There's a Godzilla movie you probably haven't seen. Fix that.

Washington Post

07-08-2025

What's a summer without a Godzilla movie? Luckily, this isn't the year to find out because the giant, city-stomping reptile is back in 'Shin Godzilla' — a welcome rerelease of a film that you may have missed on its first run almost a decade ago. This time, serious and not-so-serious monster-movie fans alike should seek out the 4K restoration, with screenings beginning in Washington-area theaters Aug. 14.
Originally released in 2016, 'Shin Godzilla' is co-directed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, the latter the visionary auteur behind 1995's 'Neon Genesis Evangelion.' Together with cinematographer Kosuke Yamada, they work to totally reinvent the cinematic language of the famous kaiju. The result is a story that closely resembles that of Godzillas of yore but with a visual language, style and rhythm that is dynamic and wholly original.
Set in 2016 Japan, the film begins with a mysterious atomic lizard crawling out of the ocean. Yes, this has been done before — as recently as 2023's 'Godzilla Minus One' — but never with this style and rarely this well. Godzilla's opening rampage, which runs for about 20 minutes, is the film's high-water mark in terms of visual effects and set piece construction.
In the aftermath of this destruction, the Japanese government scrambles to understand what is happening and protect its citizens. The government — and, it's revealed later, all governments — has absolutely no idea what it's doing. How do officials orchestrate the immediate evacuation of entire cities? Schedule a board meeting. How do they organize an effort to study the creature? More board meetings. Should they drop a nuclear weapon on this beast that gained its powers from nuclear debris? Maybe. But first let's have a few more board meetings to debate it.
'Shin Godzilla' is a political thriller about the gears of bureaucracy. They are difficult to move, but once their intense inertia is in motion, they are unbelievably powerful. Sounds like a certain kaiju. This is what makes 'Shin Godzilla' so special. For the entirety of Godzilla's life, even through qualitative ebbs and flows, he has been a political character. With 'Shin Godzilla,' this creature feature series evolves to capture the present moment perfectly.
Higuchi, Anno and Yamada shoot the majority of this movie like a mixture of 'Veep,' late-period Steven Soderbergh and the first 'Cloverfield' flick. Handheld camerawork, extreme framing and POV shots combine to create a sense of true terror rarely achieved in the world of disaster movies. The framing also centers the smallness of human beings in relation to structures and the eponymous beast, pressing the issue of just how powerless we would be up against a walking nuclear reactor.
The film's editing style also adds to the chaotic experience. From the opening shot, things unfold mostly at a breakneck pace that conveys the difficulty of trying to maintain order during a crisis. When the film slows, it's noticeable, forcing the viewer to focus on the story and thematic beats being highlighted. In a gripping scene just before the start of the third act, the film's ostensible lead, Hiroki Hasegawa, reflects on American hegemonic power after World War II: 'Postwar extends forever.'
As the plot continues to play out, the pressure and anxiety build on the faces of the movie's expansive cast. One standout performance comes from Mikako Ichikawa as a government official thrust into this high-pressure situation. Her dead-eyed intensity reveals the physical and emotional burden of taking down the monster. When a solution finally presents itself (in the world of Godzilla, it's usually driven by brain, not brawn), the relief is as cathartic as any action sequence.
When originally released, 'Shin Godzilla' was the start of a new Godzilla era. The world of Gojira (the Japanese name for the character) started with the Showa Era, which ran from 1954 till 1975 and encompassed 15 films, including the first 'Godzilla' in 1954, the original 'King Kong vs. Godzilla' in 1963 and 1968's 'Destroy All Monsters' (a personal favorite). These are the classic Zilla flicks, wherein characters such as Mothra and King Ghidorah were introduced, and Godzilla evolved from anarchic force of destruction to omnipotent protector of humanity. (The films are collected in a $225 box set, courtesy of the Criterion Collection.)
Next came the Heisei Era, which began with 'The Return of Godzilla' in 1984 and ran until 1995, followed by the Millennium Era, from 1999 to the mid-2000s. The final film in the Millennium Era, 'Godzilla: Final Wars,' was released in 2004. Fifty years after Ishiro Honda's original, 'Final Wars' featured monsters from throughout Godzilla's history (including Roland Emmerich's 1998 folly). After that, Toho, the production company behind the Japanese films, did not release a new Japanese-language entry for 12 years.
Into this absence came 'Shin Godzilla' and the Reiwa Era. Instead of working to build one continuous story — carrying over characters and plotlines from film to film — the Reiwa Era features separate storylines and continuities. 'Shin Godzilla' exists in one continuity, while 'Godzilla Minus One' is completely disconnected. Simultaneously, there are three animated Godzilla features on Netflix set in Earth's distant future and the U.S.-based Monsterverse that include King Kong. All of these films exist on their own and provide a different flavor of the classic monster.
As with TV news, or a car accident, it's difficult to look away from 'Shin Godzilla.' Because of its style and subject matter, at times it feels as if you're watching a snuff film: massive crowds of people unable to move fast enough to outrun certain death. It's overwhelming in a way that feels immense and essential, like the monster it worships and the facades he tears down.