Godzilla is back in his hometown of Tokyo, Japan. After a brief trip stateside to wreak havoc on San Francisco (only in the name of good, of course), the King of Monsters makes his official return to Toho in Shin Godzilla, hitting American theaters next week.
The A.V. Club was granted an exclusive still from the film featuring the real star of the movie in all of his glory:
There he (or maybe she?) is, in all his glory. This is probably a fairly accurate representation of the last time anyone gets to see Godzilla up close: from a helicopter about to be swatted out of the sky. As well as being more ragged and meaner-looking than before, the new Godzilla design—which evolves over the course of the film—towers over the 100m monster of Gareth Edwards’ 2014 American take on the beast.
Shin Godzilla—co-directed by Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno—is Toho’s third reboot of the Godzilla franchise, and brings the big G back to his atomic roots for a film steeped in sociopolitical commentary, rather than simply two monsters duking out in the outskirts of Tokyo. Shin Godzilla opened at No. 1 at the Japanese box office when it premiered this past July.
Shin Godzilla opens October 11 in U.S. theaters for a limited weeklong engagement. You can find out where it’s screening near you here.