Shin Godzilla, directed by Hideaki Anno, does not disappoint in the 15th Anniversary remake of the film. This version of Godzilla was the frst Godzilla movie I had ever watched. Judge me all you want, but I have no intention of picking up on it unless onligated to do so. Not being much of an action movie fan – unless it’s a blockbuster in cineams – I expected the film to be a stereotypical “monster attacks city” type of scenario with numerous shots of citizens panicking and buildings being crushed. The film was able to accurately depict that along with the realistic disaster risk reaction strategies the Japanese government took in handling the Godzilla crisis.
Godzilla or Gojira is described as ‘ a creature that evolved from an ancient sea organism into a terrestrial animal that was disturbed from its deep underwater habitat by repeated hydrogen bomb testing.’ It was interesting to see how the government system and other citizens reacted to the monster attack. They utilized their knowledge in creating a strategy that would contain the crisis whils regulating people’s safety. Japan itself as a country is rather commendable in their efficiency.
The Japanese Government bans together in identifying the crisis at hand.
The film was able to reflect the culture of the Japanese, and their political structure in handling such a crisis. Even those that had minor roles did what they could to help. Like giving tea to the hardworking group of researchers trying to bring Godzilla down. It was the state of crisis that brought them together.
I was rather impressed by how fast they were able to accumulate the number of drugs they needed to sedate the dinosaur. To think that if this were to happen in the Philippines, it would be a whole different scenario. After watching the film, I couldn’t help but speculate on the idea. For some reason if this were to happen, the film version would become more of a parody than a sci-fi action, which is pretty sad to admit.
It isn’t just the action or the entertainment factor for watching the film. But the realizations that we get and how much responsibility is left to the government in a state of crisis. It also shows the number of lives affected and the cutthroat decisions that must be made in this circumstance. The hard work and effort that the common people put into to keep their nation afloat. It is a story of humanity. How the people are put to the test in the state of calamity. As the final scene pops on the screen, I was somewhat expecting Godzilla. It was a great way to kick-off/introduce me to popular Godzilla. I got a lot more from the film than I would’ve thought. I especially liked how not all the shots were of the monster destroying the city, but the people at work to handle the situation.
Elements of Screen Arts (2019) 