Shin Godzilla 2016

As much as I loved this movie, I would only say to go watch it if you're going in with the right expectations. I watched this movie namely because of Hideaki Anno, who's probably most well known for the Evangelion series. I was expecting something with a lot of drama and horror rather than something action-packed, and that's pretty much what this movie went for.

There's a lot of scenes with the human characters talking and if that's not your cup of tea, it's probably better if you look elsewhere. To me, I rather enjoyed the story and was engaged throughout. Some of the characters make stupid decisions but it never feels unintentional as the movie has an almost satirical look on government and politics. The movie always manages to hold a tight grip on the tension, and consistently kept me guessing at what would happen next.

Again, it's not for everyone, and even then I still had some issues with it. Some of the CG looked off at points, such as parts of the debris. Also the official Funimation subtitles on the US Blu-ray are extremely questionable in quality, with constant name and location info at the top of the screen that were unnecessary and could've been omitted entirely. Also some of the spoken English in the movie didn't seem to be reflected in the subtitles. The subs are decent, but I wish they had more care put into it.

If you aren't familiar with Anno's other works and are expecting a big action movie with Godzilla, you're probably going to be more upset with this movie. But if you're willing to pay attention to the dialogue and immerse yourself, the movie works wonders.

I'm not an expert on Japan's culture or its politics, but yeah...after watching this, Japan's government is a bureaucratic mess. Got it. Statement made.

The first hour of "Shin Godzilla" is pretty good. The endless meetings with people more concerned about public opinion and how it might affect their careers than they are with a giant monster crushing their cities is a bit far fetched. At some point, the filmmakers needed to put a little focus on the beast. For all those that complained that Legendary Pictures's "Godzilla" (2014) didn't show enough of the movie's namesake, they'll be even madder this time around.

The movie starts promisingly with something causing a flood in a tunnel. Next, we see a very odd looking monster squirming its way through canals, displacing boats, cars, overpasses. The look of the thing was weird but in a good way. The boats and cars being tossed around reminded me of tsunami footage from a few years ago. I'm certain that was intentional. Turns out, this is an early stage of an evolving Godzilla. I'm sure that was not a surprise to anyone, but it was a unique way for the king of the kaiju to make a first appearance.

Later, we see even less of Godzilla. What we do see though, is a truly evil looking monster. The look that the filmmakers came up with is off-putting. It's not poorly done but it doesn't seem at all like the Godzilla everyone is used to. And Godzilla is totally malevolent here. Its atomic breath is incredibly destructive. The first time it's used is actually kind of scary. Godzilla retaliates for having a couple of bombs dropped on it by using the breath to absolutely level a section of Tokyo. The way its jaw kind of unfolds to deliver the death ray is really jarring. It was at this point that I started to rethink my opinion that I needed to see Godzilla as a bad guy again.

After that attack, Godzilla sleeps. Yeah, sleeps. Is this a Gamera movie now? While it's sleeping, the Japanese officials continue to try and jockey themselves into positions for their future careers. Meanwhile, an assembled group of brainy nerds come up with a plan to coagulate Godzilla's blood.

The movie wraps up (sort of) with a setup for a sequel.

OLD REVIEW:

The second best Godzilla film ever made, right behind the 1954 original. That's quite an accomplishment, but it's Hideaki Anno, so I mean, what did you expect?

Right now, the film is nominated for an astonishing 11 Japan Academy Prizes. It really is one of the most beautiful films I've seen. It's easily my personal favorite film of 2016, just barely ahead of La La Land.

Anno's signature editing and block direction is all throughout this film. His set-up of shots, for example, with electrical poles and train cars framed horizontally, are just so gorgeous, but there are just too many gorgeous ones to list. Godzilla standing in front of a wall of fire, Godzilla blowing non-stop flames out of his mouth while the city around him just collapses, and the final shot with the humanoid creatures coming out of Godzilla's tail gave me nightmares.

But most importantly, I'd like to mention that the reason I rated so high is that it's not a typical monster film. This is an attack on Japan's government and U.S relations. There are plenty of hysterical scenes in this where the Prime Minister and the rest of the senators have to take literally 5 minutes in board room meetings to approve to start firing at the monster. That, and the requirement later on in asking the U.S military for assistance in taking down the monster.

There's also a lot of allusions to the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami disasters in Japan. The original 1954 was based off the 1945 atomic bomb droppings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. So now, this film has it's own disaster it's based on. Some shots in the movie are exact references to found footage of the tsunami disaster, and Godzilla himself starts out the movie flooding the canals in Tokyo Bay.

Overall, this film is incredible. It's better than the 2014, but in itself, it's a masterpiece. The music by Shiro Sagisu is like a voice from the heavens, and a plea for forgiveness from God. The song "Who Will Know" is actually told from the perspective of Godzilla, telling us he's not just a monster rampaging Japan, but he's a messenger. He's the voice of all the people killed by the incompetence of the Japanese government, and he's here to let them know that.

Godzilla as an indestructible force of nature is always a concept that I can relate to more than the light-hearted installments of the franchise. With "Shin Godzilla," that's exactly why I was drawn in from the start. The natural disaster element is even taken to the extreme, as the movie is primarily a bureaucracy drama about the reaction of politicians and authorities to the monster's appearance. I myself have been a photographer at media events concerning natural disasters, most recently when German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visited some flooded regions. And it is indeed the case that such events are often largely media or PR events. This is also conveyed well in this film.

Ultimately, however, you have to live with the fact that the movie mainly consists of conversations in conference rooms. That was a bit too much for me in the end. Nevertheless, the destruction that is shown in some moments is also very well realized. The computer effects aren't exactly flawless, especially as Godzilla moves rather stiltedly. Overall, however, the monster mayhem is well realized. In terms of the story, the message is perhaps conveyed to the viewer a little too much with a sledgehammer. Still, I would answer whether "Shin Godzilla" is one of the best parts of the series with a clear yes. The movie has something to say and does so effectively. This makes it stand out from the rest in a positive way.

Toho does their thing with the famed studio's first-ever complete Godzilla reboot. It certainly feels like a thematic kin to preceding films, with a heavy emphasis on human interest stories and military maneuvers, plus a heavy-handed topical metaphor that clumsily attempts to gaze beyond the superficial story.

This time, rather than alluding to the physical destruction and psychological damage of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the mile-high monster provides an example of slow government response and political mismanagement during more recent times of crisis. The Fukushima disaster, for instance. It's an inspired film, with some good ideas (Godzilla's slow metamorphosis from wriggling, serpent-like creature with googly eyes to hardened, lumbering, radiating beast on two legs is particularly cool) but it falls well short of potential. We spend roughly three-quarters of the film in a dull, fluorescent-lit government office, which is just as drab and boring as it seems, and the acting is downright dreadful. Not a lick of charisma or personality to anyone. There's also far too much text on the screen at any given time, with every stiff government suit or slightly-different conference room named with precise, exhaustive detail. Even if I weren't trying to get through the rapid-fire subtitles, that would've been too much.

Most of the visual design work is good enough, although Godzilla never quite feels like he occupies the same plane as his human counterparts and that somewhat shatters the illusion. For the most part, though, he's just window dressing. We dart over to see where he's at for a moment, then get straight back to tedious strategic planning sessions. There was potential here, loads of it, but focus is constantly placed in the wrong spot and the result is about fifteen minutes of really entertaining footage amidst two hours of empty dialog and drab meeting rooms.