GODZILLA 2014: First Full Body Look At The Big Lizard [PIC]

Godzilla–known as “The King of the Monsters” in his 1954 movie debut (where he was more formally known as “Gojira”)–returns to theater screens this spring in a mega-budget reboot titled, as it should be, Godzilla. And we’ve certainly been excited about Godzilla as one of our Most Anticipated Movies of 2014. Of course, the towering, laser-breathed, Tokyo-stomping giant reptile will also be back in toy stores and other geek outlets in the form of all kinds of collectibles.
Now a photo of one such item has leaked online (thanks to the fine folks of Toku Nation) that provides the first full-body shot of the revamped creature design. And it looks—as we said upon hearing that Bryan Cranston was cast as the human lead in the new Godzilla—pretty cool.
This prototype Godzilla action figure (which, to be fair, is tagged “not final pending licensor approval”) harkens back to the classic beast of the monster movies pumped out regularly for decades by Japan’s Toho studio. But the appearance is also updated and hardened, particularly around the head, thereby providing an inherent air of menace even before his mouth opens to elicit that signature shriek, let alone all those death-rays.
Perhaps most importantly, the 2014 Godzilla is a brawny, gnarly, spike-spined bruiser, as opposed to the spastic-limbed CGI lizard of the abominable 1998 remake with Matthew Broderick (who, frankly, got the Godzilla he deserved when it turned out to be an egg-laying female).

Aside from Cranston, Godzilla also stars Elizabeth Olson, Aaron Johnson, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, and, again, no Matthew Broderick. It opens May 14th.