‘Shin Godzilla’

By Andrew Ramirez

Staff Writer 

This summer, the king of monsters stomped his way back into theatres. Hideaki Anno’s and Shinji Higuchi’s 2016 “Shin Godzilla” returned to the United States in August with a new remastered skin at 4K ultra-high definition.

Unlike the modern American version of Godzilla, who is portrayed as an ancient protector, “Shin Godzilla” sees a return to Godzilla’s roots as a natural engine of destruction. No heroics. No anti-hero. No team ups - he’s just a raw force of nature.

My excitement when watching this film cannot be understated. As I watched in horror and disbelief as Godzilla pushed his way through Tokyo, I felt the beast’s awesome power. Cars, buildings, and trains are flimsy barriers that present no more of an obstacle than paper. 

The evolution of Godzilla from an ocean creature to what can only be described as terror incarnate kept me glued to the screen.

“Shin Godzilla” is a great addition to the “Godzilla” franchise pushing more toward political commentary and satire than just a monster film. 

Throughout the film, the characters are confronted with the inadequacies of bureaucracy from tedious meetings, incomplete information, and endless emphasis on decorum all while Tokyo, Japan is destroyed by an unstoppable force. 

In a surreal scene where the prime minister of Japan is presented with the choice to fire missiles on a civilian inhabited zone, we see a game of telephone at the highest level of severity, when the request is passed from official-to-official sitting right next to each other.

I highly recommend “Shin Godzilla” to anyone who enjoys Godzilla in general and would like to see, at its core, what the franchise was meant to evoke.