SHIN GODZILLA MOVIE REVIEW
By: Godzillamania
After
finally watching the 29th Toho Godzilla film, we are ready to give
you our take on the film. It has been 12 years since the last Toho Godzilla
film, Godzilla: Final Wars, and while
Final Wars gave us a film that literally felt like a kaiju-sized birthday bash,
you can really see the change in tone when it comes to Shin Godzilla.
First
off, let’s look at the good points of the film:
1.
Godzilla! Godzilla is great in the film! Every time
he appeared on the screen, it sent shivers throughout my body. He looked very badass
in his final form. His sequences within the film are nothing short of awesome.
2.
The Music! Not only are there some new music scores
for the film (which was actually very good), but there are moments throughout
the film where the music of Akira Ifukube was used. Now while some moments with
Ifukube’s scores seemed rather oddly out of place, it was still incredibly
awesome to hear those classic themes again.
Now for some of the low points of
the film:
1.
While the story is very similar to 1954 and
1984, the characters, unfortunately, represent one of the major problems I had
with the film. It wasn’t so much the characters themselves, but the fact that
there were so many characters in this film, that hardly any of them really have
a chance to shine, let alone develop. The only character I felt received any
development was Rando Yaguchi played by Hiroki Hasegawa. I didn’t feel invested
in characters like Hideki Akasaka (Yutaka Takenouchi) or Kayoko Ann Patterson (Satomi
Ishihara).
2.
The CGI! Now don’t get me wrong! The CGI for
Godzilla’s final form was surprisingly well received, as well as the destruction
scenes throughout the film, but the first forms and evolving scenes looked a
little unfinished.
3.
This next issue might not be hard to look past
by many, but I feel I should address it for those that might be put off by it. The
scenes with the humans talking about what course of actions they should take. We’ve
seen this story play out so many times before to the point where the film is
simply repeating the same story as 1984 and 1954. As a reboot, it is a very
soft reboot, that doesn’t take enough risks to be different from the other
Godzilla films, other than give Godzilla new powers and a very strange ending.
All in all, the film is far from perfect, the first and
third act of the film seem to be where the film is strong. It is the second act
of the film that may determine your thoughts of the movie as a whole. As for
me, I found some enjoyment in it and most of that was because I never hyped up
my expectations. The film succeeds in some areas, while it doesn’t in others. To
put it simply, it was okay. Not quite the Godzilla film I had hoped for, but
definitely worth the watch!
Final score: 7 / 10
~Godzillamania
