The 1954Godzillawas a moving, angst-ridden account of an uncontrollable beast wrecking havoc on Tokyo.
This, clearly, was more than just a mere monster movie.
Edwards made his own impression on the genre back in 2010, with his debut feature,Monsters.
Thick vines grow through what was once a bedroom window.
How difficult is it for a relatively new director to make a mark on a Hollywood film?
How big an influence was Steven Spielberg, given the nods to the directors work?
Heres what Gareth Edwards had to say about these questions and more.
Its very different from the last time I met you, which was forMonsters.
Oh God, yeah.
That feels like a lifetime ago now.
I should imagine it does.
That was the big fear, I think, doing a movie like this.
How much of your voice are you going to get through the machine, you know?
To take a stab at give it a voice.
And I guess my biggest fear was showing this film and no one recognising me in it.
So you saying that, Im really happy about.
I think its a tribute to Legendary and Warners.
So that was reassuring.
Thomas Tull, who was the producer of the movie, I really have him to thank.
I genuinely would not be here, having directedGodzilla, if it were not for him.
He defended me and protected me from the machine.
So Im very indebted to him.
The opening credits, I thought, felt like the filmmaker who madeMonsters.
Was this a deliberate callback to that?
Then Kyle Cooper got involved, whos one of my heroes.
He did the titles forSevenand films like that.
Hes the new Saul Bass hes a genius.
We had a meeting with him and his people, and talked about title sequences.
We talked about the opening ofJFK, where you cut through the different archives.
It all came together.
It wasnt a masterplan at the start, it was just born out of what we had left.
I liked the elements of Steven Spielberg, the little nods and references.
But the film itself feels very humanistic, which is a Spielberg thing.
I consumed Spielberg movies when I was little.
As opposed to just a documentary style, which from a cinematic point of view can be very flat.
So you want that realism and beauty, that combination.
The go-to style was that classic Hollywood look.
Seamus was really supportive.
He said, Just do both.
On a per-shot basis, just do what feels right.
If you think it should be stable, do that, and if you want rawness, do that.
I was paranoid that it wouldnt cut together, that it wouldnt feel right.
But it doesnt notice, really.
You dont notice that its changing gears, or that its schizophrenic really.
Then suddenly, through necessity, I found this other style inMonstersthat felt really from the heart and organic.
I didnt know how I was going to marry the two.
This has made me realise that you’re able to have your cake and eat it, really.
you could do both.
I thought the colour scheme which runs through gives a sense of unity, as well.
Its very distinctive; its not the teal and orange we keep getting in action movies.
You have the reds and greys.
There was a conscious decision to do that.
Teal and what is it?
That, normally, is done in post-production its a grading thing thats done at the end.
Because usually you have moonlight, or you dont see anything.
When you do moonlight, its really tricky to get that right, because you have reflections.
It can get a bit tricky in those areas, but I think we got away with it.
In a big summer movie, you usually get a lot of shouting and arguing.
I like grey, not black and white.
Even the bad creatures, you want to give them a moment where you empathise with them.
You realise that what they do isnt so evil.
And I think it also comes from the actors themselves.
But he was very keen, and I was very keen, on making him be a peacekeeper.
Hes trying to prevent death.
And they were keen not do the cliched military villain.
So it was through a series of thing.
Thats the best kind of conflict.
Then its just like a train wreck.
You hear him do the maths.
Counsellor, thats not even minimum wage!
[The counsellor] deserves a kicking.
Whats even more horrific is when a character deserves it.
Youve got the guy in the suit in the American accent, and stuff.
It makes things less black and white.
I think horror is always best served with a bit of guilt.
The other thing that distinguishesGodzillais that it isnt all destruction.
It bides its time, it builds up to the things that happen in the second half.
Do you think theres too much emphasis on destruction and special effects in recent summer films?
Its up to each film to pick a path, I guess.
Its about the effect it has on the audience when it watches it.
I cant help but gravitate towards films that had the maximum effect on me.
Maybe because they had to, because they couldnt show so much back then.
And sometimes, more is more.
I definitely, with this film, wanted it not to feel like a typical summer blockbuster.
I wanted it to harken back to the movies that made me want to get into filmmaking.
Did you hear the sad news about HR Giger?
I did, at lunchtime.
He was such an influence on cinema.
When you mentionedAlienjust then, it reminded me.
I know, and our movies full of it.
HR Gigers probably one of the biggest influences on me.
Would you do another one?
Id be lying if I said it was two years of solid fun.
Its the hardest thing Ive ever had to do times a thousand.
It all really depends on how people like the movie.
You ask yourself, why do you do this?
And I only do it, if Im honest, because I want people to like it.
Its like this healing cream.
Suddenly, youre ready to go make another.
Im gonna need a bit more cream, I think, before I go back to Hollywood!
Gareth Edwards, thank you very much.
Godzillais out on the 15th May in UK cinemas.you’ve got the option to read our review here.
