Godzilla's new origin follows in the footsteps of past enemies Hedorah and Destoroyah as a monster who didn't just start out as the Godzilla we all know. He actually starts out on four legs and has a long elongated neck that has what seems to be bleeding gills alongside both the left and right. He later transforms into something more like a Tyrannosaurus Rex but even uglier and disappears back into the sea as soon as he appears. About 20 minutes later into the movie, we are treated to Godzilla in the form he is seen as in all the trailers and goddamn, he is a BEAST. He is such a massive threat that Japan needed the military resources of the USA, France, China, Russia and so on to try to destroy the monster. But of course, nothing works because he is GODZILLA.
Now for what everyone was expecting--- Godzilla's atomic fire. It's actually a very interesting concept though not fully explored through Godzilla's biology. It starts out as something like a thick black cloud of mist that expels from Godzilla's mouth that shrouds over a huge portion of Tokyo. The mist quickly turns into a spewing blast of molten lava that starts burning the city to the ground and taking out any military personnel in it's line of fire. Eventually, the fire slowly starts growing smaller and smaller until it becomes a thin purple laser that splits buildings in half and tears through city blocks. Godzilla also gains the ability to shoot similar purple beams from his back that are able to take out overhead aircraft and cause quadruple as much damage to all buildings in Godzilla's wake. Another beam can also shoot out from the tip of his tail as something of a final resort.
Those spoilers aside, this movie did surprise me. Godzilla's blend of practical and CGI was utilized in my opinion, very very well. There are some shots that don't look as good but it doesn't take me out of the movie. I liked that these writers took the risks and really did something different with Godzilla. The story is nothing new from some past Godzilla films but the way it's executed is done well.
I did have some problems with the movie's pacing at times, involving heavily on government and politics. While this stuff is important, it gets tedious until Godzilla is finally back into motion. I also already mentioned how some of the CGI did not entirely work but since this is Toho CGI (which is rarely perfect), I feel I can give them a pass there.
Overall, Shin Godzilla is a great return to the classic Godzilla franchise despite it's share of problems. The movie gets a 8/10. Perhaps if a sequel is done, those small improvements can be done.
