Godzilla: The Art of Destruction

by Mark Cotta Vaz, Gareth Edwards (Primary Contributor)

Published to coincide with the release of Warner Bros. and Legendary’s Godzilla, directed by Gareth Edwards, this visually stunning book presents an extraordinary new vision for the beloved character through a dynamic selection of concept illustrations, sketches, storyboards, and other pre-production materials. Godzilla: The Art of Destruction is the definitive book on one of the most anticipated films of 2014. Featuring interviews with the director and key crew and cast members, the book tells the complete story of the making of Godzilla from concept to final frames. Comprehensive and enthralling, Godzilla: The Art of Destruction is a book that no fan will want to be without.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art, Film, Media Tie In

156 pages, Hardcover

First published April 8, 2014

About the author

Mark Cotta Vaz is the author of over twenty-one books, including four New York Times bestsellers. His recent works include Mythic Vision: The Making of Eragon, The Spirit: The Movie Visual Companion, and the biography Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong, which was a Los Angeles Times bestseller.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay so another one of the artwork books - sorry. I will say thought I really do enjoy them - and this is a cracker, not only do you get some great concept art work (in fact I think there is more concept work than film stock) but you get to see the development and evolution of the monsters, the scenery in act just about everything.

But what I also love is the explanations and commentary that goes along with each page, as the introduction says, here is a book written by someone who themselves hunts down film artwork books. Who voraciously seeks out new films and looks at all the amazing work that never got to the screen, and if it were not for the book would probably never see the light of day.

This book has been created by someone who not only appreciates film artwork books but also understands them and as such you have admit its beautifully presented. And its Godzilla - what more can you say. I still remember the day I saw the original Japanese films - a local TV network did a whole season of them so that over a series of successive nights I got to see all the battles, all the monsters and lose count of the number of time Tokyo go levelled.
So for me - I loved it for the artwork, I loved it for the presentation and I loved the nostalgia it gave me looking back at the original films.

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic art-book on the development of the 2014 Godzilla movie, gorgeously put-together, beautifully designed. The writing isn't too shabby either, but the art is the showcase. Most if not all the art was done digitally, often with what appears to be imported textures and clips from photographs. I think sketches look a lot cooler, but that is my personal taste. A big highlight for me was the special attention paid to the design process of Godzilla and the MUTOs. The book also includes a great deal of background information on the various steps taken in creating the scenes and story, and the book is a great reminder of the enormous effort that goes into making any Hollywood movie these days. The book also includes a poster in a pocket attached to the back cover. I did feel that the book ended suddenly without really wrapping up, but overall I was quite impressed!

[Anthony Peronto · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the majority of the book is standard behind the scenes statements, the most intriguing sections are about Gareth Edwards, the Comic Con reveal, and the (of course) the designs and evolution of the G-man himself. Worth a look just for the Godzilla pictures alone.

[Alex Cotterill · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting and fun book on how they produced everything to do with Godzilla (2024), the first film of Legendary’s new Monsterverse. Although, it was not as exciting to read as the Pacific Rim version, it still nevertheless was entertaining.

The inspiration for the design of the MUTO titans was pretty sic!

[reveurdart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the Godzilla universe quite a bit. This is such a good movie and art of the film book. If you want an introduction to Godzilla, before going back to the older Japanese ones, then this would make for a great start.

[Sonny Minhas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man the art process for godzilla was wild. Seeing the multiple iteration of the monster laid out is a fascinating process. Gareth Edwards seems like a real interesting to make a movie with. I hope that one day we get to hear the full story of what happened with Rogue One.

[Jaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge long standing fan of Godzilla so this book was a treat to read, and see just how they pulled together the 2014 movie. Loved the chapter on the evolution of the Godzilla appearance.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

**I received this copy for free through the Goodreads First Reads Program**

For someone like myself who has seen this most recent Godzilla film, loved it, and always had an interest in film production, this book was a real treat. Extraordinarily high quality throughout, including the awesome dust-jacket and the massive amounts of photos. It was very interesting to see several designs for the Mutos and Godzilla that ultimately did not work out (for the most part, that is a good thing) and interesting to read about the director's inspiration. I would highly recommend it for the die-hard Godzilla fan and for the film production major.

[Andreea Daia]

I received this book as an ARC/promotional copy.
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The quality of this book is undeniable, from the actual content that takes the reader through every step of the film-making process, to watermarks of the paper. The reading includes details about the entire creative process, which will keep even a non-fan intrigued and turning the page. Excellent fold-out with various abandoned versions of Godzilla.

A must have for the movie fans, you could probably leave around this gorgeous book for your next (too) quiet social gathering, in order to stir the conversation.

[Michael West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful coffee table book that provides amazing artwork and gives great insights into the creation of the 2014 American Godzilla. A must for Godzilla fans and monster maniacs alike!