Godzilla has been around for almost 70 years. During the 2010's, we have had two films made by Warner Bros that tie into a franchise that will lead into "Kong vs Godzilla". However, neither of the two films stand as being really good. You can get some entertainment out of them for sure and they do have a lot of production value out of them, but not only are there some critical issues, but the films never fully feel like a "Godzilla" movie. In fact, the only company that seems to know how to make a real "Godzilla" movie would be Toho themselves. "Shin Godzilla" serves as a reboot to the original series and takes on the form of a remake of the original 1954 classic. It revolves around the Japanese government encountering and dealing with this new threat formed by an evolving specimen that acts as an organic nuclear reactor. As the newly-named Godzilla starts to wreak havoc on Tokyo, government heads from both Japan and the U.S attempt to exterminate the monster, but to no avail, eventually leading for both countries to offer one last contingency plan, with Japan opting to freeze the creature, while the U.S wants to hit it and the city with a nuclear bomb. This is classic Godzilla at its finest, which means that you shouldn't expect any of the beloved monsters aside from the titular beast to show up. Not only that, but the film heavily focuses on the government response to this threat, meaning that majority of the film is spent on a somewhat realistic depiction of the government trying to deal with Godzilla, albeit with some bits of humour here and there. The structure of the film can make or break it for plenty of people, as some viewers just want to see Godzilla destroy things most of the time and not care for the human characters. Personally, I love this change of formula. While I would mainly prefer seeing more of Godzilla, it's the serious tone and handling of the characters that really work for me. The film almost feels real in a way, despite having a silly-looking monster in the forefront.
The cast of the human characters in these movies are generally known to be rather weak and forgettable, which doesn't help that said movies put a lot of focus on these characters. With the case of "Shin Godzilla" though, this is probably the best cast I've seen in a Godzilla movie and that's mainly due to how the characters don't act like characters, but like real people. I'm not going to bother talking about every individual character as the majority of them tend to not have a distinct personality, but rather a specific role in the government. The only two characters worth noting are Rando Yaguchi, the Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, and Kayoco Patterson, a Japanese-American representative for her home country. These two are technically the main characters as they do have some sense of character and personality, with Kayoco having the most development and charisma in her performance. Aside from them, the cast all do a fantastic job with the roles given. While they don't have enough time to develop unique personalities perse, they do give the viewer enough time to show that they are human. From the prime ministers, the military heads, and the research heads, the actors and actresses show a sense of both vulnerability and humanity while having a touch of humility, with the acting Prime Minister being a prime example. While the new "Godzilla" films might have more memorable characters, albeit in a limited quantity, "Shin Godzilla" thrives in the characters not being characters, but rather portrayals of real people working in the government, which is much more effective than having one or two likeable characters and killing them off.
The directors, Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, are primarly known for their works on beloved franchises in the anime community, namely "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "Attack on Titan". Although it seems strange to have men suited in anime to direct a live-action film of an entirely different property, they both manage to have it work really well. The strongest aspect of the directing would be the look of the film. It's extremely cleaned-up and polished, but not in a professional, Hollywood way. More like filming off a nice handheld camera or phone way. As the story and characters reflect a more grounded approach to the series, the look of the film should be realistic in a sense and almost like news coverage or private recordings. Tokyo has never been so grand or layered out than ever before. The directors make sure that not only are we aware of the size of the city, but how crucial the damage, radiation and density of the city is towards the citizens and the country. The make the movie feel very much like a disaster movie, as the original film intended to be. This is supported by Kosuke Yameda's cinematography, which adds some nice personality to the otherwise standard shots used throughout the film. I love the unique shots that either put you in the perspective of a citizen as you see this giant monster stomp around, the tracking shots as we follow people as they move around as if we are in a hurry, or even the fun moments that has the camera set on an office chair as workers assemble a meeting room. Yameda's cinematography really adds much needed energy, and it's helped by the editing which, while choppy at times, gives the movie a sense of flair and a bit of cheesy comedy. The score by Shiro Saguisa is really good and probably the best of the soundtracks offered by these new "Godzilla" films. Of course, you got the classic renditions of the famous themes of the franchise, but you also got unique beats and uses of various instruments and styles. I never expect to hear bongos during the attempted attack on Godzilla, but I manage to really like it. The use of music at times feels somewhat out of place, but it generally works at giving the film some sort of levity and fun for a very serious tone. The visual effects are designed to be somewhat campy in terms of quality and design. Some of the action scenes are pretty fun to watch mainly because of how funny the effects are when it comes to certain aspects, such as the train bombs and destruction. For a movie with a modest budget of fifteen million, it's acceptable for the most part. What might not be acceptable though is the design of Godzilla in general. They went with a more silly, almost derpy-looking design for the iconic monster, paying homage to the original films that use the rubber suits. However, the movie doesn't use rubber suits at all, just standard CGI. The first time you see Godzilla, he looks absolutely ridiculous as the first evolutionary state. But even when he evolves to its final form, the eyes look a bit silly for such a cool design. When they cut to Godzilla far away in the city, he looks oddly adorable in a funny way. For a movie that takes its tone and characters really serious, the design seems like a baffling decision. If they went with the superior design in the newer films, it would have been less distracting.
"Shin Godzilla" might be the best modern Godzilla film to date, if you're willing to accept some narrative and stylistic decisions. From a great depiction of how the Japanese government will respond if a creature like Godzilla existed, the tone taking itself very seriously while leaving some way for a bit of levity and humour, the acting is fantastic for filling in these government roles, Yameda's cinematography adds a lot of character and energy in a grounded-feeling movie, Saguisa's score offering both familar and charmingly unique beats to the series, the visual effects and action are well made for the limited budget and premise as well as offering some charm, and Anno and Higuchi's directing do a perfect job in making the film feel grounded in realism with the look of the film and the extensive use of the city of Tokyo. However, it's easy to see why not everyone is keen on the film. There's no extensive scenes of action or additional monsters that Godzilla fight, the pacing can be pretty meddling due to the political approach, the characters aren't written to be distinct or attachable, and the design of Godzilla himself isn't really cool, but silly. Regardless, if you don't mind these sacrifices, you are rewarded with a surprisingly great film that's unlike the usual Godzilla flair.
Verdict: 8/10. Great, but not designed for everyone. At the very least, it's far better than the newer Godzilla films when it comes to quality.
No comments:
Post a Comment