17 Nov Godzilla: Planet Of The Monsters Review

GODZILLA: PLANET OF THE MONSTERS

This is part of my ‘Re-Review’ series, where I revisit a movie that I haven’t seen in several years to evaluate if my opinion has changed with time.

With the release of the first full trailer for Godzilla vs. Kong, I decided to re-watch six of my favorite Godzilla-centric movies, including the precursors to the new film.

Old Opinion: An interesting discovery on Netflix that had a new take on Godzilla, but too little Godzilla

New Opinion: Solid piece of anime that I appreciate more with repeat viewings

So, after Toho Co. licensed out Godzilla to Americans to make live-action movies, they worked with Netflix to produce a trilogy of anime films about their greatest creation. Netflix released each entry annually starting in 2017, and I just happened to stumble into the first entry: Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters. After re-watching the current live-action franchise, I decided to hit up the Netflix anime flicks again. And you know what? I really like them!

The anime trilogy takes place thousands of years in the future and are centered around the conceit that Godzilla emerged as a response to human destruction of the environment and killed every human except for a few hundred that escaped on an interstellar spacecraft that has been searching the void of space for a couple decades, looking for a new home. They are assisted by two species of aliens (the Bilasaludo and Exif) that provide technological and spiritual guidance, respectively. Most of this background is doled out piecemeal throughout the trilogy, with just enough information given to explain character actions, but not overwhelm the viewer.

The movie opens with the main character, Haruo Sakaki, threatening to destroy the interstellar spacecraft after he finds that his grandfather is being sent on a suicide mission to explore a planet that is clearly inhospitable. He finds out that his grandfather and many other elderly occupants of the spacecraft have volunteered for the suicide mission out of mental and spiritual exhaustion, and because supplies are running low. Haruo is arrested as his grandfather’s landing craft blows up. But the aftermath of the sacrifice leads to a movement to return to Earth and reclaim it from Godzilla, with Haruo developing a new strategy to destroy the monster.

The movie then transitions into a relatively simple narrative: the ship returns to Earth, realizing that general relativity has led to 20,000 years passing on Earth…certainly enough for Godzilla to die, right? Nope. As the ship arrives, they quickly locate Godzilla and enact an invasion of the planet to kill Godzilla. Haruo’s strategy is complicated by massive environmental changes, but in the end, Godzilla is destroyed, and everyone breathes a sign of relief, having spent so much in human and technical capital to achieve this end.

Two twists at the end set up the second entry: first, the monster they killed was a younger, smaller relative of the original Godzilla, and his death awake the original, who is far bigger. And second, a race of telepathic humans has evolved that paradoxically live in peace with Godzilla.

The movie has an interesting story, and it is well-told, if a bit melodramatic. There are only two things that still hold back a full measure of praise. Obviously, there is never enough Godzilla in Godzilla movies, but Planet of the Monsters has less screen time for Godzilla than usual. But when he’s on screen, he is amazing, in terms of design and sheer destructive scale. Also, the English-language dub, while mostly very good, features a voice actor for Haruo that utters every line in a weird, breathy exclamation. It gets old real fast.

Overall, I think PotM is a solid first entry that rewards repeat viewings with additional detail and depth. The story is wholly unique and has some incredible visuals that could not have been financially feasible in a live-action medium. Plus: you can watch any time on Netflix!

Pros:

• Genuinely original concept for a reimagining of the Godzilla story
• Incredible visual style, especially Godzilla himself
• Even when not on-screen, Godzilla is omnipresent, dominating every scene
• I’m not an expert in anime, but this was an awesome introduction to the medium

Cons:

• Main character’s English voice-over is annoying af
• Not enough Godzilla…but is there, ever?

Rating: 4/5
No matter what, this is a strong science-fiction movie that happens to feature Godzilla as the “villain”

Review by Jim Washburn