Disaster strikes. Carnage thunders through the streets. Everything threatens to devolve into anarchy, while those in charge and tasked with trying to understand the situation spend their time talking about the problem. Such is life, both in general, and in the 29th instalment of Japan’s 62-year-old creature feature franchise (and 31st film featuring Godzilla, if the 1998 and 2014 American efforts are included). Shin Godzilla (Shin Gojira) repeats its scenario several times over, just as it follows in the footsteps of similar predecessors that do the same. In the process, however, it reflects the clash of chaos and chatter, and of emotional and procedural reactions, that comes in troubled times of the modern kind — as heightened by the sudden precedence of a giant unidentified life form, of course.
After an unexpected seismic sea event is traced back to something other than volcanic activity, the hulking figure is first spotted in the Bay of Tokyo in the latest take on the iconic film series. It’s destined for more than its watery breeding ground, though, swiftly sprouting legs, taking to the shore, and showing that it’s capable of not only causing destruction, but evolving before the watching public’s very eyes. Cue more discussion as a team of officials led by uncertain Prime Minister Seiji Okochi (Ren Ohsugi, Bitter Honey) strategise, while others attempt to discover the monster’s true nature and weaknesses. Representing the US, liaison Kayoko Ann Patterson (Satomi Ishihara, Attack on Titan: The Movie) appears to lend a hand, as well as furthering other motives.
So it is that the kaiju towering above remains a walking catastrophe, and the people left scrambling below endeavour to find a way forward. So it is, also, that Neon Genesis Evangelion creator turned Shin Godzilla writer/director Hideaki Anno and his franchise veteran co-helmer Shinji Higulchi distill their film down to the essentials, though without simplifying the story, creature or message, or avoiding complications in each. Indeed, there’s no shortage of complexity in the movie that results, but it’s accompanied by a strong sense of purpose rather than the pursuit of errant entertainment. The filmmaker duo want to unravel the eye-catching sights of a massive beast walking out of the ocean, onto land, and through a populated city; explore the minutiae of the behind-the-scenes decision-making in a testament to Japan’s ability to cope with and move on from trauma; nod to past on-screen glories while paving a new path forward for future chapters; stay true to its atomic commentary, albeit updated; and immerse viewers in a combination of thrills, thoughtfulness, spectacle, sentiment and nostalgia, all at once. Thankfully, they achieve their many feats.
And, as Guillermo del Toro also managed in his comparable Pacific Rim, Anno and Higuchi ensure that each aspect of the film engages — so much so that a feature that only succeeded in a couple of areas would’ve still mostly hit the mark. As the talk and tactics illustrate, Shin Godzilla is more than just a monster movie, but it’s also a very effective monster movie whenever the titular force is on display. The film is cognisant of its classic roots from the moment the Toho logo appears before the feature, and even more so whenever Godzilla is sighted or opens its mouth, or when Shiro Sagisu’s (Berserk: The Golden Age) retro score kicks in. With cinematographer Kosuke Yamada (The Chart of Love) behind the lens, the end product is a effort set in contemporary times that looks, feels and sounds like a genuine, authentic continuation of all that’s come before. That it remains organic while telling a tale of a creature fused to life by the fallout of man-made weaponry won’t be lost on the audience.
Yamada spies the scaly, glowing, gilled Godzilla from the requisite vantages: from above and afar, to stress its size in contrast to mankind beneath its feet, as well as the extent of its impact; from below and up close, to emphasise its fearsome state as viewed by those suffering its wrath. Both not only prompt dropped jaws, but also demonstrate the scale the movie is insistent upon working with. For all the actors that pop up, energetic, worried with chatter, and hardly making a splash with their performances, Shin Godzilla doesn’t pit any one individual against the frightening foe, but instead watches as the beast wages war against humanity as a group. It’s the latter’s actions that give rise to the former, as the best in the franchise have always established, this reboot included.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Shin Godzilla (Shin Gojira)
Directors: Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi
Japan, 2016, 120 mins
Release date: October 13
Distributor: Madman
Rated: M
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