Shin Godzilla

Really loved this movie. An essence of classic godzilla, really entertaining and really good effects. all round very good

As much as I loved this movie, I would only say to go watch it if you're going in with the right expectations. I watched this movie namely because of Hideaki Anno, who's probably most well known for the Evangelion series. I was expecting something with a lot of drama and horror rather than something action-packed, and that's pretty much what this movie went for.

There's a _lot_ of scenes with the human characters talking and if that's not your cup of tea, it's probably better if you look elsewhere. To me, I rather enjoyed the story and was engaged throughout. Some of the characters make stupid decisions but it never feels unintentional as the movie has an almost satirical look on government and politics. The movie always manages to hold a tight grip on the tension, and consistently kept me guessing at what would happen next.

Again, it's not for everyone, and even then I still had some issues with it. Some of the CG looked off at points, such as parts of the debris. Also the official Funimation subtitles on the US Blu-ray are extremely questionable in quality, with constant name and location info at the top of the screen that were unnecessary and could've been omitted entirely. Also some of the spoken English in the movie didn't seem to be reflected in the subtitles. The subs are decent, but I wish they had more care put into it.

If you aren't familiar with Anno's other works and are expecting a big action movie with Godzilla, you're probably going to be more upset with this movie. But if you're willing to pay attention to the dialogue and immerse yourself, the movie works wonders.

Evangelion godzilla, and he’s actually scary for once. Bonus: not military porn

Godzilla makes for a compelling and worthy Angel.

Very innovative and original. I Love how tragic Godzillas potrayed.

Definitely takes an open mind to enjoy properly, but this is a solid modern re-telling of the original Godzilla story. The ineffecient, beurocratic government response to the Godzilla threat is the real obstacle here, and is done brilliantly, although Godzilla is properly terrifying in a fresh and unique way, too. The team of underdogs who decide to tackle the Godzilla threat all on their own consists of likeable characters, which is rare in any monster or kaiju movie. The way Godzilla is finally dealt with is both clever and gimmicky; you'll either love it or hate it.

Godzilla himself takes his time to get going and start wreaking proper havoc, but that doesn't mean this film is slow-paced. The scrambling government officials and their comedic antics allow things to move at a speed that should keep one's attention.

I LOVED the first 68 minutes of this film! Imo, they are perfect. Easily one of the strongest 10/10 I've ever given a certain stretch in fiction. They were able to capture the feeling of the original movie when it came to Godzilla's destruction, while also solving my biggest problem with the original movie, the human cast. In the original, I personally thought they were too silly/cartoonish, especially when put side by side with Godzilla, but here, they serve as a critique of the modern politics. They exist as a way to put the viewer into the shoes of the decision makers. How hard and unnecessarily long it is to be the one calling the shots.
As for the rest, I liked it, but it definitely didn't hit as hard as the first half of the movie. It was pretty damn slow and the soundtrack, for some reason, felt very out of place, particularly in the final fight against Godzilla.

Really refreshing take on the old monster. Goes back to its roots and brings fresh new ideas, like how the government's would actually deal with such a threat. Love the depiction of just how devastating and terrifying an actual event like this would be. And all the nods to classic Godzilla was awesome.

A pretty good retelling of the classic Godzilla story. I will say the CGI was a little rough in some spots and the characters were pretty flat, but everything with Godzilla was great.

I'm not an expert on Japan's culture or its politics, but yeah...after watching this, Japan's government is a bureaucratic mess. Got it. Statement made.

The first hour of "Shin Godzilla" is pretty good. The endless meetings with people more concerned about public opinion and how it might affect their careers than they are with a giant monster crushing their cities is a bit far fetched. At some point, the filmmakers needed to put a little focus on the beast. For all those that complained that Legendary Pictures's "Godzilla" (2014) didn't show enough of the movie's namesake, they'll be even madder this time around.

The movie starts promisingly with something causing a flood in a tunnel. Next, we see a very odd looking monster squirming its way through canals, displacing boats, cars, overpasses. The look of the thing was weird but in a good way. The boats and cars being tossed around reminded me of tsunami footage from a few years ago. I'm certain that was intentional. Turns out, this is an early stage of an evolving Godzilla. I'm sure that was not a surprise to anyone, but it was a unique way for the king of the kaiju to make a first appearance.

Later, we see even less of Godzilla. What we do see though, is a truly evil looking monster. The look that the filmmakers came up with is off-putting. It's not poorly done but it doesn't seem at all like the Godzilla everyone is used to. And Godzilla is totally malevolent here. Its atomic breath is incredibly destructive. The first time it's used is actually kind of scary. Godzilla retaliates for having a couple of bombs dropped on it by using the breath to absolutely level a section of Tokyo. The way its jaw kind of unfolds to deliver the death ray is really jarring. It was at this point that I started to rethink my opinion that I needed to see Godzilla as a bad guy again.

After that attack, Godzilla sleeps. Yeah, sleeps. Is this a Gamera movie now? [spoiler]While it's sleeping, the Japanese officials continue to try and jockey themselves into positions for their future careers. Meanwhile, an assembled group of brainy nerds come up with a plan to coagulate Godzilla's blood. [/spoiler]

The movie wraps up (sort of) with a setup for a sequel.