A god incarnate.A city doomed.
Shin Godzilla, which is a Japanese/English amalgamation for New Godzilla, is the newest kaiju film featuring the iconic character from Toho. This film is the 3rd reboot from the Japanese company, and the first that truly reboots the series. Previous reboots wiped out all movies but the original 1954 film.
I am going to try to be as spoiler free in this review as possible, but be aware that some minor spoilers may show up going forward.
My initial thought when going into the film was that it was definitely Japanese. "Of course it is," you say, "it's from a Japanese company!" I am fully aware of that, but it has a look that is distinctly old-school Japanese. I can't really describe it, but you'll know what I mean if you watch it for yourself.
Now, this isn't a bad thing, not entirely. Quite the opposite in fact, as it evokes a sense of nostalgia for those who are fans of the original movies from the Showa period. However, there is a little bit of bad to that nostalgia; some of the earlier scenes with the Big G have terrible effects compared to what the American public has come to be used to. As the film progresses, it does get better, so don't read too much into it initially.
The design and origin of Godzilla in this movie is a pretty big departure from previous incarnations as well. But, it's not all bad. While previous versions originate from nuclear testing, this reboot turns him more into a natural disaster, to reflect recent events in Japan, namely the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster and the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.
While it does work, there are a few things that I just couldn't accept. I'm not sure if it was the CG in earlier scenes or the design of Godzilla but his eyes just seemed so fake in the beginning of the movie. Like I stated earlier about the effects getting better, so did the Big G. Although when we finally see him in all his radioactive glory, his arms are completely stationary, hands palm up, as if to say, "I don't have any idea what I'm doing!"
All that is more or less
forgiven, however, when he finally unleashes his signature atomic breath for the first time. That scene absolutely stole the show. While also different from previous versions of the character, his current breath attack is no less destructive. In fact, I think it's actually probably the strongest version, especially once he gets to what I call The Disco Lasers. Trust me, once you see the movie, you'll know what I mean.
The movie also gives an insight into how the government works in their response to this new threat. Committees and sub-committees, meeting after meeting, not getting much done very quickly. Probably about 70% of the movie was showing the Prime Minister and the JSDF (Japan Self Defense Forces) in their various meetings trying to figure out what to do.
Not only did this make the movie drag on a bit, but it also made it difficult to follow at times, mainly due to the subtitles. I'm just glad I'm a fast reader, otherwise I may have gotten lost. But by that same token, the various meetings did contain quite a bit of humor, more than you might expect in a monster movie.
All in all, the movie was decent. It gave a fresh new perspective on the origins of Godzilla, yet still retained elements of his previous incarnations. It poked fun at Japanese politics, but at the same time, showed what I consider a true representation of how the government would react to a 389 ft tall monster terrorizing a city. However, as enjoyable it was to see this realistic interpretation of the government, I feel that the movie could have done with a bit less of that, and more of the title character. Cuz who doesn't like to see a big radioactive monster tear through a city?
Overall, I would recommend this movie to others. It's different, yet very familiar. You can still catch it in some US theaters until Oct. 18th, after which it will probably be a while before it's released on DVD/Blu-Ray. If you want to try and hit the theater to see it, you can check here to see if there is one close to you. And if you are unable to get to the theaters, I would definitely recommend a rental (if possible) or purchase of the movie once it is available for such things.
My initial thought when going into the film was that it was definitely Japanese. "Of course it is," you say, "it's from a Japanese company!" I am fully aware of that, but it has a look that is distinctly old-school Japanese. I can't really describe it, but you'll know what I mean if you watch it for yourself.
Now, this isn't a bad thing, not entirely. Quite the opposite in fact, as it evokes a sense of nostalgia for those who are fans of the original movies from the Showa period. However, there is a little bit of bad to that nostalgia; some of the earlier scenes with the Big G have terrible effects compared to what the American public has come to be used to. As the film progresses, it does get better, so don't read too much into it initially.
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| Godzilla Comes Ashore |
While it does work, there are a few things that I just couldn't accept. I'm not sure if it was the CG in earlier scenes or the design of Godzilla but his eyes just seemed so fake in the beginning of the movie. Like I stated earlier about the effects getting better, so did the Big G. Although when we finally see him in all his radioactive glory, his arms are completely stationary, hands palm up, as if to say, "I don't have any idea what I'm doing!"
All that is more or less
forgiven, however, when he finally unleashes his signature atomic breath for the first time. That scene absolutely stole the show. While also different from previous versions of the character, his current breath attack is no less destructive. In fact, I think it's actually probably the strongest version, especially once he gets to what I call The Disco Lasers. Trust me, once you see the movie, you'll know what I mean.
The movie also gives an insight into how the government works in their response to this new threat. Committees and sub-committees, meeting after meeting, not getting much done very quickly. Probably about 70% of the movie was showing the Prime Minister and the JSDF (Japan Self Defense Forces) in their various meetings trying to figure out what to do.
Not only did this make the movie drag on a bit, but it also made it difficult to follow at times, mainly due to the subtitles. I'm just glad I'm a fast reader, otherwise I may have gotten lost. But by that same token, the various meetings did contain quite a bit of humor, more than you might expect in a monster movie.
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| Shin Godzilla gets 6½ stars from me |
Overall, I would recommend this movie to others. It's different, yet very familiar. You can still catch it in some US theaters until Oct. 18th, after which it will probably be a while before it's released on DVD/Blu-Ray. If you want to try and hit the theater to see it, you can check here to see if there is one close to you. And if you are unable to get to the theaters, I would definitely recommend a rental (if possible) or purchase of the movie once it is available for such things.
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