I love the description of the time you have to wait before a director reveals the monster as "cinematic foreplay":
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/05/17/godzilla_2014_shows_the_monster_an_hour_in_does_it_work_the_data_on_how.html
Having recently watched Pacific Rim I agree with del Toro's comments about his film: it started with a climax and built up from there.
It's also good to see the mention of Night of the Demon.
I'd read about this and had to hunt it down, but it was definitely worth the search. I think it would have been far better if the monster had not appeared in the first scene: our imagination is always far more effective than anything a director can show - especially in a film that was made far before the pre-digital age.
The Woman in Black is another recent example where there is a significant delay before we see the monster/ghost - and the delay builds up the tension.
It also occurred to me that the final sequence at the station might be a deliberate echo/tribute to Night of the Demon.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/05/17/godzilla_2014_shows_the_monster_an_hour_in_does_it_work_the_data_on_how.html
Having recently watched Pacific Rim I agree with del Toro's comments about his film: it started with a climax and built up from there.
It's also good to see the mention of Night of the Demon.
I'd read about this and had to hunt it down, but it was definitely worth the search. I think it would have been far better if the monster had not appeared in the first scene: our imagination is always far more effective than anything a director can show - especially in a film that was made far before the pre-digital age.
The Woman in Black is another recent example where there is a significant delay before we see the monster/ghost - and the delay builds up the tension.
It also occurred to me that the final sequence at the station might be a deliberate echo/tribute to Night of the Demon.
