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Why Shin Godzilla deserved every award it won


So, continuing with July being “Godzilla month” for me, I really want to talk about why the latest Toho studios version of Godzilla won 7 awards at the Japanese Academy Prize. Note that this isn’t a review, and hopefully, I don’t give out to many spoilers, but I do beg of you, please watch the film. Now to start, I do want to recap some Godzilla history.

Gojira was released in 1954, created by Ishirō Honda, Takeo Murata, and Shigeru Kayama, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho. It was a critical success in Japan, being both a monster blockbuster as well as a real down to earth film discussing relevant issues. Nuclear destruction was still in the minds of many of the movie goes, some even having lived through the blast. With themes of man created horrors.

However, America didn’t see that film. When Godzilla was released in America, it was a very different film. Several scenes were re-edited, re-filmed or even removed, turning a horror film into a campy monster film. However, this leads to the more Americanized Godzilla movies that were created later on that the franchise was built on.

[I highly recommend watching “Godzilla - The Soul of Japan” it does a better job than I could]

Now to the Important part. Why Shin Gojira or “Godzilla: Resurgence” won:

  • Picture of the Year

  • Director of the Year

  • Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction

  • Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction

  • Best Film Editing

  • Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography

  • Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording

And that’s with 4 other nominations. That’s 11 nominations, out of the 12 possible nominations (removing Animated/Foreign Language/New Comer) only not being Nominated for “best screenplay” and honestly from what I know of the director and writer, Hideaki Anno, he might not have even had a script until after the movie was had been edited.

Keeping Godzilla Relevant

When Gojira released in 1954 Japan knew devastation. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki weren’t even a full 10 years prior, and the film showed that. Cities burned from Godzilla’s nuclear fire reminiscent of Hiroshima.

While nuclear bombs aren’t an everyday fear in Japan, other things are. On March 11, 2011, a 9.1 earthquake erupted off the coast of Japan. Causing over 15,000 deaths and the total meltdown of a reactor at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The Cinematography directly relates to that event. When Godzilla first lands on shore, huge waves crash into the city. Boats and cars are pushed down streets. People running from the destruction, with no place to go. Scenes of devastation, a city in ruin.

Creating a Modern Godzilla

In 1998 Tristar created their Godzilla, the goal was to make it more animalistic, while Legendary wanted to make something more appealing and marketable. Toho wanted to make this Godzilla clearly something to fear. With a mouth full of misshapen teeth and dead eyes staring back at you, to the way the blood falls from its gills. This creature was designed to strike fear in anyone who saw it.

Godzilla’s Nuclear breath was redesigned to resemble an atomic blast versus a beam weapon. Starting as a fire that consumes buildings that slowly shapes into a cutting beam, also coming from his tail and dorsal fins to create multiple laser attacks to respond with American attacks.

Writing a True Kaiju Film

When Hideaki Anno set out to create this film, he chose to focus on Godzilla as a natural disaster. As discussed the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake was a huge inspiration on the film, as well as the government's reactions. Many citizens felt that the government reacted slowly.

In most Kaiju films, the human element is either there to help the narrative along, or more just something to fill the run time. However, Shin Godzilla takes a very down to earth approach. How to stop a natural disaster.

[Image taken from Re-DVDit!'s Review]

The Japanese Feel

Many of the Japanese public feel that Japan is too focused on its place in the world. Being American puppets as well as appease the other counties without first focusing on itself. This film is a heavy dive into this, being satire yet without mocking. The large cast of government officials might seem confusing, but they exist for a reason.

In the 2014 Godzilla, America doesn’t hesitate to nuke Godzilla. It’s a big bomb to kill a big monster. With some debating, it isn’t a real issue. In Shin Godzilla, Japan does whatever it can to prevent America from doing so, eventually succeeding in killing it with out of the box thinking.

The Effects

So, hopefully, this kinda explains a bit why Godzilla won Best Picture, Best Director and maybe some of Cinematography, (along with the images from IMDB) but for the others, you need to see to understand, but I’m going to do my best to explain why they won.

Something I feel CGI still hasn’t been able to get right is physical buildings. They're too shiny and don’t collapse right. However, models give an earthy feel. Things break naturally and in unexpected ways that feel realistic. While this is the first Toho film to fully ditch the “suitmation” they still used physical models along with CGI.

Godzilla’s roar has been modified over the years. Some to sound more like a battle cry, while others to seem more playful and child-friendly, this Godzilla returns to its roots, using the original roar. Making a horrifying screech. Even the Atomic breath sounds from the original were used to create the attack in the new film.

[Check out the Funimation trailers to get an idea of the film's effects]

In Conclusion

I have no idea if any of this made any sense, my proofreader quit on me because she hates reading Godzilla crap (love you Katie*) but either way, Shin Godzilla is an amazing film that respects the origins of the series while evolves the concept into a new area. While I love my mindless Kaiju battles, I want more Shin Godzilla films, but who knows what the future holds.

*that’s not true I’m reading it right now – Katie


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