Top 10 Godzilla Suits
In modern films, Godzilla is brought to life by a bunch of
animators as a computer generated image. Even Toho went this route for 2016’s Shin Godzilla in favour of the
traditional method of depicting the king of the monsters: a man in a suit. This
method (known as “suitmation”) was used for decades, and until much more
recently than many may realize (the last being Godzilla: Final Wars from 2004). Most audience goers today feel cgi
is the more realistic approach, but many fans (including myself) prefer the
suit method, which was slowly perfected over the decades and never failed to
entertain or inspire.
There have been over 30 rubber suits made for Godzilla films over the years, each one
with slight variations on the overall design of the monster. Some looked good
for their time, others never looked good, and many still hold up today. These
are the top ten Godzilla suits, the names of which all come from the film in
which they were used.
10. 84Goji - The Return of Godzilla (Godzilla 1984/85)
Of all the incarnations of Godzilla, only two have scared
me. 84Goji was scary when I first saw him as a young boy. I think it was the
expression on his face, that somewhat vacant look, the large amount of white to
his eyes (which often turned away from each other, creating what is, in retrospect,
a pretty derpy look), his lowered brows, and the way his mouth opens, almost
lazily, to let out a roar that's much slower and deeper than any roar he had
made in the Showa era. This design was the most menacing since the original,
and very reminiscent of that first suit. It didn't function as well as later
suits, but compared to late-Showa-era suits, it was a definite step up. There
was also a robotic head used for some shots in the movie, but it doesn't even
look the same as the head on the suit, and performed half as convincingly.
9. KingGoji, King Kong vs. Godzilla
Similar to 84Goji, the suit for this royal rumble, which was
only the third Godzilla suit ever made, has a bit of a derp look when viewed
directly from the front, because the eyes turn upward, are high on the head,
and fairly close together. Aside from that, though, I really like this suit,
mainly because of how well it fits in with the cheesy film. The Kong suit is
even scruffier looking than the Godzilla one, but Godzilla still has a sense of
being imposing, while also seeming vulnerable in some moments when Kong gets
the upper hand. A unique feature of this suit that always stood out to me are
the arms, which seem to be constantly stretched as straight as possible and
flapping up and down, slapping against his sides. It sounds ridiculous, but that’s
only because it is. 
8. FinalGoji, Godzilla: Final Wars
For the final entry in the Millennium series, which was to
mark the end of Godzilla for quite a while (ten years, as it turned out), he
had to look formidable, as he had in every Millennium era film so far, but also
evoke nostalgia, because he was going up against an array of classic villains,
many of which hadn’t been seen since the 70’s. FinalGoji certainly isn’t the
best Godzilla has ever looked, but this particular suit accomplished the task
of evoking nostalgia for the Showa era and remaining consistent with the
previous Millennium era suits. This suit is also leaner and more agile than
most, which aided in the numerous fast-paced battle sequences.
7. ShodaiGoji, Godzilla (1954)
This is the original, which defined what Godzilla would
ultimately look like for every movie to come (ignoring the Tri-Star version, of
course). ShodaiGoji is crude and not really anything special when you look at
it alongside every other design, but for its time, it was a pretty scary movie
monster. The glaring eyes, long tail, and dark silhouette all became instantly
iconic. The way the suit was shot, from low angles and often far away, made it
look huge, and the actor in the suit, Haruo Nakajima, gave the suit weight, moving
slow and deliberate like an elephant, which also gave the monster some
character. The effects might seem dated today, but there’s no doubt Godzilla’s
legacy traces strongly back to the success of that first movie and the suit
they used in it.
6. BatoGoji, Godzilla vs. Mothra
BatoGoji is consistent with the way Godzilla looked through
most of the Heisei era. In Return of
Godzilla, he looked more menacing than ever, but that particular design was
altered in favour of a slightly sleeker, more reptilian look for Godzilla vs. Biollante. The design doesn’t
differ too much from that film to this one, but a couple changes include the
positioning of the largest dorsal plate (now in the middle of the back), a
broader neck with pronounced ribbing, and more slender limbs. None of the
changes make it different enough or better than the BioGoji to warrant a higher
position on this list, but it’s still a good look nonetheless.
5. SokogekiGoji, Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant
Monsters All-out Attack
For the third entry in the Millennium series, Godzilla was
redesigned again (and rebooted), but this version was very different from what
had been presented in Godzilla 2000
and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus.
SokogekiGoji retains the thunder thighs of the Heisei era and the tail/dorsal
plates of the Showa era, but his neck and head are elongated more than ever,
with a long jaw that’s more Tyrannosaurus-like than any I can think of. His
eyes, too, are totally different, no longer sporting a pupil, just blank white,
as if possessed (which relates to the plot and new rebirth of Big G). This
Godzilla suit towered over the miniature cityscape, stomping it with massive
feet—feet so out of proportion, it’s the only part of the suit I don’t care
for. Other than that, it’s definitely one of the best and most-unique.
4. MogeGoji, Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
This is another unique one, but in a very specific way. In
the film, which concludes the Heisei era, Godzilla is going into nuclear meltdown,
so he’s more of a hothead than ever before, literally. His body glows orange
and steam comes through his skin. The suit was first used in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, and looks
good even in this regular form, but the adjustments to make him Burning
Godzilla just made it even better and freakier. The effects team removed
patches of skin and inserted hundreds of tiny light bulbs to create the glowing
effect. Even his eyes were made to glow. It’s the only time Godzilla ever
looked this way, and it helped to add to how memorable the film became.
3. KiryuGoji, Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla
Godzilla Against
Mechagodzilla was the third reboot for the Millennium era, ignoring the
events of Godzilla 2000, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, and GMK: All-Out Attack. So, naturally,
Godzilla was redesigned for a third time, but they really nailed it with this
one. It largely resembles the design used in the first two Millennium films,
but the head is made much smaller, closer to how it was in the Heisei era (in
size only, aesthetically it’s still similar to Godzilla 2000), and the neck is made flat and broad on the
underside. His teeth are large, his movement is dynamic, and all-in-all, he
looks badass. The design was carried over for the direct sequel, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S, but not since
then has Godzilla looked quite as impressive.
2. BioGoji, Godzilla vs. Biollante
Even though I didn’t grow up with this one as a kid, the Godzilla
suit in Godzilla vs. Biollante is without
a doubt one of the best looks for the king of the monsters. It retains
everything that had become iconic about Godzilla up to that point, but makes
changes that are only for the better. His teeth were sharper, and had two rows,
like a snake’s. Gone are the haunting whites to his eyes and the vacant stare,
but instead, the eyes are now large, brown, and alert. His head is more domed
at the top, and his body given more musculature, instead of the blob-like
proportions on 84Goji. The BioGoji design is basically the same for the
following movie, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah,
and never changed much more for the rest of the Heisei era. It was just that
good.
1. MireGoji - Godzilla 2000
This was the first time I remember ever seeing Godzilla, so
despite having grown up loving so many versions of the monster, including the
original, this is the one I think of as being the most iconic. It's just such a
cool design; the details in close-up are as awesome as it is in silhouette from
far away. The dorsal plates are jagged, large, and purple, which was quite a
different look from how they had appeared in the past. It has features
reminiscent of the original suit, such as the presence of tiny ears and
pronounced canines, but other new features, like a more reptilian head, and the
first official green paint job for the skin. There's really nothing about this
design I don't like; it’s everything great about all other designs all in one
suit. MireGoji looks ferocious, unique, and truly monstrous.
No comments:
Post a Comment