Ray Burrberry
MemberMothra LarvaeOct-16-2016 7:43 PMDid anyone see the limited release of Shin Godzilla (Godzilla Resurgence) outside of Japan and what did you think? I'm curious to hear from other Godzilla fans about their impressions.
I saw it at a theater in New York that was packed for a 4:20 pm show on a late Saturday afternoon. It was so moving to see so many people show up and fill the theater in support of the big G. As soon as the logo for Toho came on the audience began to cheer and applaud. I knew I was in a theater filled with fellow diehard Godzilla fans. A part of me wondered if I should form a Godzilla convention right then and there.
About the film without giving anything away for those who haven't seen it:
It was an outstanding film with great story-telling, good acting, good characters, particularly Yaguchi who was very passionate and a great lead for the film, a nice dose of humor, particularly at the foibles and indecisions of the Japanese government and the multiple cabinets, and great special effects. The score for this film was outstanding and one of the best in the entire franchise.
On the downside, the movie was dominated by too much dialog and not enough Godzilla in action. Godzilla looked great in almost every scene that he was in. I say almost every scene because the character looked somewhat comical and exaggerrated with the huge eyes during the scene when the audience gets their first frontal view of the creature.
In what is probably the most impactful scene in the movie, the one where Godzilla unleashes his destructive ray and destroys everything in site, the actual scene seemed brief. I did like the poignancy of the scene, pushed along with a great score that almost made you feel as if Godzilla regretted having to do what he did by destroying the city. You could make a case that he was acting in self-defense or self-preservation after being attacked and hurt by the U.S. bombers.
It's too early for me to rank this film or it's standing in the series, especially as I've only seen it one time, but I would rank it as one of the best.
I should add that the audience applauded heavily at the end and as I was walking out of the theater heard a lot of positive chatter about the film with at least one person articulating that Godzilla was "downright scary".
This is without a doubt one of the best entries in the series; very well produced, directed, and scored. For critics of Godzilla 2014 and it's poor lighting effects, you can actually see Godzilla in this movie. But as with the 2014 film, I only wish there was more balance between story-telling and action.
