Released a few weeks after the movie's launch, this is a photo extensive book centered around Godzilla:
Tokyo S.O.S. (2003). While it might not be apparent from the page count, this book is huge. Literally it's about 30 centimeters by 23 centimeters, and not only that but each page is packed with stuff. That includes both with great images and also some nice content related to the 2003 Godzilla film, making this a solid publication overall.
Now the book's main attraction
is the sheer size of many of the color photos,
a large sum measuring out to 8 1/2 inches wide
by almost 6 inches tall. Also among the glorious
production shots are photos dedicated to the
creation of the props/suits for the three title
kaiju: Godzilla, Mothra and Kiryu. Multi-angle views, with no background, are also present for the monsters, which is a great addition. Statistics for the monsters are also included, along with for some of the military vehicles.
While most of the book is devoted to photos, there is some concept art in the publication too, although in terms of size these tend to be on the small side. On a positive note, though, there is a bit of text next to the designs and also pre-production photos that provide a bit of context which has some informative details. Speaking of the actual text, the book also
contains interviews from the actors and crew behind the 2003 Godzilla production. These are often given a full page, so quite a bit of text devoted to each interview.
Like other books in the Fantastic Collection
series, there is also a large gallery, 165 photos,
with stills from the film showing the
entire movie from the opening to the post credits scene. A story board, around
a 150 panels made for the film, is also included. As a cool bonus, the story board shows some scenes which never made it into
the film, such as Godzilla tossing one of the
larva into the other causing them both to get
tangled together and roll like a ball.
Overall, this book has a lot going for it for fans of the 2003 movie. While it really shines for those who can decipher the text, it honestly is photo packed enough that any fan would enjoy it. |
