Benjamin Torres

A great film when viewed from the context of the series as whole. On it’s own, the film falls short, lacking the thematic nuance that made the early films in the heisei period so gripping, but if you allow yourself to be immersed it is worth while. This is a good film, but it has it’s flaws.

Gasoline productions is objectively wrong, and does not wish to look at these films with any sort of impartiality. Watch the film for yourself, and you will see it is very well made.

While the film is based on an absurd premise, the plot is written very well and is even quite clever. Characters are done quite well, with the highlight being Mr. Shindo, a Japanese businessman/WWII veteran who has a unique relationship with Godzilla. This aspect of the story is very emotionally compelling, especially if you are familiar with the context behind the character of Godzilla. If I am to praise anything about this movie, it would be the characterization given to Godzilla himself. This film establishes him as a necessary evil, who can be of great value and great danger to Japan, depending on the situation. This character development is vital to the films to come. The biggest problem with this film is the execution of the time travel elements and future technology. Particular special effects do not look good, but are admittedly entertaining. I would just like to insert here that the time travel plot line does not in any way damage the continuity of the series. The film makes it very clear that the mission to erase Godzilla from history was unsuccessful. Overall, this is a good film with an ambitious concept. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Here, it’s pretty solid.

With a surprisingly well executed theme of man vs nature, this film does an excellent job building on the events of vs king ghidorah in order to characterize Godzilla further. With a cast of likable characters, the human element is intertwined with the monsters making the story feel unified as a whole. While there are some flaws, including the limited development given to Miki and the questionable choice to have Azusa be the one to develop a relationship with baby, this is perhaps the best film in this series to come from the decade. This is a very well made film.