Shin Godzilla

Releasing 25th July 2016, Shin Godzilla is yet another reboot of the 1954 classic Godzilla with the plot revolving around a titanic lizard coming ashore to Tokyo. Despite being the 31st Godzilla film released, Shin Godzilla uses its modernised setting to tell a refreshing, nuanced story amidst the monster madness. The first major component that sets this film apart from the rest of its franchise is that this is the first Japanese Godzilla film to primarily use VFX to bring Godzilla to life: compare this to Godzilla (1954) where Godzilla was created using a suit with miniatures. Whilst the visual effects aren’t always perfect, they work well and enable sometimes poignant imagery.

Whereas Godzilla (1954) focused on the ideas of unchecked nuclear power, Shin Godzilla decides to tackle much more modern issues such as overcomplicated politics and sometimes waste disposal. However, Godzilla remains a force of nature with the imagery of him coming ashore mimicking that of the 2011 Tōhoku Tsunami and, being a Godzilla film, Godzilla releases his atomic breath in Tokyo. This film decides to evoke the imagery of the Fukushima plant’s failure as a result of the tsunami and the scene will take your breath away; this is furthered by the soundtrack. Whilst heavily utilising pre-existing tracks from this franchise, they are used appropriately in the narrative alongside some original tracks which serve their purpose spectacularly.

As usual the performances don’t really stand out as overtly memorable. This, and a lack of character depth, would often render said characters forgettable however, each character serves a purpose in the narrative and the fight against Godzilla. He is an unstoppable force of nature, much akin to the original creature. Overall Shin Godzilla has a handful of faults in the performance department, what it lacks here, however, it obliterates with a refreshing story and structure whilst displaying extraordinary reverence to the franchise’s history.