The original "Godzilla" movie came out in Japanese theatres way back in 1954. The giant lizard was a formidable monster with dinosaur-like features and a bulky muscular frame. Fast forward to 2014 and several "Godzilla" sequels and reboots later, Gareth Edwards' upcoming reimagining, shows a whole lot bigger monster and not just in height. He's really wide.

In Japan, viewers have been criticizing the change since the first marketing materials were released. According to The Hollywood Reporter, they have been joking that the legendary creature got fat while he was in America. Other observations against the new chunky "Godzilla" are: 1. He doesn't have a neck, 2. He looks like a seal and 3. He's turned into a couch potato.

Recently, other netizens and not just the Japanese have been reacting:

The new #Godzilla is so fat his blood type is Nutella

— Gregger Saskatoon (@SaskGregger) May 14, 2014

God bless America. Even our Godzilla is fat. — Warren Holstein (@WarrenHolstein) May 13, 2014

Damn Godzilla got fat. Someone get him some Herbalife or somethin: pic.twitter.com/pHgynU2CfE

— Koala D. Luffy (@_yungkoala) May 9, 2014

Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, one of the main actors in the film was quick to defend the monster:

@TIME #Godzilla is not fat. He's buff. He just swam across the Pacific Ocean! http://t.co/N8Z3PuKQZp @Godzillamovie #Godzilla2014 — Ken Watanabe (@Watanabe) May 7, 2014

Watanabe is the only Japanese actor to appear in the film and has made the special request of calling the monster by its original pronunciation of "Gojira" as a condition to accepting the project.

Meanwhile, Director Gareth Edwards links the Fukushima disaster to his movie and says that the involvement of nuclear technology is still a big factor in the reboot as it was in the original film by Ishiro Honda and other sequels or reboots, Godzilla was awakened and mutated by nuclear testing. The original film was released in 1954 merely a decade after the bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki which was really the first look that regular people got at the effects of nuclear weapons.

The film opens in most theatres on May 16 but other locations such as Japan will have to wait until July 25. Criticism for the monster's new physic can work to its favour in the box office or completely ruin it. Either way, interest in high and in the end, the storyline, special effects and other factors will decide its fate in the box office.