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Shin Godzilla (2016) HD online

Language: English
Category: Movie / Action / Adventure / Drama / Horror / Sci-Fi
Original Title: Shin Gojira
Director: Hideaki Anno,Shinji Higuchi
Writers: Hideaki Anno,Sean Whitley
Released: 2016
Duration: 2h
Video type: Movie

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An unknown accident occurs in Tokyo Bay's Aqua Line, which causes an emergency cabinet to assemble. All of the sudden, a giant creature immediately appears, destroying town after town with its landing reaching the capital. This mysterious giant monster is named "Godzilla".

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Cast overview, first billed only:
	Hiroki Hasegawa	-	Rando Yaguchi
	Yutaka Takenouchi	-	Hideki Akasaka
	Satomi Ishihara	-	Kayoko Ann Patterson
	Ren Osugi	-	Prime Minister Seiji Okochi (as Ren Ôsugi)
	Akira Emoto	-	Ryuta Azuma
	Kengo Kôra	-	Yusuke Shimura, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
	Mikako Ichikawa	-	Hiromi Ogashira, Deputy Director of Nature Conservation Bureau
	Jun Kunimura	-	Masao Zaizen, Integrated Chief of Staff
	Pierre Taki	-	Saigo, Combat Leader
	Kyûsaku Shimada	-	Katayama, Minister of Foreign Affairs
	Ken Mitsuishi	-	Kozuka, Governor of Tokyo
	Shingo Tsurumi	-	Yajima, Joint Staff Deputy
	Kimiko Yo	-	Reiko Hanamori, Defense Minister
	Takumi Saitoh	-	Ikeda, Tank Captain (as Takumi Saitô)
	Takashi Fujiki	-	Tokyo Lieutenant Governor

Producer Akihiro Yamauchi stated that the title "Shin Gojira" was chosen for the film due to the variety of meanings the syllable "shin" could convey, such as "new", "true", and "god".

This is the first Japanese Godzilla movie to be a full reboot, meaning that it shows what would happen if Godzilla attacked for the first time in modern day, and there had been no previous records of him. Although Toho has "rebooted" Godzilla a few times each previous film acknowledged the original 1954 movie as canon and just ignored all previous sequels.

Despite receiving an official English title (Godzilla Resurgence), the movie is nonetheless released in the United States under its original Japanese title (Shin Godzilla) at Toho's request. A possible explanation for this is that they want to avoid confusion with the movie Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). "Godzilla Resurgence" is kept as a title for general international promotion, however other territories (for example Germany) also released the film under its original Japanese title.

At one point in the film, all the TVs in an electronics store are showing the live footage of Godzilla's destruction of Tokyo except one which is playing the anime "Ochibisan" created by Moyoco Anno, who is director Hideaki Anno's wife. This is also a reference to the fact that one of Tokyo's six broadcast TV stations is notoriously reluctant to air breaking news.

According to sources close to the production, Godzilla's design in this film is mostly based on his design from the original film from 1954, and is intended to appear very frightening.

An old-school Toho logo which appears at the beginning was re-created specifically for the widescreen of this movie by Hiroyasu Kobayashi, a graphic designer at Anno's Studio Khara, as appointed by the director.

For Satomi Ishihara, who plays a Japanese-American diplomat, the hardest part of her performance was learning English. She found out she was playing an American after being cast, and was shocked by the amount of the English dialogue she had to speak when she read the script.

The film has a rare 3.1 sound mix.

The day people first encounter the titular monster is supposed to be November 3, an obvious reference to March 11, the day the 2011 Tohoku earthquake commenced. It is also a reference to the Japanese release date of the original 1954 Godzilla film which was on November 3, 1954.

Director Hideaki Anno told the actors to speak faster than usual so that they would resemble actual politicians and bureaucrats, citing The Social Network (2010) as a reference and warning he would cut the take if they spoke too slowly.

Hiroki Hasegawa immediately accepted a role in the film, stating, "Who wouldn't want to be involved in a Godzilla production?"

This Godzilla film broke the record for the fastest release in the U.S., less than three months after its premiere in Japan.

This film's Godzilla stands 118.5 m (389 ft) tall, surpassing Legendary Pictures' Godzilla (2014), which stood 355 ft/108 m tall, and thus making it the largest version of Godzilla to appear on film.

As previously speculated upon, Godzilla uses his trademark 1960's-70's roar in the film, and even his original roar. This is given evidence in the first teaser trailer when Godzilla's 1954 roar is heard, and in the beginning of the official trailer, Godzilla lets out his famous Showa roar.

Godzilla was portrayed in motion capture by Mansai Nomura, a Kyogen (traditional Japanese comic theatre) actor. To realize Godzilla's slow movements, a 10-kilo weight was strapped behind him, and he incorporated the technique of the traditional Japanese dance into his performance.

Originally the movie was to have a family drama and a romance side-plot, both of which were written out by director Hideaki Anno.

Writer and Chief Director Hideaki Anno reportedly refused Toho's initial offer to work on this film because of his work on the fourth Evangelion movie but was convinced to join the project after his longtime friend Shinji Higuchi signed on to direct.

Despite being released between Legendary Pictures' Godzilla (2014) and its sequel Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), this film is not connected to Legendary's series.

Godzilla's appearance was altered for various foreign movie posters. On the American poster, his beady eyes were blacked out, while on one poster from the Philippines, his scrawny arms were considerably enlarged.

Including Godzilla (1998), this is the 31st Godzilla film.

The B-2 Spirit stealth bombers that appear in the film against Godzilla are identified with the onscreen subtitles as being from the 509th Operations Group. The 509th is a descendant unit of the (in)famous World War 2-era 509th Composite Group, well-known as being the unit that dropped the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Today, the 509th is the sole U.S. Air Force unit equipped with the B-2 and is based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

(Information courtesy of Wikipedia).

Shinji Higuchi has revealed that Godzilla in this film would have been brought to life using a hybrid combination of computer generated imagery and traditional practical tokusatsu effects techniques. Higuchi utilized this same hybrid strategy for the Titans in the live-action "Attack on Titan" films, which he also directed. However midway during production, the large Godzilla puppet was deemed unusable, so all of the effect shots were redone in the computer.

The U.S. trailer is scored with the original 1954 recordings of Akira Ifukube's soundtrack for "Gojira" (1954) ("Godzilla").

This film's director and head of special effects, Shinji Higuchi, has previous experience working on special effects in multiple kaiju films by Toho. He previously worked as a special effects assistant for Gojira (1984) and then was in charge of special effects for Shûsuke Kaneko's Gamera trilogy in the late 1990's. Higuchi also worked on the special effects in one scene for Godzilla, Mothra, and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001).

In one scene, the appointed task force scrolls through a number of tweets on Twitter. One of the Twitter users' avatars is a picture of Asuka Langley-Soryu, a major character from director Hideaki Anno's breakthrough anime, "Neon Genesis Evangelion."

This is the first Japanese-made Godzilla film since Gojira (1984) where Godzilla does not fight another monster.

Toho originally planned to have the movie released in over 100 markets worldwide, making it the most widely distributed feature in the company's history. However, the film only received a theatrical release in a few areas, most of which consisted of limited showings. This is because Japanese cinema usually receives very little international attention, and monster movies in general and the Godzilla franchise in specific are not as popular as other franchises, so most distributors weren't interested in acquiring the film.

The first Godzilla film since Gojira (1984) (its original Japanese version) to end with a "The End" ("Owari" in Japanese) title card. Like the 1984 film, it was at the end of the credits.

Directors Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno are longtime friends and collaborators, and are both well-known for their work on the popular anime series Shin Seiki Evangerion (1995). They were selected by Toho to work on this film in part due to their work on the series. Both Toho and Gainax, the company that produces Neon Genesis Evangelion, are collaborating on a merchandise line called "Godzilla vs. Evangelion" to promote this film. This line includes various figures, pieces of artwork, clothing and other accessories featuring both Godzilla and his various monster costars alongside Evangelion- Unit-01 and other characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The first Toho-produced Godzilla film in 12 years since Godzilla: Final Wars (2004).

This film was given a special advanced release in the United States on October 11-18, 2016, when it was shown in its original Japanese version (with English subtitles) and under a semi-translation of its original Japanese title, "Shin Godzilla".

Remixed versions of the track "decisive battle" from the 1995 anime Neon Genesis Evangelion are played on multiple occassions throughout the film. Director Hideaki Anno was also the director of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

There are six film directors that appear in this film: Kazuo Hara, Isshin Inudô, Suzuki Matsuo, Akira Ogata, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, and the late Kihachi Okamoto as a photo double.

In an unusual move for the studio, Toho did not screen the film for press in advance of the world premiere, which was held four days prior to the release.

Some people falsely suggested that the film was created as a response to Legendary Pictures' American Godzilla (2014), which did unremarkable business in the Japanese market (similar to how Toho responded to Sony/TriStar's badly received Godzilla (1998) with Gojira ni-sen mireniamu (1999)). In reality, Toho already had a film slated for production as far back as 2013, and the contract between Legendary and Toho stipulated that the Japanese studio cannot start making new live-action Godzilla films while the American movie series lasts.

The film has 328 credited actors.

German company Splendid Films made news as the first foreign distributor to obtain rights for the movie in April 2016, since Germany is one of the few western countries where Godzilla films have a fanbase. Despite this, the movie stalled for a long time and was only released in Germany over a year later, in May 2017.

YouTuber Sharla In Japan worked as an English dialogue coach for the Japanese actors.

Kihachi Okamoto: The legendary director appears as a photo double for Goro Maki, a mysterious scientist that disappeared.

The only Japanese live-action Godzilla movie in which the monster was realized almost completely through CGI, abandoning the traditional suitmation effects. However, according to effects supervisor Atsuki Sato, Godzilla's skin was deliberately made to look like rubber as opposed to realistic animal skin, and his movements were performed via motion capture, adding a live performance element to the animation. Some of Godzilla's interactions with the environment were achieved via pushing a prop through miniatures, and the final shot of the monster is actually a sculpture instead of a digital effect, so the physical effects weren't entirely done away with.

Later in the film, large concrete boom pump trucks are used to inject a blood coagulant into Godzilla's mouth in an attempt to neutralize him. These types of boom pumps were used to cool down the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant after the nuclear disaster, allowing contemporary Japanese audiences to draw a comparison between the film's narrative and the events that took place after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, like many other elements of the film.

When Godzilla evolves into his classic dinosaur form, the theme from Godzilla (1954) is played.

The artbook released for the movie shows various interesting and horroristic concepts the creators had for Godzilla's multiple forms and abilities: such as a second Godzilla growing out of his body like a conjoined twin, pieces of Godzilla's flesh developing into a mass of bodyparts, as well as the skeletal Godzilla creatures that appear at the end of the movie more closely resembling naked human females.

It is theorized that the skeletal humanoid figures coming out of Godzilla's tail at the end of the film is his fifth evolution.

The cinematography when Godzilla evolves in his 3rd form is reminiscent of the original Gojira (1954).

The name of the scientist that disappeared at the beginning of the movie, Goro Maki, may be a reference to the character sharing the same name, in Kaijûtô no kessen: Gojira no musuko (1967) and Gojira (1984) (played by Akira Kubo and Ken Tanaka, respectively), both reporters/photographers.

In the movie, Godzilla is theorized to be able to evolve so much that he could sprout wings and/or shrink, along with some other things.

Movie / Action / Adventure / Drama / Horror / Sci-Fi2016 Hiroki Hasegawa Yutaka Takenouchi Satomi Ishihara Hideaki Anno Shinji Higuchi

Reviews: [25]

ℳy★†ỦrÑ★ Wiℓℒ★₡oℳ€★TøØ

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.

Weetont

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.

Ceroelyu

This is a movie for the Japanese, by the Japanese, of the Japanese. And Godzilla is originally a Japanese franchise, a mass entertainment movie but made in defiant protest to nuclear weapons, or generally technologies which mankind cannot control. The new Shin Godzilla, or Godzilla Resurgence, is a movie which follows the original spirit, but with events taking place in contemporary Japan after the 3.11 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi NPP incident. Live broadcasting of natural and nuclear disaster, smartphones and social media, extensive bureaucracy incompetent to handle extreme situations, discourse about the adaptability of law and constitutional order to external threats, military alliances with US and US's assertiveness towards Japan, all play part in this film.

It attempts a quite realistic portrayal of the Japanese bureaucracy at work albeit with much caricature and simplification. What was seen as a reality or how it should have been handled to contain the damage is realistically portrayed in the film- which might not quite strike a chord with overseas viewers who are not so interested in the current state of affairs in Japan. However, this "too much talking" by politicians and bureaucrats criticized elsewhere is the very core of the film; it is a strong anti-thesis of a Hollywood-style movie with a superhero with a cute girl in danger saving the world and detonating a nuclear bomb all so casually. Shin-Godzilla does not have such superheroes but average people of different backgrounds working as teams; there is no romance involved at all; and the threat of nuclear attack on the city is averted (although Godzilla is nuclear-fed and bursts out nuclear laser beams and destroys half of Tokyo and most of the Japanese government). All conventional weapons of the Japanese Self-Defense Force as well as US are tested but to Godzilla they're just annoying itches; I bet even a nuclear bomb won't work for the beast as this Godzilla have probably been consuming nuclear waste as a tea snack.

This Godzilla is a really devastatingly fearsome beast which made me almost shouting Nooooooooo! at the theater. This is not some kind human-loving monster who fights another monster for the sake of humans. It's not even simply evil. It's just simply unsympathetic to humans like earthquakes, tsunamis, or radiation-spills.

In short, if you like disaster and panic movies, more than you like action packed comic hero movies, then you will enjoy this movie; perhaps more so if you like Director Anno's animation works like the Evangelion series, or his earlier undertakings in The Wings of Honnêamise or Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and understand the references and similarities. Fans of past Godzilla movies might be either delighted to find subtle homages or perhaps disgusted as how it partly departs from the conventional formula of Godzilla movies.

There are obvious flaws in this film. Sometimes, the line between natural realistic portrayal of the Japanese reacting in extreme disaster situations and just pure bad acting is blurred. And the main actress, Satomi Ishihara, is good at acting as daikon radish is, as we say. But Godzilla films were never about good acting.

I really enjoyed watching this one at a local theater in Tokyo on the premier day. It is a very timely, originally-crafted, a bit thought- provoking, visually satisfying, and overall an entertaining film from a Japanese point of view.

CopamHuk

'Shin Godzilla' isn't Toho's vainglorious attempt at re-capturing the success of recent Hollywood adaptations of its iconic Japanese monster. Quite the contrary, co-directors Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi know better than try to outdo their Western counterparts in terms of spectacle, and instead have made the astute decision to make a distinctly Japanese 'Godzilla' that will most certainly resonate with their home audience, even at the expense of alienating some non-Japanese viewers without the same cultural or historical context. In fact, we dare say that their film has the unique distinction of being both political allegory as well as real-world horror, and is surprisingly effective on either count.

No other recent event has been so seared in the Japanese consciousness as that of the 2011 Tohoko earthquake and tsunami as well as the consequent Fukushima nuclear disaster, not just because of the hundreds of thousands of people affected but also because it exposed how terribly unprepared the Japanese government was with handling a crisis of such proportions. The parallels here are unmistakable – from an indecisive Prime Minister (Ren Ôsugi) to the frustratingly bureaucratic attitude of his Cabinet ministers to the embarrassing revelation of his poor judgment (such as during a live press conference where Godzilla makes landfall right after he specifically tells the people that the creature will not) – and indeed meant no less than a searing indictment of just how inept the Naoto Kan's administration was during 3/11.

Yet it isn't hard to imagine how a movie based solely on such criticism would quickly turn monotonous, not least because the lead characters here are all political/ Government figures – among them, Hiroki Hasegawa's outspoken and gutsy Deputy Chief of Cabinet Secretary Rando Yaguchi, Yutaka Takenouchi's opportunistic Aide to the Prime Minister Hideki Akasaka, and Satomi Ishihara's Special Envoy for the United States Kayoko Ann Patterson – and each is defined only in terms of his or her role and ambition in relation to the ongoing calamity. None too subtle is the point, emphatically and unequivocally made, that while politicians wield the ingenuity and authority it takes to manage an unprecedented catastrophe, each is also simultaneously weighting the cost or opportunity of every decision or maneuver to his or her political futures.

Just as illuminating, especially to the Japanese, is the strengths or limits of its military might post-WWII, seeing as how it has never yet seen the need to invoke the use of its Self-Defense Forces (SDF) or call in the help of the US military under the US-Japan Security Treaty. Under the pretense of exterminating Godzilla, Anno's screenplay imagines what it would take not just for the SDF to be activated but also how US intervention would likely come with some strings attached. How and if at all it is meant to play into the current Shinzo Abe's push for an expansion of the SDF role is quite perceptively left up to the audience's interpretation, but there is no doubting that the introduction of the United Nations late into the film is meant to demonstrate how powerless nations not on its Security Council may be to resolutions passed by its five members on non-member countries.

Yes, if it isn't yet clear, there is no intent here to highlight the human dimension of such an event; rather, it is domestic politics as well as the global world order that forms the basis of this re- incarnation of Godzilla. As a reboot, 'Shin Godzilla' starts on a clean slate, beginning with an underwater disturbance that briefly makes its way onto shore before going back out to sea, then returning as a much more highly evolved organism that grows and grows ever more fearsome. Fans though will not be disappointed – as with past iterations of Godzilla, this latest version not only has the ability to radiate highly destructive atomic rays from its dorsal fins, it also can set streets of buildings ablaze by spewing fire out of its mouth. It does take time to get used to the new 'ShinGoji' design, but rest assured that this beast is every bit as terrifying as it should be.

In fact, that palpable sense of fear is twofold – first, in tying the origins of Godzilla to Japan's ignominious nuclear history; and second, in showing with utmost realism the wanton destruction of notable landmarks in Tokyo by the monster. The former has to do as much with the United States' alleged dumping of radioactive waste in Tokyo Bay in the 1950s and 1960s as accusations of Japan's own disposal of toxic ash from the burning of Fukushima's nuclear waste into the same waters. The latter, on the other hand, sees entire districts in Tokyo ripped or flattened by Godzilla's rampage, impressively staged by co-director cum VFX supervisor Anno (also known for last summer's 'Attack of Titan') using a mix of old- fashioned puppetry and modern CGI. In particular, the combined US- Japan military assault on Godzilla along the banks of the Kano River and the finale in downtown Shinjuku is stunning, especially in imagining the magnitude of destruction that Godzilla could inflict on modern-day Japan.

Yet if the promotional materials have given the impression that 'Shin Godzilla' is an action-packed blockbuster like its most recent Hollywood predecessors, you'll do best to temper those expectations. Sure, there are beautiful sequences of Godzilla wreaking havoc, but because the focus is on displaying different types of political personalities and their responses towards such a crisis of proportions, there is a lot of talking (as well as 'talking heads') throughout the film and especially in the beginning. By tapping into the paranoia, fear and frustration of their fellow Japanese following their own recent real-life crises, Anno and Higuchi have made a contemporary 'Godzilla' that is sure to roar loud with their home crowd – and by that count, this is as its Japanese title suggests, a new and true incarnation as relevant as it is frightening.

Mpapa

The movie was a great satire on the Japanese Government during the time of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami. The reactions by the Prime Minister, defense minister, etc etc during Godzilla's initial appearance perfectly recreate the indecision that lead to more people being killed in that country than necessary during the real life disaster. In short, this movie uses Godzilla to satirize the Japanese government. A new, more decisive body of government forms in the aftermath and one end of it wants to evacuate Tokyo to Nuke him and the other wants to make a more experimental approach by analyzing Godzilla's body chemistry (the science is actually pretty good and leads to a surprisingly tense climax that involves construction cranes pumping hoses down Godzillas throat). The scenes with the humans are also shot in a very dynamic and fast paced way. Characterization suffers (Japanese films do this thing where they just add an odd quirk to a characters personality and call it a day) but its all for the purpose on finding out how to take care of the giant monster rampaging through the city while minimizing human casualties. Believably too, like how the government would actually react would it have happened.

As for the big guy himself, Toho definitely plays around with him a lot. He's still a big green iconic monster, but they change his design more than I've ever seen before. When he first appears in the movie, he's more like a tadpole and over the film evolves into the monster we know. But even then he does things like opens his lower jaw when breathing fire like the predator, shooting beams from his dorsal fin and tail, and there's even a VERY chilling shot at the end involving Godzillas tail with some imagery with broader implications on what Godzilla is able to do. But for all these new things that happen, there's a bunch of stylistic choices that keep it rooted in its history. There's music being used from the original 50's score than ever before (they use more than just that classic brass theme), Godzilla still has his trademark roar, and when he breathes fire in a way we've never seen before (it starts as gas, lights up into a jetstream of flame, and then concentrates into a beam) there's a classic sound effect played that we haven't heard in ages. In short, there's a bunch of new and classic stylistic choices in equal measure. Plus the scene where he destroys Tokyo is, in a weird way, gorgeous to look at.

In short, this is the smartest giant monster movie I've ever seen. It's not for everybody but it's certainly for people who understand what that means.

unmasked
This is an excellent show that differs from the standard hack-and- slash and action-driven natures of other recent films (Independence Day 2 etc.). It is one of the most narrative-driven films that I've watched in the last 2 years.

PROS:
- The acting was great as a whole, comprising of much seriousness and focus, typical of the exigency of a nation-wide disaster, in the top politicians of the diet.
- It is full of political irony, satire of the Japanese government's and bureaucracy's indecision and red-taping. There is great intelligence imbued into movie, and it shows that much research has been done prior to filming. It also shows the way in which foreign and indigenous affairs have been interwoven together in governmental decision-making. I greatly appreciate this as a whole, as the narration is full of meaning and subtlety.
- The special effects of Godzilla were absolutely wonderful, portraying both scale and grandeur in Godzilla's size and style. I greatly enjoyed the four main scenes where Godzilla made its appearance, especially its climax at the latter two.
- The pacing was fast-paced, and little time was wasted. A lot of content had been packaged into a duration of just 120 minutes. While watching, I thought that the film lasted for 4 hours, as there were so many occurrences!
- The style and pace also remains true to the original Godzilla classics. So is the provenance of Godzilla.
CONS
- Ishihara would not have fooled us into thinking that she is a Japanese-American English speaker!
- Overall, it is very dialogue-heavy. This is both a strength and weakness. A strength as there is much character development, but also excessive to the point that it sometimes can be dreary and draggy. This is the greatest setback of the film, and could have been further streamlined. Minus 1 star for this.
CONCLUSION:
- As a whole, I rate it 9 out of 10, and will watch it again.
- Most people who have an appreciation for subtlety and nuance, and also of vivid storytelling will like this film.
- However, those who prefer a CGI roller-coaster like Independence Day 2 or 2012 may be turned off by the extremely heavy dialogue.

Kendis

(No Spoiler) Godzilla movies including Hollywood's 2014 Godzilla have been not able to surpass the original Godzilla. But finally, I think they did. Godzilla is back. Japanese title is Shin-Godzilla, Shin could mean true, new, God, shaking, and so on, and everything is right. This is not like heroic Godzilla we used to know, it is the new creature. But his terror, message, hopeless feeling, resemble the original Godzilla. Finally, Japan created the real Godzilla. CGIs are really great in this movie, not like ones you saw in previous movies. I'm serious. The destruction scene is amazing. You'll be stunned and get excited. But you can deeply feel the respect for the original Godzilla movie. They really did such a great job. This movie will blow your mind away. Finally, Godzilla is back. He's back!

Weernis

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.

Jesmi

** Review based on original Japanese version

Whoever is judging the Japanese original film as a non-Japanese native speaker, chill and think twice before telling others. You didn't understand most of what went into the scenes. The plot mostly revolves around what happens in the meetings. Trying to judge this movie without understanding the conversation is like judging Woody Allen movies without knowing English, New York and Jews, or Steven Chow's movies without tasting fish ball noodles in Wan Chai. The bureaucratic conversation that goes on these meetings are ironic, pathetic and hilarious. If you have ever worked with Japanese companies and got fed up with their slow decision making process, well there you go, now you know what's happening.

Like most pointed out, this is not a typical Kaiju film. It depicts what really would happen if you throw in a monster in present-day Japan. How would politicians, bureaucrats, academics, military and other countries react, using real political systems and real technology available today? Of course being a sci-fi film, there were many fictions added too, but they stayed within the boundaries of this carefully set make-believe world.

There is no hero in this film. There is no president flying his plane kamikaze-style into alien spacecraft. Reviewers complaining about the lack of character development are missing the whole point. There are 300 characters in this movie and they were meant to be close to anonymous. The audience can view from 10,000 feet and see how people collectively work together to fight against disaster. This how Japanese people function.

The plot is designed to give catharsis to the Japanese people who directly or indirectly suffered from Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami, and cheer them up. It did a pretty good job at it. It also reminds them that the fight is not over, and that they must continue their effort.

The film includes references (homage) to past Kaiju movies and anime such as Evangelion and Patlabor. It will give you extra smiles and giggles if you are familiar with those work, but it doesn't mean you can't enjoy this film even if you don't know.

To mention some downside, one turnoff was Satomi Ishihara, who was supposed to be acting an American, but wasn't trained enough to speak like one. She did a pretty good job at mocking short phrases, but long phrases were disastrous. Some say that it was a parody of questionable foreign characters in past Kaiju movies. I didn't need that, and it just pulled me back from the fantasy-reality to my own reality wondering about the miscast. I hope the international version gets dubbed by actress with decent American accent, and no humor in all the other high-speed conversation gets lost in translation.

I am not an expert in assessing the CGI quality, but I found some scenes being substandard, where the creatures didn't quite blend into the background, or it had some clunky movement. Maybe it was an homage to old Kaiju movies as well. I would like to point out that there were other CGI scenes that were quite impressive though.

All in all, it was a great Japanese film that comes out only once in few years.

Sudert

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. A sequel has been announced, which probably won't come until after 2020 (due to the US films coming out around that time like "Godzilla vs Kong"), and the first ever animated film will come out in Japan in late 2017. Long live the King of the Monsters!

Xcorn

2014 marked the Return Of The King (Of The Monsters) - Godzilla, at least for American audiences, in Gareth Edwards's "Godzilla." That film, while it had its flaws, represented the best vision of Godzilla thus far - at least for American audiences, after the disaster of "Godzilla" (1998).

2016, however, marks the Return Of The King (Of The Monsters), redux - "Shin Gojira," a.k.a., "Godzilla: Resurgence." Toho's "Shin Gojira"/"Godzilla: Resurgence" is the first Japanese-produced "Godzilla" film since "Godzilla: Final Wars" in 2004 - the latter film marking Godzilla's 50th anniversary. "Shin Gojira"/"Godzilla: Resurgence" is also the first Japanese-produced "Godzilla" film to be released theatrically in the United States since "Godzilla 2000" (1999) back in 2000 - and was, as a tearful aside, the last film I ever saw at the now-defunct Cineplex Odeon at my local shopping mall before it closed down later that year.

It was released in a limited one-week theatrical engagement here in the United States, and I had the opportunity to watch the film today with a very good friend who had never seen a Japanese "Godzilla" in the theater.

Needless to say, this was an event movie for me, well, both my friend and myself.

As readers familiar with my reviews here know, I am a life-long Godzilla fan; "Gojira" (1954) is my all-time favorite monster movie, and Godzilla is my all-time favorite movie monster. He has truly earned the nickname the "King of the Monsters."

But Japan is a very different country now, than it was during the 1950s when Godzilla first appeared. In March of 2011, Japan experienced a devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake that caused a massive tsunami and ravaged the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Thousands of people were killed in this tragedy, and Japan is still in the process of recovering from the disaster five years later. So, add a giant, fire-breathing radioactive lizard to the mix, and see what happens.

"Shin Gojira"/"Godzilla: Resurgence" is a gripping film, from the very first opening moments which are complete with music and sound effects that are a direct homage to the opening moments of the original 1954 "Gojira." That is perhaps the single greatest treat for eagle-eyed/-eared Godzilla fans who have eagerly awaited Godzilla's return for 12 years now. But while this movie is about Godzilla, it's also about Japan, how the country has changed in the 62 years since Godzilla's 1954 debut, and a new generation of film-goers are now being introduced to him. And, needless to say, this is a very different film from the "Godzilla" films that appeared before it.

"Shin Gojira"/"Godzilla: Resurgence" is the first "Godzilla" film ever to really dive into the behind-the-scenes hand-wringing, politics, and bureaucracy that was merely glossed over in all of the films produced from 1954 to 2014. Because we're seeing so many different human characters working for so many Japanese agencies, the prime minister and the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) all working together to face a threat that defies everything they know about science and nature, we have to become accustomed to a lot of folks just standing around talking.

But the various characters manage to keep us interested.

But, also, this behind-the-scenes drama also provides us with plenty of chances of anti-bureaucratic satire (which I know is something American audiences would love to see). I take this as a satirical commentary to the way Japan's government may have handled the response to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster; much of this satire is actually quite funny, and fits in with the scenario, and does not in any way distract us from the seriousness of the film's proceedings. All this is seen through the eyes of a young government bureaucrat named Rando Yaguchi (Hiroki Hasegawa). Hasegawa gives the film's most compelling acting performance, and provides an amazing center as he reacts to everything that's going on around him and happening to his country; he finds himself carrying the burden of an incredible responsibility, and he accepts that responsibility with grace, dignity, and courage. He's something like the target member for the audience.

And lastly what about Godzilla himself (since he's the reason we go to see this movie)? Let me just say, this Godzilla does not disappoint. I would hazard a guess that this is the most powerful Godzilla ever seen on the screen - in addition to being the most massive. Although we all know what this Godzilla looks like - his appearance has been the subject of massive controversy and debate in online fan circles, and is the first Godzilla to be fully CGI rather than a man in a costume - to see him in action in this movie is the real joy here.

Co-director/screenwriter Hideaki Anno and co-director Shinji Higuchi (of last year's live-action "Attack on Titan" adaptation) have fashioned the (near-) perfect reboot of the original Japanese "Godzilla" film franchise. There is no question, in my mind, that if Ishiro Honda (who directed "Gojira" in 1954 and several other subsequent "Godzilla" films for Toho), he would be proud for what Mr. Anno and Mr. Higuchi have achieved here.

10/10

Peras

In 2004, after 28 films spanning 50 years, Toho Studios put the juggernaut Godzilla franchise on mothballs indefinitely, leaving lifelong fans such as myself in limbo as to whether we'd ever see our favorite lizard king rise again. So when word about "Shin Godzilla" began to circulate, I was well stoked. Twelve years is a long time to wait for a resurfacing of my favorite monster, and the good news is that "Shin Godzilla" delivers the goods.

I was fortunate to take in a screening of Toho's rebooted Godzilla last night. The film held more than a few surprises and is something of a fresh take on the execution of a Godzilla film, yet it honors its ancestors, to the point that much of the original "Gojira" music and sound effects are present and unmolested. On the surface, "Shin Godzilla" is a fairly standard entry into the franchise: Godzilla rises from the depths; Godzilla stomps Tokyo and smashes army ordnance like toys; Godzilla is ultimately defeated by unconventional means, owning to the ingenuity of our protagonist (not always the outcome - in some films, Godzilla wins). But Godzilla himself is only incidental to the proceedings. "Shin Godzilla" is really about the decline of Japan. It's the filmmaker's polemic on what's wrong with the Land of the Rising Sun, and what needs to change so that it may have a future. Politics have often played a part in Godzilla movies, but this newest entry may be one of the most political of the bunch since the original "Gojira".

This is in evidence from the opening moments of the film. Godzilla's first appearances are met with bureaucratic near-gridlock: legions of decrepit ministers and cabinet members shuffle from one meeting to the next, engaged in endless discussions over the problem while accomplishing nothing; outside the monster lays waste to large swaths of the city. The movie freely mocks these elected leaders and their obsession with minutiae and decorum. The official titles of the countless bureaucrats we meet are scrolled across the screen constantly, as if it mattered to anyone. Every meeting (and there are so, so many) is given an official title, also displayed on screen, as are the names given to projects, initiatives, reports and other documents, generated furiously by these mostly old men and women who sit in government offices and ponder how to respond in accordance with policy while Japan burns. In one scene, we watch the Prime Minister sit stone faced, waiting for news which he can clearly hear to be relayed down the table bucket-brigade style, until it reaches the correct person in the room, who may then communicate it to him.

Struggling through all this dysfunction is our protagonist, a younger, junior-level staff member whose impatience and frustration with the inaction among his higher-ups propels the story forward. At one point, he vents aloud about the destruction sustained while his so-called superiors debated policy, and is quickly warned to check his cockiness. He is eventually able to assemble a team of mostly young nonconformists from various scientific disciplines, who work tirelessly towards an ingenious solution to neutralize the threat of Godzilla. In every way this group is the exact opposite of the rigid and stagnating body that governs them, and the filmmaker takes great pains to make this clear.

When the UN passes a resolution authorizing the US to drop a nuclear warhead on Tokyo to destroy Godzilla, the elder guard seems grudgingly resigned to their fate. Our young hero and his allies conspire to prevent the blast in a desperate effort to buy just a bit more time so they may deploy their non-destructive solution. The layers of subtext are deep in this act: the impotence of once-proud Japan, the humiliation of its failure, the still-painful scars of its past (particular as it relates to atomic weaponry and civilian casualties), the resentment directed at other nations that presume to seal its fate - everything is in play. Godzilla is merely a plot device here. The real drama lies elsewhere.

In the end, there's a message of hope: Japan's 20th century ascension was the product of "scrap and build"; if it worked before, it can work again, with the bright and optimistic youth of our protagonist at the helm. The filmmaker clearly believes that the children of Japan are its future - ironic in a nation that is suffering from some of the lowest birthrates in the world, but understandable nonetheless. "Shin Godzilla" is not a monster movie, but rather it's a rallying cry for a changing of the guard.

OK, so now the fanboy stuff: the new Godzilla is the biggest and baddest Godzilla yet! Literally, he is most massive Godzilla portrayed to date. While retaining the characteristics that make him Godzilla, he sports upgraded fire-breathing and auxiliary "photon beams" from his spine and his tail. Overall his look is meaner, less personable, and more radioactive than in previous incarnations. He also mutates four times during the course of the film.

The movie incorporates contemporary memes such as social media and cellphone video, but does not overdo it (thankfully). The look is crisp, and the visual effects appear to be done in the hybrid style that Japan favors. One minor complaint: "Shin Godzilla" could have used more gratuitous building-smash action. The movie is too quick to cut away from the mayhem, and some action sequences are lackluster.

The film introduces many, many dozens of characters, and despite the fact that the vast majority of screen time focuses on the aforementioned meetings and conferences, things move very quickly. Keeping with the multiple layers of subtitles is challenging at times. The good news is that this provides more than enough justification to acquire the DVD or Blu-Ray when it's released, because you'll want to watch "Shin Godzilla" more than once!

Briciraz

Do you enjoy 20 minutes of Godzilla inter cut with about 100 minutes of talking? Do you think that Godzilla is best represented as some sort of weird troglodyte that shoots laser beams out of all his orifices? If so, then I've got the movie for you!

Seriously though, what the hell is with these reviews on here? Are you guys so desperate for a new Japanese Godzilla movie that you'll slurp up whatever they feed you? The amount of fun in this movie was ZERO. It was an ordeal to get through. I grew up on Godzilla, I'm not willing to let the makers of the abysmal Attack On Titan adaptation do this to my big G. Demand better, or at least demand some FUN!

Unh

90 percent of this film is watching a bunch of Japanese in a single room discuss the bureaucracy and politics of a Godzilla attack. No, I'm being serious....

I don't see how any one could truly enjoy that. It's very boring, and tedious. There is literally all together about 2-3 minutes of action in this movie, the rest is big long political conversations about how they should and shouldn't react to Godzilla destroying the city.

No, I am being serious, again...

Horrid film experience, I don't recommend at all.

Moralsa
Shin Godzilla directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, also written by Hideaki Anno. The movie is good but it's not great, I feel like Japanese critics really overrated this movie. Before I start with the pros I should get this out of the way, for me this was not a Godzilla movie.This is just an alien to me, all the changes like the split jaw,thin ass lasers and the ability to evolve in to anything and that ending.This is not Godzilla to me!

PROS

-Generally solid acting all around and some cool cameos from a bunch of Japanese actors and directors.

-The movies pacing is fast and the shots move extremely quickly, even though 80% of this film is board room meetings.

-Great camera work and good cinematography, pretty artsy at times.

-The sound track is a mix of classic tracks from old Godzilla movies and new stuff. It's good but doesn't always fit whats happening on screen perfectly.

-There's a lot of symbolism which is always good.

-The satire in this movie is genuinely very funny and is probably the best thing about the film.

-The special effects are generally solid, there a mix of mostly cgi and some practical effects.

MIXED

Sometime the dialogue is so fast that it becomes fatiguing reading the subtitles.

-There are a couple of really ugly special effects shots

-can be unintentionally funny at times

-The second act of the movie is very weak, it begins to get repetitive and theirs no tension what so ever because the monster is asleep. It starts to drag and get very boring.
- Certain tracks on the soundtrack don't always fit to well with scenes there playing over.
CONS

-Shin Godzilla is is not Gojira, a mutated fish that shoots purple lasers and can asexually reproduce, no thank you Toho

-There's a character that is an American representative, her acting is bad and she speaks English worse then some of the Japanese characters, which doesn't make any sense
- Retreads old ground very similar story to almost any other monster movie, in particular Return of Godzilla
The monster gets a modest amount of screen time, you'll get to see it every couple of minutes.In the second act there is a large portion of the movie were the monster is asleep and during this moment the movie does start to drag a little.There's quite a bit of political commentary on Japan and obvious reference to events that have recently happened there, unfortunately the messages get jumbled up. 7/10 not a Godzilla movie for me, but a good monster for sure.

Ishnsius

What the new Godzilla does right far outweighs its wrongs, although they can't be missed- -what's with those eyes? What's with her accent? What kind of tank alignment is that? The haters will have a field day picking the movie apart, but unlike the majority if not all of the other entries in the genre, the following tropes also have gone out the window: children, romantic relations, wives left waiting for the return of their brave husbands, victims holding personal grudges, exposition from long ignored all knowing specialists, a common enemy to side the audience with the titular creature--tiresome plot gimmicks, the total absence of which felt refreshingly good. The political subtext aside--which should mostly only interest people with political opinions on Japan, the plot follows a team of underdogs and outcasts led by a government cog in a race against literal bombs to find an effective way to neutralize a national threat. The camera-work and editing is fast-paced, and a multitude of characters play a role in handling the crisis. Crisis management movies based on real events usually try to hit emotional chords by emphasizing the above mentioned tropes to varying degrees of success, while overlooking the mundane aspect of processing such situations. Resurgence avidly instill a life into the mundane work of these everymen who happen to be the alternative to possible obliteration, human or otherwise.

As can be seen from the range of its ratings, the movie is divisive. But whatever the conclusion, viewing it is worthwhile if only to track the influence it will hopefully have on the genre as well as Japanese cinema.

just one girl

I've been a Godzilla fan all my life. For as long as I remember I always looked forward to seeing the King of the Monsters on screen. I took the good with the bad, the horrific with the silly. It was all good.

I had high hopes for this movie. My hopes were dashed.

SPOILER: Remember when people complained that the Gareth Edwards movie had Godzilla in it for 20 minutes? Well, Shin Godzilla has Godzilla on screen for just about the same amount of time. Yet these same fans are squeeing about how wonderful this movie is. If you read these reviews you would think it was wall-to-wall Godzilla. It isn't.

I guess if Toho does it, that's fine. But I didn't pay my hard earned money to see a group of military and government yahoos sitting around talking. And talking. And talking some more. The humans are boring. I don't care about them. I paid to see good old fashioned widespread death and destruction.

Now about the critter re-design: he didn't seem like Godzilla to me. I admit I adore Legendary's design. He looks badass and majestic. Shin Godzilla looks like he fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Plus, he's supposed to be just a big dumb animal, not a force of nature. Wasn't that what people hated about the Sony Godzilla? Why is Toho getting a free pass for this mess? I had the impression that he was in pain most of the time, which might have been what Toho was going for, but still. Compared to Shin Legendary's Godzilla looks handsome and elegant like George Clooney. Some of the CGI was laughable, awkward and downright clunky. But here again, if Toho does it that must be right. Other fans might be able to overlook that, but I can't. Poor special effects are wrong, no matter who does it. And Godzilla deserves better.

In conclusion, Shin Godzilla reminded me of a cheesy 50s scifi movie. I could easily see the gang on the new Mystery Science Theater 3000 roast this movie like it deserves. That is, if they can manage to stay awake for the good parts, the 14 to 20 minutes Big G is on screen. I'm glad I got a chance to see it. I just wish this movie had been better.

Burking

Shin Godzilla was a huge hit in Japan. As a lifelong Godzilla fan, I was really excited to see the movie finally reach the U.S., and due to its success I sort of assumed it would be great.

How wrong I was! Shin Godzilla is a dull, over-long and meandering mess. Godzilla hardly appears in the film, and when he does bother to show up, he (a) initially takes the form of a laughably tacky tadpole monster; (b) evolves into a CGI zombie-chicken thing that moves stiffly and isn't scary; and then (c) falls asleep. I very much wanted to join him in his nap.

Now, I want to assure you that I do have the attention span to appreciate human drama, and I didn't need Godzilla to be on-screen all the time. However, the problem with this film's human drama is that it takes the form of tedious meetings between politicians with no personality and minimal character development. Even the protagonist is a cardboard cut-out, with no discernible personality traits beyond being driven and patriotic.

So, once I absorbed the film's very obvious message (bureaucrats are incompetent) I quickly tired of the human drama and started yearning for more monster action.

On the positive side, I did occasionally appreciate the film's social commentary. And two of the action scenes involving Godzilla are pretty spectacular. But if you've watched a few trailers on YouTube, you've probably seen most of the best action shots already.

I honestly wonder why this poorly paced and low budget film was such a huge hit in Japan. I think it's probably because the film's message taps into the recent wave of patriotism there, and the desire for Japan to disassociate itself from the United States. So this political stuff may be fascinating for Japanese viewers, but it's a snooze for Americans.

Stick with the classic 1954 Godzilla instead, which is a much more intelligent and artistically satisfying film than this. Geez, most of the "B" Godzilla movies of the past 60 years are preferable to watching this thing's boring non-characters talk endlessly in conference rooms. Wake me up when it's over...

xander

I'm clearly missing something here. I watched this feckless waste of time in a crowded theater amid rabid fans and uproarious applause. I stayed composed as the stiff clumsiness of the titular monster mimicked the same directionless ambling of the script and editing. I twiddled my thumbs as audience member after audience member laid down a periodic blaze of pompous commentary. After two-hours, I slinked away, drove home, had a beer, took a shower, sat by the computer and waited for a review to pour out.

That was nearly a week ago and believe me I'm still trying to wrap my head around the supposed "return" of the classic Godzilla. Perhaps the appeal of 31st film in the Japanese franchise (and the third reboot) is strictly limited to just Japanese audiences. Those on the island nation would no doubt feel a slight chill when comparing the images of destruction with memories of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Yet any heart strings that are unceremoniously plucked for the sake of reviving a franchise, should be muted by the film's airlessness and off-putting attempt at natural horror.

The plot of Shin Godzilla might as well be copied and pasted like a macabre, disaster film mad-lib. The monster emerges from Tokyo Bay and causes incalculable destruction, meanwhile a committee of Japanese politicians, experts and military brass try to put a stop to it. Wait, did I say committee? I meant a huge helping of committees and teams, and working groups, ministries, extra- governmental bodies, national and international task-forces; pretty much any kind of personnel organizational group who dedicates part of its man-hours justifying itself. Apart from the odd snippets of monster-on-city mayhem, Shin Godzilla is basically In the Loop (2009) without the jokes or the potty-mouth.

As I am familiar with the Toho films (though not as familiar as I should be), I was somewhat prepared for some kaiju inspired silliness. To that end, Shin Godzilla does deliver adorably lo-fi set-pieces of models being toppled, crushed and otherwise destroyed. The climax of the film; a hasty, time-clocked gamble that involves cranes and trains, is enough to give casual fans a moment of glee. Then of course there's the design of Godzilla himself which properly pays homage to the original 1954 version while cleverly adding on a few adaptations.

If this film were comprised of thirty more minutes of Godzilla running around Tokyo under helicopter fire, I'd like to think we'd all get our money's worth. Unfortunately the film is stuck in the tall weeds trying to justify itself with realism in all its bureaucratic glory. Much of plot revolves around research taskforce leader Rando Yaguchi (Hasegawa) and his band of personally selected misfits and flunkies. Using a long dead professor's impenetrable research into (insert faux science here), Rando navigates through a Kafka-esque maze of red tape to get his ideas to the attention of, among other people Kayoko Patterson (Ishihara) Special Envoy to the U.S. President.

The fact that this movie colors it's conceptually silly plot with shades of Fukushima as well as the old bogey-men nuclear fallout from WWII, is just enough to put this film on notice. Yet if a worthy message alone were enough to warrant recommendation then The Purge: Election Year (2016) should be considered a contemporary classic. It's not, and neither is Shin Godzilla.

Arcanescar

Saw this movie last night and we all walked out after an hour. By far the most boring movie I've ever seen. The more appropriate title would have been Japanese Government Has Meetings In Every Room Available. The American Godzilla back a few years ago is much better than this garbage was.

There is literally 5 minutes of Godzilla scenes in total and the rest is Japanese meetings talking about Godzilla. The CGI in this is laughable as is any American dialog. You'd think that the Japanese could put out a decent Godzilla movie since they invented him but you'd be dead wrong. Avoid this movie like it's the plague and you'll thank me later.

Erthai

No wait, that's not true. Actually this is as political as it gets. I mean you get served a movie from the perspective of what it does to national security and to Politicians and diplomatic stances. Even Americans get involved (a little bit, though they seem to be fluent in Japanese too) in this to an extent.

The movie has all the mayhem you'd expect it to have. But try to remember this is meant to be a sort of Origin story from a different perspective. So let's get physical ... I mean political. Although As you can imagine there is all sorts of mayhem. And while there is CGI it still has the nostalgia to it. Also relationships may not be front and center, but you still get the nature of what people are about. So while not perfect in any sense (that goes for Godzilla/Gojira too, especially at the start), this feels like in the same vain and spirit as the ones made many decades ago ...

Vizil

This was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen. THAT was Godzilla? When he first comes on screen, you think WTF? Godzilla is clearly two men in a monster suit. I thought it was a joke at first. His face has no expression; his eyes are frozen, never to move, like a child's teddy bear, and in side shots, you can almost see one man using levers to manipulate the head while the other flips the gigantic tail around.

Another thing. By 2016, we have telescopes that can see a piece of tinfoil on the moon, yet we can't tell what's stirring up the waters in Tokyo Bay? Something so massively huge?

You know what this Godzilla looked like? It looked like those dragons the Chinese drag out every year to parade around the boisterous streets in Chinatowns everywhere during Chinese New Year. The only thing missing were the sounds of thin cymbals and cheerleaders twirling their batons around the giant beast. What a joke. I couldn't look at the whole thing; life is way too precious to spend time watching travesties like this.

MeGa_NunC

A strange-looking, oversized lizard creature (with googly eyes) emerges from the sea and lumbers into Tokyo, slowly evolving into the scaly titan we know as Godzilla. Meanwhile, the authorities try to figure out a way to stop the monster in its (extremely slow) tracks before there is nothing left of the city.

Here it is proof that it's not just the Americans who can screw up a Godzilla movie. While the special effects are pretty good, and Godzilla himself looks cool (once he has evolved), this latest home-grown adventure for the giant lizard is just as dull and talkative as Gareth Edward's 2014 snooze-fest, with important meetings for the military top-brass and politicians taking up way more screen-time than Godzilla trashing Tokyo.

Oh well, at least the majority of this one doesn't take place in the dark, which means that, when it happens, we can actually see Godzilla doing his thing, even if the action is executed in such a detached, soulless manner as to be completely devoid of excitement.

Gelgen

As a lifelong Godzilla fan I have to ask what Toho was thinking. Whatever monster is in this film, its not Godzilla. Maybe a shell of Godzilla that is a horrible burn victim that also has skipped arm day all its' life.

There are 2 important things all Godzilla films MUST have to be a good Godzilla film:

1) Show Godzilla, may seem self-explanatory but as seen in 2014's version, not all movies understand this concept. He's not Jaws, you don't need to keep an audience in suspense. Shin Godzilla shows a fair bit but it still feels like 95% of the film is talk talk talk.

2) Godzilla himself. Anyone who has seen the abomination made in 1998 understands that Godzilla really does have to look right in order for the movie to work. While Shin Godzilla isn't *quite* as bad as the '98 American version, it's not that far off either.

Mr.Savik

I am very sad today. As a lifetime Godzilla fan, I finally got to see the new Godzilla movie, "Shin Godzilla" and on the big screen here in NYC. And in my opinion, this was, without a doubt, the worst of all the Big G's movies from Japan.

I must emphasize that I know my stuff. I mean literally, I'm a lifetime fan, from Godzilla pictures on my schoolbooks in the mid-70s, to begging mom to let me stay up at night to watch the rarer Godzilla films that almost never came on television, and then only late at night.

I enjoyed the previous Godzilla film "Final Wars" very much, and could not have been more excited about seeing the new Godzilla, on a giant screen here in midtown Manhattan. it was going to be loud, huge, nasty Godzilla.

Instead, I had to do everything possible not to fall asleep.

It a nutshell, "Shin Godzilla" looks just like a Godzilla movie made by someone who has never seen a Godzilla movie. It is almost hard to believe this was even made - there is not a single shred of charm, fun, or excitement throughout the entire film.

And actually the entire movie just seems like one big, long, talky, long-winded board meeting. That's exactly what it is...for the ENTIRE movie. People at desks and at long tables, in front of laptops, in boardrooms and other rooms, just talking...talking...talking...and using their laptops they are typing...typing...typing. But mainly they are having meeting after meeting after meeting and saying absolutely nothing of any interest whatsoever.

Oh yeah, there's some Godzilla thrown in some spots of this corporate boardroom sizzle reel. He's first at a form where he's crawling on his belly, with a ridiculous face and the worst FX seen in a Godzilla film in a long time, maybe all-time. Eventually he becomes the Godzilla we (kinda) know and love (the latest look is not that great at all), and really doesn't do too much at all except, well, walk around. Heck, he even walks in between very large buildings, as opposed to knocking them all over, maybe not to make a mess of things.

And that's really it. Talking in boardrooms, with a few minutes of Godzilla not doing much tossed in here and there. It is almost unfathomable how such a cold, sterile, and flat-out dull and boring Godzilla film can be made.

On the plus side, there's some classic Godzilla music, and I will say that some distant shots of Godzilla (standing around doing nothing) in the middle of town are impressively done. Godzilla also has his roar in full effect. Plus, one Japanese girl who wants to be the President of the United States was pretty nice to look at. But that's not remotely close to keeping the viewer from fighting off an unwanted nap.

Some may say, well, this film is "serious." Well, people don't watch Godzilla films to be intellectually stimulated. They watch Godzilla films to see Godzilla smash stuff, fight monsters, destroy tanks, and to have a good time. "Serious" doesn't mean it has to be "dull" - heck, one can even say "Hedorah/Smog Monster" was serious because of the theme and the human suffering it showed - there have been other "serious" Godzilla films that were exciting and fun at the same time. "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah" of 1991 is a good example - very serious themes, but what a blast that movie was.

If anything, if you are really curious, wait until "Shin Godzilla" hits Netflix or something. Do not pay for this slop. Godzilla films, even the serious ones, are fun romps full of action, humor, and charm. This has absolutely none of any of that.

The ending is a very obvious setup for a sequel. I seriously hope they get someone who "gets it" next time.