What the new Godzilla does right far outweighs its wrongs, although they can't be missed- -what's with those eyes? What's with her accent? What kind of tank alignment is that? The haters will have a field day picking the movie apart, but unlike the majority if not all of the other entries in the genre, the following tropes also have gone out the window: children, romantic relations, wives left waiting for the return of their brave husbands, victims holding personal grudges, exposition from long ignored all knowing specialists, a common enemy to side the audience with the titular creature--tiresome plot gimmicks, the total absence of which felt refreshingly good. The political subtext aside--which should mostly only interest people with political opinions on Japan, the plot follows a team of underdogs and outcasts led by a government cog in a race against literal bombs to find an effective way to neutralize a national threat. The camera-work and editing is fast-paced, and a multitude of characters play a role in handling the crisis. Crisis management movies based on real events usually try to hit emotional chords by emphasizing the above mentioned tropes to varying degrees of success, while overlooking the mundane aspect of processing such situations. Resurgence avidly instill a life into the mundane work of these everymen who happen to be the alternative to possible obliteration, human or otherwise.
As can be seen from the range of its ratings, the movie is divisive. But whatever the conclusion, viewing it is worthwhile if only to track the influence it will hopefully have on the genre as well as Japanese cinema.
As can be seen from the range of its ratings, the movie is divisive. But whatever the conclusion, viewing it is worthwhile if only to track the influence it will hopefully have on the genre as well as Japanese cinema.