Godzilla is never shown at its best. The skyscraper-sized destroyer of cities only really shows up when it needs to serve as an allegory for nuclear or climate destruction or to kick the shit out of other, even meaner monsters. Until now, nobody has bothered to show us what Godzilla’s like in quieter times, like, say, when it’s listening to records around the house, knitting clothes, or having a nice afternoon lying out in the sun.
Thankfully, artist Cressa Maeve Beer has been working to rehabilitate the giant monster’s image through her Instagram, which features a bunch of stop motion video diaries capturing a toy Godzilla’s gentler side.
Each video is set to a nice instrumental track and features a Godzilla figure doing things other than screaming its inhuman prehistoric scream, blasting shit with its fire breath, or stomping cities into dust. In one, Godzilla knits a nice stole and gives it to another Godzilla, which pets the material appreciatively, then leans over to kiss the first giant monster on the cheek. In others, these two Godzillas have a nice scaly hug, take a nap together, and enjoy an at-home date night, drinking champagne on the rug while listening to music.
We also see Godzilla checking in on Rodan through a video call, catching up on its reading, watering its plants, and kicking back to watch the clouds out on the grass or listen to a few of its favorite albums.
If these are too gentle for your tastes, don’t worry: Beer may currently be focused on Godzilla’s more tranquil hobbies, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t capable of capturing him at his most terrifying when the time is right. Godzilla contains multitudes and Beer obviously understands that to fully capture the monster’s personality, it’s as important to show it taking a day off to relax as it is to portray the times it revs up a chainsaw in fury.
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