Del and Mladen review ‘Shin Godzilla’
Image courtesy of Toho Studios.
“Shin Godzilla” Starring Hiroki Hasegawa, Satomi Ishihara, Satomi Ishihara, Ren Ôsugi and others. Directed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno. Two hours. Rated PG-13. Theatrical release.
Plot summary: Radioactive waste dumped in the ocean leads to the creation of the god-like kaiju Godzilla, who crashes ashore in Tokyo and threatens to destroy mankind. Japanese bureaucrats must overcome their own inertia and world opinion to deal with the threat.
Spoilers: This movie was released in 2016. The plot is already known.
Del’s take
I’m a casual fan of Godzilla, the lizard with a thyroid problem. Mladen is an obsessed super-fan. He will perceive anything I say about this film that suggests it was less than perfect as a personal insult, so I’m treading carefully, unlike Godzilla, who stomps through Tokyo knocking down buildings, crushing trains and torching the rubble with his radioactive oral and dorsal scute rays. And you thought iguanas falling out of trees was a big deal.
“Shin Godzilla” was originally released in 2016, before its much better successor “Godzilla Minus One,” but it has been revived in a 4K re-release showing in theaters across North America. It was at one such showing, at the AMC theater in Destin Commons, that Mladen, Dusty and I renewed our acquaintance with the leviathanic reptile. Is “leviathanic” a word? If not, I’m making it a word.
In Japanese, “Shin Godzilla” means “New Godzilla” or “True Godzilla,” but it can also mean “God” as in the giant, city-destroying lizard has become an actual deity, in this case a very pissed-off deity. No wonder those deep South charismatic churches molest snakes – Godzilla is extremophile Pentecostal.
But seriously. To my knowledge Godzilla has always operated as a symbol for the dangers of nuclear energy. But in “Shin Godzilla” I see refrains of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that led to the disaster at the Fukushima reactor complex. It reminds me of “The Days,” a Netflix miniseries about the response to Fukushima.
And therein lies the problem: Just as the monster continuously evolves in “Shin Godzilla,” so does the message, away from the original and simple metaphor for atomic bomb = bad to a whole lot of other crap that frankly, I thought was boring. In “Shin Godzilla” the subtext is not just about earthquakes and tsunamis but the manmade disasters of paralyzing bureaucracy, political ass-covering and ambition fueled by hubris – with a bit of nationalistic grousing thrown in for good measure.
The movie focuses less on monster mayhem than endless meetings where bureaucrats debate the positives and negatives of every action. They seem reluctant to make decisions, not because it’s the right or wrong thing to do – they’re more concerned about the political ramifications and what the world might think, particularly the United States, which in “Shin Godzilla” exists as a quixotic and unpredictable drunk uncle. When the Japanese government finally takes action, Godzilla evolves to present new problems. The final scene of the movie hints at one of those new problems.
There’s way, way, waaaay too much talking, and as Dusty pointed out afterwards, all that talk meant reading lots and lots of subtitles, which at times distracted from the action on the screen. I had the same problem. I use subtitles on all my movies so I’m a fast and experienced reader, but at times “Shin Godzilla” overwhelmed my ability to keep up.
Having seen “Godzilla Minus One” before “Shin Godzilla” I can’t help but make comparisons. “Godzilla Minus One” was a more personal and relatable story, and it was told in a way that made me care about the people and events. “Shin Godzilla” tried to be “All the President’s Men” and I didn’t care. We know bureaucracy is bad. We know ass-covering is bad. Do we really need a movie about that? I’d rather see the monster kicking over skyscrapers.
Both movies provide dazzling special effects although again, I’d give the nod to “Godzilla Minus One,” along with kudos for its score. Mladen rhapsodized about the score for “Shin Godzilla” but to me it was nothing special, though I do appreciate the nods to the traditional Godzilla score.
Overall “Godzilla Minus One” leaves more of an impression than “Shin Godzilla” and in that context the former is a better story than the latter. The problem with “Shin Godzilla” is its focus on bureaucratic inertia kills the narrative drive. The movie is like a car that starts, runs for a minute and then conks out for 10 minutes before starting again. I found the meeting segments to be boring and even irritating because not even the most loathsome career apparatchik would stop to debate how a natural disaster might affect his personal fortunes as the carnage is swirling around him.
In my review of “Godzilla Minus One” I gave the movie a grade of A-. I’ll stand by that. It’s not a perfect movie but it’s pretty damn good. “Shin Godzilla” gets a B-. Special effects are decent and bully to the writers for trying to make the story more provocative. But their focus on demonizing bureaucracy and politics gets in the way of telling what could be a fun story. The movie is its own kind of bureaucracy.
And now I remand custody of this review to Mladen, who can’t be blamed for what he’s about to say. They make pills to fix that, but you know how it is trying to get crusty old farts to take their pills.
Mladen’s take
Reckon calling Del a blasphemer, heretic, scoundrel, and blackguard is now impossible. I expected his “Shin Godzilla” review to be anti-kaiju, anti-Godzilla fanboy, and anti‑Mladen. Instead, Del compliments me by labeling me an “obsessed super-fan” and then provides our dear readers a lackadaisical, oh-so-moderate, and incorrect take on one of the 10 best films ever made.
To Del and the rest of America, the poser president is using bureaucracy to cripple, if not annihilate, our democracy. Never underestimate the power that Big Government institutions have to misshape our lives. The way the Japanese federal government is portrayed in “Shin Godzilla” is plausible. That plausibility adds an astonishing bit of realism to an otherwise absurd premise: a 300-meter-tall animal capable of directed, real‑time mutation to protect its life emerges from the sea to trample a city. What a glorious trampling it is.
In “Shin Godzilla,” the government and its enablers, the civilian and military bureaucracies, treat the monster as a natural disaster. Godzilla is a flesh and blood typhoon or earthquake and, like a typhoon or earthquake, it shows no animosity toward humans. People and their structures are just in the way of a phenomenon generated by the environment. Had the humans left the creature alone, it would’ve caused less damage than the decision by a different bureaucracy to Iran-nuclear-site the beast. “Iran-nuclear‑site the beast?” you ask. See the movie and you’ll know what I mean. You will be enraptured. The scene is one of the greatest 30 seconds of action of all time in any movie anywhere to infinity. Dang, that last sentence must’ve been my obsessed super‑fan side erupting.
Yes, “Shin Godzilla” has an itsy-bitsy flaw or two.
Dusty via Del noted one of them. The movie is in Japanese with no English dubbing. You must read the captions and, sometimes, the captions get lost amid the pictures on the screen.
The other problem, and it’s significant, is the film’s soundscape. For some reason, I imagine it was to save money, the film is recorded in a mere three channels or some such defect. All the gunfire, exploding trains, toppling buildings, and Godzilla’s radiation ray blasts come at you from the front. There’s no sound moving left to right, right to left, back to front, or front to back. Most tragic of all? No booming near-infrasound to jostle my guts. Just can’t figure out the crappy sound recording, though I have no choice but to forgive Toho Studios.
The lack of vibrant, vivid, and vivacious noise amid all the chaos of a metropolis taking it on the chin is somewhat offset by the “Shin Godzilla” soundtrack. It pays due respect to Akira Ifukube’s masterful compositions for the original 1954 “Godzilla.” That’s vital because “new” Godzilla is a very effective re-imagination of the “Gojira” of old.
“Shin Godzilla” is an A. Man, I hope I’m alive to see the sequel and it better damn well be recorded in Dolby Atmos (or its successor). Godzilla deserves nothing but the best.
Mladen Rudman is a former journalist and technical writer. Del Stone Jr. is a former journalist and writer.
Image courtesy of Toho Studios.
Starring Minami Hamabe as Noriko Oishi; Ryunosuke Kamiki as whiny Koichi Shikishima; Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ota; Kuranosuke Sasaki as Quint, ah, Yoji Akitsu; Munetaka Aoki as Sosaku Tachibana; Hidetaka Yoshioka as Hooper, ah, Kenji Noda; and a toddler who cried as needed, among others. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Rated PG-13. Two hours, 4 minutes in length. Theatrical release.
Mladen’s take
“Godzilla Minus One” ain’t no “Shin Godzilla” but it’ll do. My concern is that Toho Studio’s new filmmaking philosophy is to render Godzilla movies more people-centric, rather than monster-focused, to draw more theatergoers and yen. How do I know? Because “Godzilla Minus One,” which is a crappy title for the movie, by the way, has trounced all of its other Godzilla releases at the Japanese and global box offices.
I concede that I almost fell into Toho’s people matter trap, which Del, no doubt, willingly threw himself into. Hamabe’s Noriko and Ando’s Sumiko are terrific in the film and, well, stunning, as in pretty as heck. Their presence almost offset our hero’s whimpering demeanor. All I could think about when Kamiki’s PTSD-ed former Zero fighter pilot Shikishima was on the screen was how much he reminded me of self-loathing, angst-ridden, crybaby Shinji in the “Evangelion” franchise.
“G -1.0” is a reboot of the reboot (“Shin Godzilla,” 2016) of 1954’s “Gojira.” Where “Shin Godzilla” was an innovative and imaginative rework of the heralded kaiju, “G -1.0” is a true-blue re-tell of “Gojira” down to scenes like the attack on a commuter train and a structure used by radio reporters describing Godzilla’s rampage toppling. Oh, the film’s ending is wanky, albeit intriguing.
Am I a disappointed Godzilla fanboy? No. “G -1.0” is a very good movie. When the monster appears, the action is fabulous, though derivative. Shades of “Jaws” and even the MonsterVerse’s “Godzilla vs Kong” flow through “G -1.0.” But, oh, boy, the battle between the newest Godzilla and former Imperial Japanese Navy heavy cruiser Takao is something to behold. The ship’s fate is a combination of HMS Hood, USS Arizona, and IJN aircraft carrier Akagi exploding. That scene, when I play it again and again on my home theater using a 4K disc, will be so loud that my neighbor’s will call the PD to file noise complaints. Just you wait.
Most importantly, “G -1.0” pays tribute to Akira Ifukube’s iconic Gojira score, as well as director Ishiro Honda’s vision of the monster. Hell, Tokyo’s Shinagawa ward is featured but, regrettably, there’s nary a Serizawa in the film. Still, there’s no question that you’re watching the real Godzilla, Toho’s Godzilla, rather than the non-real Godzilla, which is now that rambunctious, no-charisma, no-lineage creature of the MonsterVerse.
Yeah, go see “Godzilla Minus One” at the theater. Make sure it’s a Dolby or IMAX venue because this movie demands a sound system like no other. You Godzilla amateurs will love the people story in the film and you fanboys will get just enough G to look forward to Toho’s next release. My hope for, I don’t know, “Godzilla Plus One,” is that Toho mimics a sci-fi kaiju movie that takes its cue from Jordan Peele’s “Nope,” also somewhat of a dumb name for a film. “Nope” achieved a right smart balance between captivating humans and a fresh, big-ass monster. But it can’t be interpreted as a movie about people with the kaiju playing a supporting role.
Del’s take
“Godzilla Minus One” isn’t your grandfather’s Godzilla.
Critics and moviegoers are raving about Toho Studio’s latest iteration of the iconic lizard. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 4.8 out of 5 rating, Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com calls it a “well-calibrated popcorn movie,” and The Guardian says it’s one of the very best of the Godzilla series, giving it 5 out of 6 stars.
High praise indeed. So why was I so bored?
Which isn’t to say “Godzilla Minus One” is a crappy movie. It’s quite good, and Mladen, proving once again that even a blind squirrel can sometimes find a nut, rightly encourages moviegoers to see it in a theater, preferably an IMAX, to make better use of its sprawling 2.39: 1 aspect ratio. Oh, and don’t forget the Dolby surround sound.
And kudos to Toho Studios for trying to address the human quotient in its Godzilla equation, which in the past was relegated to comical stereotypes that served no purpose than to lecture the audience about whatever denunciation-worthy subject was trending at the time of filming. Don’t listen to Mladen’s crabbing about people-centric vs. monster-focused – he was long ago absorbed by an alien pod and no longer possesses human emotions.
Sure, the movie’s about a giant monster that flattens part of Tokyo. But it’s about a lot of other things, too – for instance, national identity, and the role of bushido, the honor code, in postwar Japan. The movie’s protagonist, Koichi Shikishima (played by Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a World War II kamikaze pilot who chickened out, which makes him a disgrace to himself and a traitor to his people. He lands his plane on Odo Island, where he’s exposed as a coward by members of the garrison stationed there. Later, he fails to act in a crisis and several men are killed, and his status as coward is cemented. He spends the rest of the movie trying to atone for that sin.
“Godzilla Minus One” is surprisingly candid in addressing issues of postwar sentiment in Japan vs. prewar militancy and honor, which steered me away from my traditional interpretation of Godzilla as a metaphor for the hubris of science, specifically the development of the atomic bomb. It occurred to me (maybe wrongly) that the monster could be a symbol of the United States itself, a behemoth that descends on a moral, honorable Japan and wreaks destruction without regard to who or what was deserving of such treatment.
But the movie has its problems. The first act is excruciatingly slowed by character development – not even interesting character development. I found myself propping my head on my hand, awaiting the arrival of monster mayhem. And it may be a backhanded compliment to suggest “Godzilla Minus One” is the least ridiculous of the Godzilla films but still has its moments. For instance, when the movie tries to explain the absence of America in the fight against Godzilla, it suggests the United States is fearful of a Soviet response. Apparently the scriptwriters never heard of Korea or Vietnam.
The Godzilla in this movie is an angry, muscular Godzilla, shrugging off the slow evolution that has taken place since 1954 when the monster first appeared as a symbol of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to more recent times as Godzilla became a kind of benevolent protector from kaiju thuggery. FX are top-notch and the destruction is worthy of a Roland Emmerich film. I loved Godzilla’s radioactive breath, which set off spectacular, nuclear-like explosions. Very cool!
Also, I was impressed with Naoki Sato’s score, a perfectly calibrated synthesis of wonder and horror as the monster wreaks havoc on Tokyo’s Ginza. Yet it made room for elements of Akira Ifukube’s original “Gojira” theme, offered as a deserved homage.
Overall I’d give “Godzilla Minus One” a grade of A-. It’s an attempt to modernize the monster mythos while honoring its roots. Apart from a slow first act and a few sillies thrown in – what would a Godzilla movie be without a few sillies – it’s a good monster movie.
Mladen Rudman is a former journalist and technical writer. Del Stone Jr. is a former journalist and writer.
Image courtesy of Universal Pictures.
“Pacific Rim: Uprising” Starring John Boyega, Scott Eastwood and Cailee Spaeny. Directed by Steven S. DeKnight. 111 minutes. Rated PG-13.
Del’s take
I had great hopes for the original “Pacific Rim” and came away greatly disappointed, so my expectations of “Pacific Rim: Uprising” were minimal. But what the hell. It was a rainy Sunday afternoon and while I had a crap-ton of stuff that needed doing, I didn’t feel like doing any of it. “Uprising” it was.
And hey, guess what? It didn’t suck as bad as I thought it would. Let’s face it: You don’t go to a “Transformers” or “Pacific Rim” movie for the social commentary or existential angst. You go to see giant monsters and robots beat the shit out of each other, destroying cities in the process. In that meager capacity “Uprising” did not disappoint.
The movie stars John Boyega as Jake Pentecost, son of Idris Elba’s Stacker Pentecost from the original movie. Stacker was the marshal of the Jaeger corps, giant robots built to defend humanity from the Kaiju, equally giant monsters from another dimension that entered this world through a breach in the Pacific Ocean floor. Stacker is revered for his role in sealing the breach and saving the world.
Jake, once a promising Jaeger pilot himself, has given up his career to become a petty criminal. During a theft gone wrong he meets young Amara Namani (Spaeny), who has built her own Jaeger called Scrapper. Because it is against the law to own unregistered Jaegers, Amara and Jake are hauled in by the authorities. Instead of being jailed they’re sent to the Jaeger corps, where Jake is to resume his old job and Amara becomes a cadet.
The Shao Corporation has a plan to replace Jaegers with huge, robotic drones, and I won’t say any more about that because it would spoil the movie for you. Suffice it to say “Uprising” becomes more action-oriented with the second act and continues through the third.
John Boyega does a good job with his role and shows he can act outside of “Star Wars.” He manages to bring a little more oomph to his role, which is saddled with clichés. I last saw Scott Eastwood in “The Fate of the Furious” and he was about as wooden as a ventriloquist’s dummy. His acting has improved and at times he seems almost human, so there’s hope. Spaeny is a natural for the screen. I think we’ll be seeing a lot of her in the future.
I think this movie was better written than the original. The dialogue was an improvement. It didn’t strike me as silly and fanboyish as del Torro’s script.
The flaws? I’m sure there were plenty. The premise itself is the biggest flaw of all. But I turned off that part of my brain before I walked into the theater. Again, you don’t watch a “Transformers” or “Pacific Rim” to appreciate the logic or scientific accuracy. The movie panders to a Chinese audience so if you have a problem with that, be prepared.
“Uprising” sets up a sequel, and I initially thought that wouldn’t happen until I checked the overseas grosses. Domestically it has earned just south of $60 million, with a budget of $150 million. But worldwide? A whopping $275 million for a $333 million cume, so I guess we can expect a “Pacific Rim: Domination.” Way to go, Chinese audience.
Don’t get me wrong: “Uprising” is an entertaining and even fun movie if your expectations aren’t too high. But don’t expect much in the way of depth.
I give it a B-.
Del Stone Jr. is a former journalist and author.