4.13.16
Shin-Godzilla is here in all his terrifying glory! Toho released two official second trailers of Shin Godzilla starring Hiroki Hasegama, Yutaka Takenouchi, and Satomi Ishihara (Co-Director and VFX Director Shinji Higuchi and Associate Director and VFX Creative Director Katsuro Onoue, Writen and Directed by Hideaki Anno): News flash (特報2, 33 min) and Trailer (予告, 1:32 min). It’s all that I hoped for and more. Intense, terrifying, and serious all come to mind. I’m stoked. My initial impression is that Toho has done a great job returning Godzilla to its origins and context. Ominous, Menacing, Terrifying…
In the long trailer, we are greeted by the Toho Scope marque and the showa roar of Shin-Godzilla. The whip of his long tail and height of 118 meters reminiscent of Godzilla 2014. The CGI is executed well considering the difference between the budget and scale of the Japanese and US movie industry. The gravity, size, and terror of Godzilla comes through in his slow moving motion. Seeing Godzilla lumbering through the town with school children running down the street reminds me of the years I spent in the town of Karuizawa. The feeling of terror, destruction, and real human drama has been achieved! The trailer’s soundtrack communicates the new feel perfectly.
Shin-Godzilla’s appearance has been a matter of controversy. I’ve always liked it since the photos leaked. The design returns Godzilla to 1954 shocking us upon sight. It’s important to put the new design in the context of the shodai design and to see the striking similarities and differences. Shin’s eyes and arms are consistent with that of shodai. The effects of nuclear radiation on Godzilla are freighting and disturbing as those of the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The blood-soaked muscles are radiating and glowing red. His dorsal plates sit upon a broad bloody back. The more I look at him the more I feel he is a smoldering swelling nuclear reaction in slow motion.
Shin-Godzilla is not necessarily a film to be hyped for in the usual sense. This a somber film like Gojira 1954 that is to remind us of the seriousness of human violence manifest in the nuclear age. Having lived through Japan’s 3/11 and being aware of the ongoing horror of Fukushima, Shin-Godzilla should make us take more serious about the truths behind Godzilla. I believe the nuclear accident in Fukushima will be part of the story. Suppressing the dire reality of that nuclear disaster is a real part of everyday life in Japan. While I was there, it was always on my mind but we didn’t talk about it. For Shin-Godzilla to emerge from the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant would be bold statement just as riveting as Shodai Godzilla. I believe that’s the effect the directors want us to have. The strong human presence and element in the trailer suggest this. The film’s 328 cast members makes this quite evident.
The quality of the film should be determined by its story and how it handles the serious subject matter. Over the last week, I’ve been watching documentaries on the situation of Fukushima nuclear reactor and the Chernobyl disaster. The appearance of Shin-Godzilla is a powerful statement with freighting implications for a world far too dependent on nuclear power.
As I watch the trailer over and over again I’m struck by the expressions of distraught and terror. This takes me back to 1954. This takes me back to 3/11. Destruction, pain, agony, sorrow, death, despair, the difficult decisions. Be prepared for something shocking, different, disturbing, and discomforting. Shin-Godzilla will be released on Friday, July 29th in Japanese theaters in IMAX, 4DX, and MX4D formats.
