Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

If you can only watch one of the "new generation" Godzilla movies, this should be your choice. It has the heavy impact message of the original remade for the modern day with believable characters (and if you've lived in Japan like me you'll know what I mean) and an interesting take on the genre. The plot -- humanity vs an unknown force of nature -- is a good one that far exceeds the typical "popcorn action plot" of monster-vs-monster movies. My only complaint is that the CGI for the initial appearance of Godzilla could have been done better. However it's a minor, fleeting annoyance.When it comes to Godzilla movies, Japan does them best. Watch this to see why.

It should be much higher than it is. The movie was so much fun, and so intelligent and witty. Truly an incredible satire of the political climate in Japan. The dialogue is rapid fire and incredibly funny throughout.If you're looking for 90 minutes of monsters fighting then you'll be disappointed I guess, but if you're OK with a well written political satire that has some pretty bizarre but excellent monster effects then I say you should ignore the average rating on this thing and give it a go!

This is the new Godzilla, in the era of the Japan earthquake and Fukushima. It's not about the nuclear bomb dropped on unsuspecting civilians by unstoppable military powers, but a biological accident that goes on and on while political and military leaders stumble and fumble ineffectively and let it grow and fester. The movie plays as a political satire, but the monster itself is very interesting, indeed. In the beginning it looks like a cheap fluffy uncoordinated puppet, but it evolves as the movie goes on, changes as the powers at be can't decide on what to do. The terrifying final form is unstoppable and deadly, but could it have been stopped in the very beginning, by prompt action by the leaders of the country? The American involvement is also humorous, showing that the relationship with the victors of past wars has evolved as well.Bottom line: it was funny and sad at the same time, satirical and science fiction, but it suffered a rather slow pace. It is worth a view and it is certainly more interesting and educational that any of the Godzilla movie so far.

SHIN GODZILLA / GODZILLA RESURGENCE (SHIN GOJIRA). Viewed on DVD. Cinematography = eight (8) stars; special effects (excluding Godzilla) = eight (8) stars; sound field = eight (8) stars; score = seven (7) stars; subtitles/translations (Japanese version) = five (5) stars; Godzilla visualization = three (3) stars. Not again already! Directors Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi provide yet another iteration of Tokyo's least favorite (but arguably most famous) part-time resident by reaching back almost 70 years to successfully re-image what has made the first film an enduring cult favorite. Just about everything you may recall (or wish to forget) seems to be here. A multitude of actors shouting expository one-line dialog at the camera, public address systems doing the same, quick shots of the monster beating up Tokyo, the same shots of military equipment/models being reused Ad Nauseam, etc. This time the mayhem ends with the Japanese using a biological countermeasure (instead of nuking it and what remains of the city) to immobilize the critter on tip toes in the middle of Tokyo to provide city-viewing completion for Sky Tree (?) and a lead-in for a sequel. The Directors jam pack their movie with convincing scenes (but not for Godzilla--see below) of physical and virtual model destruction that fully fill the wide screen. Unfortunately, the film is also jam packed (beyond the tipping point?) with actors (and a few stray actresses) who mostly direct their bureaucratic speak to the camera rather to each other. The objective is to amusingly underscore the decision-making paralysis of Japan's current governing style (a new law needs to be passed by the Diet before the monster can be dealt with!), but it ends up paralyzing the audience's comprehension of parallel unfolding events. Acting is fine when directed away from the camera. Stunning actress Satomi Ishihara provides a beauty-and-the-beast juxtaposition. Cinematography (2.35 : 1, color) and lighting are very good. Score provides a unique blend of music from earlier films, some re-scored riffs on the same, and an imaginative original score. Subtitles for the Japanese version suffer big time from overkill. The top of the screen contains 3-5 lines that identify bureaucrats and their titles plus the locations of every-changing conference rooms (who really cares?). The screen bottom provides overly-generous line-reading translations that flash by at light speed (serious adult grammatical editing is called for). Signs/text are not translated. Godzilla's visualization is often cheesy or just plain lame. The monster is depicted as a cuddly, plush kiddie toy with puppy-dog eyes in early scenes, and as a highly-accurate multi-laser military machine later on (perhaps a weapon from an unfriendly nation state?). Great fun despite Godzilla's rendering! WILLIAM FLANIGAN, PhD.