Legendary Pictures pulled out all of the stops to provide a great Godzilla 2014 teaser at Comic Con. And while it seems Legendary’s efforts were hampered by Warner Bros. (more about that later) what the company that’s owned an ran by Thomas Tull did was more than impressive: the Godzilla Encounter.
The Godzilla Encounter at Comic Con is a kind of assembly of movie sets of the kind you might see in a Godzilla movie. Legendary Pictures staff and marketing consultants converted a warehouse located at the corner of 7th and J Streets in Downtown San Diego, and just five blocks from the San Diego Convention Center and Comic Con, into an incredible experience that is basically two stories in one.
The first story is the history of Godzilla, and it’s told in different ways. First, a walk up and into the building’s main entrance reveals an artifact of movie history: The Oxygen Destroyer. The Oxygen Destroyer was created by Dr. Serazawa in the 1954 Godzilla, and for the purpose of killing the giant creature that had laid waste to Tokyo.
Moving along there are a number of props and memorabilia from the movie, from a Godzilla suit, to a make-shift restaurant where a man reading a newspaper (kind of old media) is ready to answer your questions about Godzilla in the news.
From there you see more Godzilla items, including the now famous sculpture of Godzilla as he will look in the 2014 movie.
Then, lights flash and a sound of stomping start, and our guide asks you to move into what looks like an elevator, and asks you to stop your video camera. You’re taken to a room that looks ravanged and in a skyscraper, and there, after a time, you see Godzilla up close.
It’s pretty cool.
Godzilla Encounter’s Next Stop: New York Comic Con
I’m told the Godzilla Encounter’s next stop will be the New York Comic Con. If that’s the case, I’m sure there will be more of the movie to see, as well.
Stay tuned.