Maidens of the Kaleidoscope

~Beyond the Border~ => Sara's Audio-Visual Import-Overflow Retail => Topic started by: commandercool on October 14, 2016, 03:54:05 AM

Title: Shin Gojira: What If Godzilla Was An Angel?
Post by: commandercool on October 14, 2016, 03:54:05 AM
I just got back from seeing Shin Gojira, the new Toho Godzilla movie directly by Hideaki Anno of Evangelion fame. And I FUCKING LOVED it. I don't really particularly care for kaiju so I was there more as an Anno fan than a Godzilla fan, but it really delivered on that front. It's basically an episode of Evangelion from the JSDF's perspective, giving it a broad national scope instead of Eva's excruciatingly personal scope, complete with broad national trauma instead of personal trauma.

The monster is horrifying. I don't want to spoil too much, but it doesn't look like a traditional Godzilla
at least at first
, but what it is is uniquely grotesque and scary. Almost every time it was on screen it was either skin-crawling or breathtaking. As per Godzilla tradition most of the movie is scientists or bureaucrats talking, but the movie knows that and makes strong use of it. The bureaucrats are subtly satirically hilarious, the scientists are part of a genuinely nice message, and it's still all very compelling even when it's just long stretches of dialogue.

If I have one major complaint it's that the resolution, involving a bunch of firetrucks squirting paralyzing drugs directly into Godzilla's open mouth several different times is way too silly for the rest of the tone of the movie, but it's a minor thing. It's not that the rest of the movie isn't silly, but it's in a different way that made this stand out as a bit off. It might have worked a lot better if the plan had just succeeded right away rather than have to keep doing it over and over until it worked, but that's a small complaint. And the resolution and final reveal were really tonally consistent and good, so it's not like the movie ended on a weird note or anything.

I could definitely see the movie coming off as goofy and not scary or tense, which might make it not quite work for some. It walks a fine line between the two. But for me it walked the line well, and overall I almost couldn't be happier with it. I've heard very positive things from people coming at it from the other direction too, being big Godzilla fans but not huge Anno fans, so it's not like his touch completely ruined it for them either.

Highly recommended, do go see if you can find a place that's showing it.