Brandon's Cult Movie Reviews: SHIN GODZILLA VLOG
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- Опубликовано: 13 авг 2020
- Vlog review of the latest (so far) Japanese-produced Godzilla film "Shin Godzilla".
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Honestly the humor flies over people's heads unless they know Japanese politics
I absolutely agree. You don't even need to fully understand the politics to get it. Watching Gaijin Goomba's video is great at getting people up to speed.
@@adambosman9611 exactly, its just a play on how the Japanese love their meetings basically. At least that's how my Japanese teacher explained it to us
@@dinobreeder I see it more as a criticism of the inflexibility of Japanese society and government and their need to improve and adapt in a crisis.
You don't really need to "know" the politics, but at least have some experience dealing with the Japanese or rather East Asian bureaucratic practice, either with their civil service or with their corporations.
I was thinking more in the direction of satire when I first saw it. Still liked it
The Japanese LOVED this movie because they could relate to it. The rest of the world did not understand the movie well, which is why it has a split reputation here.
We Belgians did understand ... our burocratic gouvernement is as incompetent lol
Depressed Guy Hendrik Moons I’m here in the USA and I guess I might be among the the that really loved this movie. And I totally get the governmental perspective of it. I was surprised at how much that part pulled me into the plot. It might me because I personally seen how bogged down and nonsensical that whole process can be while everything around is falling apart.
I love the version so much that I purchases the Blu-ray as soon as it was available. I wish they would do a follow up.
@@funnymom7 oh don't get me wrong my friend, i loved the movie, but as i said the politicians in my governement(Belgium) after 440 days can't even form a governement. So that relates to the movie, the movie and the godzilla depiction i loved. I think it is in my top 5 G-movies^^
Hendrik Moons I’m sorry and hope you understand that what I was saying is in total agreement with you.
This is a great film and like I said, I enjoyed it so much that I bought my own blu-ray copy.
And as far as the political parts, I truly can relate to and and what you are saying especially with all the drama we’re dealing with right now in my country. So glad to communicate with another like minded person.
I re- read my posting and in my haste, I see where you might have misunderstood what I was saying.
Apologies.
@@funnymom7 np English be my 4th language... somewhere that is 2 too many for this noob that i am^^ and my inner 5 year old will always love Godzilla .... WITH NOOOOO KENIES ^^ lol
the scene where godzilla is heating up his atomic breath is so well done, first the smoke between the buildings wich ignites then is just awesome
yup the one scene worth rewatching the movie for. Well that and the new Prime Minister complaining about his noodles getting soggy, I love that scene
This movie also has a killer soundtrack; the main song “Who will Know” is brilliant and perfect for this movie
Same composer for Bleach, Evangelion and Berserk. The God Shiro Sagisu himself always creates fire
That one and "Persecution of the Masses" are easily some of the best themes in any monster film.
Ghidorah theme is really overated in kotm
Not bad though, for me "Defeat is No Option" edges it out with its suspense building opening
I love how they used all the Godzilla music from previous movies. Oh and that nuclear fire beam is crazy cool.
That track from Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla II in the end credits was totally random, but it was cool hearing it again. :D
They also used music from Evangelion.
Shiro Sagisu's new material was really good too, Black Angel and Who Will Know etc. The Evangelion battle theme did get a bit tiring after the nth time
@@psykodactyle yeah they over-used that Eva score track, though it was a nice surprise to hear it in a Godzilla flick.
@Nergalsama01 That's so awesome that they used that track from Mechagodzilla 2. It brought back pure nostalgia and happiness from my childhood lol.
Just spitballing here, but maybe you could make Vlogs like this a regular thing where you give off the cuff reviews to movies that fall into your wheelhouse but for one reason or another wouldn't make for a good regular video.
vlog like this is good for movie that for copy right reason aka a studio is really gun ho about blocking like Toho
I would like that too! Brandon has a more down to Earth view on movies when it comes to ones deemed "the worst movie ever" considering he has seen his share of actually horrible movies.
I second this motion.
I prefer his normal format but see the merit of this suggestion
Absolutely loved this movie because it throws all that "Action man will save the day" shit right in the garbage. It's not up to just that one guy to go fly the plane or set off the bomb or whatever, it's the idea of the group effort of overcoming both the literal monster and the monster of their bureaucracy. Godzilla is so unrealistically over the top but how grounded and realistic the human plot is grounds everything and to me was tremendously compelling.
Jesus Christ absolutely this. I'm so bloody tired of films where Square-Jaw McSquinty frets for four-fifths of the movie about the safety of his estranged wife and child miles away before having a predictable action scene at the end where he has to drive really fast / fly really fast / run really fast to set up some bomb or something - or maybe - gasp - deactivate some bomb or something before overcoming his marital problems in the sunset coda. Shin Godzilla hit me in the gut because despite all the most-excellent satirical humour it still felt like the kind of confusion and horror one felt in an unfolding 9/11 or 3/03/11 event and made you feel really small and helpless before something huge and incomprehensible. I completely identified with everyone, including the replacement prime-minister and his dispiritingly cold noodles.
The Human side of the ShinGdz film was very good for a change.
Most gdz films the humans ruin the film actually. But in ShinGdz the humans did pretty good story wise. Lack of Scifi weapons helps too.
I absolutely loved this film, I love the new take on Godzilla and how he actually looks legit scary and zombie like, the cgi is good for the most part, and the human scenes kept my attention. The original music is well placed especially at the end where they’re bombing him non stop and throwing trains at him, I attest that that music works with everything. Just imagine it during a car chase and it’s great.
Inframan good movie 📼
Absolutely! I was really into it
It makes him look like what Godzilla would look like in real life
@@therealfrancocandir 😈
I feel like the whole core of the criticism of the government motif in the film can be summed up in the one scene where they are having a meeting, receive information that invalidates the meeting they are currently in, so they go across the building to a new meeting room to convene a meeting about the information they JUST received.
@@TapetBart thats what I'm saying
What kills me is that the movie ends with bureaucracy triumphing over Godzilla if only for the moment.
First half: "Ha, Government!" Second half: "Government, hell yeah!!"
If you're going to criticize something, you have to criticize it throughout. It's like an Anti-War film ending on ""War, it's awesome!"
@@tskmaster3837
It's not really a "fuck yeah government!" ending. It's more of a hopeful "Maybe younger/new politicians can fix this in the future someday" ending.
The main human story is that despite the old inefficient bureaucracy a young up -and-comer bucks the trends and gathers a bunch of smart misfits/outcasts within the government and manages to shake the government into action.
@@tskmaster3837 You confuse satire and parody.
satire is a form of parody, it just is one that makes a statement. ShinGodzilla applies to this. The meetings aren't trying to invalidate the Japanese govt, it's highlighting how ridiculous " going by the book " can be in times of peril. This is why Brandon brought up his theory on what the film is meant to represent, and I agree with him. Govt blundered a recoup bc they were too busy establishing blame instead of recovering from a disaster. Not the first time Japan used Godzilla as a crux to convey a radioactiv disaster, and certainly won't be the last.
for what it is, its more or less also a proof of concept how a live action Evangelion movie would be like directed by Hideaki Anno lol...
*proof of concept for what any real life monster disaster would look like if it happened specifically in Japan.
I'm kind of surprised you haven't already done a Shin animation. With the transformation horror stuff you like to do. And the obvious interest in Godzilla XD
Also sup NCH
Not asking for it btw, just surprised. You've had enough of people asking for stuff lately.
I feel like you can cut any 5 mins of that movie out and show it to someone that knows Annno's work but has no idea about Shin Godzilla and they'd be able to tell its an Anno work
@@saifis That statement applies to me, I didn't know that he directed it, when I first saw it, I'm a huge Evangelion fan but Shin Godzilla wasn't on my radar at that time because movies weren't on my radar at that time in general (studies). While watching I thought to myself that's like a live action Evangelion movie, paused and looked it up, surprised that Anno made a live action movie in general and that the style translates from anime to live action that well...
Btw, nice profile pic, I have a grey and white cockatiel as well, looks pretty similar, and is the nicest bird I've ever known.
Goji's final form was purposefully made to look like an actor in a rubber suit.
It was a criticism of the Japanese government’s reaction to fukashima (spelling?). That’s why there’s so much government flapping.
Indeed it also works as a critique of Japanese bureaucracy....
He mentioned it in the review. Guess I was a bit quick off the mark 😅
Indeed, but it isn't just a critique of the government, but it's also a praise for Japanese independence and democracy. You will see in this movie that even though the government is very ineffective, everyone has good intentions and wants to work together.
Fukushima*
Also the 2011 tsunami disaster. That opening sequence where he washes up on shore and brings a tsunami with him literally.
Man, the ending setup could be so cool,
SPOILERS:
The Godzilla zombie things in his tail could honestly make for a really interesting plot
I love the concept
I thought the final shot of them coming out of the tail was legitimately unsettling.
The most accurate title of this film would be "Godzilla vs Bureaucracy".
Godzilla vs Boredom
Well said
No.
Bureaucracy is the thin outer shell of the story that the casual* audience member sees and does not see what lies beneath.
There is a far deeper plotline to this film regarding just how small and easily bullied Japan has become on the world stage.
It literally has no choice but to bend over and let the Americans drop another nuclear bomb on Japanese soil - on their capital city no less, just to keep the world 'safe' from Gojira.
That bureaucracy of the first part of the film melts to show the far looser organization of the guy in charge of the Gojira task force - the bureaucracy was so slow at responding to Gojira that it allowed it to escape after trashing Tokyo only to return and evolve into a far more dangerous threat, whereas the oddball organization of the task force save the day.
There's even a little bit of intelligence service cloak and dagger stuff - this guy could easily do a live action Patlabor film.
*I actually meant lazy, but you probably wouldn't have read this far if I had been honest from the get go would you?
@@mnomadvfx I understand Japan's appalled reaction to another nuclear attack from a nationalistic standpoint, but it's also clearly, uh, stupid and egotistical. Tokyo was going to end up a radioactive wasteland whether it was bombed or not; at least the weapon had a possibility of preventing the same fate from befalling other Japanese cities, or global ones.
The "looser" organization of the later film isn't a goal; it's the best they can do once their gov has been decapitated, and they're only able to do that because of pre-existing plans and drills that the full admin made possible. And it only works because the bureaucracy you call inefficient also did the difficult groundwork in readying the nation to confront Godzilla, eg. evacuating the city so heavy weapons could be brought to bear, getting the evacuees' basic needs cared for, gathering the initial information that made attacking the monster effectively possible at all, etc.
I'd suggest a closer re-watch, particularly if you're going to premise your argument on the "laziness" of others.
Maybe even "Godzilla AND Bureaucracy: Tokio Attack" since both of them supported each other in the destruction pretty well...
"Government bureaucracy and incompetence dooming countless thousands upon thousands to needless deaths and prolonged suffering"
...Call me crazy Brandon, but I think that's going to resonate with the west now more than ever.
In all honesty, I think the Corona situation is going to impact the former hero-loving-popculture A LOT.
Now?😕 But I mean who remembers Hurricane Katrina right? 🙇 Or every single day for Puerto Rico but naw mainlanders can't relate till now. The government is moving super sonic compared to these or back then.
🎶I’m the government,
I’m the government,
I’m the reason nothing works🎶
*Brenda
I love all you ppl for whom Covid was a "wake up call" 🙄.
Must be nice to have never suffered a natural disaster or terrorist attack...only to have your woes compounded by government incompetence. Compared to stuff like Katrina the government's handling of Covid has been herculean.
This single movie is better than the entire Netflix trilogy
The Netflix trilogy I thought was a fine anime (even showed it to a friend who loves anime with a positive view of the Godzilla franchise and she thought it was really good). It's not what you'd expect from a Godzilla series. If anything, it's an anime scifi drama featuring Godzilla, not as a character, but as a force. With that said, there was so much missed potential for what it's premise was.
The Netflix Godzilla Trilogy is what it's like to have hope, and have that hope decimated each year.
Have you lost your mind?
Godzillas revenge is wayyyyyy better than the Anime trilogy
@@stolendogstudios797 why?
If a "Japan only" Godzilla movie is *this good* then I want Toho, Anno & Higuchi to *never* pay attention to the western market *ever* and keep producing great & poignant films of the highest caliber.
I feel like the way they approached this movie, is somewhat like the Netflix approach. Dialogue, exposition, quiet moments for 45-55 min of an episode, then 5 min of amazing action. This movie might translate well into a series
Hollywood is awful these days to keep bringing up to much politics
@@UMBChannel2019 shin godzilla is nothing but politics.
@@UMBChannel2019 Are you joking? A solid 70%+ of the movie's runtime is political commentary and satire. Something flying over your head doesn't mean it's apolitical.
@Narumi Detective Agency Shin Ultraman is rife with potential for political themes but I don't know if the movie will go as heavy as Shin Godzilla. I love it when monster movies are able integrate & critique rotten politics in their story really well. The South Korean monster movie *The Host* was also great for portraying the rotten politics of its government's coverup methods. And even the masterpiece *Jaws* back in 1975 criticized the rotten politics of small towns that ignored public safety as long as money flow to the town's pockets.
To be honest I actually thought you’d never review it, but it’s nice to know that you are.
Hello brother
It looks like this Godzilla goes around thinking "Why?" with those arms like that.
Or waiting for his laundry basket to be handed over to him.
Did you know that Godzilla and King Ghidorah meet Evangelion in a Japanese 4-D movie ride
"They focused too much on the Humans, you don't see Godzilla enough" - a comment made pretty much anyone the first time they see any Godzilla movie.
And it is true only in case of Godzilla 2014, because it is speculated that around half hour was expanded, because publishers though that people would not like lack of protagonist and that movie was too short. It is because most scenes with "son" characters were pointless and kill pacing.
@@TheRezro although the recent King of the Monsters is my favourite, it also suffers that problem but with a "daughter" character. Though it does improve on the 2014 film by having more monster fights and showing both their power and beauty.
OTOH, I thought Kong Skull Island was almost perfect, in terms of balancing human stories and still having plenty of monster madness. Not to mention having what I personally consider to be the best 1-on-1 kaiju fight ever filmed.
@@muhammadfaizmohdnasiruddin2889 Not exactly. Her character basically is in place of Fairies (good aliens serving as intermediary between humanity and kaju), so she has crucial role in relation to Mothra (who is they bioweapon, Godzilla uniquely respect). Problem is that her character is vastly underdeveloped. So the problem is the opposite. Movie should focus more on that subject, not less. And she should be a telepath, not someone who just find reference to animated Zilla: The Series.
@@jasonblalock4429 Absolutely agree on that. For some reason this movie is vastly underrated as it was amazing! KotM was good, but it was clearly rushed. We almost don't see Rodan (I don't mind him being one shot, but at least we should see the battle) as much as we almost not see Mothra beside it giving random 1up to Godzilla, when she is actually one of few kaju Big G legitimately respect, as her Sparkling Dust suicide attack is one of few things what can seriously wreck him. But here she was shown as wimp. Anyway I have huge hopes for Godzilla vs King Kong (as personal side note they should pick up-sized Ebirah as final boss).
"The Majority of the Movie is people in suits sitting in Board rooms. Talking Protocol etc."
Ahh yes. So It indeed is made by the creator of Evangelion.
Huge loads of talking and ambient silence with some far and few kick ass action scenes sprinkled in between.
And yes, I've watched the movie. But it honestly did not dawn to me, untill my GF mentioned that to me. Before that, I didn't even know that they produced that. I just was into a new Japanese Godzilla Movie:D
She was actually the one telling me that (also the reason she did not enjoy it as much as I did. Wasn't a big evangelion Fam for these reasons😅) But yeah. I've seen the similarities once she mentioned that^^
Also. I really liked the cinematogrophy of that Movie. Don't know why, but for me it seemed shot really well.
The Eva music and trademark Anno camera placement didn't give it away?
@@Axolotl_Mischief Not really no^^ At that Point I've watched EVA once 10 years ago and only remembered the cool Mecha/Kaiju stuff. It was only after EVA came to Netflix, that I remembered the other stuff. Stuff I enjoyed, but I wasn't excited about^^' so yeah. No. But I did recognise, that Parzs of the EVA soundtrack have been used in the Virtua Fighter Anime Intro (or Vice Versa, I can't remember which one came out first^^). Because they had the same composer.
I hated Evangelion,so that explains why I hate this movie
@@Tareltonlives There could be a deeper correlation to your feelings in regards to that, I agree.
I have to say: I really love this movie. The satire is so hilarious and the destruction scences are awesome.
I've seen other reviews for this movie where they say the government bureaucratic scenes are done deliberately, with all the job titles and the short speaking roles being a critique of the excessive bureaucracy that requires so many people to go through so many hoops before taking the simplest of actions. None of the human characters are incompetent or villainous, and they're all trying to do the best they can within the system and against a threat they know nothing about.
Another thing that might make the film not resonate with western audiences is that it also reflects on Japan's place in the world. Where as soon as they are unable to manage a situation on their own, outside powers (namely, the US) make themselves known. It's a "blink and you'll miss it" moment, but when the US is proposing to bomb Godzilla they show a map of where the bombs will land and there is a suspicious lack of markers around the site of the US embassy. And, of course, there is the threat of using nuclear weapons.
Japan, ultimately, defeats Godzilla through it's own ingenuity and by working in association with, rather than at the direction of, foreign powers. So, despite the obvious critique of government bureaucracy, the film does contain something of a 'nationalistic' message as well.
Another reason I hated it: Godzilla is at its best criticizing nationalism, which is a global toxin today. I don't think Honda would approve of that despite his agreement with the other message.
The government and military officials scenes had me laughing after a certain point, just the ineptitude and red tape was almost farcical. I also couldn't help thinking and giggling at how lucky they got when Godzilla had to wait a turn to recharge after it's hyper beam atomic breath attack.
What I loved is, yeah, it lampoons the inability of a bureaucracy to respond quickly to a rapidly changing situation, but it's not entirely unsympathetic, either: The (first) Japanese prime minister is hesitant to order a strike on Godzilla's first form because he points out that right now, Godzilla is going in a straight line--he's caused a lot of incidental wreckage but mainly ignored stuff in his single-minded crawl for whatever he's after. What would happen if they hurt him and he actually lashes out? And then later. they properly hurt Godzilla for the first time and he lashes out and Japan has to get a new prime minister. Along with a new chunk of Tokyo. The poor dude correctly foresaw that big G's reaction to an actual threat would waaaaay more destructive than getting out of his way and letting him stomp through buildings in his path.
TelenTerror Imo a genuine difference to a western government critic is the actual lack of corruption and malice. Most western depictions would focus way more on individual members of the government being corrupt and outright mean spirited. Here they try to solve the crisis, but their way of doing it is just so inefficient.
But there were also some very interesting social conflict lines. I.e. the young vs old or the outsiders vs the conformists or even the Japanese living abroad vs the ones at home. Imo there was also a lot of social commentary outside of the government’s inability. But what makes it really interesting is the really Japanese feeling to it. This one was definitely not made for a global market, but for a very Japanese audience.
If you think the gov was so inept (there is a bit of that, but not much), I would challenge you to specify a decision you would have made differently, and explain why. If things are as you say, it should be easy, but I'm not sure it will be.
The characters' names flashing on the screen is precisely like Japanese TV, only more subdued and less ridiculous.
I believe the constant titles and names were also supposed to leave us feeling a little confused and overwhelmed. Similar to how they were feeling dealing with all this.
Its a joke. The movie inundates you with constant titles to the point your supposed to recognize how unimportant they all are.
This was a really cool video. I don't think I've ever seen one of your regular movie reviews, but I'm glad I watched this one. I enjoyed listening to your thoughts on the film.
I, personally, love Shin Godzilla. I think it is a really interesting movie with some of the best Godzilla moments in franchise history. But I 100% understand the critiques people have regarding this movie. The human scenes were jarring the first time I watched the film, but over time I've really grown on Rando Yaguchi (the man guy) and his struggle to get the government in motion.
Overall, great review. I'm glad I supported you on Patreon all that time ago so I could listen to this.
BUT... Godzilla's Revenge is not the worst Godzilla movie. It is a classic. I will die defending that weird-ass movie and those weird-ass booty shorts!
Preach it, my brother. Godzilla's Revenge is a thing of sublime beauty - especially when you compare it to the 1998 Zilla film.
@@richmcgee434 It's a banger movie
I absolutely loved this movie. Most of the criticisms that western audiences give this movie are proof that they don't understand the purpose. It was supposed to feel messy and confusing, with tons of characters you know nothing about showing up for a tiny amount of time before disappearing. Not to mention, all of the steps taken to do anything are intended to be infuriating, as it the movie is a criticism of these exact things, particularly the ineptitude with which the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, which was a big point of inspiration for this movie's creation.
That isn't to say it's perfect, as I do have some issues with it myself, but by in large, it's one of the best Godzilla movies, and you can make an argument that it is *the* best, which I wouldn't dispute.
I'm not trying to attack or be rude, but most of the people from the western are the new Godzilla fans that barley knows Godzilla.
@@Roarrior. I'm well aware of this fact, but that's not an excuse for failing to do research.
As a Westerner, I absolutely LOVED this rendition of the classic Godzilla franchise. The focus on bureaucratic ineptitude in the face of a machine of destruction like Gojira actually made the film seem more "true-to-life", and the CGI (which I usually am very critical of as a crutch for bad writing) was astounding. It would be a shame if a follow-up feature to this impressive entry doesn't happen.
Call me weird, but I REALLY liked the political back-and-forth in the movie.
Portraying a government that always does things by the book, suddenly facing something the book doesn't provide answers to, worked out quite neatly in my opinion.
It was really nuanced and well-done. There seem to be a lot of people who aren't interested in making even the slightest attempt to grasp what's going on and why, and find it easier to just make the assumption that, because it's gov, it sucks and is useless. Very shallow and self-serving sort of reaction, especially to a movie that goes out of its way to look at all the possible angles to a complex problem like this.
Did you notice the metallic sheilds going over his eyes
I think it’s just a black fleshy membrane
@@slight7596 no
Me and my brothers enjoyed shin Godzilla. My dad thought the news scene was real when he walked in on us watching it thinking Godzilla was real
This movie is a ride man, I literally feel like I need to take precious time out of my day to get through it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as I’ve had viewings that left me stoked as hell where as others I’ve just been checking my phone. Good film, I understand the issues but when you actually know the context behind the message of the film it makes it more personal and disturbing. Good review man, MORE GODZILLA OR ELSE!
ThatCanadianGamer The movie is actually really good at being disturbing.
I showed it to a friend who works for the city and he was actually thought was bureaucrat scenes were interesting because ut showed the reality of how godzilla effects the economy and structure. He said to move thousands of people in an emegency takes a lot steps. Where do move them how do feed them. It was like a monster Dr. Strangelive of godzilla movies. I saw the live feed of the. Tsunami and Fukashima even on tv. When i saw godzilla come to land I knew this was an allegory to the event. I loved and I wish the 2014 Godzilla would have been like this. Please someone do a mix of 2014 and Shin Gojira trailer. That would be awesome.
This Godzilla main form is like giant radioactive acetylene tank with a torch for a head and a tail, and it's in perpetual suffering. It's not charge up to attack so to speak starting out, but it vomiting flames that happen become a nuclear stream in a vain attempt to relieve itself.
I loved this movie. It's in my top 10 favorite Godzilla movies.
"A little late on this one..."- dang, that is an understatement LOL
You didn’t get a Kenny in the movie that was a plus.
The Government was the Kenny
Kenny? You must mean the ADJUNCT STUDENT BODY REPRESENTATIVE FOR EXPOSITIONAL CONSULTATION FOR THE HEARING IMPAIRED .
You know guys, it just dawned to me how, weird this movie is, you know, it’s kind of goofy
In Godzilla 2014 I considered the loudmouth kid on the bus the kenny
Oh my God! They left out Kenny!
Shin Gojira is a great commentary on current/ slightly past Japanese bureaucracy. I really love this film. It is a modern equivalent of the original
The goofy googly eyed one is so cute! Can't help it.
You can google some pretty good memes from Japan about that form. Look up kamata-kun for some laughs.
It bleeds from its gills.
Kamata-kun is like a cat
@@Der.Kleine.General It's red liquid, but I don't know that it's blood. If it was, a creature that size apparently has a lot to spare. More likely it was adulterated stored sea-water of some type, used to keep the gills moist and thus functioning, as other sea/land creatures do.
I liked it. Of course it's weird; Godzilla is fuckin' weird (frankly, it's weirder that he's humanoid, evolutionarily-speaking). They held to their "realistic" goals and made the thing look like other animals that straddle the sea/land divide, who are, to a one, very strange-looking to us.
I liked how they approached the human story in this one. The realism behind it was kind of interesting as to how it might actually go down. I liked this take of Godzilla because he genuinely scary .
I loved this film, it's one of my favorite Godzilla films. I'm glad you brought up the East/West divide on how it was received. I had an interesting theater experience with it. My wife and I got to see it at a Regal Theater. A Japanese woman visiting the U.S. was sitting next to us. She was laughing out loud at the meeting scenes early in the film. I remember realizing at the time that it spoke to her on a level that it wasn't to an American like me.
I love your reviews, and this is one of your best videos I have seen. Thank you for the great content!
I haven’t seen Shin Godzilla, but I heard it’s a good movie.
It is.
It is definitely worth a watch IMO, but you may not find yourself wanting to repeat it, at least not for quite a while.
The score used when he first used his atomic breath is one part that's worth rewatch
It's a freaking awesome movie!
It is a great movie, it just hinges on the audience understanding both the formal and social hierarchic strata that govern Japanese interactions.
There is a main character, and a main cast, who are the heroes BECAUSE they are knowledgable, solution-oriented free thinkers who have no time for honorifics, etiquette or power struggles.
Each represents a challenge to tradition: Young, capable guy who is open to new ideas and cares more about saving people than his own standing, or “paying his dues”. A hyper-intelligent woman who wears no make-up whatsoever and does not use the polite falsetto high tones considered polite for her gender. A flamboyant old hippie in touch with the philosophical consequences of science.
For some reason American reviewers miss ALL of this and they only mention the too-cool-for-school Japanese-American liaison girl who wants to be POTUS. Imagine that.
Kamata-kun is adorable and I *will not* hear a bad word said!
Enjoyed the vlog style, though. Nice way to do some shorter episodes and get some quick thoughts out.
I loved it. It had you asking the question: What is a bigger evil.....Godzilla or the bureaocracy in the government?
He finally did another Godzilla review
Finally more Godzilla I haven't done anything godzilla because there hasn't been anything new thank you brandon
Now I wonder what your thoughts on KOTM(2019)..
Me too
I'm hoping we get a full review sooner or later.
So watch it with a finger on the fast-forward button.
Understand both reactions but as a lifelong Kaiju and Godzilla fan, I think this is a masterpiece not just for the genre but for film in general. It lifts the ominous Akira Ifukube score and dark foreboding of the original 1954, then combines it with a realistic, dramatic governmental reaction mirroring the Fukushima disaster. It has alot of bureaucratic machinery, but it moves fast, and is instrumental in creating a sense of actuality that is hard to find in Kaiju films of the past. It was the perfect concoction of old Godzilla tropes and new allegorical elements--as well as fantastic cinematography to seal the deal...at least for me.
I’m happy to see my favourite movie being reviewed by my favourite RUclipsr, thanks for the video!
I like how this film shows how damaging Godzilla can be without having a bunch of people get blown the fk up.
I mean, we do see at least one family directly killed by Godzilla, and there's hints at massive casualty numbers, so I'm not sure what you mean here. Could you please expand?
Honestly Im one of those that have a mixed opinion on it. to me it was " government meetings: the monster movie", just waaaaaaay too much focus on government. If it had been a lot more exciting political intrigue then yeah it could have worked or if not then focus on the civilians stuck in the midst of the battle. As always godzilla is the best part, I even loved the first form looked terrifying since it had an unconcious look about it. a creature that is entirely unaware of anything around it and just wrecking in its franctic push to follow its instincts.
Honestly Brandon I like these Vlogs/Chats more than your other videos. Your other videos are ok entertaining, but I'd like to see more of these, too.
You're too awesome Brandon! Your videos give me such JOY!
When I first saw the film, I was also confused and thought the first half of the film - Damn this film is worse than Roland Emmerich's Godzilla. But then it clicked and I understood that it is actually structured the same way as The Andromeda Strain 1971. Especially the message of the film. Godzilla is soft and gets hard and the outdated government is hard and should becoming soft (modern).
I especially like the film when I saw the commentary version. That the ugly goofy (5:40) doll from godzilla wasn't a doll but CGI and it is an homage to the old films.
Japanese shows "tell don't show" and Western movies, "show, don't tell" basically.
I would call the Japanese way tell them tell again
Brandon G ...and then have a flashback to tell them once again!
Isn't it the opposite though?
To my understanding there were never plans to make a sequel to this in the first place.
It was more or less an one off.
your videos cheer me up. thanks for making them
So it was Godzilla vs Congress: the movie?
I saw a video by Matt McMuscles on this movie and he says the way to look at it is that the main protagonist is not one person but the entirety of Japan.
I remember in one video the guy said that Japan was the protagonist because thats how their society works, individualism is not really a thing there
Or atleast that was what he said, not sure if Japan actually works like that
@@JosephFlores-yn4yi That's the Japanese values, yes.
And he is ABSOLUTELY RIGHT about that.
The catch phrase of Shin Godzilla is "Reality vs Fiction/the Phantom", but above those kanji (現実対虚構), it reads "Japan vs Godzilla".
We Japanese are seriously sick of our government getting run by old farts who sit in their comfy chairs and mumble about how the country is going to the dogs, yet when something serious happens they make excuses about protocols, protocols, protocols - just how it took gazillion different meetings and exchanges for the (initial) government in the movie to do ANYTHING against Godzilla.
The 3/11 Earthquakes and the Fukushima nuclear disaster made it clear that Japan's biggest issue was the government, and that if we were to start afresh (like Yaguchi and his band of misfits), Japan is still a strong country that has the resources and man power to stand up against enormous threats (represented by Godzilla) on it's own (mostly).
You have to be Japanese living in Japan your whole life to fully appreciate this movie. It struck us to the core. It gave many of us hope.
Yay, love your reviews Brandon💕
Finally been waiting forever to see this review haha
"Googly fish-eyed Godzilla"
Yo, I remember when this came out. I was so excited being an old G fan from way back in da old dayz! I was able to a a one night showing at the Angelika theater in NYC. I was...well, tbh, I was weirded out. I didn't know how to take Shin G (hey, I made a punny--Anno, Shinji from Evangelion, Shin "G" odzilla...heh); I didn't like but I didn't hate it either. It me reading everything about production--starting with IMdB, RUclips vids from other reviewers, articles, etc and rewatching it five more times on Amazon. My biggest complaint was the human characters---for me upon earlier viewing they really slowed the pace down. I now understand Anno was making a critical commentary on Japanese officials "officious" ways during Fukashima Daiichi disaster that may have cost more lives and billions in damages. I began see the dark humor that is prevalent in some of the characters as well. I also believe the actor who portrayed the first PM did an excellent job--showing someone who is clearly out of his element (as all them would be confronting a giant sea monster), incompetent but also sympathetic in his own way. Godzilla and the SFX was never ever an issue for me. Some of his scenes of destruction is the best and most frightening ever in a G/Kaiju film including his creepy transformations. It still doesn't compare to the Gamera films of 90's (modern kaiju cinema) but Shin is a piece of art that had me seeing him in totally different light. Oh, did I mention the soundtrack? Some of the best from the Godzilla francise!
"Ghin G" Good Lord, that got me 😂😂😂😂
The last scene gave me chill.
I've been waiting for this day for so long
Why does Dr. Pepper come in a bottle? Because his wife died!Tom Servo: Wow, you hardly ever get to see Jawas in the nude.
Tom Servo: [as Mac blows a bubble gum bubble] Wanna see my spleen? It's pretty cool.
[Eric pops the bubble]
Tom Servo: Ahh! I need that to live!
[a garbage can begins to shake]
Crow T. Robot: Remember: When you throw away your Tickle-Me Elmo, you've got to remove the batteries.
[Mac makes Eric's hands into an V-shape]
Crow T. Robot: That's neither the church nor the steeple.
Crow T. Robot: I think we landed too far from the movie.
Jonah Heston: This reminds me of the summer my dad hit a deer.
Tom Servo: [imitating Mr. Bill] Oh, no!
[Mac's pale, skinny hand reaches for a Coca-Cola]
Crow T. Robot: My precious.
Crow T. Robot: Yeah, keep trying, music. This isn't that interesting.
Crow T. Robot: That is some next-level beekeeping.
Jonah Heston: It's a smart move. Distract the dogs with some Peter Cetera music.
Tom Servo: Alright, this 80's movie has fulfilled its sweatbands-and-a-montage quota. Very nice job.
You know what I feel like?
Eric Cruise: A Big Mac?
Michael Cruise: The man's psychic!
Ronald McDonald: Hiya, kid. How's it going?
Eric Cruise: It's fine.
Ronald McDonald: Nice teddy bear.
[laughs]
Eric Cruise: Hey, look at all the cars! Pretty nice...
Janet Cruise: Pretty nice.
Debbie: [yelling to Eric after he falls off a cliff in his wheelchair] Swim to the side Eric! Swim!
Janet Cruise: [after seeing that the mess the house was previously in has been cleared up] I can't believe it, the house looks perfect, you cleared up this mess for me?
Michael Cruise: It wasn't us; I mean think about it mom: is this something we would do?
Janet Cruise: Good point.
Janet Cruise: It's ruined. It's totally ruined.
Eric Cruise: It wasn't me, mom! It was a little creature! I saw it!
Janet Cruise: The house is totally destroyed.
Eric Cruise: What do you want me to say?
Janet Cruise: I don't want you to say anything!
Courtney: [after Michael tells her that the FBI agents are here in McDonalds] Well, what are we gonna do?
Michael Cruise: I don't know. Just keep him dancing and they'll just think it's a teddy.
🤣
What?
@@sovietmilk2674 just joking around,from the mystery science theater 3000 episode mac and me 🙃
mike silva (for the other guy) the “blowing the bubble” scene should have been the clue.
@@TheRealNormanBates agreed ☻
@@mikesilva3868 ok
Aside from the original, probably the best Godzilla movie ever made.
Great review man!
I love this movie. it's right up there with the original in terms of quality.
a lot of dialogue and the board meetings are actually quite funny and entertaining once you know some of the context behind the satire.
The "rambling" was fine. Really enjoyed your review. Makes me proud to be a Patreon supporter.
I think I liked it just a bit more than you. Having been involved in government bureaucracy, both in the US Military, and now as a disabled veteran with the VA, the "satirical" take on such bureaucratic SNAFU, really landed with me.
Having said that, it didn't work all the time, and not having characters we really cared about definitely slowed the movie down, and not always for the benefit of the storytelling.
Totally agree with your views on the Godzilla design, the CG, the scenes of destruction, etc. Some of the best in any Godzilla movie ever.
Thanks for doing this review. I look forward to your eventual review of Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Keep up the great work.
Hey Brandon, been watching your channel for a long time, love your work.
I love this movie, but it's so different from other Godzilla films that I see why it's polarizing. If you go in expecting a standard kaiju movie you're probably going to be dissapointed (not that there's anything wrong with standard kaiju movies, I love those too). This movie is a very harshly critical, darkly comedic take on how a bloated bureaucracy would respond to an event like this. It is the first true successor to the 1954 original in tone and allegorical bent. Godzilla is legit scary and disturbing for the first time since then. One criticism I often see that makes no sense to me is how the human characters don't resonate and that they are indistinguishable. Rando Yaguchi (played by Hiroki Hasegawa) is clearly the main character. He is smart, ambitious, but also brash and not politically savvy. The movie clearly empathizes with his efforts to bring the bureaucracy under control in time to fight Godzilla. Anyway, keep making videos and I'll keep watching them.
It’s actually my favorite Godzilla movie, a close second being GMK. I just love everything about Shin, one of my favorite movies overall not just kaiju genre.
It’s my favorite Godzilla too.
Oh. I’m not a Patreon Supporter. I don’t think I was supposed to find this in someone’s playlist. Brandon, you might wanna ask Dman about that.
Enjoyed the review anyway!
Wow I missed u doing godzilla stuff like really! I've been waiting for months!
Sorry I had to, but it’s cool to see you talk about my favorite Godzilla movie.
"Yes, prime minister, we are now ready to send out the military!
You just have to sign here...
And here...
Then, here...
Your initials here...
And your full signature here...
Nearly through, just one more here...
And here...
.
.
.
No one will be seated during the thrilling signing forms scene!
Thank you, Brandon! Haven't seen "Shin Godzilla" but I've been very interested in it.
Good timing on this. I just re-watched this one 2 days ago. I have several of the classics and even though there’s no monster battles, my 6 year old picked this one because the Tokyo destruction scene is so epic. I love this one.
you've made this pandemic more tolerable through these weird-ass times...we can dig it.
It was made like that on purpose to show the lack of action taken by Japanese Gov EG.......the Fucashima disaster
Yes, that's what he said. Didn't you watch the video? :/
@@AquaLantern posted before he got to it
I finally saw this a couple months ago as well, and was curious on why you had never talked about it on your channel. And to my surprise, here you are!
I reeeeeally loved this film. Going in to it knowing it's a satire/critique of the Japanese Government's response to the Fukushima Disaster really enhances the experience.
One of my favorite bits was the one guy who could almost be called the "main character" getting longer and longer Title under his name every time he was on screen.
Or the public conference! - "Godzilla will NOT make landfill!"
>quick cut to Godzilla walking on land
His Atomic Breath was mind-blowing! What incredible destruction!
I really hope they make the sequel because I desperately want to see what more they can do with this Godzilla.
Hi Brandon. This is my first time talking to you. I'm a 65 year old man,and you know more about old movies than I do. I love your show. I'm absolutely amazed at your ability to throw in things like TV shows that I grew up with I wish I could remember as much as you know. Anyway I just saw a movie called The Alligator people. I never saw it before,and thought you might have fun with it. Thanks for all the work you do. PS your better than those other guys you talked about on one of your shows.
I think this is the first Godzilla movie (since the very first one) that really showed the human cost of Godzilla's rampage. That's what made it so good for me... just how powerfully realistic it was.
The Evangelion music was a nice touch
Heck it FELT like Eva at some points of the film. Anno's fingers were very evident on this film. Not that I'm saying that was a bad thing.
It also makes a good drinking game. That, and meetings and changing uniforms.
Thank you for taking time away from your editing schedule to talk about Shin Godzilla. Touching on the Fukushima references is greatly appreciated; not a lot of people will understand and I hope it will spur interest in the event and the Japanese government response.
Great review Brandon! You should do more "modern" film vlogs and reviews.👍
this is like taking a Verhoeven movie at face value.
Actually, that's the best way to take them; his actual politics give me migraines.
I assume that you mean "Verhoeven" (I'm Flemish, not Dutch btw, so this is not a matter of national pride).
@@varanid9 "American culture is saturated in glorified violence and commodified sex" isn't self-evident to you?
@@michaelccozens what of it?
@@varanid9 How's it working out for you?
Most people don't have mature tastes when it comes to realism.
Nice 👍 just what I needed. Since I been subscribed to you Brandon watching every review you have done, bringing back childhood memories especially of Godzilla films. So last week I spent over £100 and purchased every Godzilla film on DVD, all the boxsets right up until this one. So you owe me a few bucks mate 😊 lol keep them coming !!
NICE!!! Huge Godzilla/Anno fan, so this makes my effing day, dude!!!
This is by far the best Gojira movie almost toping the 1954 almost.
Many of us Japanese Godzilla fans believe that it surpassed 1954 - a feat nobody thought could ever happen.
It was so cool seeing anime lasers in a live action
thanks for putting a link to buy it in the description.
I like these shorter style videos! I would love it if you threw a couple of these in between your other videos if you enjoy doing them!
I actually thought this is Godzilla movie was pretty good. The Japanese woman that played as the President of the United States she was easy on the eyes.
She isn't President of the United States. She wants to become President of the United States in future but she isn't that during events of movie.
IMO, Shin Godzilla is the best Godzilla movie yet, and one of the best remakes of all time.
I could write paragraphs about how great it is. The thing about Shin Godzilla is that you need to approach it from a Japanese perspective of the culture and history (3/11) at the time. It’s difficult to approach if you’re looking at it through a Western lens.
EDIT: Seeing every single bureaucratic move and every single small person is very intentional and you’re not supposed to to really follow any one character, despite the movie mostly being told from Higuchi’s perspective.
It’s meant to show that there was needless red tape the government went through when they needed to protect their citizens from an ever evolving disaster (this is why Godzilla constantly changes).
It also promotes the idea that there’s not one hero, it’s a group of diverse people working together that save today, that’s why it feels like there’s no main character. Again, it’s all intentional.
I could make arguments about the early stage design for Godzilla, they really made him look like the sea monster he is.
Wow seriously I’m 1st, I’m immortal, a god among man chiseled from Cheetos and gamer fuel with a love of cult classic movies!!!! Thanks Brandon and the personal thoughts is a great touch aside the loveable snarkyness you got. Looking forward to more like these but don’t lose the couch!!!
Can't wait to see your reviews on the 3 anime films