Rise of a monster

By Li Jingjing Source:Global Times Published: 2014-6-15 17:58:01

Zhang Yimou (L) and Gareth Edwards Photo: Cui Meng/GT



 

Promotional material for Godzilla Photo: CFP


After smashing box offices world wide, Hollywood's reboot of the Japanese classical monster series, Godzilla, has finally roared its way to China, accompanied by its director - Gareth Edwards.

To welcome them big figures such as director John Woo, actresses Liang Jing and Gong Beibi were all present at the red carpet premiere event of Godzilla on Wednesday night. More over, famed director Zhang Yimou sat on a Q&A panel with Edwards to discuss the film and future cooperation between Hollywood and China.

God of monsters

Just one week after Godzilla hit cinemas outside of China, it earned $93 million in North America and more than $130 million internationally. At the time of this writing, the film has a 73 percent freshness rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 227 reviews with an average score of 6 out of 10.

This success comes as a surprise for many who were skeptical of the film before its release, as over the past 60 years movie and TV screens have never lacked portrayals of the monster.

"With the technical tools we have today, we can make a very, very realistic Godzilla. But I also want to make a very serious, adult take of the whole thing. Give it some weight," said Edwards, explaining that many people's impression of the monster has come from various light-hearted depictions over the years, while the first film about Godzilla in 1954 was actually a serious film.

Godzilla, co-produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche and Bryan Cranston.

Zhang expressed his own feelings after watching the film, "There's incredible imagination in terms of visual effects. The director is amazing, especially since he is still young. He gave Godzilla a new definition; not a monster that destroys everything, but one that has a new way to communicate with human society, which I think is rather interesting,"

Zhang emphasized that while films nowadays are very varied, they are fundamentally still stories about human beings; even in sci-fi movies about fantasy creatures. He added that sci-fi films get better when they can resonate with emotions of the audience .

Edwards stated that this is exactly what he was trying to achieve with the storyline of the new Godzilla reboot. He said one of the toughest jobs was getting the right balance between human characters and the monsters. "So we tried to find characters who would naturally journey near and interact with the creatures. This way the things they do affect the creatures and the creatures affect them."

In his version, the creatures that threaten to destroy the human world feed off of radiation, so the option of using nuclear weapons to kill them goes right out the door as this would merely feed them. The film's hero, Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), is an explosives expert whose job is to defuse such a bomb.

 Giving his take on the monster, Zhang said that Godzilla is a creature that humanity created through its use of nuclear weapons, as such the monster also acts as a warning to humanity. Edwards pointed out that this idea is summed up in a line from the film, "Humans think they can control nature, then something goes out of control. Actually it's nature that controls humans."

Not an overnight success

His first time directing such a big-budget blockbuster, Edwards has done a brilliant job with the film. Right prior to Godzilla, Edwards first feature film, the low-budget sci-fi film Monsters (2010), which he personally wrote, directed and worked on the visual effects, earned the British director recognition around the world, while also paving his way to Hollywood.

At the panel Edwards described his sudden rise, especially from the low-budget Monsters to the big-budget Godzilla as "less like a journey and more like teleportation." However, although many people describe the young director as lucky, Edwards pointed out that "there's always a part of the story that gets left out when people write about you."

Sharing this story, he explained that after he finished film school he wasn't able to immediately find work as a director, so he spent the following 15 years learning computer graphics, which he believes is a great resource for film makers. During this time he never imagined that one day his computer skills would allow Monsters to be so well received.

"It's not about how little you get knocked down, it's about how often you get back up," Edwards said. "I spent 15 years trying music videos, trying short films and trying to do television. Finally, I got lucky and now everyone describes it as an overnight success, but really it was never giving up."

It seems that this 15 years of never giving up has truly paid off. On many occasions the director has shared how Star Wars was the reason he became a film maker in the first place. Now due to the success of his first two films, he has been slated to direct one of the stand-alone-films in the revitalized Star Wars franchise.

Carving a path

Although much of the press conference was dedicated to talking about Godzilla, Zhang took some time out to introduce his next film, The Great Wall - a fantasy action film also produced by Legendary Pictures. This film marks Zhang's first cooperation with Hollywood and will be his first Hollywood blockbuster film.

The director explained that although he had been approached by Hollywood many times in the past, he decided to direct the film because he felt it was "big enough, and is entirely led by Chinese elements."

He also emphasized that he attaches great importance to the film since he sees it as a crucial means to bring Chinese culture and films to the global market.

"We can use such blockbusters as a way to promote cooperation with Chinese film makers and let them head out of the country and come into contact with international practices," Zhang said.

"Part of my intention in making this film is that I want to carve a path and bring more opportunities to future generations."
Newspaper headline: ‘Godzilla’ director talks film


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