Godzilla is back in its homeland of Japan after a 12-year absence, still breathing fire and mercilessly stomping everything in its way. Four ways can be noted as to how the new film Shin Godzilla , or New Godzilla , breaks from its past, and in other ways it is familiar. It’s now showing in theatres in Japan and is promised for the U.S. and other countries later this year.
The Americans: Japan’s most important ally, send scientists and other advisers, their participation depicted at times as a nuisance. A Japanese-American special envoy, played impudently by Satomi Ishihara, asks where the nearest Zara store is, but mainly mediates between Japan and the U.S., which is worried Godzilla might reach its shores. She resists a U.S. proposal to nuke Godzilla. “Is Japan going to have the atomic bomb dropped for the third time?” she asks mournfully.
The man behind the monster: Godzilla — is not a man wearing a rubber suit, like in the 1954 original. Toho used motion-capture technology based on the movements of Mansai Nomura, an actor in traditional Kyogen theatre whose casting was a secret until opening day. The centre of gravity is kept low during Kyogen moves, similar to Noh dance, except that Kyogen specializes in comedy.
“I am thrilled that the DNA of Kyogen, which has more than 650 years of history, will now be part of the DNA of the pride of Japanese cinema that life called Godzilla,” he said in a statement.
The 2011 Fukushima disaster: Godzilla is no longer a result of nuclear testing. Instead, the monster recalls the March 2011 quake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that devastated north-eastern Japan. In the film, people measure the radiation around them and share information on social media, as they did five years ago. News conferences and meetings are filled with confusion and jargon, and government officials on screen even use the same word that was used to describe how unprepared Japan had been for the tsunami, soteigai , or “beyond expectations.
The new monster Now, a look at what’s familiar. The monster: Godzilla at first looks like a snake or an eel slithering through the cityscape. Nearly an hour into the movie, it stands upright like the Godzilla we know, with protruding scales lining its back and a giant tail lashing uncontrollably.
As it was, with the way the 1954 original was scripted, Godzilla is more about our anticipation, the nightmare that reflects our deepest fears. The new Godzilla glows red as though embers electrified by atomic power flicker beneath its jagged skin.
The destruction: The new film is inspired by the storyline of the 1954 original, more than the rest of Toho’s 28-film series that had Godzilla battling oversized moths, evil robots and other fantastic creatures. It smashes the same landmarks as all the other Godzillas. And all that the masses of people can do is run from it in sheer terror.
The sounds: That same eerie screech, created by scratching contrabass strings, is heard. And this film pays homage to the original music.
