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So... on 22 Sept, Shin Godzilla was officially released in Malaysia. So naturally, being a toku-fan as well as quite an avid kaijuu fan; I just had to watch and support the movie. XD
Shin Godzilla
Tbh, the day I went to watch the movie... I had a mixed feeling. Not because of the movie, but more to how... there were too few people that had booked the ticket prior to me getting mine. It was somewhat upsetting, yeah.
I got quite a surprise when the movie started. You see, I don't quite follow the recent Shin Goji news online much.... and if I did, I don't usually remember them much. And I think in some of those news that I did read, I probably mis-remember some of them. Like whether or not Shin Goji would be connected to Godzilla 2014 or the other movies or whatever.
Anyway, I was somewhat surprised that Shin Goji turned out to be another reboot for the franchise. Still, that didn't throw me off too far. That means I can view this movie as yet another separate universe. And that also means, that you don't really need to be very familiar with any of the past Gojira movies to understand this movie. That's really a good thing. Esp for people who don't watch too much Godzilla movies in the past.
The movie started in the present year with a team of marine police investigating an abandoned boat, when an unexpected incident happened. A strange burst of hot steam suddenly popped up and an earthquake caused a problem to the nearby underground tunnel. Well, knowing that Japan do tend to experience minor to major earthquakes once a while, it was expected that the reaction to it would be of the standard one. And well, in this kind of new world that never seen a monster like Gojira ever appearing... certainly when rumours of monster sighting pop up online, people would not take it seriously. Especially when you know Japan do make a lot of monster movies, if there was anyone ever suggesting there was actual monster coming... well, that person most likely not be taken seriously.
It was interesting, seeing what different reaction the current generation of Japanese people would react to the first arrival to Japan. What with the different mindset and technology of the people of the 21st century (2016) compared to the people of the 20th century (1954). Different political ideology and military powers too.
The first part of the movie was more on the political side; as to how the government were being slow to react to the situation, due to their reluctance to believe that a monster could have risen from the ocean as well as their overconfidence that the monster would not be dangerous. That's quite a common reaction in toku, where the local law enforcer underestimate the danger, coming from beings they don't know of. In which, I guess one can be annoyed at many of the political figures in the movie.
Still, I do have some favourites, in form of Yaguchi Rando (played by Hasegawa Hiroki) a Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary and his team of various people in different fields. Yaguchi was the first person, who had considered the possibility of a monster attack, unlike the other ministers that quickly dismissed him earlier on. And instead of relying on 'experts' who don't even know what to do, he assembled his own people to devise a plan to tackle the monster. To be frank, Yaguchi was the character that I rooted the most in the movie. Seeing that in this movie they haven't yet have their own specialized task force to tackle a monster threat, it was interesting to see how they make do with the current military power they have. The movie manage to set the stage for Yaguchi for future continuations, as in this movie Yaguchi manage to lead his team--as well as the related military organization--to stop Godzilla from further rampage.
Some so-called fans might disagree, but I like how the movie plot was set up. Whether it was the political side; the inner government red tape and bureaucracy or the international political relationship, the nationwide reaction, the gradual reformation of the JSDF to attempt to start covering the threat of monster attacks, as well as the humanitarian aspects. It was believable, because you can't just expect people, countries to already have enough preparation to face something that no one could have believed posibble.
Frankly speaking, having the Godzilla initially appeared in a form not familiar to the standard appearance of past movies kinda swayed me a bit at first. But the more I think of it, having to see Godzilla undergoing an evolution from a marine creature to bi-pedal one is interesting. Because Godzilla itself was not a natural being, so seeing Godzilla having an origin on how it came to be is great. I'm not much of an NGE fan so I don't really find much ref there, but the initial ost tracks in the first half of the movie did feel un-Godzilla-like. But then, the moment the new Godzilla showed its final form and Ifukube's signature Godzilla theme came on, I'm totally sold! Our Gojira needed his theme to define his identity after all.
Also, the final part that totally seals the deal for this movie to be a proper Godzilla movie, was the callback towards the essential anti-nuclear plot that shaped every single Godzilla origin story. Godzilla after all, was the embodiment of the hate and suffering caused by the dropping of the atom bombs onto Nagasaki and Hiroshima back in WW2. So having that scene near the end where Japan had to bitterly accept the request from the American government to use nuclear missiles to kill Godzilla was really heart-wrenching. Not just because it was a really cruel punishment to the people of the nation that already suffered enough from the nuclear bombings in the past; but also because it was very cruel to Godzilla itself. I mean, you're practically trying to kill Godzilla with the very thing that created him in the first place. Wasn't that cruel... and arrogant of humans themselves? Also, a part of me was anxious because of the possibility that the missiles won't kill Godzilla, but just making him stronger. Because that just means the Americans most likely get away with the aftermath, claiming 'they only trying to help' and escape responsibility while the Japanese had to face the consequences by themselves.
I'm probably reading this too much, but it does reflect the real world situation. As in, the arrogance of some countries in thinking they can do whatever they want and then claim righteousness, just because they have the bigger political/military power. Just because they had the bigger guns. In a way, it is a political commentary on how certain countries think that using brute force to solve something would be the end of conflict. Without realizing that perhaps, their very decision would only make things even worse. The plot regarding Prof. Maki seemed to convey that message. Kinda. I'm not really good at expressing my thoughts. The professor character did remind me of some similar characters in past movies after all. In trying to remind people to not just see things from the surface, but also investigate the true cause for everything. Or to convey the other side of the story. Cos personally, I can't help feeling that Prof Maki WAS the reason Shin Goji appeared. What with the earlier scenes et al..
That aside, I love the fact the movie included many of the cast that had been involved in past tokusatsu or kaiju films and series. Actors like Kamio Yu, Osugi Ren, Emoto Akira, Shimada Kyusaku, Suwa Taro, Tsuda Kanji, Hiraizumi Sei, Ichikawa Mikako, Tsurumi Shingo and Kunimura Jun who have been involved in past toku productions like the Ultraman series (Max, Zero, X, Gaia, Neos, Orb etc), Kamen Rider series (Den-O, Wizard, Fourze, OOO etc), Super Sentai, Garo, Shougeki Gouraigan, Cutie Honey and past Godzilla movies. Having them around in the movie was certainly a delight to me. I exclaimed aloud seeing Suwa Taro-san in the movie, especially. Considering, that Suwa-san did A LOT of cameo appearance in many toku series and movies, and I do make a mission to try spotting him in every shows. There's also recurrent casts from the Shingeki no Kyojin movie but considering that Higuchi Shinji were also involved in that production, the inclusion was not surprising.
As per common in some Godzilla movies, there would be a post-credit scene being included in movie. But for Shin Godzilla, there was no post-credit scene. Regardless, the last few minutes before the credit roll did gave me the feeling of a post credit scene... as the camera panned towards the tail of the frozen Godzilla to reveal some strange protrusions. That looked like bones of unknown creatures... or maybe people (perhaps Maki Goro himself). Recalling that scene, I can't help feeling the aura of Tokyo SOS post credit scene in it.
That said, I can't help noticing some ridiculous outcries over the movie. Ranging from the ridiculous complaints about the movie having monsters in it or being similar to an Ultraman movie (Seriously, what do you expect from a KAIJUU movie?) to comparison to the 1998 American remake of Godzilla just because it's a reboot. On the latter, I feel like if one had to make a comparison towards Shin Goji... you can only try to compare it with the original Godzilla 1954 movie. To see the difference between the two. Because as much as I haven't yet watched the original movie (aside from clips of them in past anniversary documentaries), I could feel that Shin Goji had a lot of homage to the original movie.
On the reboot argument, I find that to be ridiculous. Since this was not the first time the Godzilla universe had a reboot. And each reboot had its own identity that makes people love it. I especially fond of the Against Mechagodzilla/Tokyo SOS universe that took another different direction after the event of first movie, as well as the Mothra movie.
And it's still better than that first American remake. And it was slightly better than Godzilla 2014; not because Shin Goji was much taller, but because Shin Goji showed Godzilla on the screen much more than in Godzilla 2014. Also, Shin Goji (at least in it's final form) was better looking than 'Odebu-chan'. And despite there was a brief scene about Shin Goji where it stated that it might be able to asexually reproduce itself (which mainly to enforce the fact that Shin Goji was capable of self-regeneration, aka almost immortal), procreation of its species was not the main plot of the movie. Unlike the plot from that 1998 remake about Zilla having a nestful of eggs... or the plot in Godzilla 2014 where the MUTOs started to build a nest for themselves to create more of them species.
That aside, Shin Goji did have a few new abilities never shown by the past Gojira incarnations. For one, its fins can shoot out its own laser beams to inflict wide-ranged aerial attacks. (It can be pretty ridiculous like some disco scene out of nowhere, but still cool.) And as shown from the earlier teasers, Shin Goji could shoot a flame barrage from red to purple fire. Also, its long tail can also shoot its own beam. And despite Shin Goji was still an organic creature, it seemed to have an ability to detect incoming threat from a certain distance like a radar. I suppose, it might be related to how whales and dolphins emit certain frequencies to find their ways around the ocean. Initially, I used to have a bit of doubt over Shin Goji having a really long tail. But hey, I guess after seeing the Level 1 and 2 evolution of Shin Goji that looked more fish-like than Godzilla, I had no issue with the long tail.
If I was to have any complaint at all, it'll be because of the fact that Shin Goji was mostly CG created. Unlike in past movies where most of the action scenes were done using a suit actor in a Godzilla suit, and having certain Toku SFX filming techniques to simulate the movements of the monsters etc. Having somewhat grew up with toku shows a lot, I can't help harbouring that kind of sentiments. Because there was something classic about the traditional toku SFX techniques that doesn't feel the same or couldn't be recreated from CG. Like using monster suits or miniature models, there's a sense or realism in that kind of filming that formed the identity of the Japanese tokusatsu industry. Like yes, despite being CG... Shin Goji's movements was still using an actor with motion capture to create realistic movement. Still, to me... there was something missing. Like in certain parts of Shin Goji scenes, there was certain subtle parts that made Shin Goji's movements/appearance looked unreal/CG.
Regardless, I totally enjoyed the movie. Especially in the second half when the Yaguchi Plan started in earnest, with every single person doing his or her best to overturn the situation. Using every contact and connections they have to complete their mission before the deadline. That kind of feeling of camaraderie, watching people being united and working together to regain their hope, was really amazing. That, along with Ifukube-influenced background themes really making the experience amazing. You can't help wanting to cheer on Yaguchi and the people supporting him, to want their efforts of stopping Godzilla's rampage to succeed. Even when you felt a bit bad towards Shin Goji itself.
Bottom line, if you're a fan of kaijuu films and/or Godzilla... do watch Shin Godzilla. Unless you're some prick who can't seem to stop nitpicking on bad things and essentially refusing to let people enjoy watching a show about kaijuu; you should be able to enjoy the movie.
Watch it, or face Gojira-sama's wrath XD.
Shin Godzilla
Tbh, the day I went to watch the movie... I had a mixed feeling. Not because of the movie, but more to how... there were too few people that had booked the ticket prior to me getting mine. It was somewhat upsetting, yeah.
I got quite a surprise when the movie started. You see, I don't quite follow the recent Shin Goji news online much.... and if I did, I don't usually remember them much. And I think in some of those news that I did read, I probably mis-remember some of them. Like whether or not Shin Goji would be connected to Godzilla 2014 or the other movies or whatever.
Anyway, I was somewhat surprised that Shin Goji turned out to be another reboot for the franchise. Still, that didn't throw me off too far. That means I can view this movie as yet another separate universe. And that also means, that you don't really need to be very familiar with any of the past Gojira movies to understand this movie. That's really a good thing. Esp for people who don't watch too much Godzilla movies in the past.
The movie started in the present year with a team of marine police investigating an abandoned boat, when an unexpected incident happened. A strange burst of hot steam suddenly popped up and an earthquake caused a problem to the nearby underground tunnel. Well, knowing that Japan do tend to experience minor to major earthquakes once a while, it was expected that the reaction to it would be of the standard one. And well, in this kind of new world that never seen a monster like Gojira ever appearing... certainly when rumours of monster sighting pop up online, people would not take it seriously. Especially when you know Japan do make a lot of monster movies, if there was anyone ever suggesting there was actual monster coming... well, that person most likely not be taken seriously.
It was interesting, seeing what different reaction the current generation of Japanese people would react to the first arrival to Japan. What with the different mindset and technology of the people of the 21st century (2016) compared to the people of the 20th century (1954). Different political ideology and military powers too.
The first part of the movie was more on the political side; as to how the government were being slow to react to the situation, due to their reluctance to believe that a monster could have risen from the ocean as well as their overconfidence that the monster would not be dangerous. That's quite a common reaction in toku, where the local law enforcer underestimate the danger, coming from beings they don't know of. In which, I guess one can be annoyed at many of the political figures in the movie.
Still, I do have some favourites, in form of Yaguchi Rando (played by Hasegawa Hiroki) a Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary and his team of various people in different fields. Yaguchi was the first person, who had considered the possibility of a monster attack, unlike the other ministers that quickly dismissed him earlier on. And instead of relying on 'experts' who don't even know what to do, he assembled his own people to devise a plan to tackle the monster. To be frank, Yaguchi was the character that I rooted the most in the movie. Seeing that in this movie they haven't yet have their own specialized task force to tackle a monster threat, it was interesting to see how they make do with the current military power they have. The movie manage to set the stage for Yaguchi for future continuations, as in this movie Yaguchi manage to lead his team--as well as the related military organization--to stop Godzilla from further rampage.
Some so-called fans might disagree, but I like how the movie plot was set up. Whether it was the political side; the inner government red tape and bureaucracy or the international political relationship, the nationwide reaction, the gradual reformation of the JSDF to attempt to start covering the threat of monster attacks, as well as the humanitarian aspects. It was believable, because you can't just expect people, countries to already have enough preparation to face something that no one could have believed posibble.
Frankly speaking, having the Godzilla initially appeared in a form not familiar to the standard appearance of past movies kinda swayed me a bit at first. But the more I think of it, having to see Godzilla undergoing an evolution from a marine creature to bi-pedal one is interesting. Because Godzilla itself was not a natural being, so seeing Godzilla having an origin on how it came to be is great. I'm not much of an NGE fan so I don't really find much ref there, but the initial ost tracks in the first half of the movie did feel un-Godzilla-like. But then, the moment the new Godzilla showed its final form and Ifukube's signature Godzilla theme came on, I'm totally sold! Our Gojira needed his theme to define his identity after all.
Also, the final part that totally seals the deal for this movie to be a proper Godzilla movie, was the callback towards the essential anti-nuclear plot that shaped every single Godzilla origin story. Godzilla after all, was the embodiment of the hate and suffering caused by the dropping of the atom bombs onto Nagasaki and Hiroshima back in WW2. So having that scene near the end where Japan had to bitterly accept the request from the American government to use nuclear missiles to kill Godzilla was really heart-wrenching. Not just because it was a really cruel punishment to the people of the nation that already suffered enough from the nuclear bombings in the past; but also because it was very cruel to Godzilla itself. I mean, you're practically trying to kill Godzilla with the very thing that created him in the first place. Wasn't that cruel... and arrogant of humans themselves? Also, a part of me was anxious because of the possibility that the missiles won't kill Godzilla, but just making him stronger. Because that just means the Americans most likely get away with the aftermath, claiming 'they only trying to help' and escape responsibility while the Japanese had to face the consequences by themselves.
I'm probably reading this too much, but it does reflect the real world situation. As in, the arrogance of some countries in thinking they can do whatever they want and then claim righteousness, just because they have the bigger political/military power. Just because they had the bigger guns. In a way, it is a political commentary on how certain countries think that using brute force to solve something would be the end of conflict. Without realizing that perhaps, their very decision would only make things even worse. The plot regarding Prof. Maki seemed to convey that message. Kinda. I'm not really good at expressing my thoughts. The professor character did remind me of some similar characters in past movies after all. In trying to remind people to not just see things from the surface, but also investigate the true cause for everything. Or to convey the other side of the story. Cos personally, I can't help feeling that Prof Maki WAS the reason Shin Goji appeared. What with the earlier scenes et al..
That aside, I love the fact the movie included many of the cast that had been involved in past tokusatsu or kaiju films and series. Actors like Kamio Yu, Osugi Ren, Emoto Akira, Shimada Kyusaku, Suwa Taro, Tsuda Kanji, Hiraizumi Sei, Ichikawa Mikako, Tsurumi Shingo and Kunimura Jun who have been involved in past toku productions like the Ultraman series (Max, Zero, X, Gaia, Neos, Orb etc), Kamen Rider series (Den-O, Wizard, Fourze, OOO etc), Super Sentai, Garo, Shougeki Gouraigan, Cutie Honey and past Godzilla movies. Having them around in the movie was certainly a delight to me. I exclaimed aloud seeing Suwa Taro-san in the movie, especially. Considering, that Suwa-san did A LOT of cameo appearance in many toku series and movies, and I do make a mission to try spotting him in every shows. There's also recurrent casts from the Shingeki no Kyojin movie but considering that Higuchi Shinji were also involved in that production, the inclusion was not surprising.
As per common in some Godzilla movies, there would be a post-credit scene being included in movie. But for Shin Godzilla, there was no post-credit scene. Regardless, the last few minutes before the credit roll did gave me the feeling of a post credit scene... as the camera panned towards the tail of the frozen Godzilla to reveal some strange protrusions. That looked like bones of unknown creatures... or maybe people (perhaps Maki Goro himself). Recalling that scene, I can't help feeling the aura of Tokyo SOS post credit scene in it.
That said, I can't help noticing some ridiculous outcries over the movie. Ranging from the ridiculous complaints about the movie having monsters in it or being similar to an Ultraman movie (Seriously, what do you expect from a KAIJUU movie?) to comparison to the 1998 American remake of Godzilla just because it's a reboot. On the latter, I feel like if one had to make a comparison towards Shin Goji... you can only try to compare it with the original Godzilla 1954 movie. To see the difference between the two. Because as much as I haven't yet watched the original movie (aside from clips of them in past anniversary documentaries), I could feel that Shin Goji had a lot of homage to the original movie.
On the reboot argument, I find that to be ridiculous. Since this was not the first time the Godzilla universe had a reboot. And each reboot had its own identity that makes people love it. I especially fond of the Against Mechagodzilla/Tokyo SOS universe that took another different direction after the event of first movie, as well as the Mothra movie.
And it's still better than that first American remake. And it was slightly better than Godzilla 2014; not because Shin Goji was much taller, but because Shin Goji showed Godzilla on the screen much more than in Godzilla 2014. Also, Shin Goji (at least in it's final form) was better looking than 'Odebu-chan'. And despite there was a brief scene about Shin Goji where it stated that it might be able to asexually reproduce itself (which mainly to enforce the fact that Shin Goji was capable of self-regeneration, aka almost immortal), procreation of its species was not the main plot of the movie. Unlike the plot from that 1998 remake about Zilla having a nestful of eggs... or the plot in Godzilla 2014 where the MUTOs started to build a nest for themselves to create more of them species.
That aside, Shin Goji did have a few new abilities never shown by the past Gojira incarnations. For one, its fins can shoot out its own laser beams to inflict wide-ranged aerial attacks. (It can be pretty ridiculous like some disco scene out of nowhere, but still cool.) And as shown from the earlier teasers, Shin Goji could shoot a flame barrage from red to purple fire. Also, its long tail can also shoot its own beam. And despite Shin Goji was still an organic creature, it seemed to have an ability to detect incoming threat from a certain distance like a radar. I suppose, it might be related to how whales and dolphins emit certain frequencies to find their ways around the ocean. Initially, I used to have a bit of doubt over Shin Goji having a really long tail. But hey, I guess after seeing the Level 1 and 2 evolution of Shin Goji that looked more fish-like than Godzilla, I had no issue with the long tail.
If I was to have any complaint at all, it'll be because of the fact that Shin Goji was mostly CG created. Unlike in past movies where most of the action scenes were done using a suit actor in a Godzilla suit, and having certain Toku SFX filming techniques to simulate the movements of the monsters etc. Having somewhat grew up with toku shows a lot, I can't help harbouring that kind of sentiments. Because there was something classic about the traditional toku SFX techniques that doesn't feel the same or couldn't be recreated from CG. Like using monster suits or miniature models, there's a sense or realism in that kind of filming that formed the identity of the Japanese tokusatsu industry. Like yes, despite being CG... Shin Goji's movements was still using an actor with motion capture to create realistic movement. Still, to me... there was something missing. Like in certain parts of Shin Goji scenes, there was certain subtle parts that made Shin Goji's movements/appearance looked unreal/CG.
Regardless, I totally enjoyed the movie. Especially in the second half when the Yaguchi Plan started in earnest, with every single person doing his or her best to overturn the situation. Using every contact and connections they have to complete their mission before the deadline. That kind of feeling of camaraderie, watching people being united and working together to regain their hope, was really amazing. That, along with Ifukube-influenced background themes really making the experience amazing. You can't help wanting to cheer on Yaguchi and the people supporting him, to want their efforts of stopping Godzilla's rampage to succeed. Even when you felt a bit bad towards Shin Goji itself.
Bottom line, if you're a fan of kaijuu films and/or Godzilla... do watch Shin Godzilla. Unless you're some prick who can't seem to stop nitpicking on bad things and essentially refusing to let people enjoy watching a show about kaijuu; you should be able to enjoy the movie.
Watch it, or face Gojira-sama's wrath XD.
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