Shin Godzilla (2016) [Tokusatsu Review]

Shin Godzilla; or, You Can (Not) Remake
     Man is more frightening than Godzilla.
It has been 5 years since the release of Shin Gojira, Toho’s 29th Godzilla live-action movie. The mid 2010s marked a renaissance period for the King of the Monsters in view of the MonsterVerse movies and numerous anime productions. Needless to say, I was extremely hyped when Toho announced that they are going to make a new movie (please refer here and here to see my old posts), but when I finally saw the movie, it left me with mixed feelings. This is most certainly not a conventional Godzilla flick and it took me a really long time to digest my thoughts and come to appreciate it for it strives to be something new within the franchise with nearly 70 years of cinematic legacy.

Release Info

Directed by: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi Starring: Hiroko Hasegawa, Satomi Ishihara, Yutaka Takenouchi

Language: Japanese Original Title: シン・ゴジラ Runtime: 120 min

Synopsis
Tokyo Bay, 2016. An amphibious creature emerges from sea depths and wreaks havoc on the Japanese soil. The Japanese authorities do not know how to handle this threat until the monster returns to sea. A group of researchers determines that the creature came to existence in the course of nuclear fission caused by radioactive waste dumped into the sea. Consequently, there is a strong possibility that it may return again in a changed form. When this happens, the United States intervene and enforce on Japan permission to use nuclear weapons so as to stop the monster. Nevertheless, the research team led by Rando Yaguchi (Hiroko Hasegawa) develops a safe, alternative plan that will allow the freezing of Godzilla.

Power of Resurgence
After the box office success of Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla from 2014, Toho also wanted to capitalise on their popular brand. Since the contract with Legendary Studios did not limit the Japanese in terms of live-action productions, they called up director Hideaki Anno with an offer of making a new movie. Anno initially declined, stating that he was too exhausted after making Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2012) and that he would not be able to match the greatness of Ishiro Honda’s original picture. Nevertheless, Anno’s close collaborator, Shinji Higuchi, managed to persuade him, and so the two were given the tough job of getting a Godzilla flick done within 16 months.

Considering the limited time window the filmmakers were given, I have to say that in terms of special effects and production design, they did a marvellous job. It would seem that all the action is CGI, but the crew actually combined a number of practical and digital effects together. What we see on the screen is part-real and part-computer generated. Interestingly, Godzilla was played via “motion picture” technique by actor Mansai Nomura.

With regard to the screenplay, however, here is where I am having issues. Hideaki Anno just can’t help but relive these Neon Genesis Evangelion vibes in each and every scene of the film. As a result, we get to see the following, already familiar to anime fans tropes: out-of-touch grumpy politicians having boring discussions about Godzilla, hot waifu speaking English, good nerdy girl, and general feeling that the world is about to end. What is more, NGE tone is reinforced through the music score. As I have already mentioned in my editorial devoted to Godzilla music, composer Shiro Sagisu does a fine job whenever he is allowed to be original and creative, but the inclusion of various remixes of “Decisive Battle” from NGE just to please Anno’s fanboy fantasies is unforgivable.

That being said, I respect what Anno and Higuchi were going for with Shin Gojira. For the first time in the franchise, we get a new movie which does not acknowledge the 1954 father picture in any way. This is a full remake but a remake with a purpose. In this reality filled with red tape and bureaucracy, Godzilla functions as an embodiment of everything wrong with Japanese policies. It strikes the Japanese nation like the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and the 2015 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. People are dying because of the ineptitude of their leaders. The only hope for change lies in the group of able young men and women who take a stand against the King of the Monsters and save the day.

In my opinion, the ending is way too optimistic and right-centered for Hideaki Anno who constantly basks in the postmodernist shades of depression. Perhaps it was the change initiated by the studio or Shinji Higuchi. Interestingly, the very last scene clearly indicates the possibility of a sequel, but Higuchi himself stated that there will never be Shin Gojira 2 because of the Hollywood productions which are churned out with increasing frequency. If there is going to be a new Japanese Godzilla movie, it will be a totally new story.

On a side note, I have to praise the magnificent ensemble cast of Shin Gojira. There are so many great actors and actresses in it! Apart from Hiroki Hasegawa as the main lead, there is also Satomi Ishihara, Issei Takahashi, Ren Osugi, Kimiko Yo, Akira Emoto, and Jun Kunimura.

Recommendations
If you are struggling with depression, then you will certainly find Shin Godzilla as an entertaining viewing experience. The movie is an undeniably bold, new entry in the franchise that explores the titular monster and its significance in greater depth, but it does not have a lot of rewatch value, in my opinion. Allow me to give a big shout out to MangaUK for their 2-disc DVD release of the film. The picture quality is excellent and I appreciate 70 minutes of bonus features.Overall score: 7/10

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