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So Shin Godzilla. To start off it's a solid 8/10. I definitely just needed to separate it from the weirdass fandom war between it and the Legendary stuff and just look at it on its own. I also needed a different perspective on it. So thanks to @kaijuvision and @JimPluff for that
I guess to start off I'll say the big elephant in the room, the politics. After watching KVR's video I genuinely can't say Shin Godzilla is nationalistic personally. I think Anno can sometimes muddle his themes (He has this issue in NGE as well) that makes it confusing. But when-
you really fully analyze them Anno's message to me seems to be "Japan should make its own decisions, but they need to be good ones." Why do I think that is? Well I'll use one bit in particular. In the first half of the film the SDF is too gung-ho and ready to fight
any anxiety is treated as unreasonable and that the SDF is uber powerful and strong. They fail entirely against Godzilla, not even slowing him down. This feels a lot like the desire from some in the government currently to directly fight NK and China. Fool-hardy and overconfident
The SDF only succeeds when they fight defensively for the people, not for glory, in the second half. This leads into my other point which is the US. While yes the US is not perfect in the film, they are at the end of the day still the closest ally to Japan.
Now is the film critical of America? Yes but more from a realist's POV. It is equally as critical of Japan's ageism, political structure, and style while praising America's in some aspects (Kayako's power at her age, Japan's perception that America's government is more together)
While the film does criticize America's requests from Japan (Which if you look at Okinawa and us forcing Japan into Iraq is entirely reasonable), America is also who at the end of the day helps the most besides France and Germany. The film is more critical of China and Russia
I also think the Abe reading is personally...odd since both Prime Ministers are portrayed as bad and incompetent. I know Abe praised the film but I think he himself is misreading it.
Which leads into what's imo more of its message, the 2011 Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Meltdown. Maybe it's coming into this now during a similar natural disaster (The pandemic) but I get it more now. The frustration at the government and organizations of the world
just failing to handle the situation at hand and instead trying to wish it away. One scene in particular that struck me was "It can not come onto land!" that reminded me of the WHO's now infamous declaration that the virus couldn't spread from person to person.
This messaging that Shin is about the 2011 disaster is clear in Godzilla's evolution, the way the disaster itself evolved from Earthquake to Tsunami to Nuclear Plant meltdown as well as the imagery at hand like the rushing water when Kamata-kun comes ashore.
Which brings me I guess to beyond the themes and Shin's human characters. I'll still argue Shin's humans aren't incredibly strong and that's on purpose by design and they are deeper then I first thought (With me noticing some things I didn't the first time)
with them trying to flesh out Kayako/Kayaco and Yaguchi. I think it succeeds to a degree but it's still not a cast I personally would consider among Godzilla's best but passable. The issue though however in my opinion is there is a bit too many scenes of people standing around
and talking with mile-a-minute dialogue. While fun and engaging in the first half in the second half you do feel a bit of a drag and I feel like that pacing issue is Shin Godzilla's biggest flaw personally. It needs to be trimmed a bit and focused a bit more.
I will say though that this around I did like the cast a lot more and I do think they're good, just could've been better. The idea of Japan as the character itself is a very interesting one and from that lens it works better, but it doesn't fix the pacing imo.
Visually and Godzilla wise though the film is gorgeous as we all know and I myself have said. The Godzilla designs are striking, the way he moves and the way Godzilla is filmed to elicit a sense of scale is fantastic and some of the best in the franchise.
While being light on character it adds an eerieness and spookiness to this godly Godzilla, fitting the idea of a being above us all and the MoCap work looks fantastic. The film itself also just looks gorgeous with dynamic camera work and shots that keep you engaged.
Score wise I do kind of wish Shiro Sagisu had some more original tracks, the NGE and Bleach stuff does still take me out of the film but the original tracks are some of the best and work wonderfully.
And the way the action is filmed and done is great with this being one of the best military vs Godzilla scenes not to mention how amazing the atomic breath unveiling is as well as the final operation.
Acting wise everyone's great and puts in a good job including all the minor character actors so props to them for that.
I'm very glad this film exists because it's very much Japanese and very much Anno and for that it's incredibly important and interesting. Do I PERSONALLY consider it the best since the original? No but does it matter that I do or don't? Imo not really.
I think the fan war should end since it's entirely fan-made it's literally the same franchise why are fighting each other lmao.
Tldr Reiwa/Legendary's the best era so far thanks for coming to my TED talk.
