Godzilla wouldn’t be the king of all monsters he is today if it weren’t for his signature atomic breath, and a new YouTube video showcases the evolution of this signature move with some stunning 3D graphics.
YouTubers FilmCore posted the 14-minute video yesterday comparing the atomic breaths of some 35 different Godzillas, from 1954 all the way to today’s. (Three Minizillas/Sons of Godzilla made it in, too.)
In the vid, Godzillas from different eras of the kaiju’s storied cinematic history arrive on the scene of a FUBAR cityscape and promptly let rip their most devastating attacks. The video oozes so much cool Goji action that even the Reptar-looking Hanna-Barbera designs and TriStar Pictures’ highly contentious ‘98 look are easy on the eyes.
Making kaiju videos isn’t new ground for the channel, with them having made multiple size comparison videos, videos about King Kong, and a Pacific Rim vs. Godzilla video. Most of the 3D Godzilla designs for the new atomic breath vid were created by FilmCore using Blender 2.9 and Unreal Engine 4, but the Godzilla Heisei, Shin Godzilla, and Godzilla Earth models were created by animator and 3d modeler Zul and the Showa era, Final Wars, and Godzilla Ultima designs came from ByNEET.
After each Goji give a 12-gun salute via their laser mouth lightshow, the Godzillaverse are confronted with series jobber King Ghidorah along with Space Godzilla and Mecha Rodan, who’s just happy to be there. The video ends with the entire lounge of Godzillas joining together in a Care Bear stare as they shoot their beams into the sky.
Goosebumps ran up my spine (not unlike a monster’s dorsal fin starting to glow) upon seeing three particular atomic breath renditions: The ghoulish Shin Godzilla’s mouth unhinging before shooting off laser beams in tandem with his tail and fins is always an unnerving joy to behold. The guttural sound from Legendary Godzilla revving up his atomic breath, like a futuristic motorcycle engine, is a pleasure to the ears. And seeing the villainous GMK Giant Monsters All Out Attack Godzilla with its white, opaque eyes is also tops.
Sadly, that same hype quickly turned into frustration from the realization that Toho hasn’t made a great ensemble Godzilla game since 2004's Godzilla: Save the Earth for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Announce a new kaiju game that looks half as good as this video and I’ll post my own skree-onking compilation video in celebration.