Shin Godzilla (2016)

From Wikizilla, the kaiju encyclopedia
Jump to navigationJump to search
Article.png
Image gallery for Shin Godzilla
Credits for Shin Godzilla
Videos for Shin Godzilla (trailers, promos, etc.)
Shin Godzilla soundtrack
Development of Shin Godzilla


Godzilla Films
Godzilla (2014)
Shin Godzilla
GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters
Shin Godzilla
See alternate titles
Japanese poster for Shin Godzilla
Directed by Shinji Higuchi, Hideaki Anno[1]
Producer Minami Ichikawa, Taichi Ueda,
Yoshihiro Sato,
Masaya Shibusawa,
Kazutoshi Wadakura,
Akihiro Yamauchi (Executive)
Written by Hideaki Anno[1]
Music by Shiro Sagisu[2],
Akira Ifukube[3]
Distributor TohoJP
Funimation FilmsUS[4]
Manga EntertainmentUK [5]
Rating TV-14US
Box office ¥7,714,846,800
(Japanese Earnings So Far)
$1,918,403
(U.S.)
Running time 120 minutes
(2 hours)
Aspect ratio 2.35:1

For the Godzilla incarnation featured in this film, see Godzilla/2016.
Reality (Japan) vs. Fiction (Godzilla). (現実 (ニッポン) 対 虚構 (ゴジラ)。)
„ 

— Japanese tagline

A god incarnate. A city doomed.
„ 

— English tagline

Shin Godzilla (シン・ゴジラ,   Shin Gojira, lit. Shin Godzilla) is a 2016 Japanese tokusatsu kaiju film co-produced by Toho and Cine Bazar, and the twenty-ninth installment in the Godzilla series.[6][7] It was released to Japanese theaters on July 29, 2016, and to American theaters on October 11, 2016.

Description

Funimation's official North American synopsis for the film:

"Make way for the ultimate homage to one of the most enduring legends of the big screen—Godzilla! The King of the Monsters is back in Tokyo for a city-crushing crusade that speaks to the very roots of the world-renowned franchise.

It’s a peaceful day in Japan when a strange fountain of water erupts in the bay, causing panic to spread among government officials. At first, they suspect only volcanic activity, but one young executive dares to wonder if it may be something different… something alive. His worst nightmare comes to life when a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and begins tearing through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. As the government scrambles to save the citizens, a rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster’s weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side—the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes."[8]

Plot

Spoiler.png SPOILER WARNING: This section may contain major plot and/or ending details.
Proceed at your own discretion.

One morning, the Japan Coast Guard comes aboard an abandoned yacht called the Glory-Maru in Tokyo Bay. The craft's owner is nowhere to be found, and all that remains on the boat are a few folders, a piece of origami and a pair of shoes. Suddenly, the boat begins to shake as a huge cloud of steam erupts from the bay. A leak opens in the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line, causing a strange red fluid to pour in. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Rando Yaguchi learns of the disaster and discusses it with his colleague, Yusuke Shimura. Shimura informs him that a meeting will be held to discuss the ongoing disaster, and that the Prime Minister will be arriving shortly. When the meeting begins, government officials determine that the cause of the incident in the bay was likely either an earthquake or an underwater volcanic eruption, despite no previous tectonic or volcanic activity being recorded in the area. Yaguchi, after monitoring videos of the incident filmed by eyewitnesses, proposes that some sort of giant creature is behind it. The other officials do not take Yaguchi seriously and dismiss his claims, then call for an all-Cabinet meeting. During the meeting, Cabinet officials discuss measures that will be taken to address the disaster, until they are told to turn on the television and look at the news. After turning on the TV, they witness footage of a colossal tail rising from the bay, confirming Yaguchi's earlier proposal. The Prime Minister immediately arranges a meeting with university biologists to determine what kind of creature the tail belongs to, while Yaguchi takes matters into his own hands and has Shimura call his college friend Hiromi Ogashira, a low-ranking official from the Ministry of the Environment, to provide a more concise analysis of the monster. When the Prime Minister reconvenes with the rest of the government officials, Ogashira explains that the creature appears to have both gills and fin-like legs, meaning it could come on land. Other officials tell the Prime Minister that the creature's legs would collapse under its weight if it came ashore. The Prime Minister decides to hold a press conference to calm the public, then dons a blue emergency uniform and leaves.

Meanwhile, the creature exits the bay and begins swimming up a river into Tokyo, destroying boats and bridges as it swims. At the press conference, the Prime Minister assures the press that there is no risk of the monster coming ashore, only to be informed by an aide that the creature has surfaced. The monster, walking clumsily on its two hind legs, comes ashore in Kamata in the Ota Ward, smashing cars and destroying buildings as it waddles through the street. The Prime Minister reconvenes with the other officials, and is urged to make a decision to allow the Self-Defense Forces to attack the creature. The Prime Minister states that such an action is unprecedented, and he is not keen on mobilizing the country for war. But as the monster continues rampaging through Kamata and approaching Shinagawa, the Prime Minister reluctantly gives the order to mobilize attack helicopters against it. Helicopters are launched from Chiba and fly to Shinagawa to engage the monster. Suddenly, the creature stops moving and falls flat onto the ground. Then, it begins to evolve, sprouting tiny arms and standing upright on its hind legs before emitting a deafening roar. The monster continues walking through Shinagawa, and is confronted by the helicopters. The order is given to fire, and the pilots begin aiming their weapons at the creature. However, they are told to hold their fire at the last second, as civilians are still present in the area. When asked if the helicopters can fire, the Prime Minister orders the operation to be aborted. The monster's Template:Scutes begin glowing red and giving off steam, and it roars loudly before dropping back to a horizontal stance and running back into the ocean.

Later, numerous officials including Yaguchi visit the ruins of an area destroyed by the monster. They lament the devastation before one minister and his aides leave to go meet the press. Yaguchi remains behind and prays silently before slowly walking away. At the Prime Minister's residence, Yaguchi assembles a team of low-level bureaucrats and government outcasts to determine a way to combat the monster if it ever comes ashore again. Initially, the team ponders how the creature is able to sustain itself given its huge size, to which Ogashira postulates that it derives its energy from nuclear fission. Following some analysis of the monster's path of destruction, it is discovered that it leaves radiation in its wake, confirming Ogashira's hypothesis. A special envoy from the President of the United States, Japanese-American Kayoco Anne Patterson, arranges a meeting with Yaguchi and offers an arrangement to help both governments. She states that if Yaguchi can provide her with information on a missing biologist named Goro Maki, she has been authorized by her government to give him more information about the creature. Yaguchi's sources eventually uncover information about Maki, a disgraced Japanese professor who was employed by the American Department of Energy after being exiled from Japan. Maki's yacht, the Glory-Maru was found abandoned in Tokyo Bay right before the incident in the Aqua Line, with Maki apparently having committed suicide. Yaguchi presents the information to Kayoco, who in return provides him with a file from Maki's notes about the monster, which he named "Godzilla," meaning "incarnation of God" on Maki's home of Odo Island. Yaguchi brings the new information to his team for them to analyze. They learn that Maki was studying nuclear waste dumped into the Pacific Ocean by the United States about 60 years ago. Godzilla was apparently the result of an ancient sea creature becoming surrounded by this nuclear waste and rapidly adapting to withstand it. The team eventually concludes that the reason Godzilla returned to the ocean was because the nuclear fission in his body produces a tremendous amount of heat, and he needed water to keep his body temperature under control. They then determine that Godzilla must possess a blood cooling system as well, and that theoretically they could force it to perform a reactor scram to stay alive by injecting it with a blood coagulant and freezing it. Yaguchi tells the various team members to prepare an operation to freeze Godzilla, tentatively titled the "Yaguchi Plan."

Godzilla suddenly surfaces at Kamakura, south of Tokyo, now grown nearly twice as large. Godzilla begins to walk onto land and approach Tokyo again. The Prime Minister is urged to mobilize the Self-Defense Forces again, and finally gives the order. Several Type 10 Tanks are lined up next to a river to form a secondary line of defense, while multiple AH-64 Apache helicopters are launched to attack Godzilla first. As Godzilla nears Tokyo, the choppers fly in front of him. The Prime Minister finally gives the order to fire, and the choppers fire their autocannons at Godzilla. The bullets simply bounce off of Godzilla's face, and the monster does not even seem to notice and keeps walking. The choppers fire 30mm chain gun rounds at Godzilla, but they fail to injure him as well. The pilots ask for permission to fire rockets at Godzilla, but the Prime Minister is hesitant. The Minister of Defense, Reiko Hanamori, tells the Prime Minister that he has no choice, and he decides to grant permission. The choppers fire their rockets at Godzilla, and they too fail to faze him. As Godzilla continues to approach the river, the tanks are ordered to open fire on Godzilla and aim for his head and legs. Self-propelled howitzers open fire on Godzilla as well, but they too are unable to halt him. Fighter jets fly overhead and drop bombs onto Godzilla, seemingly causing him to turn around. The JSDF and government believe the bombs are working, and order the planes to drop more bombs and finish Godzilla. The bombs hit Godzilla and create a huge cloud of smoke. Suddenly, a bridge is flung out of the smoke cloud and crushes several tanks. Godzilla walks out of the smoke cloud completely unharmed and continues approaching Tokyo.

As night falls, Godzilla is getting closer and closer to the heart of Tokyo. The Prime Minister is informed that the American military has sent B-2 stealth bombers armed with Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs to attack Godzilla. With the Prime Minister's residence laying in Godzilla's path, he is urged to evacuate along with his highest-ranking Cabinet officials. The Prime Minister is reluctant to evacuate, but Yaguchi tells him that he is too important to risk his life and needs to escape now. Yaguchi tells the other officials that he and the lower-ranking bureaucrats will escape in cars, then leaves. While the Prime Minister and his Cabinet are being loaded into helicopters on the roof, Yaguchi and his colleagues find themselves caught in a huge traffic jam. Realizing that the American bombing strike will take place soon, Yaguchi decides to exit the car and warn the civilians. After Yaguchi exits the car, he hears thundering footsteps and looks over the nearby buildings to see Godzilla walking past. Yaguchi and the civilians run into the subway tunnels, while the B-2 bombers fly overhead and drop their MOP bombs onto Godzilla. Several bombs strike the top of Godzilla's back, blasting off some of his dorsal plates and drawing a large amount of blood. Godzilla roars out in pain and looks down at the ground. His dorsal plates begin to emit a purple glow, which spreads across the rest of his body. Godzilla unhinges his jaw and his lower jaw splits in half, revealing a purple glow coming from his throat. Godzilla begins spewing a black smoke from his mouth onto the streets below, which spreads across all of Tokyo. The black smoke coming from Godzilla's mouth then ignites into a gout of flame, which produces a gigantic fireball that blows up huge sections of the city. The fire condenses even further into a thin purple laser, which Godzilla aims up into the air, causing it to completely destroy one of the bombers. As Kayoco evacuates the city with the American ambassador in a car, she overhears that one of the bombers was destroyed. The ambassador exclaims that it is impossible, while Kayoco simply remarks that Godzilla is truly a god incarnate. The other bombers circle back and prepare to attack Godzilla again, dropping more MOPs onto his back. Godzilla closes his mouth and stops firing his atomic breath, then suddenly unleashes several purple beams from in between his dorsal plates. These beams shoot up into the sky, destroying the bombs and the bombers. Godzilla opens his mouth again and fires his atomic breath, slicing several skyscrapers in half and blowing up the helicopter holding the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. Godzilla allows the beam to turn back into fire, setting the ruins of Tokyo ablaze before it is extinguished altogether. Godzilla continues walking through the city before stopping near a train station, where his body ceases glowing and he seemingly freezes in place.

The next morning, Tokyo is in ruins and the government is in shambles, with the Prime Minister and the next several in line to succeed him all dead. Yaguchi emerges from the subway tunnels and is escorted to a building where some remaining bureaucrats are. After hearing about the death of the Cabinet, Yaguchi loses his temper and screams at the others not to go to pieces now and instead make due with those who have survived. Yaguchi calms down and apologizes, then decides to get his team back together to resume work on the Yaguchi Plan. Meanwhile, the Japanese Parliament convenes and names Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Yusuke Satomi as the interim Prime Minister. Yaguchi meets with the remaining members of his team and expresses his condolences for all who were lost, but expresses the increased importance of their work now. The team immediately resumes working on the Yaguchi Plan and studying Godzilla and potential ways to defeat him. A reconnaissance team in the ruins of Tokyo has discovered one of Godzilla's severed dorsal plates and that it is seemingly regenerating on its own and could potentially become a functioning organism. At this rate, one member of Yaguchi's team suggests that Godzilla could propagate all over the world, or even evolve wings for intercontinental flight. Unfortunately for Yaguchi's team, they are unable to synthesize a coagulant that can affect Godzilla, and are unable to interpret molecular diagrams of Godzilla found with Maki's notes. Yaguchi meets with Kayoco again, and learns from her that the American government, fearing that Godzilla could spread around the world and possibly land on the west coast of the U.S., has decided to launch a nuclear strike against Godzilla while he is dormant in Tokyo. Japan will have two weeks to evacuate Tokyo and the surrounding areas, after which the strike will be delivered, one day before Godzilla is expected to resume activity. Kayoco reveals that her grandmother lived through the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and she is unwilling to see another nuclear bomb dropped on the country of her ancestors. Yaguchi meets with Akasaka, telling him to do something to delay or prevent the nuclear strike. Akasaka says that the United Nations security council has approved the strike and that other nations will assist Japan in rebuilding the city after the strike. Yaguchi tells Akasaka that his team is making progress with their plan to freeze Godzilla, but Akasaka insists that a nuclear strike is the only way to certainly destroy Godzilla.

Luckily, Yaguchi's team has a breakthrough with their work. They discover that when folding the molecular blueprints of Godzilla, they can visualize how his cells metabolize radiation. They determine that Godzilla's cells can metabolize radiation in the presence of water and oxygen. The team concludes that they can inhibit the activity of Godzilla's cellular membranes, allowing the coagulant to take effect. The plan is immediately fast-tracked, while Yaguchi gets approval from Prime Minister Satomi to enact it. Yaguchi meets with the Chief of Staff, Masao Zaizen, and discusses final preparations for the plan. When Zaizen asks what the plan will be formally called, Yaguchi decides on the name Operation Yashiori, after the sake that was used to defeat Orochi in Japanese mythology. Meanwhile, Kayoco meets with the American ambassador, who questions her support of Yaguchi's plan. He warns Kayoco that she is putting both the political reputation of her family and her future political career in jeopardy, but she simply responds that Japan is banking on the strategy succeeding. The ambassador shakes Kayoco's hand and wishes her good luck as she leaves to go help Yaguchi with Operation Yashiori. Kayoco meets with Yaguchi and offers him the support of several U.S. drones for the operation. Yaguchi says the drones won't come back in one piece, and Kayoco simply jokes that she will bill the Japanese government later. Yaguchi's colleagues manage to get France to convince the U.N. Security Council to delay the nuclear strike, buying time for Operation Yashiori to take place. With all preparations completed, Yaguchi addresses all of the men and women taking place in Operation Yashiori. He warns them of the dangers involved, but promises them that the future of Japan is in their hands.

Yaguchi and several others stand on top of a skyscraper overlooking Godzilla, and give the order to initiate Operation Yashiori. Trains loaded with explosives are rammed into Godzilla's legs, causing him to awaken. The American drones fly overhead and launch rockets at Godzilla, prompting him to fire his atomic breath. As the drones are destroyed wave by wave, Godzilla's atomic energy wanes. Suddenly, the purple glow runs up to the tip of Godzilla's tail and an atomic beam is fired from its tip. Godzilla fires his atomic breath, back beams and tail beam until his atomic energy is depleted. At that moment, skyscrapers surrounding Godzilla are blown up by explosives, causing them to topple onto him and pin him to the ground. With Godzilla immobilized, several trucks drive up to his head and extend tubes into his mouth. The trucks begin pumping the coagulant into Godzilla's mouth. Godzilla begins to stir and fires an atomic beam from his mouth, obliterating all of the trucks. Godzilla rises back to his feet and begins approaching the train tracks again. Several more unmanned E231 and E233 series trains are sent ramming into Godzilla, snaking up his body and exploding. The explosions knock Godzilla back to the ground, where a second team of trucks arrives and pumps the remainder of the coagulant into his mouth. Godzilla bites down on the tubes and rises back to his feet. His dorsal plates begin glowing purple again, and he emits a deafening roar before he instantly freezes solid. Temperature readings show that Godzilla's core temperature has been reduced to -196 degrees Celsius, making the operation a success. Everyone across Japan breathes a sigh of relief, with Akasaka remarking that Yaguchi had only two hours to spare.

In the aftermath of Operation Yashiori, Yaguchi meets with Kayoco on a rooftop with the frozen Godzilla visible in the distance. Yaguchi states his intention to help rebuild the Japanese government correctly and help his country learn to coexist with Godzilla. Kayoco remarks that Yaguchi will make a good Japanese counterpart for her when she becomes President of the United States one day, to which he replies that she must mean her Japanese puppet. Kayoco mentions that when Godzilla resumes moving, the American government will resume the countdown to the nuclear strike. If anything, Yaguchi has just delayed the inevitable. Yaguchi expresses hope that he will be able to prevent that scenario once again. After Kayoco walks away, Yaguchi looks back at Godzilla, saying that things are still far from settled.

As Godzilla stands frozen in the ruins of Tokyo, several smaller skeletal humanoids with Godzilla's teeth and dorsal plates can be seen emerging from the tip of his tail.

Staff

Main article: Shin Godzilla/Credits.

Staff role on the left, staff member's name on the right.

Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Hiroki Hasegawa   as   Rando Yaguchi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
  • Yutaka Takenouchi   as   Hideki Akasaka, Aide to the Prime Minister
  • Satomi Ishihara   as   Kayoco Anne Patterson, Special Envoy for the President of the United States
  • Ren Osugi   as   Prime Minister Seiji Okouchi
  • Akira Emoto   as   Ryuta Azuma, Chief Cabinet Secretary
  • Kengo Kora   as   Yusuke Shimura, Executive Secretary to Chief Cabinet Deputy Secretary
  • Mikako Ichikawa   as   Hiromi Ogashira, Ministry of the Environment Bureaucrat
  • Jun Kunimura   as   Masao Zaizen, Integrated Chief of Staff
  • Pierre Taki   as   Saigo, Taba Strategy Combat Leader
  • Kimiko Yo   as   Reiko Hanamori, Minister of Defense
  • Sei Hiraizumi   as   Yusuke Satomi, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
  • Kenichi Yajima   as   Kunihiko Yanagihara, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
  • Akira Hamada   as   Jun Kono, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications
  • Toru Tezuka   as   Goro Sekiguchi, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
  • Arata Furuta   as   Sawaguchi, National Police Agency Commissioner-General
  • Moro Morooka   as   Honbu, National Police Agency Criminal Investigation Bureau Director
  • Tetsu Watanabe   as   Koriyama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management
  • Taro Suwa   as   Disaster Prevention Division Director
  • Ken Mitsuishi   as   Kozuka, Tokyo Governor
  • Takashi Fujiki   as   Kawamata, Tokyo Deputy Governor
  • Kyusaku Shimada   as   Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bureaucrat Official
  • Kanji Tsuda   as   Fumiya Mori, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Bureaucrat
  • Kazuo Takahashi   as   Yasuda, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Bureaucrat
  • Yu Kamio   as   Foreign Ministry Official
  • Toru Nomaguchi   as   Tachikawa, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Official
  • Satoshi Matsuo   as   Shuichi Izumi, Vice Chairman of the Policy Affairs Research Council for the LDP
  • Kazuo Hara   as   Biologist
  • Isshin Inudo   as   Paleontologist
  • Akira Ogata   as   Marine Biologist
  • Takumi Saito   as   Ikeda, JSDF Official
  • Atsuko Maeda   as   Refugee
  • Ren Mori   as   Refugee
  • Shingo Tsurumi   as   Yajima, Joint Staff Deputy
  • KREVA   as   Murasaki, JSDF Official

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Shinya Tsukamoto   as   Professor Hazama, National Johoku University Graduate School of Biosphere Science Associate
  • Jun Hashimoto   as   Miki, JSDF Official
  • Hairi Katagiri   as   Prime Minister's Office Staffer
  • Matsuo Suzuki   as   Journalist
  • Kawase Yota   as   Journalist
  • Takahiro Miura   as   Journalist
  • Ikuji Nakamura   as   Koji Kanai, Cabinet Office Minister of State for Special Missions
  • Keisuke Koide   as   Fire Brigade Captain
  • Kosei Kato   as   National Police Agency in Charge of Crisis Management Personnel
  • Shohei Abe   as   Fire and Disaster Management Agency in Charge of Crisis Management Personnel
  • Daisuke Kuroda   as   Negishi, Nuclear Regulatory Agency Staffer
  • Mansai Nomura   as   Godzilla (Motion capture)
  • Kihachi Okamoto   as   Goro Maki (Photo double)

English Dub Cast

Actor's name on the left, character played on the right.

  • Todd Haberkorn   as   Rando Yaguchi, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary
  • Trina Nishimura   as   Kayoco Anne Patterson, Special Envoy for the President of the United States
  • J. Michael Tatum   as   Hideki Akasaka, Aide to the Prime Minister
  • Kent Williams   as   Prime Minister Seiji Okouchi
  • Ian Sinclair   as   Yasuda, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Bureaucrat
  • Micah Solusod   as   Yusuke Shimura, Executive Secretary to Chief Cabinet Deputy Secretary
  • Kate Oxley   as   Hiromi Ogashira, Ministry of the Environment Bureaucrat
  • Christopher Bevins   as   Fumiya Mori, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Bureaucrat
  • Ed Blaylock   as   Ryuta Azuma, Chief Cabinet Secretary
  • Jeremy Inman   as   Shuichi Izumi, Vice Chairman of the Policy Affairs Research Council for the LDP
  • Jeremy Schwartz   as   Professor Hazama, National Johoku University Graduate School of Biosphere Science Associate
  • Charlie Campbell   as   Yusuke Satomi, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
  • R. Bruce Elliott   as   Kunihiko Yanagihara, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
  • Rachel Robinson   as   Reiko Hanamori, Minister of Defense
  • Barry Yandell   as   Koriyama, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary for Crisis Management
  • David Wald   as   Tanba, 32nd Infantry Regiment Commander
  • John Burgmeier   as   Goro Sekiguchi, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology


Appearances

Monsters

Weapons, Vehicles, and Races


Production

Main article: Shin Godzilla/Development.

Gallery

Main article: Shin Godzilla/Gallery.

Soundtrack

Main article: Shin Godzilla (Soundtrack).

Alternate Titles

  • New Godzilla (Literal Japanese Title)
  • Real Godzilla (Alternate Translation)
  • God Godzilla (Alternate Translation)
  • Godzilla Resurgence (Early English Title)
  • True Godzilla (真·哥斯拉, Hong Kong)
  • Authentic Godzilla (正宗哥吉拉, Taiwan)
  • Godzilla Resurges (Godzilla Resurge; Mexico)
  • G Work (G作品; Japanese Working Title)

Theatrical Releases

View all posters for the film here.

  • Japan - July 29, 2016   [view poster]Japanese teaser poster
  • United States - October 11, 2016[9]   [view poster]American poster
  • Taiwan - August 12, 2016[10]
  • Hong Kong - August 25, 2016[11]
  • Singapore - August 25, 2016   [view poster]Singaporean poster
  • Philippines - August 31, 2016[12]   [view poster]Filipino poster
  • Thailand - September 8, 2016[13]   [view poster]Thai poster
  • Canada - October 12, 2016[14]
  • Australia - October 13, 2016[15]   [view poster]Australian poster
  • New Zealand - October 20, 2016[15]
  • Mexico - January 13, 2017[16]   [view poster]Mexican poster
  • South Korea - March 9, 2017[17]  [view poster]South Korean poster
  • United Kingdom - August 10, 2017[18]

Foreign Releases

Toho has stated in a press release that it intends to release Shin Godzilla in over 100 countries and territories worldwide.

U.S. Release

American Shin Godzilla poster

Shin Godzilla was announced to be distributed in North, Central and South America by Funimation Films, who previously distributed Toho's live-action Attack on Titan films there. Funimation acquired the theatrical, home video, video-on-demand and broadcast rights to the film, and stated its plans to release it in late 2016.[4] At Toho's insistence, the film was released in the Americas under the English title Shin Godzilla, a direct translation of the Japanese title, rather than under its previous international title Godzilla Resurgence.[19] The film was released in a limited theatrical run in the United States from October 11-18, 2016 and in Canada on October 12, 19 and 24, and played in over 440 theaters between the two countries. In addition, Funimation hosted early premieres of the film ahead of the theatrical release, the first on October 3 in Los Angeles and the second on October 5 in New York.[20] The film was presented in its original Japanese language with English subtitles.[8] Due to the film's relatively impressive performance at the North American box office and positive reception from fans and critics, Funimation extended its theatrical run in select cities until October 27, and also held a special matinee screening of the film on October 22 in over 200 theaters across the United States and Canada.[21]

Two additional screenings of Shin Godzilla took place at science-fiction conventions before its home video release on August 1, 2017. The first was at the Famous Monsters Convention in Dallas, TX, on May 27, 2017; the second was at the Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge, IL, on July 16, 2017, as part of G-Fest XXIV. Both screenings were of the Japanese version of the film. On July 18, 2017, digital copies of both the film's Japanese version and English dub became available to purchase on the PlayStation Store and Amazon Video.

Box Office

Shin Godzilla was the top-grossing film in the Japanese box office during its opening weekend, earning 625 million yen (about U.S. $6.1 million) and beating out Finding Dory and ONE PIECE FILM GOLD.[22] According to Toho's official Twitter page for the Godzilla franchise, as of Monday August 1, Shin Godzilla had sold 710,000 tickets since its opening on July 29 and earned 1 billion yen (about U.S. $9.89 million), already almost equaling the total box office gross of Godzilla: Final Wars. With this, Toho's Godzilla series has officially sold 100 million tickets in Japan (not counting the two American films), a first for a Japanese live-action film series.[23] The film retained the top spot in the Japanese box office the following weekend, and as of August 7 had already earned a total of 2.2 billion yen (U.S. $19.6 million), and was now projected to earn upwards of the initial expected gross of U.S. $40 million.[24] On September 5, Toho revealed that Shin Godzilla had earned a total of 6,017,239,800 yen (about U.S. $58.18 million) in the 38 days since its July 29 theatrical release. With this, Shin Godzilla officially became the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film of 2016 so far. After coming in first place in the Japanese box office for its first two weeks, the film dropped only to second place on its third week and third on its fifth week.[25] Cinema Today reported that as of September 7, Shin Godzilla had sold 4.2 million tickets and achieved a higher attendance than any of Toho's Godzilla films from the Heisei and Millennium series, and was the most-attended Godzilla film in Japan in 50 years, almost equaling the attendance of 1966's Ebirah, Horror of the Deep.[26] As of October 12, Shin Godzilla has grossed a total of 7,714,846,800 yen in Japan, and has accumulated an attendance of 5,314,948.[27]

In the United States, Shin Godzilla was released on October 11, grossing $1,890,156 since the start of its limited release on October 11, ranking it at #10 at the American box office on its first two days and #15 on the third. In three days, Shin Godzilla had already grossed more in its North American theatrical release than the two Attack on Titan films did during their entire American theatrical runs combined.[28][29] Due to its profitable box office performance after a week, Funimation extended Shin Godzilla's theatrical run until October 27 in select cities, while some theaters continued showing the film into early November.

Reception

Shin Godzilla has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from Japanese critics. Pop culture site RO65 praised the film as a "masterpiece of unprecedented filmmaking." ORICON STYLE praised the film's realistic style and described it as a true "world-class" Japanese Godzilla film. Cinema Today echoed the sentiments of other reviewers and also described the film as a masterpiece, comparing it to 2004's Dawn of the Dead remake as a return to form and an accurate depiction of modern society dealing with a horrific crisis.[30] The film currently holds a 3.88 rating (out of 5) on Yahoo! Eiga.[31]

Shin Godzilla received ten nominations in the upcoming Japanese Academy Prize, by far the most in the series. It was nominated for Picture of the Year, Director of the Year (encompassing both Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi), Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Hiroki Hasegawa), Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (both Satomi Ishihara and Mikako Ichikawa), Outstanding Achievement in Music (Shiro Sagisu), Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography (Kōsuke Yamada), Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction (Takayuki Kawabe), Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction (Yuji Hayashida and Eri Sakushima), Outstanding Achievement in Sound Recording (Jun Nakamura and Haru Yamada), and Outstanding Achievement in Film Editing (Hideaki Anno and Atsuki Sato).[32]

In the United States, as of January 16, Shin Godzilla has gathered an 87% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 39 reviews.[33]

Awards

Co-director Hideaki Anno won Kinema Junpo’s prize for best screenwriter while the film itself was ranked number two in Kinema Junpo Magazine's top 10 films of 2016.[34]

Award Category Recipient(s) Result
90th Kinema Junpo Awards[34] Best Screenwriter Hideaki Anno Won
38th Yokohama Film Festival[35] Special Grand Prize Hideaki Anno Won
59th Blue Ribbon Awards Best Film Shin Godzilla Won
71st Mainichi Film Awards[36][37] Best Film Shin Godzilla Won
Best Supporting Actress Mikako Ichikawa Won
Best Art Direction Yuji Hayashida & Eri Sakushima Won
11th Asian Film Awards[38] Best Visual Effects Tetsuo Ohya Won
Best Sound Jun Nakamura Lost
40th Japan Academy Awards[39] Picture of the Year Shin Godzilla Won
Director of the Year Hideaki Anno & Shinji Higuchi Won
Best Actor Hiroki Hasegawa Lost
Best Supporting Actress Satomi Ishihara Lost
Mikako Ichikawa Lost
Best Music Shirou Sagisu Lost
Best Cinematography Kousuke Yamada Won
Best Art Direction Yuji Hayashida & Eri Sakushima Won
Best Lighting Direction Takayuki Kawabe Won
Best Sound Recording Jun Nakamura & Haru Yamada Won
Best Film Editing Hideaki Anno & Atsuki Sato Won
43rd Annual Saturn Awards Best International Film Release Shin Godzilla Lost

Video Releases

Toho DVD/Blu-ray/Blu-ray + UHD (2017)

  • Region: 2 (DVD); N/A (Blu-ray and UHD)
  • Discs: 2 (DVD and Blu-ray) or 3 (Special Edition Blu-ray) or 4 (UHD + Blu-ray)
  • Audio: Japanese (3.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital for DVD, 3.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio for Blu-ray and UHD)
  • Subtitles: Japanese
  • Special Features: Trailers, promos, and TV spots (27 minutes); footage from promotional events (113 minutes); previsualization and storyboards (28 minutes); additional previsualization and tokusatsu footage (20 minutes); alternate and deleted scenes (45 minutes), TV footage shot for the film (35 minutes); VFX breakdown (18 minutes); general behind-the-scenes featurette (31 minutes)
  • Notes: All special features except the trailer reel and premiere/screening footage are exclusive to the three-disc and four-disc sets.

Happy DVD/Blu-ray (2017)

  • Region: 3 (DVD); N/A (Blu-ray)
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese, Thai (5.1 Surround for DVD, DTS-HD 5.1 for Blu-ray)
  • Subtitles: Thai
  • Special Features: Two behind-the-scenes featurettes, trailer (all Blu-ray exclusive)

Intercontinental Video Blu-ray (2017)[40]

  • Region: A/1
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital)
  • Subtitles: English, traditional and simplified Chinese
  • Special Features: Japanese trailer and TV spot

Madman DVD/Blu-ray (2017)[41]

  • Region: 4 (DVD); B/2 (Blu-ray)
  • Discs: 1
  • Audio: Japanese (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio, Dolby Digital)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special Features: VFX breakdown (18 minutes), previsualization and storyboards (28 minutes), additional previsualization and tokusatsu footage (20 minutes), trailers
  • Notes: The film's many on-screen captions are replaced with subtitles on the top of the screen.

Funimation DVD/Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD (2017)

  • Region: 1 (DVD); A/1 (Blu-ray)
  • Discs: 1 (DVD) or 2 (Blu-ray + DVD)
  • Audio: Japanese, English (3.1 Dolby Digital for DVD, 3.1 DTS-HD Master Audio for Blu-ray)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special Features: "Godzilla vs. the Nerds" discussion with Funimation employees and Matt Frank (33 minutes), trailers for other Funimation releases (8 minutes)
  • Notes: The film's many on-screen captions are replaced with subtitles on the top of the screen.

Manga Entertainment DVD/Blu-ray (2017)

  • Region: 2 (DVD); B/2 (Blu-ray)
  • Discs: 2
  • Audio: Japanese, English, (3.1 and 2.0 Dolby Digital for DVD, 3.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio for Blu-ray)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special Features: VFX breakdown (18 minutes), previsualization and storyboards (28 minutes), additional previsualization and tokusatsu footage (20 minutes)
  • Notes: The Japanese and English versions of the film are on separate discs, with the original on-screen captions present only in the Japanese version.

Sequel

At a special screening of Shin Godzilla at the Toho Cinemas Shinjuku on September 15, 2016, several cast members along with director Hideaki Anno were asked about the possibility of a sequel to the film. Cast members were enthusiastic about a potential sequel, with Hiroki Hasegawa saying "I'd want to do [a sequel]. I went to see the movie two times. Watching it with the audience was the only time I felt that the movie was really done. There was such a sense of unity that I didn't feel it was me acting on the screen, and that was really fun." When Anno was asked about a sequel, he stated that it wasn't his decision, and was entirely up to Toho. Anno later elaborated, saying "As for me, I'm good. It'd be more interesting if they changed directors. TOHO won't let me do it. There'd be a lot of difficulties."[42]

Though so far a sequel to Shin Godzilla has not been announced, Toho has begun production on a trilogy of animated Godzilla films, with the first installment, GODZILLA: Planet of the Monsters, scheduled for release in November 2017, and the second and third entries tentatively scheduled for release the following year.

On July 18, 2017, Shinji Higuchi stated at his G-Fest XXIV panel that the terms of Toho's contract with Legendary Pictures prevent them from producing another live-action Godzilla film until after Godzilla vs. Kong is released in 2020.[43]

Videos

Main article: Shin Godzilla/Videos.

Trivia

  • This is the first Toho-produced Godzilla film since Terror of Mechagodzilla to be released in a month other than December.
  • The almost 12-year gap between Godzilla: Final Wars and this film is the longest-ever period of time between the release of two Toho Godzilla films, passing the previous record set by the hiatus between Terror of Mechagodzilla and The Return of Godzilla by nearly three years.
  • This film's trailer features the classic "TohoScope" logo in the opening, which was featured in all of Toho's widescreen films from 1957 to 1964, as well as in Godzilla: Final Wars.
  • This film's supporting cast includes numerous veteran actors from Toho kaiju films, including Akira Emoto, who played Akira Yuki in Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, and Jun Kunimura, who played EDF Major Komuro in Godzilla: Final Wars and Kubal in Toho's Attack on Titan films, which Shinji Higuchi also directed.
  • Shin Godzilla is the first Toho Godzilla film not to feature actor Koichi Ueda in a role since The Return of Godzilla.
  • This is the first Toho Godzilla film since The Return of Godzilla and first Godzilla film overall since TriStar Pictures' GODZILLA to not feature Godzilla battling another monster.
  • This is the first Godzilla film where Godzilla is not confirmed to be a type of reptile and his origin is unconnected to nuclear testing. Rather, in this film Godzilla is an unspecified type of prehistoric sea creature that was mutated by feeding on nuclear waste located on the ocean floor.
  • Several sound effects from the Showa Godzilla films are used in this film, including the explosion sound effects and most of Godzilla's roars. The sound effect used for Godzilla's atomic breath once it concentrates into a purple beam is actually the same sound effect as Destoroyah's Micro-Oxygen beam.
  • Akira Ifukube, who passed away in 2006, is credited as one of the composers of this film's soundtrack, along with Shiro Sagisu. The film's score includes some of Ifukube's compositions from the scores of the original Godzilla, Battle in Outer Space, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, Invasion of Astro-Monster, Terror of Mechagodzilla and Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.
  • Shin Godzilla is the first Toho Godzilla film not to be produced by either Tomoyuki Tanaka or Shogo Tomiyama.
  • This film marks the first Toho Godzilla film in which Godzilla is portrayed primarily via computer-generated imagery rather than suitmation. It also marks the second time Godzilla has been portrayed via motion capture. (T.J. Storm also portrayed Godzilla through motion capture in Legendary Pictures' Godzilla.)
  • This is the first film in which Godzilla is the antagonist since Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. in 2003.
  • Shin Godzilla is the first Toho Godzilla film since Godzilla 2000: Millennium to receive a theatrical release in North America.
    • Shin Godzilla is also only the second Toho Godzilla film to be released in Japanese and American theaters in the same year, the other being Mothra vs. Godzilla.
  • The name of the missing zoologist who discovered Godzilla in this film is Goro Maki. Goro Maki was the name of major characters in the films Son of Godzilla and The Return of Godzilla, who were both newspaper reporters.
    • Maki's home in this film is Odo Island, the island where Godzilla first made landfall in the original Godzilla film. Maki even names Godzilla after a mythological being from Odo Island folklore, which was the origin of Godzilla's name in the original film as well.
  • The day Godzilla first makes landfall in this film is said to be November 3, the release date of the original Godzilla movie.
    • It is also stated in the film that the nuclear waste that spawned Godzilla was dumped into the ocean approximately 60 years ago. The original Godzilla was released almost 62 years before Shin Godzilla.
  • The well-known Japanese film director Shinya Tsukamoto appears in this film as a biologist.
  • Late Japanese film director Kihachi Okamoto appears as a photo double for Goro Maki in this film.
  • Shin Godzilla is the first Godzilla film since The Return of Godzilla to lack a pre-title sequence.
  • One of the boats upended by Godzilla's second form in this film is named Mighty Jack, after a 1968 television show produced by Tsuburaya Productions.

External Links

References

This is a list of references for Shin Godzilla. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Godzilla 2016 Writer/Director and SFX Director Confirmed - Oricon
  2. Movie Lineup - Godzilla: Resurgence - Toho.co.jp
  3. 3.0 3.1 Godzilla: Resurgence Soundtrack - Billboard Japan
  4. 4.0 4.1 Exclusive! FUNimation Licenses GODZILLA RESURGENCE - SciFi Japan
  5. Shin Godzilla stomps across the UK this summer - Manga Entertainment
  6. Japanese Godzilla Returns! - Godzilla.jp
  7. AFM-Godzilla-Resurgence.jpg
  8. 8.0 8.1 Shin Godzilla : FUNimation Films
  9. American Shin Godzilla Poster.jpg
  10. Shin Godzilla - Catchplay Theatrical
  11. Hong Kong Trailer
  12. Godzilla: Resurgence Showing In The Philippines Starting Aug. 31 - Movie News Guide
  13. Godzilla: Resurgence coming on September 8 - Sahamongkolfilm on Twitter
  14. Shin Godzilla to Screen in Canada on October 12, 19, 24 - Anime News Network
  15. 15.0 15.1 SHIN GODZILLA Stomps on Australian and New Zealand Cinemas in October - SciFi Japan
  16. [1]
  17. SHIN GODZILLA Korean Release Update - SciFi Japan]
  18. Shin Godzilla Stomps Across the UK This Summer, Manga Entertainment UK
  19. SHIN GODZILLA Press Release from Funimation Films - SciFi Japan
  20. "SHIN GODZILLA" STOMPS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA THIS OCTOBER - FUNimation Blog
  21. SHIN GODZILLA Extends Run with Encore Saturday Matinee and Screenings in Select Cities thru October 27 -SciFi Japan
  22. Shin Godzillais first-place in the box office on its opening weekend! Second-place is Finding Dory - Yahoo!.jp
  23. Toho's 29 Godzilla Films Have Sold Over 100 Million Tickets in Japan - Anime News Network
  24. Japan Box Office: 'Shin Godzilla' Roars to Second Weekend Win - Variety
  25. Shin Godzilla Earns 6 Billion Yen in 38 Days - Anime News Network
  26. Shin Godzilla overtakes the attendance of the Heisei series! 4.2 million people in attendance - Cinema Today
  27. Japan Weekend Box Office, October 12, 2016 - Cinema Today
  28. Shin Godzilla - Box Office Mojo
  29. Attack on Titan - Box Office Mojo
  30. D.B., Jon (July 26, 2016). "The First Japanese Reviews For "SHIN GOJIRA" Are In: Hailed As A Masterpiece". SKREEONK!: The Kaiju Fan Network. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  31. Shin Godzilla (2016) - Yahoo! Eiga
  32. your name., Shin Godzilla Earn Japan Academy Prize Nods
  33. Godzilla Resurgence (Shin Godzilla) (2016) - Rotten Tomatoes
  34. 34.0 34.1 Schley, Matt (January 11, 2017). "In This Corner of the World, Shin Godzilla Top Major Magazine's 2016 List". Otaku USA. Retrieved January 15, 2017.
  35. "第38回ヨコハマ映画祭". Yokohama Film Festival (in Japanese). Retrieved January 4, 2017.CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  36. "毎日映画コンクールで「シン・ゴジラ」が大賞ほか3冠獲得,「君の名は。」は2冠". Natalie. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  37. "Mainichi Film Awards Picks "Shin Godzilla" as Best Japanese Film of 2016". Crunchyroll. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  38. "11th Asian Film Awards – Nominees 2017". Asian Film Festivals. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  39. Neuwirth, Aaron (January 17, 2017). "Shin Godzilla Nominated For Best Picture in Japanese Academy Awards". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  40. Shin Godzilla (2016) (Blu-ray) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version)
  41. Madman Entertainment >> Catalogue >> Shin Godzilla
  42. ""Director Hideaki Anno Discusses Shin Godzilla's Sequel Prospects"". Anime News Network. September 16, 2016. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  43. 'Shin Godzilla' Sequel Cannot Be Made Until After 2020 - Bloody Disgusting

This article is a Featured Article. It is one of the best on Wikizilla.
Era Icon - Toho.png
Era Icon - Post-Millennium New Version.png
Movie
Era Icon - Godzilla.png