Rating: ***
Review Date: 12/12/23
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Cast: Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hidetaka Yoshioka
"To have not seen war, is something to be proud of."
Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a failed and disgraced World War II kamikaze pilot living in post-war Japan. He's emotionally and psychologically broken, suffering from shame, guilt, grief, loss, abandonment, PTSD, and cultural dishonor. Fate brings him together with a young woman named Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and an orphan baby named Akiko, and they form a makeshift family trying to survive and rebuild in the bombed-out rubble of Tokyo during the late 1940s. The war is over, but Japan faces a new threat when American nuclear weapon testing awakens and enrages a dormant dinosaur-like creature that the Pacific Islanders know as Godzilla. As if seeking Koichi out, Godzilla heads straight for Tokyo and levels the Ginza district. Conventional weapons are useless and the international community refuses to help, fearing the escalation of Cold War tensions. Finally, a group of concerned private citizens led by Professor Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka) organize an effort to defeat Godzilla through scientific and non-military means, which Koichi sees as a way to atone for his sins and bring an end to his personal war.
This movie is not messing around, as Godzilla shows up in the first five minutes and is utterly TERRIFYING. It's an unconventional way to start a movie as there's no dramatic buildup or great reveal, but it immediately sets a dark and grim tone of horror and dread that lasts the entire running time. Godzilla is really fierce and scary this time around and appears to be purely motivated by rage. While previous versions of Godzilla treated the creature as a symbolic byproduct of nuclear warfare and the dangers of atomic science, this Godzilla seems more like a manifestation of Japan's post-war shame, or perhaps even a reflection of Koichi's tortured psyche. The fact that Koichi miraculously survived three close encounters with the beast while watching those around him get killed makes it feel like their fates are inexplicably entwined. Or maybe it's all just a PTSD nightmare and Godzilla doesn't even really exist? Perhaps he's just a psychological projection of Koichi's trauma?
Regardless, Godzilla exists for the audience and the destruction that he causes is both stunning and horrific. Godzilla is completely computer generated and looks great except in the full body shots. His tiny head and gigantic feet are visually distracting, and his walk cycle is awkwardly clunky and stiff. His tiny T-Rex arms are effectively useless and are barely animated at all, which is a disappointment. Other than that, most of the visual effects are extremely good, although some janky-looking CGI shots result in occasional eyesores and involuntary flinching. That said, it's hard to criticize given the staggeringly low budget of $15 million US, which is a real slap in the face for Hollywood.
Visual effects aside, the film looks fantastic and the cinematography is superb. The acting is excellent across the board, the writing is smart and mature, and the characters are all realistic and well-realized. The intense music score is full of tension, dread, and unease, which perfectly complements the terrifying action scenes, and the sound design packs an impressive punch. Everyone has been pointing out Godzilla's new roar, but I honestly couldn't tell a difference from previous incarnations. Akira Ifukube's original themes show up a couple of times, which triggers nostalgic familiarity, but they also seem awkwardly out of place and change the tone of the film.
Thematically, the film is pretty heavy and carries a lot of emotional weight. It has a strong anti-war sentiment and primarily focuses on the horror and aftermath of war, cultural shame, survivor guilt, PTSD, ineffective governments, geopolitical tensions, redemption, forgiveness, the resiliency of the human spirit, the value of life, and the importance of family and community in the face of crisis. It gets overly dramatic at times, and the contrived happy ending is just a little too convenient and reeks of Hollywood sensibilities. However, the film wisely plays it safe by not being bitter, cynical, and hateful, and avoids vilifying the United States. The film is more about Koichi's war than the bigger picture, and Godzilla represents that war.