The scorching hot weather that hit Southern California this week seemed to provide a fitting welcoming for the return of an iconic movie monster that shoots out radioactive beams from his mouth. Godzilla, the lizard-like creature that audiences love to fear and also cheer for, returned to the big screen in a new eponymous film released by Warner Bros., which held a special advance screening Wednesday night, along with KoreAm and Audrey Magazine, at CGV Cinemas in Los Angeles’ Koreatown.
The Godzilla screening brought out enthused fans—new and old—of the pop culture icon, about which several movies have been made since the Japanese original released in 1954. Among the attendees were familiar screen faces like film star Justin Chon, C.S Lee of Dexter fame, model Karrueche Tran, actress and filmmaker Alexandra Chun and hip-hop artist Dumbfoundead.
Chon (Twilight, 21 and Over) told KoreAm he has been a fan of Godzilla since he was about 6 years old, when he first saw one of the older versions of the film. “You can’t beat the original ones because those are classics, you know?” Chon said. “But I love this version, too, because it’s a new take on something old for the new generation. I thought it was well executed. The monsters [Godzilla battled] were really cool. Godzilla was really cool.”
Following the screening, guests crowded the courtyard of Madang 621 restaurant, enjoying potstickers, japchae and free-flowing drinks while a DJ spun some energetic tunes.
Godzilla, starring Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, Juliette Binoche, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, opens in U.S. theaters today. Here’s a peek:
