Review By Jim Cirronella
(Originally published in KAIJU-FAN Issue #9 Fall 1998)

     With the release of Hollywood's big-budget Godzilla film, it would be logical to assume that for once American kaiju fans would have the upper hand on their Japanese counterparts in the area of G-merchandise.  After all, Japan has always seen a wide variety of high quality tie-in products released in conjunction with their own domestically-produced Godzilla films, so now it's America's turn, right?  Wrong!  Published for release exclusively in Japan, The Art of Godzilla demonstrates that not only does the Japanese market always have the most outstanding kaiju-related merchandise, but in comparison, this book shows exactly what is wrong with the mundane products that are typically associated with the US market.

    The Art of Godzilla is essentially a photographic journal by creature and effects designer Patrick Tatopoulos which details the process of creating the updated, 90s version of the King of Monsters.  The book's 86 pages are essentially divided into 11 chapters (including a brief introduction) which cover the designing, building and execution of Godzilla's on-screen kaiju, including the full-body adult Godzilla suit, the giant 1/6 scale mechanical bust (bigger than Jurassic Park's T-Rex) and the Baby Godzilla suits.  Although the text is provided in both English and Japanese (the mind reels when considering the possibility of any future Japanese G-books being released in this fashion), a majority of the book is visual in nature, comprised of hundreds of never-before-seen color photos (many taken by Tatopoulos himself) which illustrate for the reader in step-by-step detail the design and effects process.  Due to the secrecy surrounding Godzilla, a minimal amount of visual material on the new monster, especially behind-the-scenes photos, actually made it into any of the US books; it is in this area that The Art of Godzilla delivers in rich detail, and as such, is without equal in the US market.  And without exceeding the intended scope, the book's format works very well, introducing the reader to the more technical aspects of the creature effects process without venturing into the boring, stagnant waters that special effects magazines like Cinefex frequently tread.  In short, the book has been laid out so that both novice and experienced fans will be able to enjoy learning about and appreciate the efforts that went into creating the film's monster, even if they found the film itself to be less than entertaining.

      One of the most interesting aspects of the book is the early design work done by Tatopoulos, including the actual sketches and maquette that sold the concept to Toho.  While many of these designs reinforce the monster's obvious Alien-esque influence, there are also many intriguing details that didn't make it into the final design, including several sketches that feature a radioactive flame breath.  It's also interesting to see that many of Tatopoulos' designs were basically cannibalized and reproduced for a majority of the product-related artwork that was used for Godzilla.

    Although there are several grammatical errors in the English-translated section, the intent can be clearly understood.  What's more, the text isn't dry or humorless, as exemplified by such chapter titles as "You Want Me To Design What?" or the closing line, "Now how about some sketches for Mothra?"

    Overall, The Art of Godzilla is highly recommended for fans as well as critics of Tri-Star's Godzilla, if not to gain insight on the special effects process behind the film, then to simply see how a truly outstanding Godzilla tie-in product should be produced.

Text © 1998 Jim Cirronella & Daikaiju Publishing.