Similar to the original "Godzilla" in 1954, "New Godzilla" was born in the context of this new era.
"New Godzilla" is not an attempt by the special director Shinji Higuchi and the EVA ruffian Hideaki Anno to dig and imitate the panacea that has been successfully adapted by modern Hollywood. On the contrary, the two supervisors have a very deep and clear understanding of the entire film, and the entire world of Godzilla. "New Godzilla" does not try to surpass its Western counterparts in big scenes and visual impact, but to make Godzilla that belongs to Japan become "Godzilla of Japan" again, even if it will make some lack the same culture Or non-Japanese audiences with historical backgrounds feel at a loss. In fact, Shin Godzilla is astonishingly good at both a highly believable political allegory and an overwhelmingly realistic horror.
If you're expecting a typical and stereotypical monster movie - where monsters smash and people run around, Shin Godzilla is sure to disappoint - as most of the film takes place in the office and in the conference room. The main characters in Shin Godzilla are all political/government figures whose behavior is focused on his/her use and ambitions of the current cataclysmic situation. While these politicians have the authority and ability to deal with disasters in their hands, each individual's decisions affect his/her political future. For viewers who know the creative background, the indecisive high-level image and its bureaucratic attitude can easily establish a connection with then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan. "Shin Godzilla" gave viewers an understanding that the Japanese government could still limp in the midst of long meetings, finger-pointing, paperwork, and slow decision-making while the country is under shock. This is clearly a microcosm of dysfunctional bureaucracy.
Even so, we see typical Japanese firmness and collectivism in Shin Godzilla. There is no clear hero role in the whole film, just a group of ordinary people who are experts, trying their best to do their best to bring this disaster to an end. Compared to real monsters, they have to beat the biggest stumbling block - and that is politics.
But of course, Godzilla remains at the center of the story: it's truly awe-inspiring in this film. The new Godzilla under the helm of Higuchi Shinji and Anno Hideaki is different from any previous image-in the whole movie, Godzilla has been called "the truly perfect organism", "the most advanced species on earth" and "God" - at least in terms of fear, "New Godzilla" will not disappoint.
In fact, the source of this fear is twofold - one, the origin of Godzilla is inextricably linked to Japan's nuclear history; the other, the use of maximum realism to show the giant monsters in various Tokyo landmarks wanton destruction. The former stems from a direct response to the dumping of radioactive waste by the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now a strong indictment of Japan's own disposal of Fukushima nuclear waste. As for the latter, most of the credit goes to the assistant director/editing/visual effects supervisor, famous special camera supervisor Atsuki Sato, who creatively combined old-fashioned special camera techniques with modern CG techniques, and the whole of Tokyo became a Godzilla rampage Playground: The United States and Japan jointly blocked and the battle in the center of Shinjuku was extremely shocking, and the destructive power was quite amazing.
When this brazen fiction and real-life events are intertwined, the result is a contemporary Japanese monster movie that obviously won't spring out of Hollywood.
"Shin Godzilla" naturally has its shortcomings (such as Ishihara Satomi's cartoonish paper setting), but the impact and significance of the film far outweigh its shortcomings.
The Japanese version of "Shin Godzilla" has such a slogan: "Reality (Japan) versus fiction (Godzilla)". So what we see in "New Godzilla" is essentially the dividing line between reality and fiction.
As the spiritual successor to the 54th version of "Godzilla", "New Godzilla" is the most serious Godzilla movie since 1954, and if the novelty of the first movie is thrown away, this may even be the most serious. Good Godzilla movie. In the movies, Godzilla is a symbol and expression of years of fear, hatred, and war. Born out of nuclear waste and growing at an astonishing rate, Godzilla devastated Japan, essentially repeating the bombing of Tokyo and the two atomic bombs of World War II. However, the difference from previous monster movies, and even most disaster movies, is that at the end of the movie, the whole world, represented by Japanese government officials, begins to realize that they will have to learn to live with Godzilla, rather than destroy it.
This is the greatest value and meaning that Toho, together with Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, brings to the entire Shin-Godzilla world. It is no longer about defeating fear, but learning to live peacefully with nuclear energy - because we now know that it will never be free from its presence, threat and shadow on this planet. "Shin Godzilla" isn't just a monster movie, it's a movie about accepting the fear that exists in our real world. The whole movie is designed to make the audience feel intense discomfort, forcing them to open their eyes and stretch out their hands to face the horrors and threats around them, instead of being blindly arrogant and digging their own graves.
As mentioned earlier, the visual effects of "New Godzilla" are a good combination of animation techniques, special photography techniques, modern CG and on-site special effects, and achieve unprecedented impact and experience at a high level. The appearance of the new version of Godzilla has been the subject of a lot of controversy and discussion, but as the first Godzilla to be created entirely by CG, rather than in a case, the retro and unnatural effects that are deliberately pursued are still very impressive. satisfied.
This unnatural feature makes it closer to a monster in a real sense than an alien monster Angel Heart. Shin Godzilla strips away its intellectual, emotional, or conscious representation, making it more expressive in horror effect. This version of Godzilla tramples the city at a slow but destructive pace, all the while with no clear purpose. And when it is maliciously attacked, it can evolve a whole set of deadly defense systems. Overall, Shin Godzilla is far bigger, uglier, and more damaging than 2014's US version of Godzilla.
Or to put it another way, Gareth Edwards' "Godzilla" can only be regarded as an overseas fanfiction, and "New Godzilla" is a direct descendant that completely inherited the spirit and will of 60 years ago.
From the retro Toho logo at the beginning to the classic Godzilla theme song at the end, "New Godzilla" is an excellent production full of strength and surprises. "New Godzilla" not only returned to the past and traced its origins, not only replaced it with a modern stage, but also made it radiate with a powerful and terrifying vitality.
Godzilla has never been more than a monster movie, let alone a hero - it's just a monster-shaped, spicy satire on human society. "New Godzilla" follows the original spirit that has been lost in the long 60 years. Although the whole film is heavy on white, sometimes it doesn't even make much sense. Although the ending of the whole film is a bit anti-climax, this does not prevent it from becoming a film. A metaphorically satisfying epic of disaster. Not only are Higuchi Shinji and Anno Hideaki content with a devastating storyline, but they also offer a tense and depressing political drama.
New Godzilla ushered in a new era of Godzilla. It's not a perfect Godzilla movie, but it's ready to ask some big questions, and it's ready to ask audiences for their thoughtful answers. In that sense, it will be one of the most worthy Godzilla movies for years, if not decades.
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