Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle

The second part of trilogy does not offer anything new or exciting. So, after the discovery of this gigantic, 300 meters tall Godzilla. TRUE, super Godzilla, if you will, the entire human team and their alien allies are retreated to make a new strategy, since this new Godzilla is more than just unstoppable. Actually, that's the original Godzilla, which grew to the immense size. And he is still a big threat.

So, basically, the story is still generic, human looking for a solution on how to defeat this Godzilla. They also discover a tribe of humans... who speaks Japanese well. And, they only serve as observers in this story. Nothing more. And, again characters babbling, talking and bickering for hours on what to do, what kind of alternatives they have. The two twin sisters of that tribe are, in my opinion a tad bit reminiscent of two twin fairies who can summon Mothra. Only, of course, minus wings. And of course, these two twins don't do much. They are all useless. So, the humans discover a nanotechnology which is more than 20,000 years old! Huh? The same technology was used in creating a metal armor and weapons of Mechagodzilla.

OK, so, I was lost at this moment and just decided to turn off my brain and watch the rest of the film. And it went in this boring, non-interesting way. I swear, I fell asleep dozens of times trying to finish this film. But, it was so repelling. I don't hate this film, I really don't. It's not the worst film, but it is so dull and boring and stretched with the battle at the end without any climax or excitement. It is supposed to be a Godzilla film! Give me an exciting climax at the end! But, again since this is a trilogy, we have to watch the last film. I still think that this might have work better if it was a TV show. I really, really don't recommend this film to anyone. We'll see what the final film has in store for us.

I recently watched Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018) on Netflix. The story continues from where the previous film left off, featuring a futuristic society returning to Earth after 20,000 years, during which Godzilla has taken over. They encounter a human race that survived on Earth and begin exploring legacy technology in hopes of finding a way to stop Godzilla, possibly through the recreation of Mechagodzilla.

This movie is codirected by Hiroyuki Seshita (Ajin) and Kôbun Shizuno (The Journey) and contains the voices of Robbie Daymond (Spider-Man), Mamoru Miyano (Death Note), Lucien Dodge (Logan) and Takahiro Sakurai (Gamera Rebirth).

The storyline is well-conceived and intelligently written, but it gets somewhat entangled in the details, dialogue, and specific circumstances. More action would have been better, as the science fiction elements, Godzilla, and the action scenes are undeniably impressive. The portrayal of Earth, its native inhabitants, and the creatures other than Godzilla are fantastic. The final battle is excellent and makes the wait worthwhile, but it felt like it took too long to reach that point.

In conclusion, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle is a fitting sequel to the previous Netflix Godzilla animated film, although it could have benefited from more action and additional Godzilla scenes. I would rate this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

I am not sure about these negative reviews. The movie set has some great philosophical points. I have loved both on netflix so far. I referred a few friends to watch, they also felt the same. I don't usually watch anime, so maybe that is the difference. As a story, the writing is solid.

This second part of the Netflix GODZILLA anime trilogy improved on many aspects of the first film while still keeping the elements of that film which appealed to me. Haruo is given some great character growth particularly in his budding relationship with childhood friend Yuko. What started as a typical cold angry guy and wide eyed innocent girl gets some much needed development. We see new aspects to their personality, all shaped around the deconstruction of dedication.

GODZILLA CITY ON THE EDGE OF BATTLE is a more traditional "Moby Dick" story of how dedication to their mission slowly but surely turns the protagonists into something worse than the creature they are hunting. The callback is rather blatant, right down to the survivors wanting to use a sort of "harpoon" to take down Godzilla (it makes sense in context).

Like captain Ahab of the classic tale, we are presented with the fine line between dedication and obsession. When does one become another? Does one truly have to become a monster to kill a monster? How far will someone go to uphold their dedication to a fleeting ideal? In typical anime style, this theme is fleshed out in both a symbolic and literal level, with parallel thematic developments for our protagonist Haruo, Yuko, and humanity's allies from the stars, the Bilusaludo.

With all these great elements, the anime only suffers if the audience does not accept it's often deconstructive execution of the plot. Expectations are cleverly subverted, underlying themes switch between literal and symbolic, even the monsters are referred to in both an actual and a figurative sense. This might come across as a little confusing for those who do not take the time to think through the story and read between the lines.

Visuals-wise, GODZILLA: CITY ON THE EDGE OF BATTLE retains the cel shaded CGI look of the first film and many of Polygon Studio's work. The animation, which beautifully mimics that of traditional 2D animation right down to the reduced frame rate, is really an acquired taste that may not be for everyone. It is calling back to something old, using something new. Small improvements have been made particularly in the drab mono coloured creatures that populate far future earth. Godzilla himself gets a harsher shading and contrast in lighting which makes him distinct from the already dull grey background.

These little improvements make me hopeful for the upcoming finale to this trilogy. It is not perfect and the improvements may come too slowly for more cynical viewers. Like the animation style, the movies so far are truly an acquired taste that boils down to personal preference. Complex or confusing? Subverting expectations or failing to deliver on its publicity? Perhaps the greater battle is not within Haruo himself, or between monsters, or even between the various factions and Godzilla. Perhaps it is between the fans.

(First ever review so bear with me)

I decided to write this review as I felt the 2 user reviews up at the moment were either a bit lacking, or just downright pointless.

I personally enjoyed it enough to give it a 6, but it's a soft 6 for me as there are plenty of "down" periods that felt a bit dragged out for me. I also think that the story was a bit lacking in places as well as some characters that felt underutilized. (The pacing may be redeemed once I've seen all 3 and then be able to judge it as a whole, but for now, it's a gripe I have with it as a stand-alone film)

The animation is still stellar and I really enjoy the whole mythos of man/humanoid vs giant world ending monster(s), I just wish this particular movie had either some more action to it, or that we got to explore the Houtua (the aboriginals Haruo met in the first film) a lot more, but maybe that's saved for the 3rd film.

At the end of the day, I feel like it's worth seeing if you like monster movies, and I'm looking forward to the conclusion in the 3rd film.

I hope I succeeded in giving people a bit more nuance to determine if they should give it a go, as I do feel there are redeemable qualities to the contained story of this trilogy.