Shin Godzilla (2016)

Godzilla would emerge in his final form, now closely resembling his traditional design with very apparent changes. His skin is heavily scarred, his teeth are jagged and sticking out, and he has very small arms. This Godzilla would also be the tallest at the time in a live-action Godzilla film. Throughout the years, Godzilla has changed its size as Japanese buildings would be built taller than previous incarnations. Keane states that disaster movies benefit from issues of scale as the sense of “overwhelming forces on their way to destroying major cities, from “off-screen” approach to “on-screen” impact” (87). Low angle shots show the perspectives of human characters and aerial shots show how this Godzilla dwarfs almost every building in Japan striking fear into the characters. Military also prove to be useless as nothing penetrates Godzilla`s indestructible skin characterizing him as a perfect being. This version of Godzilla is also somewhat sympathetic as other incarnations of the character were. While his appearance and mere presence resemble that of the original with keloid scars, this Godzilla seems to be unaware of humanity and its actions to destroy it. This changes of course when the U.S deploys stealth bombers to kill the beast. Surprisingly, this works and injures Godzilla which then unveils a horrifying revelation. Godzilla regenerates and is able to fire its signature atomic beams from its spines. As Godzilla unleashes its beams, a trait the franchise has always chosen to retcon comes back. As the beams unleash radiation and their spread is seen through radiation maps, these, too, also strongly resemble maps depicting radiation plumes during the release of radioactive material during Fukushima. The wide shots show the destructive power Godzilla unleashes as he cuts a swathe through downtown Tokyo. The music track for this scene titled “Who Will Know”, however, depicts Godzilla’s point of view. The lyrics depict a being questioning if someone will remember them after death. This is a somber track for what is a horrifying scene.

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At the end of the film, Godzilla is frozen by a coagulant in a chaotic action scene where the people are dressed in protective gear, calling back to the scenes of workers trying to cool the Fukushima reactors. While the film breaks down and criticizes the way the Japanese government handled the 3/11 disaster, some Japanese politicians actually used this film to push an expansion of the Japanese Self Defense Force to act more like a military. Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe praised the film stating, “I think that [Godzilla’s] popularity is rooted in the unwavering support that the public has for the Self-Defense Forces” (Fifield). The film also portrays the military as a stronger sense that can act by itself, calling into question Article 9. These two questions are not new as they are heavy political and social issues in Japan for decades. However, the film also questions the actions of the Japanese government that tries to hide critical information from the public to not start a full-on panic. Abe’s remarks and nationalist view also contradicts what ultimately defeated Godzilla, not the military might of a particular nation but the work of experts that warned the government only to be dismissed until it was the last resort. The film, therefore, calls for political reform and to reexamine how the government should change by informing the public while asking how Japan views its relationship with America. While the door is open for left-leaning reforms, the door is also open to more conservative policies.