We are currently within a new golden age of giant monster movies, as evidenced by the previous Legendary films Godzilla movie of 2014 and Pacific Rim. The ball is rolling swiftly towards 2017's release of Skull Island, Legendary's take on the origins of King Kong, as well as the sequel to Pacific Rim. We've even heard of the concepts for Legendary's Godzilla trilogy, which includes the 2019 release of Godzilla vs King Kong. Now, the latest installment in this era has made it to American theaters, and it may just be the deepest and most thought provoking of them all.
It has been more than two years since my last Glog update. Since then I have very nearly sat down and watched the original Godzilla movie to complete my countdown several times. I think very soon I shall complete that original list, but for now, I have to get my thoughts down after my first theater viewing of Shin Gojira.
The grandeur of the big screen experience made Godzilla seem enormous. The sound of his footsteps were that of the original, but Toho beefed up the sounds he created tenfold. They made sure to include many scenes of scale that add to the experience as a human viewer nearby a massive creature. Godzilla still had a character and a personality, although this one was much more menacing and stoic than some past. He was portrayed as an all powerful god creature more than ever before, and he was once he was enraged, but I also picked up hints of his being a character in suffering. He doesn't have a motive until the end of the movie and seems to just take a stroll through Japan at first. I felt like he was coming ashore simply to seek help from mankind, as the entirety of his body looks like an unhealed scab. He appears to be in pain at times since his body even in its final form did not seem fully formed or healed from the radiation. To me it seemed like he was a desperate burn victim seeking treatment although he could not communicate with those who could help. The lyrics to the main theme of the movie only seem to verify this feeling. "If I die in this world, who will know something of me, I am lost, no one knows, there's no trace of my yearning".... and ..."A downward slope is all I see." I provided the link to the music video on YouTube if anyone wants to check it out and get emotional. I believe the song can be heard from Godzilla's point of view as much as it can from the suffering people in his wake.
If you are familiar with the anime "Neon Genesis Evangelion" you are already familiar with Shin Gojira. Some of the music is identical, the scenes between Godzilla's appearances are almost carbon copied, and the presence of Godzilla is quite "Angelic." Obviously this has a lot to do with directors Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, both of whom created Evangelion. Highly recommended series though.
The feeling of the movie is intense throughout. I felt scared and I felt vulnerable. When Godzilla was ashore, I felt like I could feel the fear of everyone in his path and the fear of those nearby him who couldn't get away. Evacuation is nearly futile with the systems currently in place and the flaws in our infrastructure to support congestion. When he first comes, he is not as powerful as at the end of the movie, but he is still a significant threat and his potential is what is concerning. It is a disturbing scene and realization, as Godzilla bumbles around still not fully evolved. You see the destruction he causes and you know he still is going to get worse. His incomplete figure leaks blood and his lidless eyes stare over the streets he crushes. He pushes his way through Japan, his gargling movements misrepresenting the agonizing monster within. Some will look upon Godzilla's first form and laugh it off, but I think there is a larger message. The first nuclear warheads used on Japan were unknown creations to the Japanese people. Modern nuclear weapons are far more powerful and menacing because they are hundreds of times more powerful than the ones that wiped out Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and even more widespread.
This evolution of nuclear weapons is what Godzilla represents when he finally arrives in his evolved form. The modern threat of nuclear weapons has increased drastically with the advances in our technology and with other nations making strides themselves. Godzilla reminded me in theaters of the threat that a device of monstrous intentions can appear from nowhere, much like Godzilla can simply rise up out of the sea and make landfall.
Godzilla's advance into Japan was somewhat lethargic, but not in a boring way or because the pace was too slow. It was more or less because this Godzilla had less personal animation than previous counter parts, although that doesn't take away from his character. He very slowly traverses the countryside before wading through a see of Japanese Defense Force fire, all the while his facial expression unchanged. The Godzillas of the past reacted to these petty attempts to defeat him with a roar or a change of pace. This Godzilla seemed immune to any emotion on the outside. But once his cold outer demeanor was finally broken, all hell broke loose.
Godzilla's breath is a destructive force not seen yet seen on the big screen. I was in total shock and awe at the level of destruction and creativity in that scene. Toho successfully managed to change the age old blue beam into something totally different, and not once in theaters did I question the change. I just took in the horrifying spectacle and glanced around the theater in awe afterwards. But what is far more notable are the feelings I felt while watching that scene. As Godzilla's mouth slowly spreads open before his attack, I felt a feeling of pending inevitable death. It's as if he himself cannot stop the violent process he is about to unleash. Combined with the eerie choir singing the death song of thousands of Japanese civilians in that moment, I felt the horror of what it would be like to be subject to an unstoppable force of almost godly wrath. It felt like there was nothing anyone could do. Then the actual destruction commences and it is hard to quantify it in writing, but lets just say the whole city and probably several dozen miles of coastline go up in total flame. It was horrifically spectacular in a perverse way.
After seeing this scene, it was clearly evident Toho had increased Godzilla's destructive potential. For the first time ever watching a Godzilla movie I thought to myself, "What would happen if he continued to attack other countries." The message here I think is that we need to force that realization onto our own weapons and military. You look at a dormant missile and that's what it is, just a big cold metal tube. But we don't get to see the destructive firepower of such a weapon firsthand and if we did, we might make a societal change. We might fully realize the godly power we have created and might finally look towards other means if we knew the types of emotions those weapons could unleash.
I thought the end of the movie was rushed honestly, and the plan to beat Godzilla was somewhat unbelievable but I do not think it affected the overall feeling of the movie. The first 60% is brilliant. The last 40% is pretty good. What saved the ending for me was the final scene, the cliff hanger. You won't get a huge spoiler from me this easily though. Godzilla's evolution throughout the movie obviously was not complete, and his final evolution was halted before it could finish. Let's just say the potential is again scary once the realization hits you, and the possibility of a sequel is incredibly intriguing.
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