It’ll be some time before we get a follow-up to Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla, but those seeking the legendary kaiju will soon have a fresh and, if you ask purists, more authentic option. For the first time since 2004, Toho’s in the Godzilla game — this time with Shin Godzilla (previously known as Godzilla: Resurgence), a reboot from Neon Genesis Evangelion‘s Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi. If you’ve seen that series — and especially their big-screen follow-up, The End of Evangelion — you can surmise why this is more than just another entry, but a chance for the company to return with a real boom.
If you haven’t, this rather magnificent U.S. preview — a symphony of destruction, rushes, glares, and deliberations — might give expectations a little kickstart. Shin Godzilla is, sadly, going without a substantial U.S. release, but will be shown (more or less) across the country for a one-week run in October, as this handy Google chart and the film’s official website will show. Even as a mild Godzilla fan do I find myself eager to make time for one of those screenings; this thing looks fine.
See the preview below (via The Movie Box):
Synopsis:
Make way for the ultimate homage to one of the most enduring legends of the big screen — Godzilla! The King of the Monsters is back in Tokyo for a city-crushing crusade that speaks to the very roots of the world-renowned franchise.
It’s a peaceful day in Japan when a strange fountain of water erupts in the bay, causing panic to spread among government officials. At first, they suspect only volcanic activity, but one young executive dares to wonder if it may be something different… something alive. His worst nightmare comes to life when a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and begins tearing through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. As the government scrambles to save the citizens, a rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster’s weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side — the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.
Shin Godzilla opens on October 11.