Shin Godzilla (2016): Review

Written by,
Sean Wall

The King has returned to the big screen. When you hear that famous roar that shatters the ears of humans and buildings surrounding the area be aware of the consequences that may follow. After 12 years of taking a break from the franchise, Toho has returned to make his own Godzilla movie. Toho would have been over in the United States assisting with the American remake of ‘Godzilla‘ back in 2014. Directed by Hideaki Anno (Evangelion) and Shinji Higuchi (Attack on Titan) from a script by Anno, the 29th film in the Toho franchise returns to its creature horror roots while adding new wrinkles to the beloved monster and offering a strong critique of a bureaucratic government.

Toho would take the direction opposite of what was approached by its American counterpart focusing more on Godzilla and a little less on the human plot. However, you still see how Yaguchi and the Japanese government’s attempts to drive back the monster are incredibly executed. It’s literally a war waged between the government’s inexperience to deal with the kaiju that makes the movie-goer invested in whether it will be defeated.

As a full reboot of the series, Kanno and Higuchi feature the legendary creature like a wandering lost soul or in other words a zombie with no apparent purpose. With dead eyes and its scarred skin, it brings an unnerving feeling. Unlike the other incarnations of Godzilla is by far the scariest one. From the insane and wacky CGI to the rapid cuts that feels like a movie from the 70s giving you the sense that Toho isn’t just making a movie, he’s creating a masterpiece.

There was no second guessing that the return of Godzilla in Japanese theaters would NOT be a hit. It has already become the highest-grossing domestic production of 2016. It’s nostalgic for those who either grew up or cherished the franchise seeing the return of Godzilla being this ugly and villainous monster like he was in 1954. ‘Shin Godzilla‘ plays on real life events like it did during ’54, which was after America dropped the Atomic Bomb on Japan. In this film, the inspiration is driven by Fukushima Daiichi and recent Japanese natural disasters. ‘Shin Godzilla‘ gives you a sense of an apocalyptic ending with his appearance but the legend is something we all love despite the CGI being a bit silly. It’s encouraged to go see ‘Shin Godzilla‘ who knows when you will see it again as this is one of the longest-running franchises in film history.

‘Shin Godzilla‘ is in theaters for a limited time!

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