After nearly a decade of silence, the Godzilla series makes a return with a film that sought to resurrect the thematic potential seen at it's inception. While Terror of Mechagodzilla was never intended to end the series, it would serve as a send off as the series succumbed to a struggling film industry. Producer Tomoyuki Tanaka sought to revive the series in the modern era with a more thoughtful and politically driven film that attempts to harken back to the original. With this film I'd say that Toho was overall successful.
The moody tone is were the strength of the film lies as it attempts to bring back the horror element of Godzilla. Th slower pace gives the monster a more grandiose entrance and makes his rampage feel like an actual disaster. The characters express disbelief that Godzilla has returned, showing that despite all the economic prosperity Japan has achieve, the shadow of Godzilla and what the monster represents still looms. This is emphasized by the first half of the film with a strong focus on the response of the Japanese government as well as the involvement of the United States and Soviet Union. It's very much a tactical film that allows for build up. The side-effect however is that this takes away some of the development for our main characters. There are some interesting ideas given to them, but they aren't full explored as deep as they should be. Still, there are some stand out performance such as Keiju Kobayashi as the Prime Minster. Despite his limited role, he gives the film some much needed pathos. Some of the foreign actors aren't that good but I don't hold it against film aimed first and foremost to a Japanese audience.
Special effects director Teruyoshi Nakano is finally given a budget to showcase his talents. The towering landscape of the Tokyo skyline is recreated in wonderful miniaturized detail. There are so many small details to appreciate like signs, billboards and the lights inside windows. Another thing to note is the scale as the modern skyscrapers of Tokyo manage to tower over Godzilla in size. The design is also quite nice, with Godzilla having large expressive eyes and sharp dragone-sque fangs. There are a few hiccups such as the use the giant animatronic that doesn't match the suit, as well as the giant life-size Godzilla foot. Sill it doesn't detract from all the effort and hard work shown on screen. Another issue is that there are moments where Godzilla feels rather aimless. Still, he does have a great presence and the musical score from Reijiro Koroku really helps accentuate the tone the film is going for. It is menacing as well as tragic.
While it is often cited as the birth of the Heisei era, it just as easily could be viewed as a final hurrah for the Showa era. It was technically made in the Showa era, and much of the crew were holdovers from the prior films. It really serves as a transitional point caught between two eras as the Godzilla series would be taken on by a new generation of filmmakers. While it may be slow at times, for anyone who enjoys the tone and artistry of these films, they will find plenty to appreciate here.
