Shin Godzilla

Japan is back in the game with their very own new Godzilla movie SHIN GOJIRA. Where Hollywood revived Godzilla as a tribute to his more heroic role in the late-showa era "versus" movies and the Heisei era, Toho Japan has gone back to the roots of the 1954 original Gojira and crafted a modern thriller about the horrors of mankind's misdeeds, the inaction of a government embroiled in bureaucracy and the impotence of a military in the face of this fiercer, meaner, force of nature Godzilla. .

SHIN GODZILLA is likely the first Godzilla movie to focus squarely on the political scene within the government when a giant monster attacks. Past movies have always involved Scientists, soldiers, or civilians focusing on the chaos on the ground. This movies looks into the chaos at the top as we follow young civil servant Yaguchi, deputy chief cabinet secretary (the first in a long list of designations to come).

A regular day in the government is interrupted by the collapse of the Tokyo bay aqua line tunnel and mysterious attacks off the coast of Japan. While the aged officials hold fruitless meeting after meeting in an obvious parody of real life bureaucratic process, Yaguchi theorists that the disasters are caused by a living creature.

No sooner is his theory shot down than an enormous tail rises out of the water. As the government scrambles but always falling a step behind the escalating disaster, Yaguchi forms a task force of unorthodox civilian experts to figure out how to stop this creature.

As the government's tried and tested efforts become increasingly futile, USA sends a special envoy Kayako Ann Patterson with the promise of military aid and insider knowledge to this mysterious creature dubbed "Godzilla".

The creature is growing, mutating, and taking on increasingly dangerous characteristics. Yaguchi's team is forced to think outside the box for a new way to halt its rampage before the UN deploys nuclear weapons on Japanese soil.

Contrary to the trailers, this is not the dark depressing disaster movie that was promised. Instead we are treated to one of the smartest and most biting social and political satires in modern cinema. Right in the crosshairs is the inefficient bureaucratic processes of the government and their obsession with trivial minutia which results in a complete mishandling of the crisis posed by the constantly evolving Godzilla.

The satire comes in the fact that the film does not overly dramatize anything; what you see is as close to reality as one can get in an old fashion parliamentary government like Japan's. Each ministry out for itself, passing the buck wherever possible, defending only their own interests. Standard procedures take precedence over unconventional methods.

Scenes of the prime minister making an announcement of Godzilla not being able to come ashore, intercut with the revelation that not only has the creature made landfall but has started trashing the town, hearkened back to the perceived mishandling of past real life disasters in Japan.

Yet the message underlying this movie is not a strict criticism of the government but an affirming call to action aimed at a new generation of leaders to unite a nation. Where the traditional methods fail, innovation and initiative will be the true weapons of the future. Yaguchi and his team represent this perfectly; outcasts from their respective fields because of their unconventional ideas.

Their tenacity in the face of hopeless defeat soon inspires fellow citizens from all walks of life, engineers, mechanics, construction workers and other blue collar roles typically overlooked by a status obsessed people, to come together and stand against a God incarnate.

The titular monster is unlike any incarnation ever seen. It's keloid looking skin, seemingly torn in places, gives the impression of pure suffering. Yet his inhuman all staring eyes betray a being devoid of soul. It is as it was back in 1954; a soulless unstoppable force birthed from mankind's sins. The military is powerless, though not for a lack of trying.

Where previous Godzilla movies have shown the military in a less than flattering light (cowardly, incompetent, or unable to hit such a massive creature), SHIN GODZILLA shows a military force truly giving their all, only hampered by slow indecision from the top.

The special effects used to bring this colossus to life is arguably good. No where near Hollywood blockbusters but amazing once you consider the comparatively tiny budget Toho had to work with. The naturalistic direction an camera-work courtesy of Evangelion creator Hideki Anno and his crew give the movie an almost "documentary" type feel.

It is devoid of filters, using very natural looking lighting wherever possible, which enhances the realism of the events taking place. Though the cuts can be a bit distracting at times, alternating between rapid fire jump cuts to scenes that look as if Anno left his camera running and forgot about it. Equally distracting is some of CGI compositing on Godzilla and some of his movements which end up more jerky than a puppet's. These are just minor faults though and only an issue to the more OCD of viewers.

Perhaps the only thing it does lack is the element of human drama. It is unafraid to show the horrible consequences of a monster's rampage through a macro view of a country's key decision makers but in doing so it does not leave opportunity to get the audience invested in any particular character.

More than just a monster movie, SHIN GODZILLA is a smart political thriller that satirizes an inflexible system. Those expecting a brainless action blockbuster will no doubt be disappointed. But as long as one is willing to turn in the brain and appreciate this movie for the deeper more complex themes it tries to tackle, you will find a refreshingly novel giant monster movie which the industry definitely needs.

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.

"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.

The first Godzilla film I ever saw was the 90s Hollywood blockbuster and having seen a few since, I understand why that was so widely hated.

OG Godzilla is clearly a metaphor for the dangers of nuclear power. Coming from the one country to have suffered the rough end of that it has a huge significance.

Shin Godzilla has lots to say too. There are themes about international relations, Japan's history and its anxieties about its place in the modern world.

Gojira himself doesn't have a huge amount of screen time but what we do get is a very different monster than we've seen before. Evolving and mutating before our eyes, adapting to eliminate its own weaknesses.

The effects are solid enough although I have to say the first form does look a little daft and reminded me of one of those memes where someone had stuck Cookie Monster googly eyes on a xenomorph from alien. The scene where Gojira develops his atomic breath is pretty frightening though.

At its heart this is a political tale and it's not really subtle about that with all the character focus being on government officials and nothing really given to the 3.5million evacuated refugees apart from being mentioned. The repeated use of the term "collateral damage" serves as a stark reminder of average Joe's place in the order of things.

There's a widely discussed ending shot which is open to interpretation and has spawned a number of theories. Which I like.

Overall this is a decent film and I enjoyed it.

First of all, if you are expecting the stereotypical monster movie where the point of it is just watching a monster destroy stuff and watch people running around, you WILL be disappointed. The majority of this film takes place in offices and meeting rooms.

Japan just went through a nation-wide Earthquake that took more than 15,000 lives, and triggered the second worst nuclear meltdown in history, both just five years ago. And this is a clear satire on the sociopolitical events since.

The film takes us through what goes on in the government when a unprecedented crisis hits the nation. It's a bunch of long meetings, finger-pointing, paperwork, and slow decision-making. It is the epitome of dysfunctional bureaucracy.

On top of all that, you start to see the US government and other UN nations start to poke their heads into the matter, treating the hometown of 15 million Japanese people like just another battleground for just another war.

There are no clear-cut heroes; Just a group of normal people who are experts in their own fields, doing their best to contribute and put this disaster to an end. They have to fight the politics more than the actual monster.

The reality of all of this is astonishing, and completely believable. It starts to feel like a crisis simulation film.

But of course, the center of it all is Godzilla:

Godzilla himself is truly awe-inspiring in this film. What they have done with the monster is totally new, different from any of the Godzillas in the past (be careful of spoilers out there on the web if you want to experience the amazement). It's personally my favorite by far. Throughout the film, Godzilla is dubbed as "The truly perfect organism", "The most evolved being on the planet", and "A god". So that is the level which you should expect. His crazy power is far beyond belief, so you can safely immerse yourself into this fictional monster.

The tag-line for "Godzilla Resurgence" in Japan reads: "Reality(Japan) V.S. Fiction(Godzilla)". So you are witnessing the fault line between reality and fiction.

When Godzilla is turning the city of Tokyo into rubble, the Japanese don't see fiction. They see the events of 2011/03/11. The director clearly took measures to parallel the tsunamis, the rubble, and the fear of radiation to the events in real life.

Put that together with the bureaucratic mess, the international politics, and terror/awesomeness of the devastating monster Godzilla; The result is this masterpiece. It's a movie clearly wouldn't have come out from the Hollywood scene.

It does have it's faults (like Satomi Ishihara's cartoonish character), but the impact and significance of the film far surpasses its faults.

A must-watch.