#4
Yesterday I watched Shin Godzilla. My expectations were pretty low - the only reason I added it to my watchlist was that it was co-directed by Hideaki Anno, creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion, one of my favorite anime. I watched few of the previous entries in the Japanese Godzilla - or rather Gojira, as it is known there - series and there were entertaining but in a rather goofy way. I didn't expect much difference - as far as I know, Gojira is a cultural phenomenon in Japan, it seemed unlikely that the convention will change much, even with a renowned director attached. Oh boy, how wrong I was!
Godzilla: Resurgence (an alternative title) is a genuinely good movie. The plot is presented in a different way than in other monster films - most of the on-screen time is dedicated to behind-the-scenes meetings of the Japanese government. Some reviewers found these parts boring and hard to follow, I myself enjoyed them. Moreover, it seems that they were intended to mimic the government's response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011 - so at least for Japanese audience the movie doubles as a political commentary.
After watching the film I looked for some additional information. Then I discovered I missed one important detail: in the scene where Gojira invokes its atomic breath for the first time, there is a background music. Due to the way of singing, it was hard for me to recognize, but the lyrics are actually in English. The song seems to convey Godzillas feelings - for people, it's only a havoc-wrecking monster. We don't really understand anything about this creature.
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.
For me, this one scene was enough to make an already very good movie exceptional.