying than anything a monster designer could conjure up. The agony of not knowing what to expect is wonderfully captured in the new Godzilla Minus One teaser, while part of that anxiety is also allayed.
The best method to capitalize on the size that kaiju stories require is to display a monster that is too large to fit on a cinema screen. The horrifying images in today’s Godzilla Minus One teaser, which includes Godzilla’s back sliding beneath a massive ship, a large foot crushing a portion of a city, and the shape of a face just visible above a cloud of rubble, effectively capitalize on this storytelling device.
The suspense is abruptly relieved in the teaser when a clear sight of Godzilla stomping on a train is shown.
Though they look fantastic, the additional clear pictures of Godzilla are not nearly as terrifying as the partial shots. It’s unfortunate, because the trailer gets really terrifying when it shows only a little portion of Godzilla (such as his monstrous tail slicing a skyscraper in two) or the terror and anxiety that his destruction brings. Of course, though, it would seem dangerous to release a Godzilla teaser these days without include some full body pictures of the adored kaiju. However, I can’t get rid of the feeling that the trailer would be better off without it.
Watch the full Godzilla Minus One trailer here:
