Toho has announced a July 29 opening date of the first Japanese Godzilla film in 12 years with the release of a poster and brief teaser for “Godzilla: Resurgence.”
While the 30-second promo doesn’t reveal the King of the Monsters, its shaky camera footage captures plenty of terror as panicked residents flee screaming. The images are punctuated by the sounds Godzilla’s signature roar and earth-shaking footsteps.
Co-directed by Hideaki Anno (“Neon Genesis Evangelion”) and Shinji Higuchi (“Attack on Titan”), “Godzilla: Resurgence” is expected to feature the tallest Godzilla yet, towering over the 108-meter creature depicted in Gareth Edwards’ 2014 U.S. film.
Toho has produced 28 Godzilla movies since 1954, with the previous release, 2004’s “Godzilla: Final Wars,” grossing just $12 million.
Hopefully not all (or ANY!) 'found footage' or 'shaky cam' stuff - but anyway, really looking forward to this one!
His new teeth don't work for me. I'm also sad for the lack of suitmation. Final Wars was one of my favorites, and it sounds like Toho wants to distance Godzilla away from it.
I wonder if they learned the wrong lessons from Godzilla 2015's success.
BobtheInquisitor wrote: Final Wars was one of my favorites, and it sounds like Toho wants to distance Godzilla away from it.
Final Wars wasn't very good. Just a rehashed and much worse version of Destroy All Monsters (itself, not exactly spectacular).
That said, I would hope Toho is smart enough to know that even as bad as Final Wars was, it probably would have done better if it hadn't opened the same weekend as Howl's Moving Castle.
I don't know, man. I'm in my 30's and have been a Godzilla fan since my childhood, but why does he have to be even larger than the recent US film (where he was already ludicrously large, although awesome at the same time), and why does his mouth go back to his ears?
Seriously, he's got a mouth like a Silent Hill demon. His teeth go all the way back under the script on the poster. Kaiju Pacman, I say.
While Hollywood has done a number on Godzilla in the past (although I liked the last one) let’s be honest here; Toho has dished up some lemons as well.
And not just the campy 60-70s ones.
Human drama is a key part of the movies. Godzilla is a force of nature, like a disaster movie. Seeing a tidal wave wipe New York off the map, or watching California fall into the sea are a big part of the genre, but the meat of those films is seeing how people cope. Same with monster movies; even the original Godzilla.
The key is finding the right balance. A little of the guy in the rubber suit rampaging, and then some of the little people trying to avoid getting stepped on.
More lessons from Final Wars:
No freaking baby Godzilla.
No Matrix rip offs
Make fight scenes longer than ten seconds
Dont have a schizophrenic tone where its grimn one scene and slapstick the next.
Automatically Appended Next Post: Big G certainly looks pretty rough. Loved the score, and lining up all the vehicles to take him on. This is definitely going to be a good one.
MWHistorian wrote: More lessons from Final Wars:
No freaking baby Godzilla.
No Matrix rip offs
Make fight scenes longer than ten seconds
Dont have a schizophrenic tone where its grimn one scene and slapstick the next.
Hey, Final Wars was great!
Also, sometimes a fight is only worth a few seconds.
Sinful Hero wrote: I still can't tell if Big G has battle damage, or if the red streaks are some sort of corruption in his skin.
It looks too regular to be damage.
Big G get some ink?
It might be there to simulate the radioactivity Godzilla is said to emit in some past films. They may have just decided to pursue that angle with the reboot visuals.
It might be there to simulate the radioactivity Godzilla is said to emit in some past films. They may have just decided to pursue that angle with the reboot visuals.
Or it could be there to mark him as a clone, mirror universe duplicate, demon possessed, or any of a dozen other, more exotic things.
Then again, he might be on drugs, hyper charged, poisoned, diseased, super radioactive, nega-charged, or something else!
Ok, I can get passed the really long tail, but the arms could use some improvements, IMO. Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly watch it if they don't change his look, but I'd just like to have his arms be slightly... usable?
Also, I think he's red for radiation marks, and it also makes him seem more sinister. Of course, it could be for any reason, like you pointed out Nevelon, but radiation makes the most sense to me.
2BlackJack1 wrote: Ok, I can get passed the really long tail, but the arms could use some improvements, IMO. Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly watch it if they don't change his look, but I'd just like to have his arms be slightly... usable?
Also, I think he's red for radiation marks, and it also makes him seem more sinister. Of course, it could be for any reason, like you pointed out Nevelon, but radiation makes the most sense to me.
The arms could be a retread of the Godzillasaurus/"Godzilla is a mutated dinosaur" shtick.
Yeah, this Godzilla doesn't look good to me eyes too beady, T-rex arms and tail way too long, the 2014 one look better and the other Toho ones as well.
I ... uh ... I am honestly shocked by how much I liked that trailer! I was prepared to hate this movie - and yes some of the human drama aspects look cheesy in the wrong way - but it feels right overall. It really feels like the '54 film, without forgetting or hiding from the series's wider legacy. I am actually really excited now.
Nevelon wrote: Human drama is a key part of the movies. Godzilla is a force of nature, like a disaster movie. Seeing a tidal wave wipe New York off the map, or watching California fall into the sea are a big part of the genre, but the meat of those films is seeing how people cope. Same with monster movies; even the original Godzilla.
Agreed.
And Cranston deserved to be put down after that performance.
Nevelon wrote: Human drama is a key part of the movies. Godzilla is a force of nature, like a disaster movie. Seeing a tidal wave wipe New York off the map, or watching California fall into the sea are a big part of the genre, but the meat of those films is seeing how people cope. Same with monster movies; even the original Godzilla.
Agreed.
And Cranston deserved to be put down after that performance.
Really? I must be miss-remembering. Of course, I enjoy just about anything he's done.
I liked the recent movie (and like Final Wars). I'm interested in this one, but after that trailer think it may be a Blu-Ray movie instead of paying to see it in the Imax like I did the last one.
A couple of days ago BOC's 'Godzilla' played on the radio while I was driving, made me realize it was probably time for a new Godzilla flick.
Cranston did great in the 2014 film. One of the chief sins of that movie was him dying so early in, leaving us to experience the balance of the story through his boring GI Joe of a son.
Human drama is indeed a basic element of G-films but, going back to the '54, the crucial factor is showing how the human drama is a microcosm of larger themes, which are writ large in Godzilla himself as he rampages. In the original, Godzilla is not just a force of nature battering Japan - it is the angry and suffering soul of Japan, atomically broken by unconditional surrender. Dr Serizawa was also a stand-in for Japan, a dark but romanticized figure. The film is not just some kind of romp but a eulogy and even a kind of transformative propitiatory sacrifice - morphing Japan's war guilt and shame in surrender into a national wisdom of pacificism. The reason why the series has survived 60 years is because the power of these connections comes through, even in the trashy American recut, and even through so many less serious - or in the case of the 2014 Legendary film, faux-serious - subsequent pictures.
And, much like everyone else, I don't like the Roland Emmerich version, at all. It was an OK 'monster movie', but not a Godzilla one!
I loved the 98(?) version of godzilla. its so fun to watch and I love the design of the monster. Slick, fast, cool.
Of course you did...
hotsauceman1 wrote: Why are they doing the rubber suit still?
I mean, I support practical effects, but he looks silly.
Cmon japan. godzilla doesnt look terryfying.
hotsauceman1 wrote: Why are they doing the rubber suit still?
I mean, I support practical effects, but he looks silly.
Cmon japan. godzilla doesnt look terryfying.
The practical effects give him a sense of presence that CGI hasn't yet mastered. A suit stomping on miniature houses looks much more "real", because you actually have something stepping on houses.
I my opinion, he looks fairly scary with the snaggle teeth, skeletal hands, and red wounds all over. But to call it silly seems hypocritical- it's a giant radioactive lizard stomping through cities. The basic concept itself is a bit unrealistic.
Nomeny wrote: The Godzilla in this movie looks like a radioactive zombie version of Godzilla. Possibly intentional?
Yes, I think it's entirely intentional that this Godzilla is supposed to look deformed and disturbing. Godzilla wasn't exactly a heroic character in the original. It'll be interesting to see how this has ended up.
hotsauceman1 wrote: Why are they doing the rubber suit still?
I mean, I support practical effects, but he looks silly.
Cmon japan. godzilla doesnt look terryfying.
The practical effects give him a sense of presence that CGI hasn't yet mastered. A suit stomping on miniature houses looks much more "real", because you actually have something stepping on houses.
I my opinion, he looks fairly scary with the snaggle teeth, skeletal hands, and red wounds all over. But to call it silly seems hypocritical- it's a giant radioactive lizard stomping through cities. The basic concept itself is a bit unrealistic.
I have to disagree. Im not saying use CGI, im saying use more.....practical practical effects. like maybe puppets touched up by cgi?
the pure suit doesnt make me think he is a monster, but an obvious guy in a suit.
I do like the teeth, the body shape, the face, everything but all the weird glowing wounds. The human drama, at least for me, was never the important part of Godzilla movies. I always enjoy them for the spectacle, for the visuals.
Rosebuddy wrote: Godzilla wasn't exactly a heroic character in the original.
Ehhhhhh ...
Godzilla first appears as an ominous mystery - then he is a terrifying disaster - but by the end, when Serizawa unleashes the Oxygen Destroyer, the audience feels empathy, sorrow, and regret. The reason is - Godzilla is a character with whom we can identify. Godzilla is indeed a "him" and not an "it." Godzilla is not an impersonal force. The reason a slick, fast "Godzilla" does not work is because the identifiable part of the character is so beautifully expressed by the actor's struggle to work the costume. The way Godzilla moves, you can feel how heavy he is and how hard it is for him to even move around. In the original, Godzilla is pretty constantly in pain. Everywhere he goes, everything is in his way. He's crashing through high tension wires, he wading through buildings, he's getting shot by tanks and planes - all this stuff hurts. It's somewhere between debilitating pain and mere irritation. In other words, it feels like life - yes, even everyday life. How many times have you just wanted to roar and lash out? Godzilla's rampages are vicariously cathartic.
Ouze wrote: The human drama, at least for me, was never the important part of Godzilla movies.
Have you seen the original cut of the first movie? As for the others, yes it is harder to care about the humans ...
Rosebuddy wrote: Godzilla wasn't exactly a heroic character in the original.
Ehhhhhh ...
Godzilla first appears as an ominous mystery - then he is a terrifying disaster - but by the end, when Serizawa unleashes the Oxygen Destroyer, the audience feels empathy, sorrow, and regret. The reason is - Godzilla is a character is that we can identify. Godzilla is indeed a "him" and not an "it." Godzilla is not an impersonal force. The reason a slick, fast "Godzilla" does not work is because the identifiable part of the character is so beautifully expressed by the actor's struggle to work the costume. The way Godzilla moves, you can feel how heavy he is and how hard it is for him to even move around. In the original, Godzilla is pretty constantly in pain. Everywhere he goes, everything is in his way. He's crashing through high tension wires, he wading through buildings, he's getting shot by tanks and planes - all this stuff hurts. It's somewhere between debilitating pain and mere irritation. In other words, it feels like life - yes, even everyday life. How many times have you just wanted to roar and lash out? Godzilla's rampages are vicariously cathartic.
Exalted!
Well put indeed, and a very interesting viewpoint...I love it!
That trailer made the human drama look like a standard day-to-day life as a cubicle worker. Meeting, after meeting, after meeting with guys in suits and guys in work uniforms.
Then, Godzilla shows up and memos need to be written! PowerPoints reviewed! Minutes kept! Only this time, this meeting is for real!
hotsauceman1 wrote: Why are they doing the rubber suit still?
I mean, I support practical effects, but he looks silly.
Cmon japan. godzilla doesnt look terryfying.
I still can't make my mind up on this. His design is awesome but something about the effects just seems... odd. I can't say why it is but I wanted something more like the Hesei era.
Considering the rumour that Godzilla will have multiple forms in this movie, perhaps the designs will be a sort of "tour" of the series, in terms of style, starting with this one, which very effectively harkens back to 1954.
Manchu wrote: Considering the rumour that Godzilla will have multiple forms in this movie, perhaps the designs will be a sort of "tour" of the series, in terms of style, starting with this one, which very effectively harkens back to 1954.
That's a good point!
I too hope we end up closer to a Heisei Era 'final form' though!
Manchu wrote: Considering the rumour that Godzilla will have multiple forms in this movie, perhaps the designs will be a sort of "tour" of the series, in terms of style, starting with this one, which very effectively harkens back to 1954.
Easy E wrote: That trailer made the human drama look like a standard day-to-day life as a cubicle worker. Meeting, after meeting, after meeting with guys in suits and guys in work uniforms.
Then, Godzilla shows up and memos need to be written! PowerPoints reviewed! Minutes kept! Only this time, this meeting is for real!
That could be a good film, though. A hyper-dry approach to something as fanciful as a giant monster would be refreshing. It would also fit in with Godzilla being a symbol of the unstoppable and the inevitable, too. Instead of the dangers of nuclear technology he is death and the material universe itself, in the face of which the arbitrary and wasteful hierarchy we have built is truly revealed as worthless and inhumane. It is, in fact, the true monster because it's something we have chosen and have the power to change but do not.
The trailer is a little mixed on that front. There are some pretty soupy drama shots - and then there are some "no makeup" type shots, too. Maybe this is the "look" of contemporary Japanese cinema? Anyone seen the live action Attack on Titan?
Manchu wrote: Anyone seen the live action Attack on Titan?
Yes, but I'm probably the last person who should be weighing in. I'd never seen the anime, and had zero idea what the background was - I just saw it pop up as available, thought "oh, people at work were talking about this", and grabbed it.
Manchu wrote: Considering the rumour that Godzilla will have multiple forms in this movie, perhaps the designs will be a sort of "tour" of the series, in terms of style, starting with this one, which very effectively harkens back to 1954.
That's a good point!
I too hope we end up closer to a Heisei Era 'final form' though!
Other than the 2014 American version and original 1954 version, the Heisei Era Godzilla is my favorite, followed closely by the Millennium Era Godzilla.
This new incarnation reminds me of Burning Godzilla with glowing spots of radiation, just not to the extreme of Burning Godzilla.
Yeah, he does remind me of radioactive Godzilla.....
I just can't get over those arms, what if he falls over how does he get up? Is the final battle going to be a bunch of soldiers holding a rope and getting him to fall over?
It does remind me of the old type of Godzilla is a force of nature. With his extremely limited movement he is going to leave a trail of destruction like a rather scaly tornado.
Alpharius wrote: now that my expectations have been suitably lowered!
My expectations are seriously high - so high that I am doing my due diligence to lower them: I decided to watch the Attack on Titan movie ... but that means subjecting myself to at least the first season of the anime first. So far, so good - I mean, for an anime, I guess. Why watch the anime first? you may well ask. Same reason you boil a frog slowly.
The arms on the new Godzilla look like they have rotted or atrophied away. I'm interested to see how they are taking him in this film. I'm ok with him being a villain again.
I have listened to some of the OST for the AoT film, composed by Sagisu Shirō (who has also worked on Eva). Very promising! And given what we have already heard in the trailer, I think this will be one of the best Godzilla soundtracks in a long while.
So tuesday I did a presentation about godzilla and its allegories for my culture of japan class. My professor stopped me halfway through and said "Im excited for the new gojira movie, I heard rumors it will talk about the fukishima disaster and godzilla is going to be born from that, rather than a bomb. I already got my ticket to see it in japan. Im so excited"
It just floored me that this 60yr old proffessor is just excited as I am.
Yeah, he almost looks like more of a demon/oni than the usual radioactive lizard. Especially with the even tinier arms, the giant joker smile and some of the shots of the tail (which is already freakish because of the length) with exposed vertebra and almost looking like skulls/jawbones sticking out all over the tip?
Would make a cool "demon strain" godzilla for the more standard godzilla to have to fight.
AegisGrimm wrote: Yeah, he almost looks like more of a demon/oni than the usual radioactive lizard. Especially with the even tinier arms, the giant joker smile and some of the shots of the tail (which is already freakish because of the length) with exposed vertebra and almost looking like skulls/jawbones sticking out all over the tip?
Would make a cool "demon strain" godzilla for the more standard godzilla to have to fight.
In one movie, he is the literal reincarnation of all the people japan has killed during its imperialism coming back to destroy japan.
Wouldnt be the first time something like that.
Some analysis: First shot - big G from below. Then people running for their lives, buildings collapsing, and long shot of G tearing across a city to demonstrate the scale of the crisis. Next, a shot of officials watching the carnage - identifying us with them, reducing them to helpless bystanders like us. Then a montage of characters who seem as powerless to engage with one another as they are to stop G, punctuated by a close up of a determined-looking lady presumably giving the order to attack.The elegiac soundtrack characterizes it all as tragic rather than horrifying. And so on to the obligatory scenes of conventional attacks on G ... the sequence is extended to demonstrate the absurd amount of firepower expended. Finally, a shot of big G seemingly wilting under the barrage - but wait no, he's simply upping the ante and, holy gak, yes the breath weapon is - abrupt cut to black. Godzilla here seems to embody the overwhelming character of problems facing society today and the futility and misguided quality of our efforts to address them. My suspicion is that the filmmakers want to retrieve the existential terror of the original movie, in an era when even the horror of nuclear holocaust has been throroughly digested by pop culture.
Now - what I don't get: that grin at 0:32 ... is this the new face of Serizawa? Or perhaps a villain? He is so emotionally at odds with the rest of the trailer.
Or climate change, or global economic crises, or any of these huge issues that we can identify as problems but cannot really get our arms around solving. My own G-fandom is based on the 1954 movie, which was dead serious. I definitely do not want a Godzilla film that is winking at the camera.
Sinful Hero wrote: Still pumped for this movie. This Godzilla is really starting to seem more like a monster than previous iterations.
Yep! Again this is a return to form, rather than a new development.
No need to hope, given these trailers. I usually am for fantasy and sci fi films taking a lighter approach, given how gloomy and deadpan all of them tend to be nowadays - but Godzilla is the exception because for many people he is just a joke. Now, I'd be all in favor of a pulpier Batman or Superman film, as those characters have been portrayed way, way too seriously, and that tone is not really in keeping with their origins.
No camera winking, but...the latest US version of Godzilla was good for me!
There was way too much not Godzilla in that movie for me. Hopefully someday there will be a fifteen minutes fan edit that's essentially Bryan Cranston and Godzilla.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Manchu wrote: No need to hope, given these trailers. I usually am for fantasy and sci fi films taking a lighter approach, given how gloomy and deadpan all of them tend to be nowadays - but Godzilla is the exception because for many people he is just a joke. Now, I'd be all in favor of a pulpier Batman or Superman film, as those characters have been portrayed way, way too seriously, and that tone is not really in keeping with their origins.
I'm on board with your statements about sci fi and the DC heroes. I also recognize that Godzilla needs to stay relevant and artistically vital, so this new film should be good for the franchise. I can wait for the inevitable Godzilla vs _________ cash in films.
Mark Schilling of the Japan Times gave Shin Godzilla 2.5/5 Stars:
Watching “Shin Godzilla,” Toho’s reboot of its signature monster series, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the non-Japanese fans forced to read a blizzard of subtitles for this extremely talky and densely populated film, with a break every 10 minutes or so for Godzilla rampages — the real reason they bought the tickets.
But those rampages — staged by effects veteran Shinji Higuchi and his team, with co-director and sci-fi/fantasy maestro Hideaki Anno supervising — are worth the wait. Working with a fraction of the budget that Hollywood CGI spectacles get, they have created scenes of frighteningly realistic destruction, with a beast that has evolved far from his “man in a suit” origins of Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya’s 1954 original “Godzilla.”
Similar to that film, “Shin Godzilla” unfolds in a contemporary Japan that has never heard of Godzilla. When the beast first makes its presence known in Tokyo Bay in the form of strange rumblings, water sprays and a catastrophic tunnel flooding, the authorities scramble to come up with answers — and decide the cause is a volcanic eruption.
But the sight of an enormous tail, instantly spread everywhere by the media and the internet, scotches that assumption. Rando Yaguchi (Hiroki Hasegawa), a fiery young deputy chief cabinet secretary, realizes they are dealing with a living creature and urges government action, though what that might be, no one knows. The manual for monster attacks has yet to be written.
As in many other Toho kaijū (monster) movies over the years, there are meetings after tense meetings, followed by futile counter-attacks against Godzilla, which mutates from a big-eyed serpent-like creature into a towering, heavy-hipped, seemingly indestructible terror.
The original Godzilla was conceived as a metaphor for nuclear devastation, most notably the then-recent Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. Anno’s beast, however, is also clearly inspired by the March 11, 2011, triple disaster, with Godzilla serving as an ambulatory tsunami, earthquake and nuclear reactor, leaving radioactive contamination in his wake.
The government officials, Self-Defense Forces officers and others scrambling to meet this monster menace are held up as heroes similar to the famed “Fukushima 50″ (the workers who risked their lives laboring round-the-clock to stabilize the crippled No. 1 nuclear plant). Despite some initial bumbling, most of these folks, especially Rando and the anti-Godzilla task force he heads, are hardworking, dedicated and formidably bright, rattling off jargon-packed dialogue with nary a pause for breath. And, of course, they are doing it all for the greater good and glory of the Japanese nation.
A sharp contrast is Kayoko Ann Patterson (Satomi Ishihara), a Japanese-American special envoy to the U.S. president. Arrogant, condescending and flaunting her sexuality while the other female characters have all but obliterated theirs, she is the “Ugly American” personified. But, as Ishihara says in a program interview, “the blood of her ancestor’s country stirs within her,” and Kayoko starts to side with her Japanese counterparts, becoming more sympathetic in the process.
Still, the badly miscast Ishihara and her shaky English are not meant for export. Not that the film’s soft nationalism, with its big shout-out to the Self-Defense Forces (who gave its makers their full cooperation) and celebration of core values, self-sacrifice high among them, will hurt it at the local box office.
The film is also packed with Anno’s beloved mecha (mechanical objects), from whirling helicopters to lumbering cranes, filmed in stirring, real-life action. (Unlike the inventive Tsuburaya, Anno and his team have foregone the pleasure of dreaming up futuristic weaponry.) And though he may resemble a big glowing chunk of charcoal, the film’s title star represents destructive forces, natural and man-made, that now extend beyond Honda’s original nuclear holocaust vision. Today Tokyo, tomorrow, the planet.
Nah, I'm just as excited to see it. I didn't expect this one to be a Millennium-era romp. I feel like the trailers have been very honest about what to expect.
Shin Godzilla, as I guess it's known in the US, had a limited 4 day run here. I went to go see it.
Spoiler:
I have complicated feelings about it. To be honest, I'm a simple creature. The movie seems largely about how the Diet is incompetent at handling crises, with endless meetings and gridlock and being so risk-averse that they make things worse. I am not interested in veiled critiques of the inner workings of the Japanese government. I came to see gak get rekt and I saw less of that than I had hoped for.
The creature effects: Godzilla initially shows up as a much smaller creature, like a limbless Dimetrodon. The effects used to create this look would not have taxed the budget of an episode of Power Rangers. In these shots, his head looks like a buzzard head with a giant fake cartoon eye. It looks ridiculous beyond belief.
He shuts down, and morphs into a much larger, familiar looking Godzilla, but with rudimentary forearms and the weird body slashes/internal glow you see in the trailer (this is not even his final form). The Diet sets up a military attack with Huey Cobras, and then chooses not to because of a grandpa with a kid crossing some train tracks - they don't want bad press if the SDF injures a civilian. Seems unlikely but OK.
Finally, Godzilla morphs into a full size Godzilla, similar to the last form but with larger forearms. The SDF finally attacks with Cobras, Longbows, and Type 10 tanks. Godzilla mostly doesn't even notice this, but destroys them anyway.
The ask the US for help until the defense treaty. We produce some B-2s who drop MOABS. These actually injure G, who produces a new to me laser lightshow out of his spines, downing all the bombers. That's about 4 billion US taxpayer dollars down the drain, but it could have been way worse.
Finally the UN decides to drop The Bomb again. Some loose cannon scientists come up with a plan to shut down Godzilla's nuclear reactor by injecting him with no one cares. They do another conventional attack, and then detonate some nearby buildings onto Godzilla, partially incapacitating him. While he's down and struggling, a bunch of tankers inject the no one cares into his mouth. It works, and Godzilla is frozen, a gigantic statue... for now. The UN reminds Japan that the timer on The Bomb is merely paused, not rescinded.
I liked it but you need to be pretty into Godzilla to do so, I think. Honestly one of the things I liked best was some of the novel cinematography I saw, like a fixed POV camera behind the light bar on a emergency vehicle as it sped around town.
Do you really need to be "into Godzilla" to like this film? Being really into Godzilla as a character may actually make you struggle with this one. The Godzilla of 1954 was first and foremost a symbol. But the performances of Nakajima and Tezuka, and really even the costume itself, paved the way for the development of a personality. Blue Oyster Cult even references the original basis for Godzilla's characterization, citing his "purposeful grimace." His. Even the notion of speaking of Godzilla with personal pronouns feels inapplicable to the creature we see in Shin Godzilla, which I will call Shingoji for the sake of clarity. Shingoji is categorically NOT a character. It is a symbol - an "empty signifier" ready to be "filled up" with whatever content the [Japanese, emphatically] audience cares to project into it - most obviously the 2011 Triple Disaster.
At the showing I attended, the fans surrounding me giggled at the googly-eyed, eel-necked "Form II" creature. It has garnered a great deal of commentary, mostly mocking. Of course it has! Let's not forget how long people have been laughing at Godzilla generally. Let's not forget that the most common Western reaction to the franchise and its legacy is mockery, especially mockery of the visual effects. When I first saw the blessedly Raymond Burr-less Japanese version of Honda Ishiro's film, it struck me that some of the giggles might be compensatory; that in fact the monster might trigger some kernel of legitimate terror in the audience that needs to be laughed off. The same has been my suspicion of American reaction to the uncanny, consciously surreal monsters terrorizing humanity in Attack on Titan. Probably not a coincidence.
Shingoji grows up over the course of the film but never loses the googly eyes. The eyes just become less noticeable relative to the monster's more familiar profiles in Forms III and IV. Unlike its namesake, it is never assigned a motive or evaluated in humanizing terms. It is simply a living catastrophe. It is a gigantic problem that the bureaucracy must somehow face and - this is the really incredible thing - even solve. I think it is a mistake to read the film as a criticism of bureaucracy - after all, bureaucracy saves the day. The leading man sometimes airs his frustration that the government is not reacting efficiently enough or with sufficient adaptability; and, not without irony, more efficient and adaptable men advise him to cool off and not be smug. Yes, the red tape makes the crisis seem all the more unmanageable in the heat of the moment; but the only way this crisis can be managed at all is through a rationalized, logistical approach.
Somehow, almost magically, the movie easily entertains for about 70-90 minutes despite or perhaps because of its bottomless fascination with labyrinthine policy and legal formalities. But the plot just can't get past its expository talkiness and the third act lacks the action punchline I had been waiting for. I felt like the filmmakers could have cut to someone just explaining how the plucky dark horse bureaucrats stopped Godzilla and it would have been just about as exciting, not to mention much cheaper. Consider the "story" (as in news story) of the Fukushima Disaster: mustn't it simply end with "and then they stopped the meltdowns" or risk getting into the detached world of technical details? And yet "they stopped it" isn't very exciting, either. That's the pit Anno fell into here.
JohnHwangDD wrote: I'm surprised and disappointed that there isn't a major psychological depression aspect to the movie.
It turned out to be extremely "one note," emotionally speaking. Everyone is constantly feeling determination to save the country! But like the ubiquitous hum of fluorescent lighting, there is a constant subtle drone of political ambition. Shin Godzilla is an emotionally complex film, but not because it covers a range of emotions. In that respect, it reminds me of Eva.
I saw this on DVD this week and eh. I thought it was Okay but the opening really dragged imo. I think I found the Legendary Pictures Godzilla a more enjoyable film actually, but mostly just because it had more monster fighting. Which isn't to say this film is bad but be ready for long bits of ex[position filled with jargon and technobabble plus a copious amount of political commentary between monster bits.
LordofHats wrote: I saw this on DVD this week and eh. I thought it was Okay but the opening really dragged imo. I think I found the Legendary Pictures Godzilla a more enjoyable film actually, but mostly just because it had more monster fighting. Which isn't to say this film is bad but be ready for long bits of ex[position filled with jargon and technobabble plus a copious amount of political commentary between monster bits.
Its Godzilla Resurgence isnt it? I had a chance to see it last year for the limited US release, I enjoyed it, which is a little strange considering the director. I still havent finished Evangelion, its such a slog of characters I hate.
Yeah the movie was initially marketed in English as "Godzilla: Resurgence" - absolutely terrible! "Shin Godzilla" is a perfect title for this film, especially considering what I am given to understand are the connotations of the word "shin."
Saw Shin Godzilla on a long flight recently. I enjoyed it. I've got a soft spot due to my memories of the old rubber suit saturday afternoon godzilla flicks. Shin had some eyeroll moments, but I found it lots of fun, particularly late-stage godzilla and his capabilities.
According to an interview with some Toho people in a past issue of G-Fan, shin has the literal meaning of new but has abstract connotations (god, spirit, faith, truth). I'm not sure to what extent, but this probably has to do with the word (written phonetically in the movie title) being a homonym for several Chinese characters as well as the use of those characters in forming more complicated meanings alongside of other characters.
I liked Shin Godzilla - saw it in theaters. I specially like that I'm a person who often doesn't get subtext in movies, but they alluded to Fukushima so blatantly that even dumbasses like me could understand.
In an interview published in the most recent G-Fan, Higuchi Shinji explained that he and Anno decided not to base Shin Godzilla explicitly on the Triple Disaster because the audience had been living through it and its consequences, similar to how Honda Ishiro & Co. did not need to talk too much about atomic bombs in the '54 film. In other words, the film leaves space there because of course the people watching can make those connections for themselves. And like in '54, I guess Shin Godzilla has special meaning for Japanese audiences - but the film is not inaccessible to foriegn audiences. The monster in this movie is symbol for whatever massive problems face our society and which can only be faced with collective action.
According to an interview with some Toho people in a past issue of G-Fan, shin has the literal meaning of new but has abstract connotations (god, spirit, faith, truth). I'm not sure to what extent, but this probably has to do with the word (written phonetically in the movie title) being a homonym for several Chinese characters as well as the use of those characters in forming more complicated meanings alongside of other characters.
Shin, written with a different kanji, is the first half of "Shinto" which means Way of the Gods.
According to an interview with some Toho people in a past issue of G-Fan, shin has the literal meaning of new but has abstract connotations (god, spirit, faith, truth). I'm not sure to what extent, but this probably has to do with the word (written phonetically in the movie title) being a homonym for several Chinese characters as well as the use of those characters in forming more complicated meanings alongside of other characters.
Shin, written with a different kanji, is the first half of "Shinto" which means Way of the Gods.
And here I just figured it was Anno adding "Shin" just like he did with Rebuild.
I think that was definitely part of the marketing for Shin Godzilla. Don't forget that Anno co-director was his old friend Higuchi from Daicon/Gainax. And Sagisu Shiro composed.
You can definitely feel Anno's influence in the film, what with the fate of the world resting on the shoulders of a bunch of young people and all the lamentations about the older generation fething everything up at every turn that permeate the film.
Reminds me of that Xillennial thread in the OT a bit actually
LordofHats wrote: the fate of the world resting on the shoulders of a bunch of young people and all the lamentations about the older generation fething everything up
Very interesting point. In Shin Godzilla, the established leaders (the baby boomers) are not portrayed as responsible for the disaster but they do fail to formulate any effective response. It's up to the next generation to >>>think outside of the box<<<.
Of course ... how original ...
Thankfully, that's not all that's going on in Shin Godzilla. Yeah, young(er/ish) people have to come up with creative solutions but it's the institution of government itself that really saves the day. It's not so much about dark horse punks taking over where the squares failed. More like, this is a movie about millennials growing up into responsible adults, like their parents.
That also matches the way Anno's pendulum has swung towards positivity in Rebuild (so far). In their Plinkett review for the latest Indiana Jones flick, RLM emphasized that the the creative team had grown up, had kids who grew up, and became grandparents in the time separating Raiders from Crystal Skull. Maybe something similar can be said about the Gainax team.
The films made by wild youngsters in which a bunch of wild youngsters save the day in the face of boring middle-aged authority reflect a world view that necessarily changes as people grow older and gain more of the dull responsibility of adult and family life
One of my favorite parts of Shin Godzilla is when the main character, a junior minister who takes on the ridiculous responsibility of solving the Godzilla crisis, is getting to his wits end under the stress. At which point, his slightly older mentor/big brother pal calmly but firmly hands him a bottle of water and advises him to cool off. From an American POV at least, it is such an understated scene. I once had this kind of moment at work, where I was - without really being aware of it - getting a bit wroked up. It's just a sign of immaturity. Thankfully, a friend pulled me aside and discretely and very gently put things in perspective with just a few, rather oblique words that immediately snapped me out of it. It was the feeling of growing up. In contrast to the notion of this feeling dull or being a matter of regret, it felt refreshing and stabalizing. I think that is how Shin Godzilla works, too: the characters are accepting responsibility, as opposed to chasing power.
Manchu wrote: I think that is how Shin Godzilla works, too: the characters are accepting responsibility, as opposed to chasing power.
I think this is a pretty good summation of the films central theme. To me the main thrust was about taking responsibility and being decisive rather than looking out for yourself (and this is as I understand it a common criticism in domestic Japanese politics). It's kind of a continuation in a way thematically from where Return of Godzilla left off.
Something else I noticed quite strongly was the "Japan can do this, we can do this" attitude toward problem solving displayed by the main cast with a rejection of relying too much of foreign powers (namely the United States) to solve the crisis while at the same time not rejected in full help. Obvious tie in to the current political direction of Japan as it enters the 21st century and seeks an increasing amounted of self reliance in its international affairs from the United States.
I think the movie was a kind of up front about Japan's ambivalence regarding its relationship with the US. At first, it seemed like they were gung ho about the US coming in with bombers to save the day but when that didn't work they immediately switched over to criticizing the US as wanting to solve everything with bombs.
To me, this goes back to the internal hypocrisy of the post-war era: the apparent 180 degree turn from an aggressive, militarized culture to claiming a special understanding of pacifism because Japan had - uniquely - been the target of atomic attack. But of course the reality was that Japan actually stepped right into line with the American geopolitical strategy, not least of all because it could revive its own battered social and material infrastructure by switching over from militaristic to economic aggression (like West Germany). All the while, the relationship to America, at first in terms of occupation, also served as cover for Japan to keep up a very conflicted pretense about its own recent past and self-image.
If you look at the '54 film, you can see how the monster gradually becomes the victim and the mad scientist inventing the next generation of super weapon gradually becomes the self-sacrificial hero who gives his life to prevent his work from being (further) weaponized. I think this is pretty clearly a fantasy meant to deal with war guilt and defeat guilt and surrender guilt. I believe those feelings, and their repression and rationalization, became very important to post-war Japanese culture and that you can see them, for example, in the Eva series, too.
Manchu wrote: I think the movie was a kind of up front about Japan's ambivalence regarding its relationship with the US. At first, it seemed like they were gung ho about the US coming in with bombers to save the day but when that didn't work they immediately switched over to criticizing the US as wanting to solve everything with bombs.
The important part is who was in charge at the time those things happened. When the US came in to drop bombs the older guys were still making the decisions. Then they end up in varying states of dead or disgrace with the younger deputy becoming acting head of the Japanese effort to eliminate Godzilla and he spent the entire film opposed to relying solely on the United States to solve Japan's problems.
If you look at the '54 film, you can see how the monster gradually becomes the victim and the mad scientist inventing the next generation of super weapon gradually becomes the self-sacrificial hero who gives his life to prevent his work from being (further) weaponized. I think this is pretty clearly a fantasy meant to deal with war guilt and defeat guilt and surrender guilt. I believe those feelings, and their repression and rationalization, became very important to post-war Japanese culture and that you can see them, for example, in the Eva series, too.
I really liked this movie. I wish they'd do a sequel, or even a prequel manga focusing on the professor who had some connection to godzilla, Goru Maki.
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Manchu wrote: I think the movie was a kind of up front about Japan's ambivalence regarding its relationship with the US. At first, it seemed like they were gung ho about the US coming in with bombers to save the day but when that didn't work they immediately switched over to criticizing the US as wanting to solve everything with bombs.
To me, this goes back to the internal hypocrisy of the post-war era: the apparent 180 degree turn from an aggressive, militarized culture to claiming a special understanding of pacifism because Japan had - uniquely - been the target of atomic attack. But of course the reality was that Japan actually stepped right into line with the American geopolitical strategy, not least of all because it could revive its own battered social and material infrastructure by switching over from militaristic to economic aggression (like West Germany). All the while, the relationship to America, at first in terms of occupation, also served as cover for Japan to keep up a very conflicted pretense about its own recent past and self-image.
If you look at the '54 film, you can see how the monster gradually becomes the victim and the mad scientist inventing the next generation of super weapon gradually becomes the self-sacrificial hero who gives his life to prevent his work from being (further) weaponized. I think this is pretty clearly a fantasy meant to deal with war guilt and defeat guilt and surrender guilt. I believe those feelings, and their repression and rationalization, became very important to post-war Japanese culture and that you can see them, for example, in the Eva series, too.
I think america was fairly portrayed in the film. We ween;t saints or angels. There are several issues to remmeber.
1. it was disvovered that godzilla could be a potential existential threat to ALL humanity. Having never faced an X threat before the decision to nuke goidzilla wasunderstandable,especially since the lifeform could have wiped out all humanity tokyo wasn't really losing out.
2. it was said clearly the american president would have given the same order if it were new york. Hey, that's actually sensible.
3. American forces attacked godzilla to save tokyo and 3 aircrews died trying to save the city.
4. American ships were seen aiding the evacuation.
true america was in some way partly responsible for the creation of godzilla iun an unforseeable way, but a japanese names goru maki was as or more responsible.
Sure I guess the film is "fair" to the USA. But I don't think Japan's opinion about the USA is really at issue in the film. Rather, it's more like the film considers Japan's opinion about it's opinion about the USA. So again, at one point the Japanese are eager for American military intervention but then, when that doesn't immediately work, they criticize the USA for trying to solve problems with bombs. I think the film is aware of this contradiction and is pointing it out as a criticism.
Manchu wrote: Sure I guess the film is "fair" to the USA. But I don't think Japan's opinion about the USA is really at issue in the film. Rather, it's more like the film considers Japan's opinion about it's opinion about the USA. So again, at one point the Japanese are eager for American military intervention but then, when that doesn't immediately work, they criticize the USA for trying to solve problems with bombs. I think the film is aware of this contradiction and is pointing it out as a criticism.
To expand when I watched it seemed like the film seemed to spend a lot of time criticizing the older government type characters as hypocrites and "politicians" in the derogatory sense of the word. While they schemed and looked for advantage/covered their own asses from public and media criticism it was the younger characters who emphasized a comprehensive and practical solution to the crisis and tried to work together for mutual benefit. The film definitely seemed to be making a statement less about America and more about how Japan views America as well as how Japanese politics are played.
It's been a while since I saw the film but I don't recall that stringent criticism of the "establishment" - for example, the main character has two established mentors who not only survive but of course become even more senior after the crisis.
Manchu wrote: It's been a while since I saw the film but I don't recall that stringent criticism of the "establishment" - for example, the main character has two established mentors who not only survive but of course become even more senior after the crisis.
To summarize from TVTropes cause I'm too long winded;
Do Japan's politicians really care about their country by trying to do something about it, or do they want to get rid of Godzilla for their own means? At the same time, and most crucially to the film's criticism of the culture of Japanese politics, are they hesitating out of concern for their citizens, or concern they might have to shoulder the blame?
I don't think the establishment was the target as much as the the way the establishment behaves. Or maybe rather the best way to say is that the target was "the way the government operates" rather than just "the government." The older government types are portrayed negatively throughout the film while the idealistic younger secretaries are the heroes. The former constant delay for fear of how the public will perceive their actions, are always looking for where to shift blame, and often seem to use logical reasoning that is more concerned with their reputation than the well being of citizens.
Take for example the constant obstruction after the films opening when it comes to deploying the JSDF, where everyone's primary concern seems to be covering their own ass, which comes to fruition in the helicopter fight sequence where a single civilian in the area cause a complete break down of decision making ability as those in charge start worrying about what people will think about their decision instead about what decision is actually best for the problem at hand. And then there's just the whole background of how Godzilla came about in this one which basically amounts to "lets cover this up before it blows up in our faces oh wait we covered it up and it is now blowing up in our faces better shift blame!"
I saw this as juxtaposed by the mostly younger group of characters who were lower level officials/helpers/experts who never worried about such things and stayed firmly focused on the task at hand and coming up with solutions. While such governmental bumbling is common on Godzilla films it seemed to occupy a more central stage in Shin Godzilla though I guess that could just because Anno was there and the guy deconstructs everything in sight by his mere presence. However Japan's government being overly bureaucratic, slow to respond to crisis, and obsessed with public perception to the point of inaction are common criticisms of Japanese politics so I really don't think its a coincidence they show up so much in the film.
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Manchu wrote: Very interesting point. In Shin Godzilla, the established leaders (the baby boomers) are not portrayed as responsible for the disaster but they do fail to formulate any effective response. It's up to the next generation to >>>think outside of the box<<<.
Actually I just thought of this and returning to your above comment Manchu I think I just noticed something I'd overlooked.
The entire film can be summed up as a chain of repeating events; attempt to downplay the crisis, fail to respond, crisis exceeds expectations, respond, fail to be decisive as a direct result of previous unwillingness/lateness to act.
Spoilers;
Spoiler:
In the films opening the government tries to outright lie about their own lack of knowledge and to cover up that they don't know anything they make something up and proceed to do so at every step as the crisis of the films begins to unfold. As a result of this, when the crisis first exceeds expectations they are are completely unprepared and publicly embarrassed. Only after lying and denying the problem becomes politically untenable do they actually start trying to do anything about the problem. I.e. they attempted to downplay the crisis with lies, failed to even try to respond to it, and when it blew up they kept trying to lie and downplay the crisis until it all blew up in their faces. If they had just responded to the crisis and prepared for the unknown they wouldn't have suffered any of those embarrassing failures.
Next when they start trying to handle the problem internally and ward off foreign intervention they get caught in a political tug of war over deploying the SDF and evacuating civilians. Everyone is so concerned with covering their own ass that they downplay the crisis to stall, fail to respond, and then Godzilla comes out even bigger and meanier. They finally decide to respond and deploy the SDF but their utterly botched evacuation ends up leaving civilians behind which causes a failure to be decisive when Godzilla appears to be in a vulnerable position.
I'm gonna need to watch the film again now! This only just occurred to me while thinking about it after posting and I can't remember the exact sequence of events in the film's second half but I'm curious is this trend continues throughout the film and is then broken cause I know at the ending none of this really happens. After the senior officials are killed by Godzilla's breath attack following the failed US bombing run the remaining characters completely change course and become decisive in planning and executing a solution to the crisis and actually plan for contingencies rather than stall, cover their asses, and hope for the best.
The film didn't leave me with the impression that the establishment was corrupt (as in, only/primarily concerned with selfish CYA factors) so much as, well, the idea that leadership is the product of the circumstances in which it came to power and therefore unsuited to manage novel crises. IIRC there is some trepidatious reflection on this after Shingoji gets frozen, which (to my mind) explains the ominous last shot of Shingoji's bizarre tail tip.
Manchu wrote: The film didn't leave me with the impression that the establishment was corrupt (as in, only/primarily concerned with selfish CYA factors) so much as, well, the idea that leadership is the product of the circumstances in which it came to power and therefore unsuited to manage novel crises. IIRC there is some trepidatious reflection on this after Shingoji gets frozen, which (to my mind) explains the ominous last shot of Shingoji's bizarre tail tip.
I would agree with that. I think that while it presents the leadership of the country as a crisis unto itself the film doesn't go as far as to make those people villains. It plays out more like tragedy than villainy or even stupidity because their motivations and indecision are not completely beyond understanding.
As I understand it the. Main point of the film was a criticism of the Japanese government's slow, inadequate and disastrously poor reaction to the fukashima nuclear crisis.
The original PM was not bad, just unwilling to take decisive action early on when it could have been effective. Possibly a full assault against the early Godzilla form could have been effective but he refused to green light it because a handful of civilians would have been endangered, resulting in far more killed later.
The guy whining about his soggy noodles was clearly portrayed as a megadick.
Gnarly.
