So I went to watch a movie, "Shin Godzilla (Godzilla Resurgence)".
The movie is open for a few days in Oklahoma City this week (limited running in the US). It was the biggest box office hit in Japan in 2016 Summer, and was heavily hyped and talked movie.
[I'll be careful, but there may be some spoilers. You are alerted.]
US trailer (YouTube link)
Everyone in or from Japan knows the basic story of Godzilla movies. It's somewhat like most Americans know the basic story of Star Wars.
Likewise, there was a monster anime hit "Evangelion" in the 90's in Japan, directed by Hideaki Anno. "Eva" is known to many Japanese as a cultural reference. (The reboot theatrical Evangelion movies are still on going).
Then there came the Godzilla movie in 2016, directed by Hideaki Anno. It got attention.
That was what I was guessing as the reason for the hype.
The movie was more than that. The Japanese were talking about the movie, because it was oh-so-very Japanese.
Think some of Miyazaki/Ghibli movies, like Princess Mononoke or Spirited away. They are very Japanese, and very different from Hollywood movies, right?
What made me think "it's Japanese" was the social references, or reminders, of recent Japan, especially the 2011 disasters; Earthquake, Tsunami, Fukushima nuclear plant accident, people's evacuation, radiation map, recovery efforts, and associated Governmental and bureaucratic hush as well as heroic acts.
The Godzilla disaster immediately reminded the Japanese of these real-life disasters, both natural and man-made. In fact, a most common response was "realistic".
Presentation-wise, this Gozdilla had imprints of the director Hideaki Anno everywhere. There were many scenes I thought to be from Evangelion.
Throwing in the concept of Japan being an US underling, or the complex position of Self Defense Force in the country, or political calculation, or nameless bureaucrats and soldiers working tirelessly to get their job done in an emergency even if it's life-threatening, all at the same time, could be seen as the director Anno's another signature of information overload. In other words, there are many angles you can talk about, depending on what you focus. For example, I am a biologist. I can even wonder the biology of Godzilla, if I want to.
Sure, it was a very well-made sci-fi movie. I was fully entertained. The idea of evolving and metamorphosing Godzilla was clever, and amped up Atomic breadth scenes were spectacular. Even the cheesy factors, such as the "they'll be back" ending and music from previous Godzilla and Evangelion movies (they sounded somewhat dated to me), were enjoyable as references.
Well, it was certainly a very different Godzilla movie compared with two Hollywood Godzillas (1998, 2014). Since it was a very Japanese movie, I understand why it was very talked about in Japan.
The movie will be appreciated by Americans who can enjoy difference. You might feel too busy in reading subtitles, though. But now you know that information overload is a signature effect by the director. It's a part of the package.
Go watch it. It's fun.
[2 minutes before on, with a cup of ice cream]
