#stan winston godzilla

[samgojigammacrow]

The Gryphon Vs Godzilla from the unmade 94 movie

[hatsampixie]

Just a monke and lizard.

[chernobog13]

Maquettes of Godzilla created by Stan Winston's team for the proposed 1994 American film that was to be directed by Jan de Bont (Speed, Twister) and released by TriStar.

This film was abandoned by TriStar when the budget was projected to be in the $110-130 million range. De Bont insisted the film could be made for $100 million or less, but TriStar insisted on a $90 million budget, so de Bont left the project.

A few years later, after the success of Independence Day (1996), TriStar contracted Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich to make Godzilla. Their film ended up costing $125 million, and leaving a bad taste that persists to this day.

[fitsofgloom]

Frankly awesome Godzilla costume based on Stan Winston's design from the aborted 1994 Jan De Bont project that was scuttled by the 1998 Roland Emmerich film. Standing 7' tall and 12'' long, it was created by a North Carolina fan out of latex and upholstery foam for Halloween back in 2012. The 1977 Mattel Shogun Godzilla action figure -- standing just under 20'' -- provides a nice sense of scale.

[rassilon-imprimatur]

He’s giving a little Stan Winston!

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

As one of my online friends had rightfully pointed out to me about maybe one or few times.

While ultimately the Monsterverse and maybe to an extent the 1998 Zilla film are what we Godzilla fans can and legit enjoyed in more ways than one over the years, we must never forget what we lost in the process of all of it….

A 1994 American made Godzilla movie where the Big G could’ve looked like this

With effects handled by the legendary Stan Winston, as in that same Stan Winston who did Predator, the OG Jurassic Park Trilogy, Iron Man (2008), The Thing (1982), Aliens and of course Terminator

A solid writing team that’ll be handled by a competent director and even fought another kaiju in it who looked like this

I mean it is what it is nowadays but Man the fact this film got canned in the first place is a frustrating one

[arts-by-omar]

Two different American Godzilla

Legendary Godzilla: what did you do to him

G94: nothing just nothing at all

Legendary Godzilla: oh really nothing but why is zilla crying

Zilla: it's because he's mad at me

Legendary Godzilla: okay but why Zilla

G94: It because I was going to be the first American Godzilla movie on the big screen fighting a giant monster on New York City but unfortunately it was scrapped thanks to him

Zilla: I said I was sorry just because you were scrapped doesn't mean you can say mean things to me

legendary Godzilla: all right would you two stop arguing I know they don't like your movie zilla but, there are some people that liked it even you zilla and G94 everyone still like your design and I know it looks cool but, still you can't be mean to Zilla everyday people will still remember you and without Zilla there wouldn't be another American Godzilla movie plus you're not the only one that were scrapped or unmade Godzilla movie monsters

[sr-g0dzilla-2008]

español/spanish

como seria los kaijus si fuesen hechos por stan winston

Ingles/english

what would the kaijus be like if they were made by stan winston

[bluescarabguy]

MinusGoji really feels like the platonic ideal of a modern Godzilla, which makes sense considering its base design apparently comes from Godzilla: The Ride and not an auteur project like SHIN GODZILLA. I've heard that for Japanese audiences, the Heisei design from GODZILLA VS BIOLLANTE is the default look in their minds, and so it makes sense that's the primary inspiration here. But I love the integration the wilder elements of later designs into a more standard whole, with the radiation scarring of the 54 original that ShinGoji maxed out, gigantic dorsal spines that evoke Godzilla 2000 (who also feels like an influence on MinusGoji's emphasis on a big scary mouth), and the more directly scientific aquatic features brought it by Legendary's take (specifically the visible gills).

As pointed out by others, while it may be coincidence, there's even a slight resemblance in the face to Stan Winston's design from the never-realized Jan de Bont/Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio film that eventually mutated into Godzilla 98.

[tyrantisterror]

How do you feel about the Stan Winston Godzilla design and original pitch for that movie before 98 happened?

The Stan Winston design looks really cool and I would have liked to see it in action.

If was using the script I think it was using - the one I read that was filled with adult men leering at the protagonist's 15 year old daughter - then I'd probably pass on the movie itself, though.

[thebrikbox]

Godzilla, 1998

Okay, I couldn’t wait any longer to get this out of my system. Are you ready?

In the Studio

Henry G. Saperstein was granted permission by Toho Studios to present an idea to Hollywood studios for a Godzilla movie. He met with producers Cary Woods and Robert Fried about producing a new Godzilla film. They liked the idea and proceeded to present the idea to a few major studios and were rejected, even be TriStar at first, but final effort proved successful.

A TriStar rep went to Tokyo to oversee and obtain rights to Godzilla, and when negations came to a close, Toho provided specific rules the studio must abide to be requiring specific physical requirements of their version of Godzilla. TriStar would later announce in 1992 they acquired rights from Toho for Godzilla and they would make a trilogy of Godzilla movies, and they promised Toho they would remain true to the original series of movies. This meant they would use caution when referencing nuclear weapons and runaway technology.

Expectation from Godzilla fans was high, and the studio promised they wouldn’t be disappointed. Toho Studios Godzilla filmmakers gave TriStar support and looked forward to one day having a friendly competition to see who would make better movies.

Production Phase

Jan de Bont would be given the job to create Godzilla and have the movie completed for release in the summer of 1994. His concept for the monster was to not have him atomic like the original but design him to be a creature from Atlantis that would defend the earth from a monster called “The Gryphon.” Stan Winston designed the monsters for de Bont and his Godzilla was true to Godzilla’s features.

Winston’s original, unproduced, design for de Bont

Jan de Bont presented his storyline to TriStar, they approved it, however, they didn’t approve the budget he requested to make the movie. Since an agreement couldn’t be made, de Bont quit.

Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio wrote the original script and revised it after de Bont can aboard as director. After he left, they rewrote the script and finished it in 1995. TriStar, however, hired Don Macpherson to rewrite the entire Elliot and Rossio script. Macpherson was a big Godzilla fan and felt the original script lacked depiction of what Godzilla was.

Roland Emmerich was approached to direct Godzilla and Dean Devlin as the producer. They would agree to do the job if they had control in making the movie as they saw fit.

The original script was tossed and Emmerich started from scratch and designed Godzilla to his vision because the original Godzilla didn’t make any sense. Emmerich and Devlin wrote the script in five weeks and changed a lot of features, or power, this Godzilla would have - everything would be practical and real, unlike the original monster.

And so, what TriStar delivered, well… yep.

The Story

In French Polynesia, an iguana nest becomes exposed after a nuclear fallout. Meanwhile in the South Pacific Ocean, a Japanese ship is attacked by a large creature and only one person survived, to which he repeatedly chants “Gojira.”

A Dr. Niko Tatopoulos is in Russia researching radiation effects of wildlife at Chernobyl when he’s approached by officials from the U.S. State Department to aid in identifying shipwrecks in Jamaica and Panama. There, Niko, or Nick, finds skin samples of an unknown creature.

A giant creature appears in New York City. The military doesn’t destroy it, but they wounded it. Nick collects blood samples from the creature and discovers it produces asexually and is collecting food for its offspring.

Nick’s ex-girlfriend, Audrey, betrays him when she steals a top secret video tape from his tent at the army mobile HQ. She wants to use it to launch her media career, but the tape was stolen by her boss and he lies, claiming he, himself, obtained the video. Nick is removed from research team.

A Frenchman, Phillippe Roache, and his team are agents from the French Secret Service assigned to monitor the movement of the monster. Their mission is to cover up France’s responsibility of creating Godzilla, a giant iguana, from their nuclear testing. The agents believe Godzilla hid a nest somewhere in the city and they need Nick’s help to find it and destroy it.

Godzilla reappears and is attacked by a submarine. It fires a torpedo and when Godzilla disappears underwater, the U.S. forces believes the monster is dead.

Nick and the Frenchmen find the best in Madison Square Garden. Audrey and her cameraman, Victor, follow them inside and in the arena find a pile of eggs. After a few minutes, the eggs hatch and mini giant Godzilla babies are emerging. They chase the team and all the Frenchmen are killed except Phillippe. Only four are left: Nick, Phillippe, Audrey, and Victor. They lock themselves in the broadcast booth and from there, Audrey transmits a live report with the nest below. This prompts the Air Force to launch an air raid to destroy the eggs and hatchlings.

After the raid, Godzilla emerges from the downed building and goes crazy with rage. It chases Nick and the team throughout the city. Nick lures Godzilla onto the Brooklyn Bridge, the Air Force kills it. Nick and Audrey make up, Phillippe gives thanks and quietly leaves. Meanwhile, a single egg survives and a baby Godzilla emerges with a tiny roar. The end.

Audience Reception

True fans disliked the movie very much. The idea of a giant lizard rampaging between tall buildings was ridiculous. It didn’t have special powers, just… hot breath? Fellow film critics had nothing nice to say and Toho Studio execs even went as far as dubbing this as the Hollywood Godzilla which struck a nerve for Emmerich. He defended himself by saying he was never a Godzilla fan because the concept of a giant creature with atomic powers was far fetched. He only agreed to make the movie because of what he was offered and for that amount of money, he couldn’t say no. Emmerich blamed having a deadline contributed to the lack of success.

Financially, the movie profited. However, this Godzilla movie was a box office flop.

Final Word

This movie was awful. Period.

Cast and Crew

Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Patillio, Hank Azaria, Kevin Dunn, Michael Lerner

Director: Roland Emmerich

Screenplay: Dean Delvin

Studio: Sony / TriStar

Movie Grade: 0.0 to 4.0

Score: 2.5

photos: Getty Images

[samgojigammacrow]

Stan Winston Godzilla. Poor guy is still missed

[hatsampixie]

New Godzilla render :3

[chernobog13]

Behind-the-scenes photos from Stan Winston Studio of the maquette for The Gryphon, Godzilla's opponent in TriStar's first attempt at an American Godzilla film in 1994.

Despite the name, The Gryphon was actually a chimera: a combination of various Earth animals mixed with alien DNA. But I guess "The Gryphon" sounded cooler.

I am no fan of the original Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot script for this proposed film. However, I would have sat through it just to see this creature and Godzilla (the images of which I posted yesterday) brought to life by Stan Winston and his crew.

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Retrospective Review - The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

The title of this film has always bugged me because it feels like it is inverted. This is the first Jurassic Park movie that I remember having seen in a movie theatre. At the time, I loved it but this was clearly a step down from the original classic. Upon rewatching it, my feelings are pretty much the same. This is a fun movie, but it is a relative disappointment when you compare it to the first, especially since it is made by Steven Spielberg, who was on fire in the 80's and 90's. He could virtually do no wrong, no matter what genre he tried. Upon rewatching it, this falls into the category of movies where the Dino action is tremendous but the characters, not so much.

The film's opening sequence is actually fairly horrifying. The little girl being attacked by Compies and the mother's scream leaves a lot to the imagination as to what happened. The film doesn't waste much time reintroducing Ian and Hammond and the new conflict with his nephew Ludlow, then shifting the action to a new Island. The concept of the story is interesting, with InGen wanting to take Dinosaurs off the island and profit off them on the mainland, while Hammond wants to keep the island separated and cut off from the human world. The film's strength is that it moves fast and we quickly get the InGen team, led by Roland, who are capturing Dinosaurs. Rewatching I forgot that actors like Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, and Richard Schiff were part of this movie.

Where the movie starts to really get fun is when the baby T-Rex is kidnapped and then its parents track down the baby and send Ian's trailer over the cliff. That entire sequence with the two Adult T-Rex's is gripping. The scene with Sarah on the cracking glass that is the only thing between her and plunge into the Ocean is a damn good scene. Eddie's death is also really gruesome. The Dino action throughout the film is pretty killer. Its obvious that the technology was refined some more and there was more fluid movement of the Dinosaurs, and the Stan Winston animatronics continued to be outstanding. The blend of CGI and Animatronics was superb. There is an entire sequence of Dieter getting pursued by and then eaten by dozens of Compies. We also get a full Velociraptor sequence towards the end of the second act. The last act of the movie, takes place in San Diego. Its a lot of fun to see the T-Rex create havoc in an urban environment. Its like a mini Godzilla movie in itself.

Where the film falls short is in the characters. While JP had a lot of likable characters and even villains who you really hate, the main characters of this film aren't particularly likable with Ian and Roland being the two exceptions. Both Sarah and Nick come off as stupid and incompetent with both making decisions that put people in severe danger and arguably indirectly cause the death of many. Sarah claims to be someone with expertise in dealing with Carnivores but is stupid enough to walk around in a blood soaked shirt that she knows is not drying. Also, Nick basically vanishes after being quite prominent in the first 2 acts. Given his role in the earlier part of the film, it doesn't make sense that he's not with Ian and Sarah in the last act. Roland is an interesting character but Ludlow is just a punchable wimp. Ian's daughter, Kelly, is also fairly annoying. The film has some weird narrative inconsistencies. Definitely the whole idea of their being a second island without fences is a bit contradictory to what we saw in JP, where were saw that the animals were being born in Nublar. Also, while quite entertaining, the last act feels a bit out of place in context to the rest of the film. The film never really explains what happens to the crew of the ship that crashes onto the dock. I know they got eaten but how, given the T-Rex was still trapped. Plus, how did the ship sail so far. Its all a bit lazy, which you don't expect from Spielberg.

The performances are fine. Jeff Goldblum ably slips back into Ian. Peter Postlewaite is excellent as the badass Roland. Julianne Moore and Vince Vaugh are solid enough. Richard Schiff is likable in his role. Its always great to see Richard Attenborough back, if only in a small role. Vanessa Lee Chester is ok as Kelly, as is Arliss Howard as Ludlow. Peter Stormare as Dieter is perfectly unlikable and you get a satisfaction when he gets killed.

All in all, this is still a fun film, especially for a Dinosaur fan. There is enough Dinosaur mayhem to enjoy and it never overstays its welcome. William's score is nowhere near as memorable this time around. For me, this ranks as a 7.5/10

[thepmbstudios]

Stan Winston Godzilla [Godzilla/C4D] by Mariozillarex64