Review of Shin Godzilla (2016) by Ming Siu G — 29 Aug 2016

Fans of Neon Genesis Evangelion will love this, as the directors bring their trademark style to Godzilla - and it works damn well. Much of the emphasis is on criticising bureaucracy, with tons of talky scenes that are surprisingly propulsive despite the overwhelming dialogue and numerous characters.

The scenes where they let you breathe are, in direct contrast to most Hollywood disaster flicks, the scenes of destruction, which are mostly done in slow, wide shots, that elicit HOLY FUCK reactions more than incomprehensible fast-cutting closeups, simply because they show the scale of the damage and are more awe-inspiring.

Pair that with music cues that are also pretty much the opposite of everything traditional (as per NGE), and you have yourself a fantastic reboot of the series. The only misstep is the Japanese-American character, whose English is just facepalm-worthy.

Plus, it somehow manages to be patriotic, but not in the overbearing manner that China films are.