Godzilla Resurge

This movie, hands down, is one of the best representations of Godzilla. I recommend you watch in sub for the best experience because the audio mixing isn't the greatest for the English dub, and trust me, it's noticeable. Suck it up if you don't like to read. I mean, you're reading now, aren't you? Godzilla ultimately steals the show, and you'd hope so from a Godzilla movie. The visuals at times can be shoddy, but in the scenes where the lighting is just right, it's a glorious moment to behold truly horrifying visuals (in a good way). The plot, however, is where it kind of suffers the most for me.

"Shin Godzilla" is a far departure from the usual Godzilla movie. With a darker tone and vastly different design of the titular monster, this movie isn't afraid to set itself aside from the more traditional monster movie, focusing more on the political side of things. While I at first thought this was unnecessary, it's important to note that this film was a representation of Japanese tragedies. Similar to how the original film was representative of the nuclear bombings of Japan, this film is representative of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, events heavily involved in political controversy. This isn't a perfect movie in any way, but I admire that bold steps it took to change. Honestly, probably one of the best Godzilla movies.

After waiting for a whole year, I finally got my hands on the award-winning Japanese film "Shin Godzilla", directed by Hideaki Anno (Evangelion) and Shinji Higuchi (live action Attack On Titan). With the praise this film got, did it live up to the hype for me? Yes and to an extent no.

The film is a modern-day remake, showing how would the Japanese government (and to an extent other governments) react if Godzilla showed up for the first time today. This film is one of the more politically-charged entries in the franchise and is more of a thriller than a straight-up monster movie. There are lots of characters, a majority of which don't have much personality, but the main ones like protagonist Rando I found myself latching on to. Some the best scenes are when the characters stop acting like politicians and have casual and occasionally humorous dialogue. At least they took the whole situation very seriously with rarely an over-the-top moment much like the 2014 film, a breath of fresh air within the franchise. There's also this mystery element that plays a huge part in the story which I liked very much. Just as the 1954 film was a metaphor for Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this one reflects the Fukushima meltdown as well as the tsunami and earthquake Japan suffered a few years back (goes to show that Godzilla will always find a way to stay relevant).

How does Big G himself hold up? Pretty good. His design is more-or-less an update of his original 1954 look, his skin looking like radiation scars. New to the series is that Godzilla EVOLVES throughout, starting out smaller and very odd-looking but growing larger, more powerful, and even smarter as the story progresses, making him unpredictable. I also enjoyed the exploration of his biology, that is how this creature could exist. My complaints fall under a few things, strictly on his main form: his arms are too small and he isn't very expressive, mostly just lumbering along in a straight line. When he does gets mad, however, that's when he really shines. The action scenes are entertaining enough and there's plenty of destruction featured with some surprising moments here and there. The special effects are largely CGI with elements of practical effects, both of which are good; Big G isn't a man in a suit this time (kinda disappointing) but rather motion capture, though there are a few well-done miniatures. Some sound effects are of the old era and the music is a mix of the original's by Akira Ifukube with some new ones by Shiro Sagisu, a lovely combo. There's even a track from Evangelion (Decisive Battle).

My favorite scene: The first time Godzilla uses his atomic breath. Set at night with a mournful choir singing in the background (w/ English lyrics), the suspense that builds to the monster unleashing his power and rage upon the world was epic, chilling even, and has tremendous payoff. It's a truly apocalyptic image.

There are a few issues to address. I admit the pacing isn't the best. The beginning particularly has some rapid editing and there are texts on the screen throughout (often naming a character and political position) that are quite distracting and take getting used to, though I suppose you're supposed to feel as rushed as these politicians. Also, there's a huge gap before the climax where there's no action going on that I honestly think the filmmakers should have cut down a little. I like the characters and what's happening to them, but I would have preferred for the film to cut to the chase a bit.

Overall, this movie has its faults for sure, but I'm still glad I saw it. It was an interesting twist to my favorite fictional character. More films in both Japan and America are on the way and I can't wait. Long live the King of the Monsters!

If you are expecting a stereotypical monster movie you will be disappointed. This film is definitely much more of a political thriller than a monster flick.

The movie is filled with plain and mostly forgettable characters, however, collectively they make the real protagonist of the film: Japan. The film critiques and parodies a dysfunctional bureaucracy, allowing for some not so subtle irony and other comedic moments using techniques such as extreme close-ups, quick changes in POV's, rapid-fire dialogue to reinforce these while still allowing for suspense when needed. Its overly fast pace is a bit jarring at times, making it hard to concentrate with its many fast and transitionless cuts.

Shin Godzilla feels very much like a documentary, with convincing this-is-really-happening atmosphere. The filmmakers really make you feel like a participant and witness to the events happening throughout the film engrossing you into the universe and adding a huge sense of realism which adds to the political side of the film and the impact of the destruction.

Godzilla himself is also amazing, the combination of puppeteering, animatronics and digital effects create such a unique portrayal of the monster evoking terror and intrigue. Though, the cgi isn't always perfect, but this can be overlooked.

The ending is also a mixed bag, it has a great message of collaboration and ends with an interesting introspection on who the bigger monster is: humanity or Godzilla. However it did feel too cheap and easy which kinda diminished the realistic tone set by the film.

The movie is definitely not perfect but its multi layered symbolism and message are so interesting I couldn't help but be invested throughout the whole thing.

The film takes a somber, serious tone as to what would happen if Japan were attacked -- in this case, by a seemingly unstoppable foe.

At present in Japan, there is an ongoing debate as to whether or not Japan should amend it's constitution to allow for an offensive military and this Godzilla film plays to exactly how powerless Japan would be in making it's own decisions during an attack of any kind. The reality is that the Japanese Prime Minister would have to ask for permission from the United States President before making an offensive move against a foreign threat and this film plays to that hard reality.

This new Godzilla starts out as an homage to its former man in a monster suit so that when you first see Godzilla, you'll disbelieve what you're seeing, but this Godzilla evolves into something majestic and utterly awe inspiring in its power.

What's more, this film makes it clear people die. In the Japanese release there's a lot of word play about how the government officials up high (on the fifth floor) make decisions that get passed down to people on lower floors that eventually hurt the people. I'm not sure how much will be translated, but the film is deliberately showing the disconnect between the political and day to day realities.

Overall, the performances are good. There is one character who they, for whatever reason, decided to make speak English in odd an inappropriate times.

This isn't a film for US audiences. The aesthetics will turn off a lot of non-Japanese young people accustomed to CG reality. But if you're open to learning about another culture, this is an excellent film, one of the best kaiju-films you'll ever see.