Harry here... and now for serious film geek enthusiasm.... GODZILLA!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!! MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT MAN IN SUIT!!!! Read on believer!
Hey Harry,
Reno here with a look at the latest Toho Godzilla film, "Godzilla X Megaguirus." Like my look at last year's "Godzilla: Millennium" the version I've viewed is in Japanese with no English subtitles and since I only know a small handful of Japanese, this will be more of a review of the film's overall story and the look of the visual effects.
"G X M" takes all pre-existing Godzilla continuities- the original films, the series from the late 80s/early 90s and "Godzilla: Millennium"- and chucks them to the wind. While some fans may bemoan the disregard for continuity, I think it's rather freeing for the filmmakers to be allowed to create their own vision. With such a large stable of monster characters, Toho has the unique ability to mix and match them to create (hopefully) exciting films that stand on their own. This allows several differing approaches to the various monsters to be explored.
The film opens with newsreel footage of the original Godzilla attack, plus one or two others over the years. As a result of Godzilla's attraction to nuclear energy, Japan has outlawed atomic reactors and is now powered by a combination of wind and solar power. (This is such a slap-the-forehead obvious idea that once it's presented you can't help but think why no one had thought of it sooner.) The pre-title segment ends with a sequence set during Godzilla's most recent attack. A female Army Officer watches helplessly as her unit is wiped out by the Big G's rampage. Her own life is saved by her commanding officer, who pushes her out of the way of falling rubble. Unfortunately, he is not so lucky and is crushed.
Flash forward to 2001. The Female Officer is now in charge of the pre-requisite arm of the military charged with dealing with future Godzilla attacks. The army has come up with an ingenious way to dispose of the big G- a satellite-based weapon that opens a dimensional portal. In what could be considered karmic retribution for devising a scheme that dumps Godzilla uninvited into somebody else's back yard, a soccer ball sized silver sphere comes through the portal during the army's test run of the device. The film's Obligatory Cute Kid, who was spying on the army's test, finds the sphere and promptly drops it down a storm drain where it hatches and out pops a dragonfly-like creature. (From the way the sequence is edited, it looks like the Army's test range was only about 50 yards away from the Kid's home, hidden by just a couple of trees!) On an up note- The Cute Kid isn't necessary to the plot and isn't really seen again.
The action begins to speed up. A city is flooded and soon over run by dragonfly like creatures several feet long. While investigating an even larger dragonfly/monster carcass found at sea, the military is forced into a confrontation with Godzilla in which the female Army Officer manages to hitch a ride on Godzilla while affixing a tracking device on him. Ultimately, there's the big monster show down between Godzilla and the dragonfly creatures' queen- Megaguirus.
There are some weak points to the film. The flooded city is just presented to the viewer. Although I grant that the characters could have discussed it in one of the preceding scenes the film doesn't visually explain how the city became flooded, violating the old "Show, don't tell" maxim.
The Godzilla suit looks for the most part unchanged from "Godzilla: Millennium". Unfortunately, that means we're still stuck with that goofy looking, over sized mid-dorsal fin. This time, though, the filmmakers have a little fun with it, giving us a "Jaws"-like shot of the fin breaking the water as Godzilla is swimming. (Reportedly, in the next G-film, the fins will sport a shorter, more classic-G look.) The design of Megaguirus is sharp and menacing looking, but its wings move so slowly when flying that it doesn't look very convincing most of the time. Compounding the problem is that whenever Megaguirus beats his wings to supersonic speed, the effect is achieved with computer animation and the disparity between the CGI high speed wings and the slowly flapping costume wings is too wide to easily forgive.
Most of the other special effects shots were work well, considering the much smaller budgets that Toho gives these films versus the current crop of Hollywood blockbusters. There are some matching problems with a few of the shots that combine live action with model and suitmation work.
The final throw down between Godzilla and Megaguirus is fun and thrilling and not without a surprise or two. It certainly ranks better than the last film's fight with a giant silvery jellyfish. If the monster battles improve as much again for the next Godzilla film- "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Diakaiju Sokogeki (Giant Monster All Out Attack)" which is currently in production- as they did between this film and the last, then fans have something to really look forward to. In the meantime, "Godzilla X Megaguirus" serves as fairly tasty snack to hold us over.
Unfortunately, I have not heard anything about an American distributor picking up this film. Hopefully, the same crew that adapted "Godzilla: Millennium" will be brought back to dub this new film. And soon.
RENO out.
