A god incarnate. A city doomed.

Happy fifth anniversary to Shin Godzilla!

The past decade has been a fantastic time to be a Godzilla fan. We have gotten so many wonderful interpretations of Godzilla over the past few years and it has been so exciting to see. The Monsterverse has given us a near-perfect version of the heroic/anti-heroic Godzilla while Japan has given us several interesting takes on Godzilla as a terrifying, unknowable force. With Shin Godzilla, Hideaki Anno gave us possibly the most horrifying version of Godzilla ever. Shin Godzilla starts exactly the same way as the original Gojira, beginning with thunderous footsteps followed by an iconic roar. It is poetic that it should start this way, as Shin Godzilla is the closest film in tone and quality that we have gotten to the movie that started the franchise. There is a reason this movie won best picture at the Japanese academy awards five years ago.

Much of Shin Godzilla takes place in boardroom meetings, as various talking heads discuss how to deal with Godzilla. In this way, this film is perhaps the most realistic interpretation of how society would deal with Godzilla if he actually showed up. As a society, we would be utterly unprepared, and our world would be changed forever. You would think that the endless streams of dialogue would get boring, but, at least to me, this movie remains engaging from beginning to end. I am never bored while watching Shin Godzilla, and I always kind of feel like watching it again when it is over.

Hiroki Hasegawa as Rando Yaguchi and Satomi Ishihara as Kayoco Anne Patterson are two standout human characters, and their conversation at the end of the film reflects this. Patterson is an ambitious woman whose goal is to one day become the president of the United States. She was raised in America, so she is less involved in the damages caused by Godzilla. She believes that Japan has only delayed the inevitable when Godzilla is stopped, and that America will use nuclear weaponry if Godzilla reawakens. This is probably symbolic of Japan's place in the world after World War 2, dealing with American influence in Japanese affairs ever since the atomic bombs were dropped. In this final conversation, Yaguchi is mindful of the lessons that can be learned from Godzilla. He wants to make the Japanese government better and is optimistic about the future.

Godzilla in this movie is absolutely horrifying to behold. His dead, lifeless eyes combined with his skin, which looks like it is covered in radiation burns, make for a nightmarish image. Despite this Godzilla's unknowable nature, Anno still remembers Ishirō Honda's quote about the sympathetic nature of monsters and really makes you feel this Godzilla's pain. He is caught in a world he does not understand, only reacting to outside stimuli in an attempt to survive. The song Who Will Know, played during Godzilla's nighttime obliteration of Tokyo (the most hauntingly beautiful scene in this and, perhaps, any Godzilla movie) perfectly captures the tragic nature of Godzilla:

If I die in this world

Who will know something of me?

I am lost, no one knows

There's no trace of my yearning

If I die in this world

(But I must carry on)

Who will know something of me?

(Nothing worse can befall)

I am lost, no one knows

(All my fears, all my tears)

There's no trace of my yearning

(Tell my heart there's a hole)

I wear a void

Not even hope

A downward slope

Is all I see

I wear a void

(As long as breath comes from my mouth)

Not even hope

(I may yet stand the slightest chance)

A downward slope

(A shaft of light is all I need)

Is all I see

(To cease the darkness killing me)

The use of music in Shin Godzilla is superb, with classic tracks by Akira Ifukube placed in just the right spots so they will carry the most weight. Classic Godzilla music just has so much emotion to it, especially if you are a fan of the franchise, and the reason Godzilla movies keep using these tracks is because they capture the thematic weight of the franchise so well.

The effects in Shin Godzilla, which are a combination of classic suitmation and CGI, are near-flawless. As I said before, the night time scene where Godzilla unleashes his full power is absolutely stunning to behold. Shinji Higuchi did a great job. Every scene with Godzilla shows off his size and power so well.

Shin Godzilla has perhaps the most thematic weight of any Godzilla movie. The appearance of Godzilla makes Japan realize the flaws in its system, and this encourages them to try and be better. Then, the final scene happens. If you have seen this movie, you know what I am talking about. That final shot is absolutely chilling, and there are many valid interpretations as to what it could symbolize. I think it shows that there will always be obstacles in humanity's goal to make a better future. There will always be difficulties that we must overcome, but if we put aside our differences we can get through them. This is why the Godzilla franchise is my favorite series of films. The themes that these movie tackle really resonates with me. Shin Godzilla is a true masterpiece and a film that always leaves me breathless.