I've always loved the idea of Godzilla, but the movies themselves were kind of one and done novelties. I expect this to increase by one come December, but so far, there's only been two Godzillas I've really loved. One was the 2014 American film, and the second was Shin Godzilla. After decades of the franchise being handled like a goofy clown show, it's nice to see Godzilla finally getting a serious treatment.
Not mindless initially, this Godzilla is in pain constantly and as you say doesn't understand whats happening to itself. The only thing it wants is death. For the suffering to end. I think it's 5th form biology does away with its pain and its feelings. Thus becoming a careless unfeeling killing machine god.
@@ressljs "so far, there's only been two Godzillas I've really loved. One was the 2014 American film" HUH Thats the one with no story, boring af, completely misled everyone with the trailers, cut away from Godzilla multiple times, had some generic soldier character everyone hated, killed the only interesting character (cranston's) and proceeded to have Godzilla getting bitch slapped by two Z list movie monsters for the majority of the fight. There were no satisfying fights, character arcs, important themes or entertaining relationships. You're not wrong for loving it but it's just baffling not only DO you love it but it's one of two that you love.
@@gwell66v2AnimeReviews Maybe that one got a pass because I was so used to Godzilla being treated like a campy joke. Your criticisms... I can't really say you're wrong. And I was mad that they killed off Brian Cranston and had that cardboard cutout take over as lead. I was just so excited to see a serious take on Godzilla. Had Shin Godzilla come out first, I may not have been so impressed.
@ressljs I have a huuuge hate boner for that one ngl bc my God the advertising was so God tier. Had the Oppenheimer quote godzilla trailer and the leaked footage when he shows up at the airport, the beautifully shot skydive scene, Cranston featured do heavily. Man...they advertised a compleeeeetely different movie to me and had me sooooo gd excited. I definitely don't hate any1 for loving it tho. Np w that
I love the idea of Godzilla being in constant pain, and his skin in his final form in the movie just gives viewers the impression that he’s really been through it. Like his skin is just a shit ton of scabs or something
Godzillas skin is supposed to represent victims skin after a nuclear bomb, “Their skin turned into a rough char with only a black hole where their mouths were. No screams came out, only a whimper.”
the song who will know is exactly about this "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" and the songs also about his animalistic need to survive "but I must carry on" I'll be honest I forgot the rest of the lyrics 😅 sorry for the essay
Shin Godzilla is also a criticism on Japanese politics and culture. I wouldn't call the government officials in the film "incompetent" but I would say that they were definitely more concerned with honorifics and seniority more so than being able to prepare a proper response, hence why ANY response took so long. That's why they created a team that had no true leader because that way they were all equals and able to formulate plans much more efficiently. Really interesting movie.
We saw this same type of bureaucratic paralysis with the COVID pandemic,where politicians were making decisions based on their own interests as opposed to realistically dealing with the crisis…meanwhile tens of thousands and eventually hundreds of thousands died and millions were infected…as I watched “Shin Godzilla” I thought of the movie as an allegory of recent past events..
Just shows why japans in better than US. Its insane to see that a movie gets into theaters that critiques goverment. If this was American movie the whole story would be how US knew everything before and made all the right decisions. Dont mind the fact that they commited the biggest human made genocide by killing all the natives and murdered millions of people by atomic bombs or dehumanized trans people just cause they wierd and make sure they have no right. The fact that Japan released a movie that questioned the morality and rightiousness of the goverment is something America wont ever do. I mean it would go against all and everything us has ever sold to its people, that being the fact that the youngest country with shortest history is the only right country that has the perfect rules and never is biased and even when it is it is deserved. I am not hating on my US friend i get that you was born there and didnt choose it yourself bros. Its just sad to think there are countries where this is considered the base freedom of speech while the biggest richest countries pretend like saying capitalism bad is somehow extremely freedom of speech like.
Shin Godzilla has to be the most creative and different, yet also the most faithful movie to the original concept ever put to screen. Not only is the message poignant and truly a fair criticism of the Japanese government’s response to the triple disaster, but the film’s aesthetic, imagery, and visuals are some of the most terrifying yet awe-inspiring Godzilla media that I have ever seen.
@@Seasy_ Agreed but keep in mind that the two films are from two different time periods. Modern and WW2 so government criticism is different. One is about the government keeping important things secret when it shouldn't and the other is how late the government reacts.
Shin is my favorite incarnation of Gojira, but it saddens me to know that he is in constant agony, even evolving his pain never stops, wreaking havoc upon humanity for what they did to him; They turned him into a monster.
My favorite take on the story of this masterpiece is that godzilla isn't doing all of that for the sake of revenge or that it is angry,but instead, because its an animal, subject to excruciating pain and anguish, and it's confused, scared and is just acting on instincts. If you look at the movie with the vision that godzilla is an scared animal that just wants to end that pain and anguish,it becomes a tragedy instead of horror, a tragedy where the victim is blamed and punish for lashing out in pain and confusion by the very beings who put it in pain. That first time it uses its laser becomes so different if you see it with this mentality, imagine just how painful curving forwards must be after having your back blown half to oblivion, when it starts spewing the black smog it seems to not be able to stop it, and it just recoils and thrases around uncontrollably.
And the lyrics of the song that plays in that laser scene(Who will know) involves a female voice singing about just wanting to die and be forgotten while a male voice sings about needing to carry on and to just keep fighting, and this could be interpreted as a internal conflict of godzilla where it just wants to die and end the pain while it's instincts force it to keep fighting and struggling.
Who will know(lyrics) (Lyrics in brackets are for the male voice , lyrics outside brackets are the female voice) If i die in this world Who will know Something of me I am lost,no one knows Theres 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 (All my fears,all my tears) No one knows (Tell my heart) There's no trace,of my yearning (Theres a hole) I wear a void Not even hope A downwards 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 downwards slope (A shaft of light is all i need) Is all i see (To cease the darkness killing me) End of lyrics. For context on my previous comment.
From what I heard, shin constants evolution have a meaning, like a counterattack to its threats, the first evolution started is from when it’s started to go on land, and then the air strikes, becoming a anti-air strike, then by the final scene of the humanoid like Godzilla is to counter the humankind
@@chloeprice4079 Shin Godzilla 2: You Can (Not) Get Disaster Relief Because Bureaucracy Crippled Their Immediate Response To Godzilla's Attack. By the time you finished reading that title, the movie was already over.
@@blackveilvaalhazak1693 This is very much the case. Godzilla evolved to counterattack its own painful existence and would eventually become a cosmic entity beyond comprehension.
Shin Godzilla is one of my favorite movies period. Watched it recently with my wife and her sympathy for what she called "an animal just walking" was a perspective I hadn't previously thought of. It's a rare movie I enjoy rewatching and actively do so any chance I get to introduce it to someone who hasn't seen it before. In a weird way I also consider it the closest to a live action NGE we can hope for.
I very much agree with this. I definitely felt a sympathy for Godzilla in Shin Godzilla, just like what I had for Frankenstein's Monster when reading Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Can we really preassume a creature as a malicious monster for simply being "intimidatingly large and ugly" despite its initial indifference to us? And it is it not justified when it lashes out at humanity's active aggression to exact its revenge for causing its misbegotten conception which brings it constant suffering and its continual violent oppression by us as we try to deny our misjudgement of the ethical consequences? When all the misable thing want is be relieved of its suffering and lead a peaceful life without our interference, we refuse to take accountability for our part in its suffering and shove its cries of suffering down until it no choice but to act to be properly represented, creating a monster of our own making which we, in a delued idealization, thought would have symbolized the glorious apotheosis of our selfish and vain ends. That I think is an extremely powerful way to express the value of empathy. If we only had the empathy to motivate us to put in foresight in our decisions, we would have never been placed in such a terrible dilemma to begin with
I think it's worth noting that the nuclear waste dumped into the ocean which mutated Shin Godzilla were put there by America, and that it was America who pushed hard for the nuclear bomb to be dropped on Godzilla (specifically to cover up their involvement in the beast's creation). One theory I've heard regarding Godzilla's evolution and the human-like jowls in its tail is that Goro Maki was absorbed into the creature when he attempted to commit suicide out on the water. This may have even been what gave Godzilla some degree of control over its own evolution and perhaps even its higher-than-expected intelligence (remember in the final confrontation where it revealed it kept some energy in reserve when it blasted some of the trucks feeding the blood coagulant into it).
@@2st486 I don't think they even have to figure out a long-term solution. It is said at the end that Shin Godzilla's isotope has a half-time of 20 days, meaning its nuclear power will completely perish in 2-3 years (probably resulting in its permanent demise).
@@2st486 Even freaky evolution would run up against physical barriers imposed by the laws of the reality if evolution is being used as the explanation for the unique characteristics. It would throw out any believability if not only did it metabolize nuclear radiation but was capable of producing fissile/fusion material and starting one of those chain reactions absent an immense amount of external energy within its body. Would be tantamount to magic, abandoning the connection to evolution and mutation.
As a lifelong Godzilla fan, one of the things that made him truly scary as a character was that he was a product of the Nuclear trauma many Japanese people felt. He was a force of mass destruction that should be feared and rightfully so. Hence why the original stood the test of time. Then Shin Godzilla was a whole other level because it portrayed Godzilla as this manifesting being that is in constant pain, even when he's wreaking havoc. When he's breathes his laser breath, it looks like he's vomiting and has no control over it and every shot of him shows how he feels bad at what he's done. Shin Godzilla is a movie that accurately portrays how disasters whether they're nuclear or not, there's no repairing the trauma it has caused its citizens. This is what I look forward to seeing in "Minus One". Chances are, it's going to be terrifying and amazing all at once.
The reason why godzilla started to make humanoid forms in the end is because they stated that godzilla noticed the committee working together to defeat him and since godzilla evolves to overcome anything he decided to become the committee… it’s scary to think abt it all
Now I’m thinking of all the Godzillas in suits and ties in a bureaucratic meeting. Goji-Kenshiro: Let’s go to Hokkaido next. Goji-Mako: You never filed the paperwork to go to Hokkaido. Goji-Pensuke: (Adjusts glasses) Besides, we’re already scheduled for Okinawa next, and don’t forget that fight with Rodan on Mt Fuji. Hokkaido’s just not in the budget yet. Goji-Toshinori: We never voted for Hokkaido, Goji-Kenshiro. If you want to make a motion to add it to the docket, file the correct form and get it notarized. Then present it to us and we’ll see if anything turns up. Next order of business. Changing the color of the office carpet to cerulean blue. Motion was made by the honorable Goji-Sato last year. All in favor of changing the carpet? (2/3rds make Godzilla noises). And all opposed? (1/3rd makes Godzilla noises). The ayes have it. Motion passes. Congratulations, Goji-Sato-san. Goji-Kenshiro looks outside. Many military vehicles have surrounded the building. He grabs a paper and starts writing.(Bureaucracy continues). He slams down the pen and paper. Goji-Kenshiro: I motion to defend against the military that have gathered outside! Goji-Mako: Goji-Kenshiro, this is the last time you get to speak at this meeting! Besides, this is the wrong form and it’s not even notarized.
Quick side note, can we take a moment to appreciate Moyoko Anno? Hideki has fought a long and now well established battle with his mental health that Shin Godzilla is absolutely a stage in the narrative of and she has been by his side for over 20 years through it all while being a Mangaka herself
Really looking forward to Minus One. I really love Shin, and if this new movie brings about a new era of gripping live action Japanese produced Godzilla films in the same vain as Shin, even if not to the same caliber, I’ll be happy.
Agreed! From the little we've seen of it, it looks like it'll be going back to the very dramatic roots of the original while giving us a modern spin on it. New Goji is always good news to me!
Couldn’t have said it better myself. No Hollywood BS, just straight dread and hopelessness. That’s what Godzilla has always been to me, an unstoppable force.
@@romanhorizon lmao after 1954, it was only really the heisei era in the 80s where he returned to the terrifying force of destruction. Lot of the showa films were straight up comedy
@@romanhorizon neither did I for most of them. Haven't seen any of the showa films in their entirety. Only recently saw 1954 version, and gotta say it's solid and holds up very well
I liked Shin Godzilla right off the rip. There was something about his sick ass powers, evolutions, and the government's failure to help it's citizens that just hit different. All of the procedures and norms getting in the way of people finding a solution really spoke to me. Not to mention the pain of the monster and the "you ruined the environment" aspect.
That ecstatic human form of Godzilla looked awfully like the apotheosis of Rei Ayanami at the time of Instrumentality in Neon Genesis Evangelion. I don't think that was unintentional.
Rewatching Shin Godzilla after the pandemic feels very different, as the same kind of government incompetence against a “godzilla” was felt across the world, including where you live and affecting your family.
There is actually another horrifying deleted concept art about Shin Godzilla where Shin Godzilla instead of mutating and evolving to his next stage he is 'shedding' his old form and then to his next form and each time he sheds a nuclear explosion would ensue where his skeleton from him shedding from his old form would be visible in the nuclear explosion like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon after that his skeleton would regenerate and become his next evolutionary form
@@mrchili473okay I managed to find a video with the concept art, so search up 'CGI process and visual effects of Shin Godzilla' the video is 10:47 minutes long at around 8:31 to 8:37 around there of the video you will find the concept art
@@SonGoku-sc8vq no, it's actually a deleted concept, it was supposed to be in a movie but ToHo says no, don't use it in the movie, the 8 forms is a completely different thing and the thing about it can adapt to any enemy it faces is true
Shin Godzilla is also a scathing criticism of Japanese culture and its over-reliance on tradition and strict respect of norms. One scene that stuck with me is the one where the new Prime Minister is revealed, and it's a slow old man closer to death than retirement. In this scene he has a noodle bowl, and by the time he's done giving answers about this urgent matter, the bowl is cold. Showing this country's slowness to react and adapt. And the bowl of noodle itself is the blandest most boring bowl of noodle you can imagine, once again showing that Japan as a country lacks "spice". It's also not a coincidence that the ones who manage to save the day are the relatively young people in the administration. They aren't scared to take initiatives, to move fast and take risks, which in the end pays off. This movie has a lot of layers once you start learning about how Japanese society works and see the social criticisms all throughout its runtime.
Those 5th form concepts look amazing, I really do hope the film get a sequel one day. Hopefully Minus One give’s similar hopeless and menacing feelings
You wont ever see a sequel to Shin Godzilla....People keep going on and on about it, some of them even going on about "what it should fight" yeah NO....that isn't ever going to happen, with that Godzilla and that story its not the kind of story that then goes on to fight the monster of the week. It was clearly meant to be a one off and should stay that way.
A little while back, I binged through all of the Showa era Godzilla movies that were available on HBO max. A lot of them were goofy, but the original 1954 movie was creepy. It was admittedly hard to take seriously, especially with how a lot of effects didn’t age well, but there were a few moments were I thought to myself, “wow, that’s dark”. However, I later went into Shin Godzilla blind, and it was much more horrifying. Most movies of the horror genre make you jump or scream. Shin Godzilla didn’t do that. Shin Godzilla made me freeze, something that not many movies have done. Just the thought of the majority of Tokyo’s coast being devoured by flames in mere seconds is terrifying. The thought of how many souls would be lost in such a disaster fills me with terror and dread. Getting to watch such a nightmare unfold was petrifying, and the fact this was based on real events makes me shudder. That scene is a testament to why Godzilla is the longest running movie franchise to date. It’s because Godzilla represents our mistakes, and sometimes the horrible price that we have to pay. In my opinion, Shin Godzilla is easily the scariest Godzilla movie, and one of the scariest horror movies, ever created. This was an excellent retrospective.
As someone who is an Evangelion fan, I will never forget seeing Shin Godzilla in theaters with my brother (who is the biggest Godzilla fan I know). He had not seen Evangelion at that point, so seeing his reactions to some of the f*cked up imagery was priceless. The final shot of the movie is one of my favorite moments of the entire Godzilla franchise. The implications of the final shot of the film are truly horrifying. I'm a Godzilla fan as well, and I was insanely excited when I first heard about Anno directing a Godzilla movie. Shin Godzilla was basically exactly what I expected from Anno, and I love it. The artbook to the film is a beast in of itself, too. Anyone who is a fan of horror should 100% own the Shin Godzilla artbook at the very least.
I think it’s safe to say that this is one of the best reviews/explanations of this film to date. Been a Godzilla fan since I was a very young kid and by far this one really takes the cake keeping his traditional look however somehow making him something fast more terrifying not only on a visual but psychological lvl.
I feel like Shin Godzilla also sort of represents many of the hard to cure issues of our age. He's the battle against nuclear terror and the destruction of Japan in the Fukushima event, government responses to natural disasters, and even Mr. Anno and the viewers own bouts with mental illness. The human hero points out at the end, resigned "We will just have to learn to live with it."(ircc) We have to learn how to deal with these problems, to minimize and reduce the damage of them, even if they will never conveniently just go away.
@@JustinSVAGreat video, but I would love it more if you'd avoid the RUclipsr-voice trope. Tho you're far from the worst (which is most RUclipsrs)! I think it's something about how english-speakers change their voices to sound more professional. But it makes it weird. Hope this makes sense
Genuinely terrifying film if you ask me, haven’t stopped thinking about it since I watched it, and with each second that passes, I’m just more and more convinced it’s one of the best films of the century so far.
I love Shin Gojira but one thing that changed me and my families life was my father chose to take all our family and immigrate to the USA. We left Japan in 2011 and we do miss Japan but we are glad we were welcomed by the people of the USA. I’m pediatrician today and married to a wonderful man with two wonderful children. We took our children to visit several times before 2020 but our home is the USA today.
I just saw this movie today with friends after seeing the title of this very video. WOW. I am still gabberflasted but in a good way. This movie captures the exact feeling of hopelessness and horror because at many points I screamed "What do you EVEN DO???? WHAT DO YOU EVEN -DO-" if you're just a citizen, not anyone with any power, or in charge. I don't feel scared watching most things, but this had me literally biting my fingers as I watched. When that scene with the body lasers happened, my loud ass fell completely silent like I was one of the characters who had to watch that all happen. That has never happened to me with a movie before. I did not fight, think of flight, I fucking froze like a deer in headlights and my heart and soul both dropped down into my feet. 100/10 film, nostalgic but cranked the horror feeling up to a trillion.
I watched Shin for the 1st time about a month ago. I didn’t really understand it and thought it was another kaiju movie. So seeing your analysis of what Godzilla represents has made me appreciate it a lot more. Very Lovecraftian.
Some things are better left unsaid. The WTF at the end of Shin Godzilla is much more haunting than any Godzilla people that could have been shown running around Tokyo after that.
Kamata-kun is just so derpy. It threads a really narrow path between adorable and totally creepy. It's hilarious. Shin is such a great Godzilla design and movie.
I genuinely loved the video. I liked your interpretations on the whole angel concept art of Godzilla, the idea of Godzilla essentially being Mother Nature Incarnate sounds really interesting. I'd love to see you cover the other two Shin movies, Shin Ultraman especially due to it being a really good companion piece to Shin Godzilla. Keep up the good work Justin!
Thank you so much! I'm very glad to hear that you liked it! There's a very solid chance that I talk about them at some point here in the near future! So stay tuned!
@@JustinSVA Very surprised you saw my comment lol, Shin Ultraman is definitely a good antithesis to Shin Godzilla's hopelessness. Also, one thing that I really love is how even as remakes it still retains a "Showa-feel" when it comes to character design, sound effects, camera-work, etc.
@@blaboblab Yes! The presentation of it feels a lot more like something you'd see in the Showa era. But with the modern take it has, it is just a super fascinating watch.
My sister was living in Japan at the time the movie was released so I was very fortunate to have someone explain the criticisms Anno was leveling at the Japanese government, so going into the movie with that in mind made it so much easier to understand and enjoy the film. It is my favorite Godzilla movie, and I say that as a life long fan
Now one thing very vew people point out about this film is: The directing, my god, I love the directing in this movie, the shots, transitions, script and stuff, is sooo good!
This movie has an allure for me that pulls me back repeatedly going back to when I first saw it. I viewed it three times during its theatrical run (partly because it was only the second opportunity I'd had to see a Godzilla movie in a theater and partly because it was very good), and I haven't bothered to keep track of the number of times I've watched it since it released on blu-ray. Obviously, as covered in the video, it's a thematically rich film, tapping into the basic idea of Godzilla as metaphor that goes back to the original, but updating that metaphor to be something very contemporary to Japan, but not wholly disconnecting from the character's roots. But even beyond that, it's a visually interesting film to watch. Anno constantly keeps tight control over his camera, and makes sure to frame things in a way that is visually pleasing, which is good since so much of the film is taken up by government meetings. And the special effects sequences, while imperfect, are a thrill to watch, and it is still a genuine treat to watch Godzilla display abilities that are still unique to this film, even 7 years later. While I will always be curious to see where it could have gone had they elected to make a sequel, I'm glad they didn't. It's rare for a series this long run by a studio with a history of jumping on sequel opportunities when they smell money to just let something sit. Because they decided to move on, this movie gets to be utterly unique within the history of the franchise. And I think that's neat.
I mean this sincerely, please view it as constructive criticism and not just mindless internet whinging - please speak faster. The dramatic tension you add at the end of your sentences is so painfully drawn out at times that I had to watch at 1.25x speed. But this is a minor thing. Your videos and content are A+++, thanks!
I think a lot of its problems in the US stems from the lack of a theatrical dub. The characters in the film speak very fast, and for those of us that struggle with subtitles, this meant a lot of what was being said was missed entirely. I also didn’t really enjoy it until years later after watching the dub. The part about the man’s wife, what was being discussed in the meetings, and much of the overall message wizzed by as I was unable to focus between the visuals and the written dialogue. After seeing it with dubbing I was able to enjoy it far more. It’s actually become one of my favorites along with Tokyo SOS and the original. Can’t wait for minus one as my speed reading has gotten a bit better.
Phenomenal video. The depth you go into is wonderful, and though there have been other retrospectives on the film and lore of Shin Godzilla, this one seemingly trumps them all. I appreciate the time and research you took to produce this. Great job, I always love more Shin Godzilla content. It would be terrifyingly jaw-dropping to see Shin's 5th form past concept and what may come after it; even though I fear it would become too unrecognizable from the iconic Shin Godzilla. I'm glad this film weaseled it's way up your list of favorites.
Thank you so much! All that means a lot to me! This film has done a lot for me and I view it as one of my favorites in general. So I waited for a few years before tackling it in the hopes I could do it the justice it deserves!
As someone who LOVES the OG Godzilla films, the depths and painful light that Shin Godzilla is shinning on terrible things that happened is something I connect with well. It's deep and meaningful, pushing for a classic Godzilla vibe in the film that I connect with in a way... granted, I may be a western audience, but I have been primed with older Godzilla films and being a fan of Godzilla since I was real young.
Just watched this movie yesterday and I was really suprised how exhilarating the whole experience was! Only issue I have now, is that after watching Shin, I am kind of anxious about minus one series, which seems to be more in vein of Godzilla 2000 - Final Wars period, meanwhile I really loved how much trauma Shin Gojira did put on me :D
I am in awe at the concept of Godzilla's evolutionary potential. People think too small when visualizing it. Godzilla would evolve into the god of the universe, his form would be completely incomprehensible to us. Like azatoth the sleeping god dreaming up the universe, the only way overcome the suffering of being in this universe is to become the very universe itself. It's so vast, so scary, so beautiful.
Is it me or does shin Godzilla feel like a sequel to godzilla minus one.. I mean in the end of godzilla minus one. We see the monster reforming... and shin godzilla comes from the water as a mutated amphibian with crazy nuclear power. I mean I know it's not but it would be cool
The scene where the PM announces everything is fine and then is informed that Godzilla made landfall during the press conference is one of my favorite scenes
Shin Godzilla is one of my favorite movies. I love horror, and to see a Godzilla movie almost in a horror style is just gold to me. The concept art is something else, this movie could have been super fuckin crazy. RIP to all the lives lost during the 2011 disaster. Edit: what a great video! I love the look and take you give on the art and what could have been.
The way I saw the government in this movie is the normal way people would try and manage a disaster. They *COULDN'T* prevent Godzilla from becoming what it was; they could only react to it. And it was a thing they had never encountered before, so at first they treated it like something they had encountered before. You can see the programming that people who run things rely on to get things done. Don't panic the public, try not to cause a financial collapse with the solution, save as many people but don't overreact, don't fire weapons at it until we are sure it's the right move... all the while the people in charge have careers and desires as well, which normally wouldn't be an issue, but when push comes to shove, those become a burden that can get people killed. Really, I don't blame the government in this film. They are inept, but there wasn't much they could have done about the monster realistically in the first place, and I love that. There is no forehead slapping moment of "Why don't they just !" because they go over each option. Firing rockets at the thing in a highly populated area is a bad idea, especially for the Japanese. Evacuating people when you don't know which way the thing is going to go is also a bad idea. They were playing it "safe" but this thing was beyond their control entirely. Even at the end, when they "defeat" the thing, the final form hints that they almost lost everything, and it was only sheer luck and perfect timing that gave humanity another lease on life, despite all their efforts. It's a horror movie and a kaiju movie, and it makes you appreciate what time you have left.
Seems like the depth in elements of this film has been overlooked by lots of the western audience. This is a political satire and not meant to be total action in its delivery. This film will hold up to the test of time guaranteed.
Man that tail in the last shot really reminds me of the thing, seeing the clustered amalgamation of flesh and bone of seemingly different creatures is spooky
It looks so goofy. When I first saw snippets of it crawling on its belly with its bulging eyes I thought it was some piñata thing someone made for their kid. It was like that in my head until a day or two ago when I saw more Godzilla content and I opened this video. I haven’t seen it but I want to watch it now. My favorite subject is biology as I have always been fascinated by it and studied it in college. That said I really like the concept of a huge monster that goes through all these biological changes as it adapts to the surface. Other films about aliens or whatever having to adapt to different environments has been done but not in this scale. I think it’s very original and it paid off. I hope the movie is good lol
I don't know if you've checked it out yet, but Godzilla Minus One is SO good. Although it does focus more on the human characters in this one, it takes full advantage of that and is absolutely my favorite modern Godzilla movie.
Interesting. Shin is my favorite, but I couldn't get over the complete and utter uselessness of the meeting scenes, as they did nothing to add to the plot, and when they did, only one was really needed. Now knowing it's a political commentary, it makes a lot more sense why the meetings were so nonsensical and meaningless, because they were.
My favortite bit of Shin Godzilla trivia is that in Nier Automata you can meet a non-respawning machine lifeform that looks and acts like Shin Godzilla's 4th form, including the atomic breath and the beams coming out of its back
I remember really enjoying Shin Godzilla as a film but I never fully embraced the design of its different forms. I did not like the weird fish eyes or the shape of its head in the fourth form. Also its movement in the second form looked a bit too much like a puppet for my taste. However, otherwise the way Godzilla was portrayed in the film was terrifying and I did find it getting under my skin. I didn't know there was a concept for a fifth form, but I honestly also think it is better that it was not realized on screen, as diverging that much from the creature's otherwise reptilian nature would have probably felt too out of left field for a movie that otherwise was relatively grounded in its depiction. Really looking forward to seeing Minus One.
What a lot of people dont understand is in Japan MUCH MUCH more money is made from toys , figurines, demostrations etc of said IP than the actual mpvies/shows/animes/mangas they're based on which is why bandai/namco a toy/GAME company has so much sway.b
Yeah. One scene where they are talking in one room, to then move to another room to talk, then move back/or to another room, and the rooms didn't do anything special like have new equipment or stuff, that pissed me off. Basically the movie is - Godzilla: Government Red Tape
This is my joint favourite Godzilla movie (along with the original Gojira, of course). I thought the final scene was chilling and amazing, and it really deserved a sequel. Hopefully Minus One will live up to expectations.
I was like you and when I first watched Shin Godzilla I didn’t really care for it. But I was looking for a totally different kind of movie at that time. I wanted the fun monster vs monster fight movie I was used to. But after learning about what Shin was supposed to be I watched again with that in mind and found an amazing movie that is one of the best Kaiju films ever made.
Pretty much exactly what I went through! I was thinking that in order for a Goji movie to be good, it had to be this action packed thing with monster fights and the like. But then, when you realize what it's trying to say, it really starts to resonate with you.
It’s scary to think that no matter what the humans do, Godzilla will forever be evolving itself into other transformations to ensure its survival and the bad part of it is that he is not doing it out of revenge or being evil but is simply doing what an animal would do in its situation and that is survive, it would have been interesting to see what the 5th form would have been or become.
While not understanding just how important this film was to the director and the Japanese people, the vibes I got from the film left a feeling that I was witnessing the impact of a meteor who's shockwave never reached my eyes.
It would be interesting if several new species of humanoids spawned from Godzilla but they propagated and behaved differently. Perhaps competing with each other to be the superior evolutionary lifeform. Perhaps one side might side with humanity to gain an advantage over the other humanoid Godzilla species since species cooperation for survival is a theme in nature.
Something I think most Evangelion fans noticed, was the fact that a certain female character from the anime was a literal god given the form of a cloned human. I don't really know everything, but I am sure that it's now becoming a trend of their creator to make the gods have a feminine shape.
I liked that they chose to merely suggest what Gojira's further evolution would entail, instead of showing it. Not knowing what it would be like just adds to the horror.
Shin is my favorite Godzilla. A wandering, mindless, immortal automaton who doesn't understand what's happening to itself.
I've always loved the idea of Godzilla, but the movies themselves were kind of one and done novelties. I expect this to increase by one come December, but so far, there's only been two Godzillas I've really loved. One was the 2014 American film, and the second was Shin Godzilla. After decades of the franchise being handled like a goofy clown show, it's nice to see Godzilla finally getting a serious treatment.
Not mindless initially, this Godzilla is in pain constantly and as you say doesn't understand whats happening to itself.
The only thing it wants is death. For the suffering to end.
I think it's 5th form biology does away with its pain and its feelings.
Thus becoming a careless unfeeling killing machine god.
@@ressljs
"so far, there's only been two Godzillas I've really loved. One was the 2014 American film"
HUH
Thats the one with no story, boring af, completely misled everyone with the trailers, cut away from Godzilla multiple times, had some generic soldier character everyone hated, killed the only interesting character (cranston's) and proceeded to have Godzilla getting bitch slapped by two Z list movie monsters for the majority of the fight. There were no satisfying fights, character arcs, important themes or entertaining relationships.
You're not wrong for loving it but it's just baffling not only DO you love it but it's one of two that you love.
@@gwell66v2AnimeReviews Maybe that one got a pass because I was so used to Godzilla being treated like a campy joke. Your criticisms... I can't really say you're wrong. And I was mad that they killed off Brian Cranston and had that cardboard cutout take over as lead. I was just so excited to see a serious take on Godzilla. Had Shin Godzilla come out first, I may not have been so impressed.
@ressljs I have a huuuge hate boner for that one ngl bc my God the advertising was so God tier. Had the Oppenheimer quote godzilla trailer and the leaked footage when he shows up at the airport, the beautifully shot skydive scene, Cranston featured do heavily. Man...they advertised a compleeeeetely different movie to me and had me sooooo gd excited.
I definitely don't hate any1 for loving it tho. Np w that
I love the idea of Godzilla being in constant pain, and his skin in his final form in the movie just gives viewers the impression that he’s really been through it. Like his skin is just a shit ton of scabs or something
@damienwonderngl it looks like some weird foreskin looking ahh
Godzillas skin is supposed to represent victims skin after a nuclear bomb, “Their skin turned into a rough char with only a black hole where their mouths were. No screams came out, only a whimper.”
Jesus christ thats fucking horrifying @@stillchillin7580
the song who will know is exactly about this
"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" and the songs also about his animalistic need to survive
"but I must carry on" I'll be honest I forgot the rest of the lyrics 😅 sorry for the essay
And even the atomic breath scene, it feels as if it's crying from pain
Shin Godzilla is also a criticism on Japanese politics and culture. I wouldn't call the government officials in the film "incompetent" but I would say that they were definitely more concerned with honorifics and seniority more so than being able to prepare a proper response, hence why ANY response took so long. That's why they created a team that had no true leader because that way they were all equals and able to formulate plans much more efficiently. Really interesting movie.
I’m only on board with leadership that is earned and deserved.
We saw this same type of bureaucratic paralysis with the COVID pandemic,where politicians were making decisions based on their own interests as opposed to realistically dealing with the crisis…meanwhile tens of thousands and eventually hundreds of thousands died and millions were infected…as I watched “Shin Godzilla” I thought of the movie as an allegory of recent past events..
Just shows why japans in better than US. Its insane to see that a movie gets into theaters that critiques goverment. If this was American movie the whole story would be how US knew everything before and made all the right decisions. Dont mind the fact that they commited the biggest human made genocide by killing all the natives and murdered millions of people by atomic bombs or dehumanized trans people just cause they wierd and make sure they have no right. The fact that Japan released a movie that questioned the morality and rightiousness of the goverment is something America wont ever do. I mean it would go against all and everything us has ever sold to its people, that being the fact that the youngest country with shortest history is the only right country that has the perfect rules and never is biased and even when it is it is deserved.
I am not hating on my US friend i get that you was born there and didnt choose it yourself bros. Its just sad to think there are countries where this is considered the base freedom of speech while the biggest richest countries pretend like saying capitalism bad is somehow extremely freedom of speech like.
It goes further than that. It's a full-on rebuke of democracy.
They need to change that form of thinking otherwise they might face something worse than Godzilla.
Shin Godzilla has to be the most creative and different, yet also the most faithful movie to the original concept ever put to screen. Not only is the message poignant and truly a fair criticism of the Japanese government’s response to the triple disaster, but the film’s aesthetic, imagery, and visuals are some of the most terrifying yet awe-inspiring Godzilla media that I have ever seen.
Minus one is even better
@@audrey-vale in my personal opinion, I think Shin is better, it actually shows what the government is thinking.
Minus one is a very close second.
@@Seasy_ Agreed but keep in mind that the two films are from two different time periods. Modern and WW2 so government criticism is different. One is about the government keeping important things secret when it shouldn't and the other is how late the government reacts.
The fact that Bandai was like “ nah, let them cook”.
lol pretty clear Bandai was on board with the multiple forms so they could sell more toys
Mo Toys Mo Money
Shin is my favorite incarnation of Gojira, but it saddens me to know that he is in constant agony, even evolving his pain never stops, wreaking havoc upon humanity for what they did to him; They turned him into a monster.
I prefer the way of all flesh but i respect your opinion
shin gojira is necrontyr
@@lambsauce5312 that was a good book
My favorite take on the story of this masterpiece is that godzilla isn't doing all of that for the sake of revenge or that it is angry,but instead, because its an animal, subject to excruciating pain and anguish, and it's confused, scared and is just acting on instincts.
If you look at the movie with the vision that godzilla is an scared animal that just wants to end that pain and anguish,it becomes a tragedy instead of horror, a tragedy where the victim is blamed and punish for lashing out in pain and confusion by the very beings who put it in pain.
That first time it uses its laser becomes so different if you see it with this mentality, imagine just how painful curving forwards must be after having your back blown half to oblivion, when it starts spewing the black smog it seems to not be able to stop it, and it just recoils and thrases around uncontrollably.
And the lyrics of the song that plays in that laser scene(Who will know) involves a female voice singing about just wanting to die and be forgotten while a male voice sings about needing to carry on and to just keep fighting, and this could be interpreted as a internal conflict of godzilla where it just wants to die and end the pain while it's instincts force it to keep fighting and struggling.
Who will know(lyrics)
(Lyrics in brackets are for the male voice , lyrics outside brackets are the female voice)
If i die in this world
Who will know
Something of me
I am lost,no one knows
Theres 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
(All my fears,all my tears)
No one knows
(Tell my heart)
There's no trace,of my yearning
(Theres a hole)
I wear a void
Not even hope
A downwards 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 downwards slope
(A shaft of light is all i need)
Is all i see
(To cease the darkness killing me)
End of lyrics.
For context on my previous comment.
Now me personally if I was shin Godzilla I would not have my back blown but that’s just me tho
@thomasvollmer583 never heard this take before,interesting
@thomasvollmer583 well realistically it doesn't want anything its an animal,but this godzilla we are talking about so realism isn't a worry.
The scariest part about the fifth form creatures is they started spawning *AFTER* Godzilla was frozen.
From what I heard, shin constants evolution have a meaning, like a counterattack to its threats, the first evolution started is from when it’s started to go on land, and then the air strikes, becoming a anti-air strike, then by the final scene of the humanoid like Godzilla is to counter the humankind
Since a committee defeated him, he would create a committee of his own.
Shin godzilla: the council will decide your fate
@@chloeprice4079 Shin Godzilla 2: You Can (Not) Get Disaster Relief Because Bureaucracy Crippled Their Immediate Response To Godzilla's Attack.
By the time you finished reading that title, the movie was already over.
@@blackveilvaalhazak1693 This is very much the case. Godzilla evolved to counterattack its own painful existence and would eventually become a cosmic entity beyond comprehension.
Shin Godzilla is one of my favorite movies period. Watched it recently with my wife and her sympathy for what she called "an animal just walking" was a perspective I hadn't previously thought of.
It's a rare movie I enjoy rewatching and actively do so any chance I get to introduce it to someone who hasn't seen it before.
In a weird way I also consider it the closest to a live action NGE we can hope for.
YESSSS!!!
I very much agree with this. I definitely felt a sympathy for Godzilla in Shin Godzilla, just like what I had for Frankenstein's Monster when reading Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus. Can we really preassume a creature as a malicious monster for simply being "intimidatingly large and ugly" despite its initial indifference to us? And it is it not justified when it lashes out at humanity's active aggression to exact its revenge for causing its misbegotten conception which brings it constant suffering and its continual violent oppression by us as we try to deny our misjudgement of the ethical consequences? When all the misable thing want is be relieved of its suffering and lead a peaceful life without our interference, we refuse to take accountability for our part in its suffering and shove its cries of suffering down until it no choice but to act to be properly represented, creating a monster of our own making which we, in a delued idealization, thought would have symbolized the glorious apotheosis of our selfish and vain ends. That I think is an extremely powerful way to express the value of empathy. If we only had the empathy to motivate us to put in foresight in our decisions, we would have never been placed in such a terrible dilemma to begin with
I think it's worth noting that the nuclear waste dumped into the ocean which mutated Shin Godzilla were put there by America, and that it was America who pushed hard for the nuclear bomb to be dropped on Godzilla (specifically to cover up their involvement in the beast's creation).
One theory I've heard regarding Godzilla's evolution and the human-like jowls in its tail is that Goro Maki was absorbed into the creature when he attempted to commit suicide out on the water. This may have even been what gave Godzilla some degree of control over its own evolution and perhaps even its higher-than-expected intelligence (remember in the final confrontation where it revealed it kept some energy in reserve when it blasted some of the trucks feeding the blood coagulant into it).
I thought both of those were just theories?
Gojira adapts into the form of those that can defeat it, so if man can defeat Gojira; Gojira would become man.
@thomasvollmer583 Duuuuuuude, I never thought of that! Good catch!
I love the ending for Shin Godzilla because it doesn't allude to a sequel, it alludes to how worse it could've been if they didn't do something.
also, what WILL happen if they dont figure out a long term solution
@@2st486 I don't think they even have to figure out a long-term solution. It is said at the end that Shin Godzilla's isotope has a half-time of 20 days, meaning its nuclear power will completely perish in 2-3 years (probably resulting in its permanent demise).
@@Derpowsky that's fair but assuming what godzilla can or can't do is not healthy. what if his freaky evolution allows him to overcome even that?
@@2st486 Even freaky evolution would run up against physical barriers imposed by the laws of the reality if evolution is being used as the explanation for the unique characteristics. It would throw out any believability if not only did it metabolize nuclear radiation but was capable of producing fissile/fusion material and starting one of those chain reactions absent an immense amount of external energy within its body. Would be tantamount to magic, abandoning the connection to evolution and mutation.
@@2st486 I love how you talk about Godzilla like you're giving it therapy lol
As a lifelong Godzilla fan, one of the things that made him truly scary as a character was that he was a product of the Nuclear trauma many Japanese people felt. He was a force of mass destruction that should be feared and rightfully so. Hence why the original stood the test of time. Then Shin Godzilla was a whole other level because it portrayed Godzilla as this manifesting being that is in constant pain, even when he's wreaking havoc. When he's breathes his laser breath, it looks like he's vomiting and has no control over it and every shot of him shows how he feels bad at what he's done. Shin Godzilla is a movie that accurately portrays how disasters whether they're nuclear or not, there's no repairing the trauma it has caused its citizens. This is what I look forward to seeing in "Minus One". Chances are, it's going to be terrifying and amazing all at once.
The reason why godzilla started to make humanoid forms in the end is because they stated that godzilla noticed the committee working together to defeat him and since godzilla evolves to overcome anything he decided to become the committee… it’s scary to think abt it all
Now I’m thinking of all the Godzillas in suits and ties in a bureaucratic meeting.
Goji-Kenshiro: Let’s go to Hokkaido next.
Goji-Mako: You never filed the paperwork to go to Hokkaido.
Goji-Pensuke: (Adjusts glasses) Besides, we’re already scheduled for Okinawa next, and don’t forget that fight with Rodan on Mt Fuji. Hokkaido’s just not in the budget yet.
Goji-Toshinori: We never voted for Hokkaido, Goji-Kenshiro. If you want to make a motion to add it to the docket, file the correct form and get it notarized. Then present it to us and we’ll see if anything turns up. Next order of business. Changing the color of the office carpet to cerulean blue. Motion was made by the honorable Goji-Sato last year. All in favor of changing the carpet?
(2/3rds make Godzilla noises). And all opposed? (1/3rd makes Godzilla noises). The ayes have it. Motion passes. Congratulations, Goji-Sato-san.
Goji-Kenshiro looks outside. Many military vehicles have surrounded the building. He grabs a paper and starts writing.(Bureaucracy continues). He slams down the pen and paper.
Goji-Kenshiro: I motion to defend against the military that have gathered outside!
Goji-Mako: Goji-Kenshiro, this is the last time you get to speak at this meeting! Besides, this is the wrong form and it’s not even notarized.
@@IntuitiveYakOfAllTrades Kaiju bureaucracy, our greatest ally
Quick side note, can we take a moment to appreciate Moyoko Anno? Hideki has fought a long and now well established battle with his mental health that Shin Godzilla is absolutely a stage in the narrative of and she has been by his side for over 20 years through it all while being a Mangaka herself
She wrote a manga of her own about what being married to him is like.
Really looking forward to Minus One. I really love Shin, and if this new movie brings about a new era of gripping live action Japanese produced Godzilla films in the same vain as Shin, even if not to the same caliber, I’ll be happy.
Agreed! From the little we've seen of it, it looks like it'll be going back to the very dramatic roots of the original while giving us a modern spin on it. New Goji is always good news to me!
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
No Hollywood BS, just straight dread and hopelessness.
That’s what Godzilla has always been to me, an unstoppable force.
@@romanhorizon lmao after 1954, it was only really the heisei era in the 80s where he returned to the terrifying force of destruction. Lot of the showa films were straight up comedy
@@Gandalfthewhat never had the privilege of watching those classics when I was a kid.
Ended up threading needle.
@@romanhorizon neither did I for most of them. Haven't seen any of the showa films in their entirety.
Only recently saw 1954 version, and gotta say it's solid and holds up very well
Godzilla: **scared and confused, suffering excrutiating mental and physical pain, screaming in pure agony**
People: awwwnn he's so adowable :3
I liked Shin Godzilla right off the rip. There was something about his sick ass powers, evolutions, and the government's failure to help it's citizens that just hit different. All of the procedures and norms getting in the way of people finding a solution really spoke to me. Not to mention the pain of the monster and the "you ruined the environment" aspect.
That ecstatic human form of Godzilla looked awfully like the apotheosis of Rei Ayanami at the time of Instrumentality in Neon Genesis Evangelion. I don't think that was unintentional.
Anno writes what he knows and manages to make it positively horrifying.
I think someone from evangelion had a part in this
@@justaguywithagoodphoto4801 Yeah, Hideki Anno is the creator of NGE
@@justaguywithagoodphoto4801my brother did you not watch the opening bit about how the film came to be?
@@derpfluidvariant0916 no and i haven’t watch evangelion to know if someone did exactly
Rewatching Shin Godzilla after the pandemic feels very different, as the same kind of government incompetence against a “godzilla” was felt across the world, including where you live and affecting your family.
There is actually another horrifying deleted concept art about Shin Godzilla where Shin Godzilla instead of mutating and evolving to his next stage he is 'shedding' his old form and then to his next form and each time he sheds a nuclear explosion would ensue where his skeleton from him shedding from his old form would be visible in the nuclear explosion like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon after that his skeleton would regenerate and become his next evolutionary form
Where can I find it
@@mrchili473 the website to look at that form has already been deleted
@@mrchili473okay I managed to find a video with the concept art, so search up 'CGI process and visual effects of Shin Godzilla' the video is 10:47 minutes long at around 8:31 to 8:37 around there of the video you will find the concept art
Are you talking about the 8 forms
And it can adapt to any enemy it faces?
@@SonGoku-sc8vq no, it's actually a deleted concept, it was supposed to be in a movie but ToHo says no, don't use it in the movie, the 8 forms is a completely different thing and the thing about it can adapt to any enemy it faces is true
Shin Godzilla is also a scathing criticism of Japanese culture and its over-reliance on tradition and strict respect of norms.
One scene that stuck with me is the one where the new Prime Minister is revealed, and it's a slow old man closer to death than retirement.
In this scene he has a noodle bowl, and by the time he's done giving answers about this urgent matter, the bowl is cold. Showing this country's slowness to react and adapt.
And the bowl of noodle itself is the blandest most boring bowl of noodle you can imagine, once again showing that Japan as a country lacks "spice".
It's also not a coincidence that the ones who manage to save the day are the relatively young people in the administration. They aren't scared to take initiatives, to move fast and take risks, which in the end pays off.
This movie has a lot of layers once you start learning about how Japanese society works and see the social criticisms all throughout its runtime.
Can video essayists stop talking like dora the explorer i am begging
Yes please 😢😢
the guy from "The Vile Eye" doubles as ASMR for relaxation XD
Do you know where Shin Godzilla is? ................That's right!
Try watching in 1.25 speed, that helped me
How else do you stretch a 20 min video to almost 40?😂
If you ever hear anyone say that "anime is for kids" tell them to watch evangelion trust me they won't say it again
Godzilla Singular Point i guess, because its about a massive universe destroyer causing a catasthrope
And then theres Berser-
@@bananawithpajamas6379NO ANYTHING BUT BERSERK
@@bananawithpajamas6379 we don't talk about it....
My eyes hurt after watching it my friend talked about it my face when to 1000 yard stare....
@@bananawithpajamas6379godzilla singular technobable
Those 5th form concepts look amazing, I really do hope the film get a sequel one day. Hopefully Minus One give’s similar hopeless and menacing feelings
You wont ever see a sequel to Shin Godzilla....People keep going on and on about it, some of them even going on about "what it should fight" yeah NO....that isn't ever going to happen, with that Godzilla and that story its not the kind of story that then goes on to fight the monster of the week. It was clearly meant to be a one off and should stay that way.
Shin has been my favorite incarnation of Godzilla no matter what. He genuinely feels different from all the other versions, and I LOVE it.
A little while back, I binged through all of the Showa era Godzilla movies that were available on HBO max. A lot of them were goofy, but the original 1954 movie was creepy. It was admittedly hard to take seriously, especially with how a lot of effects didn’t age well, but there were a few moments were I thought to myself, “wow, that’s dark”. However, I later went into Shin Godzilla blind, and it was much more horrifying.
Most movies of the horror genre make you jump or scream. Shin Godzilla didn’t do that. Shin Godzilla made me freeze, something that not many movies have done. Just the thought of the majority of Tokyo’s coast being devoured by flames in mere seconds is terrifying. The thought of how many souls would be lost in such a disaster fills me with terror and dread. Getting to watch such a nightmare unfold was petrifying, and the fact this was based on real events makes me shudder.
That scene is a testament to why Godzilla is the longest running movie franchise to date. It’s because Godzilla represents our mistakes, and sometimes the horrible price that we have to pay. In my opinion, Shin Godzilla is easily the scariest Godzilla movie, and one of the scariest horror movies, ever created. This was an excellent retrospective.
As someone who is an Evangelion fan, I will never forget seeing Shin Godzilla in theaters with my brother (who is the biggest Godzilla fan I know). He had not seen Evangelion at that point, so seeing his reactions to some of the f*cked up imagery was priceless. The final shot of the movie is one of my favorite moments of the entire Godzilla franchise. The implications of the final shot of the film are truly horrifying.
I'm a Godzilla fan as well, and I was insanely excited when I first heard about Anno directing a Godzilla movie. Shin Godzilla was basically exactly what I expected from Anno, and I love it. The artbook to the film is a beast in of itself, too. Anyone who is a fan of horror should 100% own the Shin Godzilla artbook at the very least.
I think it’s safe to say that this is one of the best reviews/explanations of this film to date. Been a Godzilla fan since I was a very young kid and by far this one really takes the cake keeping his traditional look however somehow making him something fast more terrifying not only on a visual but psychological lvl.
I feel like Shin Godzilla also sort of represents many of the hard to cure issues of our age. He's the battle against nuclear terror and the destruction of Japan in the Fukushima event, government responses to natural disasters, and even Mr. Anno and the viewers own bouts with mental illness. The human hero points out at the end, resigned "We will just have to learn to live with it."(ircc) We have to learn how to deal with these problems, to minimize and reduce the damage of them, even if they will never conveniently just go away.
As a Japanese citizen, I proudly approve your analysis, my man
Put the video on 1.25 speed and it’s automatically better
Fair. Lmao.
@@JustinSVAGreat video, but I would love it more if you'd avoid the RUclipsr-voice trope. Tho you're far from the worst (which is most RUclipsrs)!
I think it's something about how english-speakers change their voices to sound more professional. But it makes it weird. Hope this makes sense
Thank you lol
Genuinely terrifying film if you ask me, haven’t stopped thinking about it since I watched it, and with each second that passes, I’m just more and more convinced it’s one of the best films of the century so far.
I love Shin Gojira but one thing that changed me and my families life was my father chose to take all our family and immigrate to the USA. We left Japan in 2011 and we do miss Japan but we are glad we were welcomed by the people of the USA. I’m pediatrician today and married to a wonderful man with two wonderful children. We took our children to visit several times before 2020 but our home is the USA today.
How far have we drifted
Welcome to American my brother
I just saw this movie today with friends after seeing the title of this very video. WOW. I am still gabberflasted but in a good way. This movie captures the exact feeling of hopelessness and horror because at many points I screamed "What do you EVEN DO???? WHAT DO YOU EVEN -DO-" if you're just a citizen, not anyone with any power, or in charge. I don't feel scared watching most things, but this had me literally biting my fingers as I watched. When that scene with the body lasers happened, my loud ass fell completely silent like I was one of the characters who had to watch that all happen.
That has never happened to me with a movie before. I did not fight, think of flight, I fucking froze like a deer in headlights and my heart and soul both dropped down into my feet.
100/10 film, nostalgic but cranked the horror feeling up to a trillion.
I watched Shin for the 1st time about a month ago. I didn’t really understand it and thought it was another kaiju movie. So seeing your analysis of what Godzilla represents has made me appreciate it a lot more. Very Lovecraftian.
Some things are better left unsaid. The WTF at the end of Shin Godzilla is much more haunting than any Godzilla people that could have been shown running around Tokyo after that.
Kamata-kun is just so derpy. It threads a really narrow path between adorable and totally creepy. It's hilarious. Shin is such a great Godzilla design and movie.
kinda cute tbh
@@bananawithpajamas6379 Agreed, the blood gushing is nasty but his wiggly movement reminds me of a puppy.
@@swampert564 yeah and the big eyes
@swampert for some reason he really freaks me out. :P
He looks very pettable@@bananawithpajamas6379
I genuinely loved the video. I liked your interpretations on the whole angel concept art of Godzilla, the idea of Godzilla essentially being Mother Nature Incarnate sounds really interesting. I'd love to see you cover the other two Shin movies, Shin Ultraman especially due to it being a really good companion piece to Shin Godzilla. Keep up the good work Justin!
Thank you so much! I'm very glad to hear that you liked it! There's a very solid chance that I talk about them at some point here in the near future! So stay tuned!
@@JustinSVA Very surprised you saw my comment lol, Shin Ultraman is definitely a good antithesis to Shin Godzilla's hopelessness. Also, one thing that I really love is how even as remakes it still retains a "Showa-feel" when it comes to character design, sound effects, camera-work, etc.
@@blaboblab Yes! The presentation of it feels a lot more like something you'd see in the Showa era. But with the modern take it has, it is just a super fascinating watch.
and then there’s Shin Kamen Rider…to me it’s a love letter to all things Tokusatsu
"an organism...that surpasses..." my mind autocompleted "METAL GEAR"
My sister was living in Japan at the time the movie was released so I was very fortunate to have someone explain the criticisms Anno was leveling at the Japanese government, so going into the movie with that in mind made it so much easier to understand and enjoy the film. It is my favorite Godzilla movie, and I say that as a life long fan
Now one thing very vew people point out about this film is: The directing, my god, I love the directing in this movie, the shots, transitions, script and stuff, is sooo good!
This movie has an allure for me that pulls me back repeatedly going back to when I first saw it. I viewed it three times during its theatrical run (partly because it was only the second opportunity I'd had to see a Godzilla movie in a theater and partly because it was very good), and I haven't bothered to keep track of the number of times I've watched it since it released on blu-ray. Obviously, as covered in the video, it's a thematically rich film, tapping into the basic idea of Godzilla as metaphor that goes back to the original, but updating that metaphor to be something very contemporary to Japan, but not wholly disconnecting from the character's roots. But even beyond that, it's a visually interesting film to watch. Anno constantly keeps tight control over his camera, and makes sure to frame things in a way that is visually pleasing, which is good since so much of the film is taken up by government meetings. And the special effects sequences, while imperfect, are a thrill to watch, and it is still a genuine treat to watch Godzilla display abilities that are still unique to this film, even 7 years later. While I will always be curious to see where it could have gone had they elected to make a sequel, I'm glad they didn't. It's rare for a series this long run by a studio with a history of jumping on sequel opportunities when they smell money to just let something sit. Because they decided to move on, this movie gets to be utterly unique within the history of the franchise. And I think that's neat.
I mean this sincerely, please view it as constructive criticism and not just mindless internet whinging - please speak faster. The dramatic tension you add at the end of your sentences is so painfully drawn out at times that I had to watch at 1.25x speed. But this is a minor thing. Your videos and content are A+++, thanks!
Believe me when I say that I'm hearing you all on this one! Will rectify in future videos! Thank you for the critique and helping me improve!
I think a lot of its problems in the US stems from the lack of a theatrical dub. The characters in the film speak very fast, and for those of us that struggle with subtitles, this meant a lot of what was being said was missed entirely. I also didn’t really enjoy it until years later after watching the dub. The part about the man’s wife, what was being discussed in the meetings, and much of the overall message wizzed by as I was unable to focus between the visuals and the written dialogue. After seeing it with dubbing I was able to enjoy it far more. It’s actually become one of my favorites along with Tokyo SOS and the original. Can’t wait for minus one as my speed reading has gotten a bit better.
Phenomenal video. The depth you go into is wonderful, and though there have been other retrospectives on the film and lore of Shin Godzilla, this one seemingly trumps them all. I appreciate the time and research you took to produce this. Great job, I always love more Shin Godzilla content. It would be terrifyingly jaw-dropping to see Shin's 5th form past concept and what may come after it; even though I fear it would become too unrecognizable from the iconic Shin Godzilla. I'm glad this film weaseled it's way up your list of favorites.
Thank you so much! All that means a lot to me! This film has done a lot for me and I view it as one of my favorites in general. So I waited for a few years before tackling it in the hopes I could do it the justice it deserves!
I just came back from the movies and the new Godzilla is also terrifying.
I felt the despair in my bones.
0:41 hey thats me.
Hey, bro! 👋
Now I'm on my way to Tokyo again
@@Godzillahimself2023 OH, GOD. NO.
It's still crazy to me that I got comments from the creator of this exact video.
@@Godzillahimself2023👍
Shin's bottom jaw splitting open after the American attack was the moment that i knew... This is my favorite Godzilla.
Me when theres Shin Godzilla video essays at the function
As someone who LOVES the OG Godzilla films, the depths and painful light that Shin Godzilla is shinning on terrible things that happened is something I connect with well. It's deep and meaningful, pushing for a classic Godzilla vibe in the film that I connect with in a way... granted, I may be a western audience, but I have been primed with older Godzilla films and being a fan of Godzilla since I was real young.
Just watched this movie yesterday and I was really suprised how exhilarating the whole experience was! Only issue I have now, is that after watching Shin, I am kind of anxious about minus one series, which seems to be more in vein of Godzilla 2000 - Final Wars period, meanwhile I really loved how much trauma Shin Gojira did put on me :D
The answer is simple. People love 2nd form because its so horrendous yet goofy. Look at him jiggling toward people with those fish eyes
I am in awe at the concept of Godzilla's evolutionary potential. People think too small when visualizing it. Godzilla would evolve into the god of the universe, his form would be completely incomprehensible to us. Like azatoth the sleeping god dreaming up the universe, the only way overcome the suffering of being in this universe is to become the very universe itself. It's so vast, so scary, so beautiful.
Is it me or does shin Godzilla feel like a sequel to godzilla minus one.. I mean in the end of godzilla minus one. We see the monster reforming... and shin godzilla comes from the water as a mutated amphibian with crazy nuclear power. I mean I know it's not but it would be cool
that's an interesting point...
The scene where the PM announces everything is fine and then is informed that Godzilla made landfall during the press conference is one of my favorite scenes
Shin Godzilla is one of my favorite movies. I love horror, and to see a Godzilla movie almost in a horror style is just gold to me. The concept art is something else, this movie could have been super fuckin crazy.
RIP to all the lives lost during the 2011 disaster.
Edit: what a great video! I love the look and take you give on the art and what could have been.
I love how Shin kinda brought back the terror of 1954 Goji. The blank, dead eyes that stare into your soul, and it even uses the same roars as 1954.
Shin Godzilla might be the most dated Godzilla because it displays a government being competent during a crisis.
Minus One completely sucking me back in to Godzilla! Going to watch Shin now!
Man, archeologists are gonna be SO confused by our Godzilla Relics
A being that will always overcome any adversity through sheer will. Rather scary to be up against but inspiring to stand beside
I mean sheer force not sheer will. But I imagine he has a strong will. Iron clad!
The way I saw the government in this movie is the normal way people would try and manage a disaster. They *COULDN'T* prevent Godzilla from becoming what it was; they could only react to it. And it was a thing they had never encountered before, so at first they treated it like something they had encountered before. You can see the programming that people who run things rely on to get things done. Don't panic the public, try not to cause a financial collapse with the solution, save as many people but don't overreact, don't fire weapons at it until we are sure it's the right move... all the while the people in charge have careers and desires as well, which normally wouldn't be an issue, but when push comes to shove, those become a burden that can get people killed.
Really, I don't blame the government in this film. They are inept, but there wasn't much they could have done about the monster realistically in the first place, and I love that. There is no forehead slapping moment of "Why don't they just !" because they go over each option. Firing rockets at the thing in a highly populated area is a bad idea, especially for the Japanese. Evacuating people when you don't know which way the thing is going to go is also a bad idea. They were playing it "safe" but this thing was beyond their control entirely. Even at the end, when they "defeat" the thing, the final form hints that they almost lost everything, and it was only sheer luck and perfect timing that gave humanity another lease on life, despite all their efforts. It's a horror movie and a kaiju movie, and it makes you appreciate what time you have left.
Seems like the depth in elements of this film has been overlooked by lots of the western audience. This is a political satire and not meant to be total action in its delivery. This film will hold up to the test of time guaranteed.
Man that tail in the last shot really reminds me of the thing, seeing the clustered amalgamation of flesh and bone of seemingly different creatures is spooky
It looks so goofy. When I first saw snippets of it crawling on its belly with its bulging eyes I thought it was some piñata thing someone made for their kid. It was like that in my head until a day or two ago when I saw more Godzilla content and I opened this video. I haven’t seen it but I want to watch it now.
My favorite subject is biology as I have always been fascinated by it and studied it in college. That said I really like the concept of a huge monster that goes through all these biological changes as it adapts to the surface. Other films about aliens or whatever having to adapt to different environments has been done but not in this scale. I think it’s very original and it paid off. I hope the movie is good lol
In a interview, this film help cure directors depression.
A sequel to Shin _must_ come out and these brilliant ideas _must_ come to fruition! It's too good a concept to let go of.
I don’t know if this is true but I heard there’s a manga about it,if your interested
@@SonGoku-sc8vq Absolutely interested! Thanks for the heads-up. I'll look into it. Love to see a movie about it too, tho.
Imagine Shin versions of all the other titans/kaiju
@@BlooMonkiMan I'm sure they would be equally impressive and awe-inspiring!
My fav part about this movie is when he used his beam that scene was cool af
I don't know if you've checked it out yet, but Godzilla Minus One is SO good. Although it does focus more on the human characters in this one, it takes full advantage of that and is absolutely my favorite modern Godzilla movie.
This was one of the few godzilla fims (if not the only one) that carries meaning.
as good as this movie was, really looking forward to minus 1. looks like its taking it even further
Interesting. Shin is my favorite, but I couldn't get over the complete and utter uselessness of the meeting scenes, as they did nothing to add to the plot, and when they did, only one was really needed. Now knowing it's a political commentary, it makes a lot more sense why the meetings were so nonsensical and meaningless, because they were.
My favortite bit of Shin Godzilla trivia is that in Nier Automata you can meet a non-respawning machine lifeform that looks and acts like Shin Godzilla's 4th form, including the atomic breath and the beams coming out of its back
NieR: Automata is my favorite game and this was such a cool thing to see whenever I discovered it.
Imagine the pain you feel when your own flesh constantly evolves and moves around while the radiation controls your own body
I remember really enjoying Shin Godzilla as a film but I never fully embraced the design of its different forms. I did not like the weird fish eyes or the shape of its head in the fourth form. Also its movement in the second form looked a bit too much like a puppet for my taste. However, otherwise the way Godzilla was portrayed in the film was terrifying and I did find it getting under my skin. I didn't know there was a concept for a fifth form, but I honestly also think it is better that it was not realized on screen, as diverging that much from the creature's otherwise reptilian nature would have probably felt too out of left field for a movie that otherwise was relatively grounded in its depiction.
Really looking forward to seeing Minus One.
I am happy to live in a time where hollywood and japan both produce their own, awesome godzilla movies.
I always thought that choosing to have Americans drop two bombs from planes onto Godzilla is a clear reflection of Japan after WW2
What a lot of people dont understand is in Japan MUCH MUCH more money is made from toys , figurines, demostrations etc of said IP than the actual mpvies/shows/animes/mangas they're based on which is why bandai/namco a toy/GAME company has so much sway.b
This sounds 100% like AI talking.
It is just like most of RUclips believe it or not
Yeah. One scene where they are talking in one room, to then move to another room to talk, then move back/or to another room, and the rooms didn't do anything special like have new equipment or stuff, that pissed me off.
Basically the movie is - Godzilla: Government Red Tape
This is my joint favourite Godzilla movie (along with the original Gojira, of course). I thought the final scene was chilling and amazing, and it really deserved a sequel. Hopefully Minus One will live up to expectations.
I think it would be cool if they made a sequel that talks about what could have happened if they didn't stop shin godzilla
A Shin Godzilla sequel could be multiple ideas of what could have been if the beast in pain never was stopped.
You gotta speed up your narration speed dude.
Holy shit I know right! its like every line in his script ends like this......
when watching this, set playback speed to 1.75
I was like you and when I first watched Shin Godzilla I didn’t really care for it. But I was looking for a totally different kind of movie at that time. I wanted the fun monster vs monster fight movie I was used to. But after learning about what Shin was supposed to be I watched again with that in mind and found an amazing movie that is one of the best Kaiju films ever made.
Pretty much exactly what I went through! I was thinking that in order for a Goji movie to be good, it had to be this action packed thing with monster fights and the like. But then, when you realize what it's trying to say, it really starts to resonate with you.
I’m glad they never explored the next evolutions of shin Godzilla. The unknown is more horrifying than knowing sometimes.
Such a good video! I love Video Essays on Shin Godzilla and yours is easily one of the best! This is so good!
Thank you so much! That's very kind of you to say!
Shin godzilla is a realistic version of godzilla since godzilla should be a monster not a national hero
Didn't realize it's been 7 years. Feels like 7 months ago
It’s scary to think that no matter what the humans do, Godzilla will forever be evolving itself into other transformations to ensure its survival and the bad part of it is that he is not doing it out of revenge or being evil but is simply doing what an animal would do in its situation and that is survive, it would have been interesting to see what the 5th form would have been or become.
For me a Shin version is when: a character gets the design changed and attacks made different while still being closer to the original than it seems
While not understanding just how important this film was to the director and the Japanese people, the vibes I got from the film left a feeling that I was witnessing the impact of a meteor who's shockwave never reached my eyes.
It would be interesting if several new species of humanoids spawned from Godzilla but they propagated and behaved differently. Perhaps competing with each other to be the superior evolutionary lifeform. Perhaps one side might side with humanity to gain an advantage over the other humanoid Godzilla species since species cooperation for survival is a theme in nature.
Something I think most Evangelion fans noticed, was the fact that a certain female character from the anime was a literal god given the form of a cloned human. I don't really know everything, but I am sure that it's now becoming a trend of their creator to make the gods have a feminine shape.
Evangalion being my second ever anime really did a number on my mental stability
Lol :)
Yep. It'll do that.
I love Shin and Minus One equally, im so proud Goji is being taken more seriously by the world again.
There's no hidden terror in shin, he's just straight up terrifying
I'm still disappointed. There's no sequel besides those cruisers are giving me Xenomorph vibes
It's disappointing. Maybe one day...
@@JustinSVAyeah oh did you hear of the unmade sequel of this movie.
Japan 🇯🇵 is indecisive 🤷♂️
I liked that they chose to merely suggest what Gojira's further evolution would entail, instead of showing it. Not knowing what it would be like just adds to the horror.