SHIN GODZILLA In Theatres NOW

Tuesday, October 11 marked the North American theatrical premiere of SHIN GODZILLA (occasionally known as GODZILLA RESURGENCE). I originally saw it the night of the premiere in Shinjuku on July 28 (something I'll detail in the future, as Ive been putting off doing my big write-up of my first trip to Japan). That screening was at 1am, and I had my big tub of Godzilla popcorn, and enjoyed the movie... except for the obvious lack of subtitles. Though I got the gist of the film, I needed a second viewing and better understanding of the plot.

Not long after American theatres started announcing showtimes, I confirmed with my local Alamo Drafthouse that they would be showing it. I knew if any theatre in Kansas City would be showing a movie like this, it would be them. They originally planned three screenings but recently added a fourth. I bought tickets a month in advance and got some prime seats.

I went to the first, Tuesday night screening at 7:30pm. I invited my mom as well, as she is also a fan of Godzilla. Before the movie, the Alamo had their pre-show features, consisting of things like Godzilla trailers, BAMBI MEETS GODZILLA, and other random bits.

Me at the Alamo Drafthouse theatre.

As for the film itself, I can say while I loved the experience of seeing it in Japan, I had a greater appreciation and understanding of it the second time, with subtitles, and anticipating particular scenes so I could pay more attention to the details. When Godzilla's (final form) design was first revealed, I wasn't a huge fan of it, but it's really grown on my since. I'm looking forward to the (hopeful) release of an X-Plus rendition of it. His earlier fo
rms are also quite bizarre, and quite shocking the first time you see them (I had never seen them prior to my first viewing), but are interesting. I'm not sure what, if any, scenes actually used traditional special effects, but either way, I found the effects in general to be very good and convincing. As Toho had touted, the movie has a massive cast of characters and bit players, of them in particular I recognized Akira Emoto who was Akira Yuki in GODZILLA VS. SPACEGODZILLA. The ending, which I won't spoil, came as an abrupt surprise to me, because most discussion about it in the movie I wasn't able to understand.

The score was an interesting one, by Shiro Sagisu, who also scored EVANGELION, but admittedly the only other work of his I'm personally familiar with is his score to MAGICAL SHOPPING ARCADE ABENOBASHI. His music works good in this film, with several very memorable tracks, though a few are a bit repetitive (at least, that's easier to note if you're just listing to the soundtrack CD itself, which I purchased at Tower Records in Shibuya). Stock Ifukube music is used as well (the original tracks, not re-recorded) and used to pretty good effect, culled from GODZILLA '54, KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA, and interestingly enough, BATTLE FROM OUTER SPACE. The end credits are a compilation of several other Godzilla film themes.

Earlier this year, a so-called company named New World Cinema strongly alluded that they had the rights to SHIN GODZILLA, but that eventually turned out to be a flat-out lie, what they were thinking is beyond me. It was eventually announced, to my surprise, that Funimation had picked up the rights with intent for limited theatrical distribution. As a longtime anime fan, I have plenty of their DVD/BD releases, have seen several theatrical screenings, and met them at conventions; I knew the movie was definitely in competent hands. The subtitles were good; Of course I can't tell for certain if the translation itself was correct, but considering they're in the anime business of decades, I trust them. Of particular issue was the fact there was frequently onscreen text (such as character titles and locations, done to such excess I assumed it may have been an intended joke?). All of these were subtitled alongside the dialogue. Interestingly, after the whole exchange concerning the USA calling the monster Godzilla, and the Japanese "translation" being Gojira, the later is regularly used throughout the rest of the movie. Concerning Funimation's inevitable home video release down the road, my biggest question is whether or not Toho will have them use one of their own international English dubs, or if Funimation will request and/or be allowed to make their own. Funimation's anime dub work is always very good, though I've never heard a live-action film done by them. I've met many of the voice actors that work for them, and some in particular I would love to hear in SHIN GODZILLA.

Overall, it was a great experience. The house was packed, and the audience seemed to love it. My mom liked it, though she says she's still more partial to the older Godzilla. The next couple screenings at the Alamo are rapidly selling out. I'd like to attend one but due to circumstances, it's unlikely. Kudos to Funimation for making this available in the US, especially on the big screen, and so SOON after Japanese release (less than two and a half months!). And a special thank you to Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, for giving us their unusual, but fantastic and fresh take on Godzilla.

THE RETURN OF GODZILLA On BD/DVD September 13

Image Copyright Section23 Films & Kraken Releasing

Kraken Releasing, a label of Section23 Films, will release THE RETURN OF GODZILLA to Blu-ray and DVD on September 13. This will mark the first release of any version of this film in North America in nineteen years, since Anchor Bay released GODZILLA 1985 on VHS. GODZILLA 1985 was my first Godzilla film and remains one of my favorites to this day, in either of its forms. Sadly, this release will not include that cut, which featured additional scenes with Raymond Burr, not-so-subtle Dr. Pepper plugs, and other edits. While its exclusion is unfortunate, it's great this film is finally seeing any sort of release in the USA. Now, every Godzilla film is available on DVD here.

Like many others, I ordered from a particular retailer, and obtained my copy early. I'm pretty happy with the final product. The video is about on par with the Japanese Blu-ray release, and while far from perfect, is pretty serviceable. Kraken interestingly chose to go with 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio for both Japanese and English languages, no other option is provided. The English dub is a new mix, combining the international dub dialogue track (previously released only outside the US) inserted into the newer 5.1 sound effect and music remix. Both sound pretty good. Perhaps this is what should have been done when GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE was released a few years ago.

The subtitles have proven to be the source of a bit of controversy. The subs are "locked", in that you can't remove them via remote nor menu. You have two choices on the menu, Japanese language audio with full subtitles (dialogue and onscreen text), or English audio with only onscreen text (title, locations, etc.) subtitles. Either way, while the film plays, you can't disable them via the remote or toggle the subs or audio. This has become increasingly common on recent anime releases, from both Section23 and others, and I believe it's to discourage reverse importing back to Japan. I don't see this as much of a problem, personally. As far as the quality of the subs they seem pretty good, and Kraken does what Section23 (and ADV Films before it) does well, providing very full and detailed onscreen subtitling, with a variety of fonts and colors. Not many companies go to that kind of trouble.

Image Copyright Toho Co. Ltd.

The extras are few, but having anything at all is welcome. The original full theatrical trailer (not the teaser), fully subtitled. Trailer for Kraken's other three G-films are provided as well: EBIRAH - HORROR OF THE DEEP, GODZILLA VS. GIGAN, and GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH.

The package art matches their previous releases, using the original photo-style theatrical poster on the front. Personally I'm not a big fan of the sensationalistic taglines they've used for their Godzilla releases, but I guess, whatever helps sell more of these things.

Overall, I find this to be a pretty pleasing release. Yes, is could have more extras, and the American cut is glaringly absent. But it's not like they didn't try. This was made by fans for fans, and I recommend adding it to your collection today.

To get it NOW, head over the The Right Stuf:

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