Review of Shin Godzilla (2016) by Brandon T — 15 Oct 2016

Here is a film that is at least tenfold the sum of its parts. A film part satire, part franchise revival, part political commentary, part natural disaster movie, part procedural, and part religious allegory. Not since Sono's Love Exposure have I experienced a Japanese film so rife with differing tones, dense with its messages.

And at its heart, it's still a damn good Godzilla movie.

The film sprints into the narrative. The pace from the first minute of the film is relentless, every line of dialogue, every decision of the characters railed along by Anno's frantic direction. Everything is constantly in motion. The audience is suddenly immersed in a West Wing-esque political world of caricatural politicians, disgruntled officials, and fumbling democracy.

It's immediately apparent that this is a politically-driven film. Most of the film doesn't actually focus on the titular beast, but on the bureaucratic floundering of a democracy too bloated to function even if an invincible 400-foot radioactive dinosaur is laying waste to their society.

The dialogue is fast and sometimes unnecessarily flowery. Time is wasted with every call that has to be made, every bill to be passed.

And, as boring as that sounds, it's actually quite the contrary.

I found myself more invested in this film whose main character is a Chief Cabinet Secretary than I was in the 2014 American rendition whose main character is a bomb specialist trying to save his family.

Anno has a way with weaving personal character growth and depth through layers upon layers of political commentary. Despite their flaws as leaders in a time of crisis, the characters' plight demanded my empathy. I wanted to see them be rid of this monster. I wanted to see Japan be saved.

He accentuates this with his flawless direction and special effects. Utilizing motion capture and CGI, the film's grisly portrayal of Godzilla struck fear into my heart. His outlandish abilities, different from any other reiteration before it, was awe-inspiring. And when the camera wasn't focused on him, Anno manages to keep my disdain as he presents the true monster of bureaucracy.

The film also further highlights this with the superb soundtrack by Shiro Sagisu of Evangelion fame. Many of the tracks are lifted from the aforementioned anime, adding more of a sense of urgency to many of the human-centered scenes. Not only are Eva tracks implemented, but many iconic songs from classic Godzilla films from his Showa era are layered inside as well, raw and unmastered, adding a layer of nostalgia and unease. What truly gave me goosebumps was Sagisu's original pieces. Awe-inspiring epic motions, swaths of choral wailing and orchestral lament.

We see the economy of the nation plummet as large world superpowers (predominantly the US) breathe down Japan's neck, trying to take advantage of the situation to seize Japan from its leaders. There's a real distress in the situation, a sincere fear of the real monsters to the nation, reflecting modern-day Japan's introspection of who they are in this rapidly-changing era of change.

Keeping in line with the overtones of political commentary, Godzilla, as he is in nearly every single other Godzilla film, is more of an allegory than he is a literal monster. Of course, there is the pseudo-scientific jargon explaining his biology, how he's the "world's most evolved creature", but at his heart, Godzilla is a walking, breathing metaphor.

For one, the menace of the growing superpowers of China and Russia. For the other, the stranglehold of the United States around Japan's neck.

Aside from the overt political metaphors, Anno stays true to form and manages to sprinkle in religious allegory. After all the literal translation of the film is "God Godzilla", and several times during the film, the characters reiterate that this is not a monster, but "truly, a god incarnate".

More questions than answers arise when we see these hapless leaders pick up the burning pieces of Tokyo in Godzilla's wake. More philosophical, metaphysical ones than I anticipated. What exactly IS Godzilla? Is he the representation of a mass land invasion, spurning the Japanese public to cut ties with the United States to construct their own defenses? Is he the representation of something other than democracy, a gargantuan state that proves to be more efficient? Is he the representation of God if he were to see how humans squabble and fight, leading to ourselves to our own demise?

The true beauty of this film is that Godzilla is all of these things.

Just as he represented the fears of atomic warfare in the 1954 incarnation, the victims of Imperialistic Japan in 2001's incarnation, and the negligence of humankind in the 2014 incarnation, Godzilla is more metaphor than monster.

Regardless of its pacing issues in after the end of the second act, the film paints this metaphor perfectly. What's more is the portrayal of the Japanese people and their call to action.

Whether or not the nation will heed this film's warnings or not, Shin Godzilla, with all its flaws and incongruities, is a beautiful dissertation on the fears and anxieties of a people trying to find their place in this world.

A truly horrifying glimpse at what real monsters walk amongst us.