Shin Godzilla

2016  NR  SCIENCE FICTION  1h 59min

CAST— Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara

MUSIC— Shirō Sagisu  DIRECTORS— Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi

     Godzilla returns in yet another reboot from Toho Co., Ltd. Here Godzilla returns to his old stomping grounds, Tokyo, yet his reasons for doing so remain unclear. After the Japanese government decides to attack the creature, Godzilla goes on a small scale, yet devastating rampage, firing beams of radiation from just about every part of his body. He then falls into a slight hibernation, during which the government goes into a frenzy of activity, seeking ways to destroy their new friend. Not so much a kaiju destruction derby so much as a socio-political film dealing with governmental policy as to how to evacuate millions while dealing with new theories to deal with this monstrous menace. Seen from the vantage point of politicians and their lackeys, a constant sense of frenzied panic permeates the film. Not your average Godzilla film, for better or worse, but still worth a viewing. In Japanese with English subtitles. AKA Shin Gojira, Godzilla: Resurgence.

OUR RATING— ** ½