During their (currently ongoing) Comic-Con panel — at which we’ve already expected to see footage from The Hobbit, Man of Steel, and Pacific Rim — Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures dropped a little surprise on the Hall H masses: The first teaser for Gareth Edwards‘ Godzilla. Now, unless I’ve gone and christened the smaller couch in my living room “San Diego,” there’s no way I can give you some basic impression of the footage; that’s why we have the traveling tweeters. You know what you can get, however? A teaser poster.

Take a look:

The Japanese text placed in the back is, let’s be honest, the only thing separating this from some sales poster at the Cannes marketplace. Still, the excision of Edwards‘ credit at the top and those silly rights stipulations at the bottom would make it a nice teaser item to hang in a multiplex. Start the hype machine now, Warner Bros.

Now, for the footage. It’s said to be much darker than some people’s modern (or, typical) interpretation of Godzilla — i.e., a screaming monster breathing fire interspersed with comical shots of fleeing Japanese citizens — with /Film saying it starts by showing “the camera slowly moving through an utterly devastated urban landscape.” Reactions indicate such devastation is effective, with the word “frightened” (or some variation) being tossed around, along with the mention of visuals that evoke 9/11. (With the 1954 movie having come in the shadow of Hiroshima, I suppose the “update,” hideous circumstances notwithstanding, makes sense. Just don’t ask me how I feel about it right now.)

What was seen of the creature (at least, in silhouette) is said to be very much in line with the original design; a longer head might be the only notable exception at the moment. If it worked the first time around, it goes without saying that we should only hope for the same again. It’s early days on this one — so, you know, ignore me when I say this — but this approach could make Godzilla an interesting property once more.

Is the teaser poster a good start? Even having not seen the footage, does it sound like an effective piece of work?