Opinion seems pretty mixed among people I know as to whether or not Godzilla is going to work as a movie, but on the whole, the response to Godzilla’s actual appearance has been overwhelmingly positive. At least in America. Apparently in Japan, there’s been a whole lot of snark hilariously directed at, of all things, the beast's weight.
When Godzilla hit theaters back in 1954, he was in pretty good shape for a giant lizard thing. In fact, most of his bulk came from filling out his enormously tall frame. A case could be made that he was actually on the skinny side. Take a look at the following picture as proof…
In Gareth Edwards’ upcoming reimagining, however, he’s a whole lot bigger and not just in height. He’s really wide. Let’s just be honest, if you’re giving him a good once over, he’s really kind of fat. Take a look at the evidence below…
The size difference hasn’t really gained any kind of traction here in the States, but in Japan, viewers have apparently been going off about the change since the first marketing materials dropped. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they have been joking that the legendary creature got fat while he was in America. They’ve also been apparently tearing into him for a) not having a neck, b) looking like a seal and c) being a couch potato.
Here’s a particularly amusing Twitter comment that gained some traction…
"Everyone gets middle-age spread."
If you’ve ever used any form of social media, you’re more than familiar with funny hashtags and great memes blowing up very quickly. From Throwback Thursday to #WhitePeopleProblems, once a joke starts snowballing, it can gain momentum very quickly, which is why it’s hard to take real box office impact away from these jokes. They’re obviously really funny, especially those calling the beast Marshmallow-Zilla, but just because people are having a good time and joking doesn’t mean they’re not still interested in seeing the movie.
If there winds up being enough negative feedback from American audiences once the film goes live, it’s entirely possible we could see a leaner, trimmer Godzilla in any sequels moving forward. Right now, that’s a big if, however. So, until then, feel free to join in on the fun and have a few laughs at the expense of our hero's lack of neck.
