Who knew Tokyo was such a short walk from downtown San Diego?
Legendary extended its Godzilla tease beyond the Convention Center this year by taking over a non-descript warehouse located blocks from Comic-Con’s central bustling central hub. The Godzilla Experience allows fans who obtain a ticket from the Legendary booth to enter a fully-stocked replica of downtown Tokyo, where residents can mingle through shops and eateries … but only for a few minutes. Because before too long, sirens are blasting and officers are warning you to get off the streets. Godzilla is coming.
The walk through the exhibit is short. It takes about 10 minutes from entrance to exit. But the impact is substantial. Once the chaos starts, Legendary employees dressed as guards shuffle visitors through a command center, where scientists are tracking an anomaly that’s heading toward our location. To escape, we all board an elevator – an elevator?!?! – to go to the top floor of our building.
Upon exiting, we’re told to turn off all cameras and cell phones. What we are about to see is for our eyes, only. We look out the windows into a driving rain. We hear the stomping of feet. And there he is – Godzilla, the star of Gareth Edwards’ 2014 reboot. He crosses our path and lets out that signature roar. I’m not exaggerating. I kind flashback kiddie geek chills hearing that roar. It kicks you right back to your childhood, watching classic Godzilla movies on a Saturday morning.
Can Edwards’ reboot conjure those same thrills? We’ll see. Legendary plans to show more Godzilla footage during its Saturday morning panel, and we’ll be in Hall H bringing you the latest updates. The movie reaches theaters on May 16, 2014. Here are some more non-Godzilla pics snapped inside the exhibit. And if you happen to be in San Diego and haven’t walked through the Experience yet, swing by. It’s a ton of fun.
