Shin Godzilla (2016)
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Politicians must navigate a labyrinth of bureaucracy to confront a rapidly evolving, radioactive monster appearing in Tokyo.
The story
In 2016, the Japan Coast Guard discovers an abandoned yacht in Tokyo Bay, which is destroyed as a mysterious creature emerges from the ocean. The creature, later identified as Godzilla, begins a destructive path through Tokyo, evolving into a bipedal form. As the government faces a crisis, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Rando Yaguchi is tasked with leading a team to research the creature's origins and capabilities. The team must navigate complex political hurdles and scientific mysteries to find a way to stop the monster before it causes irreparable damage to the capital.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the discovery of a mysterious creature in Tokyo Bay, the Japanese government faces a crisis as the entity, named Godzilla, begins a destructive rampage through the city. The creature is revealed to be a mutation caused by radioactive contamination, and its evolution is fueled by nuclear fission. While the U.S. suggests a massive airstrike, the Japanese government seeks a way to contain the threat without using nuclear weapons on domestic soil. Yaguchi's team deciphers the research of a disgraced scientist, Goro Maki, and develops a plan to freeze Godzilla using a chemical agent. In a final confrontation, the team successfully freezes the beast, though many lives are lost in the process. In the aftermath, the international community agrees to a conditional peace, while mysterious humanoid creatures are seen emerging from Godzilla's tail.
- Original title
- Shin Gojira
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- Japan
- Original languages
- Japanese; English
- Directors
- Hideaki Anno; Shinji Higuchi
- Writers
- Hideaki Anno · writer
- Cast and characters
- Hiroki Hasegawa · Rando Yaguchi; Yutaka Takenouchi · Hideki Akasaka; Satomi Ishihara · Kayoco Anne Patterson
- Genres
- kaiju; disaster; science fiction; political
- Themes
- nuclear disaster; bureaucracy; government response
- Tone and mood
- serious; tense
- Setting
- Tokyo and surrounding areas of Japan in 2016.
- Premise and plot tags
- kaiju; disaster; political thriller
- Source material / true-story basis
- Godzilla franchise
- Franchise connections
- Godzilla
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim in Japan and mixed reviews from Western critics, with praise for its special effects and portrayal of the creature.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 87% · scale: percentage · review count: 87; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 14
- Awards and nominations
- Picture of the Year · Japan Academy Film Prize · win; Director of the Year · Japan Academy Film Prize · win
- Production trivia
- The film's title has multiple meanings, including 'new', 'true', or 'God'.; A large Godzilla statue was erected in Tokyo in 2018.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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