Godzilla is one of the most iconic movie monsters to ever be created. There have been many different imaginings of the monster, and I’m glad the one in Shin Godzilla takes it back to its Japanese roots. Because of this, I got a better view of the Japanese people, such as how they do things and what they value. Overall, I found plenty of enjoyment in the film for its action, ability to get me asking questions, and, at times, its accidental comedy.

Though as simple as a giant lizard that has the ability to shoot laser beams, its concept excels at making it into something that a monster should be: a problem. The 2016 Shin Godzilla iteration of the monster showcases this excellently. It’s not something that can just be destroyed with raw firepower because it’s near indestructible. It’s not something that can just be nuked because the country doesn’t exactly resonate well with nuclear weapons after World War II, in addition to the fact that because the monster is essentially a nuclear reactor, there could be a giant crater where Japan should be if said solution were to be utilized. To add, the fact that they realize that it can produce asexually increased the suspense by adding a timer, meaning that they had to come up with a creative solution, and quickly. Adding to this is the setting. Japan is not the military superpower that is the United States, in fact, they don’t even have a military. They’re a small nation that was completely taken aback by the sudden emergence of a monster. All of these factors combined allowed the movie to be more thrilling, and really got me interested in how they’d handle the situation.

Speaking of handling the situation, I admire the way the Prime Minister decided to handle the situation. Too often, I see protagonists resorting to becoming a monster in order to defeat an antagonist. This means that they go back on their values that made them respectable and becoming less likeable in the process, like Batman resorting to use guns or killing people. But not Japan. I admired how even in the event of a crisis, they checked their laws and made sure to still follow the rules set in place after World War II. They also didn’t risk civilian casualties, even if it meant losing a chance at defeating the monster. The honor that the Japanese people have was highlighted very well in this movie.

However, just to get it out of the way, if there’s one thing I disliked about Shin Godzilla, it was the silly-looking initial form of the monster. Every single time its googly eyes were shown, I could not hold back my laughter. I am very thankful that the monster took on new forms as it evolved, as I do not think I could have taken the monster seriously if I had to look at its eyes.

Monster movies have a certain charm to them, despite them having a reputation for being “stupid”. The simplicity of monster movies like Shin Godzilla, Pacific Rim, and King Kong mean that they’re not too complicated, and they don’t have to be. It can be enjoyable just as it is.

The film, Shin Godzilla (2016), proves to be one of the best Japanese films I’ve ever watched so far. I enjoyed the cinematography and the play on effects that the producers used to create the film. I greatly appreciate Japanese culture and through this film, I once again confirmed my love for Japanese arts. Unlike the American Godzilla movie released in 2014 which focused too heavily on the action, Shin Godzilla showed that you don’t need a complex storyline to produce a world-class film. 

The first scene alone already captured my attention — making me wonder where is all the blood coming from and what may have happened to the man in the boat. Throughout the movie, I was consistently on edge to see what would occur next. I wouldn’t say that the movie is as exciting as regular action movies, but it definitely left me on edge due to all the drama. 

Shin Godzilla was portrayed to be an actual monster, instead of those glamorized monsters in movies that are made to look a bit unattractive for the viewers’ pleasure. It showed a monster for what he truly is — ugly and dangerous. Aside from this, I liked how the film showed Japan’s political issues and bureaucracy yet still stayed true to a Godzilla movie. Usually, I would get bored watching a movie that is so heavy on politics but instead I found it interesting to know how the Japanese government works. There was so much dialogue in the movie which I thought of as strange at first but then appreciated how the film really showed the “behind the scenes” of the Japanese governance system. The characters also contributed to making the film great. I found it touching that they were so invested in trying to solve the international threat which is Godzilla and even using excessive measures to do so. One thing I would have wanted to see from the film was the effect on the citizens of Japan. It would have been interesting to see the events that progressed in the lives of the Japanese people before Shin Godzilla’s attack, during, and after. Detailed accounts of the survivors or the relatives of the victims would really add a dramatic feel to the film. 

It was entertaining in a sense that Shin Godzilla is a kind of film that does not require much thinking. I was simply watching the film without giving too much thought on the small details because of how direct the focus was and how the scenes were connected to each other contributing to the overall plot of the film. Some of the scenes were satirical in a way like the scenes where the Japanese government had to switch conference rooms four times in a span of a few minutes since they found one room more appropriate than the other. I also found it very ironic yet clever that what led to Shin Godzilla’s defeat was bomb trains and buildings being dropped on him — infrastructure that he is known for destroying. 

Godzilla as a character is a very curious case for the film industry. He has had a long up and running history with moviegoers dating back to the 50’s with the 1954 original directed by Ishiro Honda. The filmmakers did something special with the titular monster in a sense that they didn’t present him as just a giant piece of terror that just so happens to enjoy stomping on people. Godzilla over the years stood for something. Whether it is for the nuclear bombs that terrorized Hiroshima or a symbol of nature’s revenge to humanity for abusing it just to name a few. Needless to say, it was not just a monster movie. 

Over the years, Godzilla has evolved one way or another. He went from a terrorizing villain to a sort of anti-hero status that beats up less sympathetic kaijus that show up in the surface. This prehistoric animal has both captured and frightened all of our hearts with the countless sequels, reboots, remakes, re-imaginings the brand has gone through. If there’s one thing that remained constant, is that Japan is the unluckiest country in the world in this universe. 

The Godzilla franchise, much like its main character, is practically invincible at this point. With more than twenty movies under its belt you’d think they’ll stop themselves from churning out these things. And that they did actually, till the American reboot directed by Roland Emmerich got released with not so stellar reviews. It basically butchered the beloved creature and everything it stood for, thus, Toho came back from retirement of the license and released Godzilla: Final Wars to fix things. The 98’ movie was so bad they had a scene wherein the actual Godzilla completely obliterated Zilla, the name they gave to whatever it is that showed up to the Emmerich flick. This shows how much Toho really cares for the brand and how it is represented. It’ll be a couple more years until they entrust their golden boy to another company.

Then came 2014’s Godzilla by Legendary Studios directed by Gareth Edwards. The trailers and promo materials were all so effective and gripping so naturally, hype was at an all time high leading up to its release. It had a generally positive reception from the public with only a few complaining about the lack of screen time of some characters even the from the creature itself. It was by no means a bad film. It was actually a very impressive re-introduction of the character to an audience outside Japan. It was a box office hit and of course, Toho wanted a slice from the cake.

And so finally, we get to Shin Godzilla (or Godzilla Resurgence for the western crowd). This was a soft reboot and re-imagining for the character after they killed him off in Final Wars and as expected, it received a ton of hype. A Godzilla film from the original makers and an all new frightening design that was teased in the trailers? Yes please. 

Shin Godzilla is a 50 50 situation for me. Going into it, I expected a slow burn with only a few tidbits of the creature sprinkled throughout. The point of the movies isn’t the destruction anyways, even though it would be awesome, but what makes Godzilla special are the layers it presents to us in its narrative through the human perspective. What Godzilla does and means to them. The 2014 American reboot conditioned me to expect a Godzilla movie with not much Godzilla in it. That being said, my expectations were exceeded for just a tad bit. Yes, there are more scenes with the creature himself but there is also an abundance of the human subplot. There were so many characters in this movie that it would be a miracle for me to even remember at least one name. Infinity War who? 

The human subplot in here was a bit disappointing. I don’t want to fully discredit it though since this Godzilla, keeping up with tradition, tries to be something more than a monster blockbuster. Most of the screen time dedicated to humans are the behind the scenes operations of the government and different agencies trying to band together to take care of the threat at hand. It doesn’t take a genius to guess that they fail at this spectacularly in the first couple of tries otherwise, we would just end up with a 20 minute movie. It’s not all dark and gloom as well. The movie does not shy away in showing how dumb decision makers can be in leading. Sometimes the higher the position, the more idiotic they can get, now why does that sound familiar? 

Some of the scenes with the characters run for way too long sometimes in service of a joke or to emphasise something that has been shoved down our faces multiple times already. It’s generally a lighthearted movie actually with some of the humans being portrayed as downright stupid which has a very uncomfortable contrast to the scenes where Godzilla is murdering literally thousands of people. This may be the first Godzilla film to focus solely on the political aspect of the story since the scientists, civilian and military perspective all have been done to death in the past, while it is a cute attempt to try and make a commentary on the start of leaders the world has, it could have done with a little bit more work in the writing process to flesh out some and take out more than a couple elements. 

It is a far cry from the dark and bleak tone the trailers made it seem it has and instead, it gave us a satirical look at the social and political perspectives. Every man/ department for himself, passing around the blame from one to another, and a complete debauchery of the bureaucratic processes that ultimately lead to a mishandling of a crisis. A sense of irony is very evident with almost every scene of the humans to the point wherein I find myself questioning if I’m rooting for these blubbering buffoons or the giant monster that’s about to kill all of them. 

But now we get to the actual star of the show, Godzilla himself. The re-design is impressive and harrowing at the same time. The mixture of CGI and a practical suit was blended seamlessly to create a photorealistic Godzilla for the most part. He is noticeably more stiff compared to the 2014 American version but that’s unavoidable considering the latter one is completely a CGI creation. His new design screams out terror and despair with an almost skeleton like skin and bloodshot eyes that evoke no soul within whatsoever. Not to meantion, the way his jaw extends whenever he pulls off the iconic atomic breathe is both captivating and frightening to an almost uncomfortable level. Godzilla’s “powers” are given a much welcome twist. The director’s anime background shows with the over the top nature of the atomic breath that used to come out of his mouth alone, now comes from his spine and tail as well. Over all, it’s impressive what Toho pulled off considering the tiny budget they have to use.

Godzilla this time takes on more of a villain role which might break the hearts of some viewers who got accustomed to his new reputation as some sort of ‘saviour’ or defender of earth from other kaijus. Seeing as this is some sort of a soft reboot for the franchise (at least the one that’s Toho handling separate from the Legendary Pictures universe) the fire breathing dinosaur is a lone wolf this time with his only enemy being the military, and we all know how value adding they are when it comes to pushing back kaijius. This then results to a focus for a more human side of the story much like the original. Though it is a noble attempt at sticking to its roots, ultimately it falls flat for what it’s trying to do.

I’m all for a political Godzilla film but it seems like they ham fisted way too much in this one already to the point it becomes bloated. Conversations between principal characters start to feel like a chore to go through while they discuss their plans as one needs approval of a higher up which then goes to another higher up. It’s a tired cycle that is an an obvious attempt fir satire but becomes a slow burn of a chug going into the second act. It also doesn’t help that the cinematography on display, though it may be stunning at times showing of wides of Godzilla stomping through the streets emphasising his scale with low angles, becomes painfully mundane with the human scenes. I can only assume that they used as much natural lighting as possible when shooting on location and only tried to jell them together with colouring with post and it shows. Some scenes look flat and boring equivalent to watching an office simulator while others look abnormally saturated. Hideako Anno’s camera work does shine at times giving the film a documentary feel. 

Overall, Shin Godzilla tries to tackle all new themes for the franchise and it does achieve its goal for the most part but more room in the writing process would have been beneficial in the long run. It is still a fantastic Godzilla film and it’s one I would recommend to any fan of the long time running franchise. With Godzilla: King of Monsters along the way and the spinoff crossover with King Kong coming in close by, it’s a perfect time to be a Godzillanatic. 

Since the beginning of time, we’ve had a fascination of the big; clearing mountains, sailing continents, battling beasts, and creating gods. This interest in the bigger than life has seeped into our mainstream media with the inclusion of King Kong, Megaladon, Big foot, and the most infamous, Godzilla. Director Hideaki Anno has gone and birthed another beast to add the cinema’s hall of monsters. Though this is another take on Godzilla, this doesn’t take away from it’s identity of a monster film through and through.

To be frank, the movie’s introduction took sometime and it was tedious. It didn’t feel like a “Godzilla” movie with how slow the pacing was and the threat was hardly ever evident in the beginning parts. To me Godzilla has a presence that shocked the screen, kept people reeling in their seats as they watched every frame. But here, even when Godzilla came on the screen, no one felt any sort of impending danger. Instead we saw the inner politics of Japan and international relations as they dealt with the unknown threat.

Don’t get me wrong, the movie wasn’t bad, though it was paced much slower than I was used to, it had a different charm. The movie had more depth then just a normal monster film. Usually, films slap on some fancy CGI, get some big name actors, and let the splendor of the monster captivate the audience and reel them into the half baked plot some writer pulled out their ass. Not so in this film. We saw real world implications of having a Godzilla pop up in our world, from the political, scientific, and societal effects brought about his existence. Throughout generations man has sought after capturing the essence of otherworldly figures into the stories and legends we’ve weaved onto paper and ink. Yet here, Godzilla’s story felt more real and tangible. Not to say I could expect our little own Godzilla in the near future, but I felt how realistic the government and society as a whole treated the whole predicament.

Schizopolis, like every other movie out there, is a movie that you try your best to understand. Although, Schizopolis is like a Lego set that you only realize has some missing pieces when you’ve already invested so much time and effort on it. Like an unfinished Lego figure, this movie gives you a sort of idea on what it is but your understanding of it will still be sort of incomplete or unfinished. In my opinion, the movie is a mystery on purpose. It gives you elements to understand it, but it also lacks information which leads you to assume.

I divided the movie into 2 layers that I later on combined into one after watching the entire movie. The first layer is the dialogue used by the characters at the beginning of the movie. As an example, I will take an exchange between Fletcher and his wife.

Upon entering his home, Fletcher says “Generic greeting!” His wife then replies by saying “Generic greeting returned.” This type of literal dialogue goes on for a certain portion of the movie but is then replaced by the second layer I would like to talk about. The next dialogue involved the characters speaking in different languages. It can be assumed that the movie intended the dialogue to be unknown to the viewers considering that the audience would most likely only understand English.

To combine the two parts I saw them as complementary pieces rather than two entirely different layers. The first layer presented a literal and honest expression from the characters that showed the viewers that actions do not necessarily reflect what the characters of the movie really intend to do. An example of this is another exchange between Fletcher and his wife. Fletcher asks his wife what she prepared for dinner and she replies by stating a phrase that sort of goes like “I prepared this certain meal even if I know you are only pretending to like my cooking.” Fletcher smiles in return and from this we can see how the action of pleasantry coming from Fletcher is a complete lie from what he really feels. It can even be assumed that the dialogue for this part of the film is the internal thoughts of the characters being brought out and because of this I decided it would be more efficient to focus mainly on the dialogue and less on the actions. The second part is a “flipped image” of the first due to the fact that the actions of the characters were the only basis on understanding the film. As mentioned earlier, the characters spoke in languages that were unknown to the viewers and trying to decipher it on the spot would be a tedious process. Although, because of the build-up done by the first part of the movie, the viewers already had a vague idea of what intentions, characteristics, and ideas the characters had so seeing them act a certain way for the remainder of the film did not really require that much verbal explanation. The switch up on this part just proves how important the dialogue was in the first part of the film. This is why I considered the two parts that work hand in hand to build a single cohesive unit than opposing forces that only aim to confuse the viewers.

Even though I tried my best to dissect the film with this algorithm, I still found myself lost majority of the time. The presence of Elmo and the sudden appearance of Korchek’s brother are only a few of the certain parts of the film that still remain a mystery to me. To wrap it up, I see Schizopolis as movie that interacts with you as you watch it. You can’t stop thinking while watching it and right when you thought you caught on with the flow of the movie, you get surprised with something new. It was an entertaining film nonetheless, but in the end, I am still longing for the day that I may possibly understand this puzzle of a movie.

We’ve heard about Godzilla before. He’s a giant dinosaur looking like creature who makes landfall and destroys everything in site. With his powerful evolution and constant power ups (fireballs, laser cannons) he has been feared in almost every film about him. This particular movie, “Shin Godzilla”, takes place in Japan with the Japanese government trying to stop Godzilla from destroying Tokyo and the rest of Japan. At first, I was expecting Godzilla to look terrifying, intimidating and powerful. However, the first time Godzilla makes his appearance was not as terrifying, intimidating or powerful as I thought. He just looked like a huge lizard with a funny face (poor cgi maybe) crawling through the streets of Japan. It didn’t seem like he had any special powers and I thought it was going to be a really terrible movie but I should have known that Godzilla will evolve as the film goes on.

Godzilla eventually evolves into a more dinosaur looking creature that can stand and can breathe fire out of his mouth. He looked like the Godzilla I knew but one thing that I found quite funny was how short his arms were. Appearance aside, he looks more intimidating and powerful than ever before. Being able to withstand many attacks from the Japanese, Godzilla just became even angrier and destroyed almost an entire city. Of course, the Japanese were starting to panic as the government and prime minister had to act quickly with decision making and executing the plan. The prime minister seemed quite overwhelmed with the situation but I thought to myself that anyone would be overwhelmed. Sadly, the prime minister and some officials were killed by Godzilla while they were attempting to escape the city.

A team of scientists were thinking of a way to defeat Godzilla while he was asleep. It took them weeks to come up with a plan called the “Deep Freeze” plan. The plan was to insert a chemical mixture that would freeze Godzilla by putting tubes in its mouth. The chemicals would leave Godzilla’s body temperature to drop to extreme levels making it immobile. The plan was nearly a failure since other countries such as the US have agreed with Japan to help them kill the creature meaning the Deep Freeze plan may not be used. However, the acting prime minister (replacement for the original prime minister)  has given permission to the scientists to push through with the plan giving them a chance to freeze Godzilla. I thought to myself, how are they going to freeze him if Godzilla is almost indestructible. I was surprised to see that the Japanese were destroying buildings and trains to attack Godzilla to stabilize him for the chemical tubes. The trains made Godzilla fall and the buildings stopped him from getting up allowing the team to freeze him. Soon enough, Godzilla was frozen solid and Japan has been saved.

It felt like watching an anime with the Japanese language and actors as well as how Godzilla played a factor to how the Japanese would react. I imagined it being an anime episode where they had to defeat a monster. At least that was the vibe that I got while watching the movie. Overall, it was a decent movie. Despite some poor images of a few scenes such as people running from the city and Godzilla’s first image, it told a decent story of Godzilla and Japan.

What can you expect from a film whose title resembles a mental illness ‘schizophrenia’?

Schizopholis is an anomalous film that composes a normalized lifestyle into a peculiar mess. I had no idea what to expect from the film, as I was two minutes into it, the only thing I could conclude was it’s unexpectedness. The film doesn’t follow the prevalent format of films we would typically see in cinemas or at home. Soderbergh plays a series of mind games with his audience as he presents to us – Schizoppolis.

Following the plot was like making your way through a maze. I found it difficult to keep up with its intertwined layers; However, it can be better understood once we divide it into a three-structure act. The first of which focuses on Fletcher Munson played by Soderbergh. It is set in a typical office setting where news of a mole breaks out. We continue to follow Fletcher into his suburban home as the film where we are introduced to his wife Betsy. The script toggled with how we commonly used the English language adding a touch of odd humor in the portrayal of Fletcher’s relationship with his wife. The plot gets twisted as we move along the film where we find out that Dr. Joffrey Korchek, also played by Soderbergh. Korchek’s character was a womanizer who had been sleeping with Fletcher’s wife. Part of the film even viewed the perspective of Betsy, the wife, in another language. It was a challenge to keep up with the film and to fully comprehend what was happening as the story unfolded. I guess you could say, it was unsettling to a point of artistry.

Schizopolis is a film you would have to watch twice to understand, which is something I wouldn’t want to do. It was interesting to have experienced watching it for the first time with a group of people. I couldn’t really pinpoint what our reactions were exactly. Some parts we’d laugh, some parts we’d awkwardly watching together, while the rest was confusion. Although it did broaden my horizon to the possibilities of film, it is not a film that I find personally enjoyable.