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A solid movie that succeeds in making Godzilla a terrifying force of nature, and while the human characters could’ve used more scenes to really make them feel connected to each other, they still bring enough to the table to keep things interested in the long stretches where we don’t see the monster. The basic plot is right out of the classic “Godzilla” films as the mutated creature threatens Japan as the humans struggle to find a way to stop him. Godzilla is scary. He’s huge, he’s vicious, and is just out for death and destruction. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen his atomic breath taken so literally before.) And, despite a budget that’s a fraction of what Hollywood typically spends on special effects on a movie like this, Shirogumi delivers some incredible visual effects. The bulk of the film is spent with the human characters, and while they were compelling enough, I didn’t feel as strong of a connection with them as I would’ve liked. Some of this may be a bit of culture shock, as it’s a sub-titled story taking place in mid-1940’s Japan and some of the subtlety probably goes over my head. Because the lead character, Shikishima, is so damaged emotionally, I found it hard to get as invested in his arc. There were strong supporting characters that included a potential love interest, a found family, and group of friends, but because Shikishima was so closed-off to them for most of the film, it didn’t quite feel like this group of characters was tied together in a meaningful enough way.
*** out of *****