I was going to put this in the movie section, but this is where the true G-Fans dwell, so...
SHIN GODZILLA
The Batman Professor Review
2 stars out of 5
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
NO, REALLY - SPOILERS
SHIN GODZILLA really puts a phrase I use in my university classes to the test:
"I'd rather see an ambitious failure than a complacent success."
The film works on a lot of levels, notably in showing the collateral damage that a gigantic creature could inflict on a densely populated city. There are shots of Godzilla wading through urban areas that are truly awe-inspiring, as well as scenes of the JDF in action that feel absolutely real. The build-up to Godzilla's first appearance, and the faltering response by the government is very well depicted, with lots of crosscut dialogue from a host of characters, giving the first half of the film a driving sense of urgency. However, it's soon apparent that this "talking head" motif is the touchstone that the film comes back to again and again, and it becomes increasingly tiring. By the end of the film, the whole "let's come up with a way of defeating this monster without resorting to nukes" feels like APOLLO 13 by way of Michael Bay.
Of the actors involved, Hiroki Hasegawa, comes off best as the lower level gov't operative who ultimately gets a shot at saving the nation from destruction at the feet of Godzilla or the hands of the US government. However it's Satomi Ishihara as the Japanese-American daughter of an American senator who nearly sinks the movie for me. Clearly hired for her looks, her American accent is cringe-worthy, and you do not believe for one moment that she was raised in the US with access to it's levers of power. The rest of the cast functions well enough, but few leave any lasting impression.
Now for GODZILLA. SPOILERS GALORE.
The design and abilities of this newest iteration of the King of the Monsters smacks of "let's be different and outrageous for the sake of being different and outrageous. The "Puppy Slug" that originally comes ashore is terrifying and ridiculous in equal measure, marred by both a poorly realized head design and the least convincing CG seen in the film. When he later emerges as this film's "Boss" version, he is admittedly cooler looking than my first impression from the trailers, appearing as a cross between the 1954 Gozi and the 1995. My problem is that he moves very slowly, and seemingly with little purpose. When the JDF and the USAF attack, my most serious issues with SHIN GODZILLA fully manifest. After an awesome display of BIG G honing his radioactive breath, he goes on to fire it out of his back and then his tail! Speaking of his tail, the last shot of it triggered PTSD from GINO's offspring running amok in Madison Square Garden.
Also, the lower jaw separation is pointless IMO, but possibly the worst part is that this is a Godzilla movie with less Godzilla in it than the 2014 version.
I'm not going to say this film is an absolute failure, but it certainly didn't resonate with me in the end.
Sorry, Crispy, you could have been a contender.
