Shin Godzilla

Dir: Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi

2016

*****

Shin Godzilla, or Godzilla: Resurgence as it is also known, is the first Godzilla film (out of thirty or so films and counting) to really capture the essence and message of the original. It is easy for a viewer to have missed the message of the first film, especially thanks to its questionable (but lovable) sequels such as Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla and Son of Godzilla, stretching from the Shōwa period (1954 -1975), Heisei period (1984 - 1995) and Millennium period (1999 - 2004), not including 1976’s Italian Godzilla, the Japanese/America collaborations and the Hollywood versions. Shin Godzilla marks the beginning of the Reiwa period and a more mature direction. Whereas the original Godzilla was conceived as a metaphor for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Shin Godzilla draws inspiration from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, as well as the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Godzilla is essentially the collective fear of a tsunami, earthquake and failing nuclear reactor rolled into one. Indeed, the sight of the blue-jumpsuited government spokesmen convening emergency press conferences and scenes of people quietly regarding mountains of debris is something that could have been lifted straight out of television footage of both events. The original Godzilla was fear and paranoia in 1954 and Shin Godzilla is exactly the same, just updated for a 2016 audience. That said, as well as fear and paranoia, there is also a great big slice of satire. It acknowledges the ridiculousness of the original films by adding intense realisum and takes a swipe at Japanese politics. As author William Tsutsui said, Shin Godzilla leaves no doubt that the greatest threat to Japan comes not from without but from within, from a geriatric, fossilized government bureaucracy unable to act decisively or to stand up resolutely to foreign pressure. There is plenty of footage of Godzilla clumsily trashing the Tokyo suburbs but most of the film deals with the nonsensical bureaucracy that would occur if such a disaster were to ever happen. The majority of the film features board room meetings and political discussion. On paper it sounds like the most boring Godzilla film you could ever imagine but that couldn’t be further from the reality. The ultra-realisum makes the film all the more effective. The other aspect of the film that makes it stand out over the other films in the franchise is just how MANGA influenced it is. The initial scenes of Godzilla before he is fully developed are incredible and terrifying, which in turn acts as a great metaphor for the early stages of any major disaster. Toho announced plans for its new Godzilla film stating that it was good timing after the success of the American version of 2014. I can’t help but think they wanted Godzilla to go back to his roots, in story and geographically. Shin Godzilla has no ties to Legendary's MonsterVerse and is essentially a reboot to the Toho series. Toho additionally put together a project team, known as "Godzilla Conference" or "Godzi-con", to formulate future projects. Godzilla himself was modernised but still had the look of the original. Directors Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi stated that they intended to provide the most terrifying Godzilla that Japan's cutting-edge special-effects movie-making team can muster." A variety of techniques such as puppets, animatronics, and digital effects were initially considered and an upper-body animatronic was produced but went unused after Toho decided to create a completely CG Godzilla. On the whole Godzilla looks good and the effects are decent, but there are one or two scenes where Godzilla looks like he’s out of a 90s video game. However, these scenes are short and it doesn’t effect the overall enjoyment of the film in any way. It’s strange really, as Gareth Edwards made his debut Monsters back in 2010 and got the 2014 Godzilla job as a result. 2014’s American Godzilla was your typical big bad monster movie but Shin Godzilla is just like Monsters, and I’d be very surprised if Edwards’ film wasn’t Toho’s main inspiration. The title "Shin Gojira" was cleverly chosen due to the variety of meanings the syllable "shin" could convey, such as "new", "true", and "god". This is clearly Toho telling the world that this is the authentic Godzilla, everything else is a remake. It’s an incredibly bold move from Toho but it works brilliantly. Not only is it incredibly clever, it somehow takes a theme and a character that has appeared countless times and has had thirty odd films made about it, and creates something completely original. I loved everything about it. Never in a million year would I have thought that a Godzilla film set in a conference suite would be a good idea but here it is, standing tall as one of the best films of 2016.