There are many reasons why the Godzilla: King of the Monsters preview that dropped last July is remembered as one of the best trailers of 2018, but you can bet that the rousing rendition of Claude Debussy’s “Clair de lune” on the soundtrack had a lot to do with it. Now it seems that Warner Bros is aiming to repeat that success with a new minute-long TV spot, which sets its Titan action to the tune of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
The ad even commits to its Wizard of Oz homage in its opening seconds with a sly variation on Dorothy’s famous line, “Lions and tigers and bears. Oh my!” In the upcoming film, the world is having to contend with much bigger and stranger creatures, including Rodan, King Ghidorah and Mothra. Speaking of the big insects, the TV spot offers one of our best looks yet at Mothra’s creepy face as she flies through the rain.
Then, of course, there’s the Big G himself, who looks set to be mankind’s last great hope against these emerging Titans. The atomic-breathed lizard made his MonsterVerse debut with 2014’s Godzilla, a work that proved a little divisive for its surprisingly restrained approach to filming fight scenes. King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty, however, has offered his assurance that he has no intention of being that subtle, telling Total Film last year that there’ll be “no holding back” once the action starts.
We see this more direct approach in the promotional footage, which proudly has its stars on full display, though it looks like there may still be one or two new creatures that the trailers have been keeping under wraps. If so, then we’ll find out who else is entering the fray when Godzilla: King of the Monsters hits theaters on May 31st, 2019.