Profile of Shin Godzilla (2016)
- Movie: Shin Godzilla
- Romaji: Shin Godzilla
- Japanese: シン・ゴジラ
- Director: Shinji Higuchi, Yusuke Ishida
- Writer: Hideaki Anno
- Network:
- Producer: Akihiro Yamauchi, Yoshihiro Sato, Masaya Shibusawa, Taichi Ueda, Kazutoshi Wadakura
- Cinematographer: Kosuke Yamada
- Release Date: July 29, 2016
- Runtime: 120 min.
- Genre: Monster
- Distributor: Toho
- Language: Japanese
- Country: Japan
Main cast
| Main cast | Characters |
| Hiroki Hasegawa | Rando Yaguchi |
| Yutaka Takenouchi | Hideki Akasaka |
| Satomi Ishihara | Kayoko Ann Patterson |
| Mikako Ichikawa | bureaucrat of Ministry of the Environment |
| Isshin Inudo | ancient organism scholar |
Trailer
Plot
Shin Godzilla is at his strongest when he symbolizes something significant. The original Godzilla, released within a decade of the atomic bombings that inspired it, remains unparalleled. However, Shin Godzilla, written and directed by Hideaki Anno of Neon Genesis Evangelion fame, comes closest to matching its impact. This film is inspired by its own recent tragedy and feels intensely specific in its metaphor. Shin Godzilla directly reflects the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, along with the subsequent Fukushima nuclear disaster—events that weigh heavily on the Japanese consciousness, perhaps more than Western viewers might realize. Godzilla, in this iteration, is an unnatural natural disaster.
He first emerges from Tokyo Bay in a grotesque, Muppet-like adolescent form, bringing a wave of destruction akin to a tsunami’s wall of debris. Japan’s old, bureaucratic government is initially paralyzed by red tape and inertia, unable to respond effectively. The scenes where groups of suited men move from one conference room to another with much formality and little effect are darkly humorous. This Godzilla is born of modern fears and concerns.
And what a Godzilla it is. While other versions of the iconic monster resemble a mutated dinosaur, Shin Godzilla’s kaiju is more like an eldritch abomination. Fittingly, as the first Japanese Godzilla rendered in CGI rather than situation, there is nothing human about Shin Godzilla. It’s a monster that defies all sense of order and all expectations. The moment when Godzilla unleashes his atomic breath is one of unparalleled horror and, in a twisted way, beauty. That Godzilla, an icon approaching three-quarters of a century old and who has played virtually every role in every medium, can still shock and amaze like this is a testament to the power of Shin Godzilla.