Shin Godzilla: 5 Things It Changed From The Godzilla Lore (& 5 Things It Kept The Same)
Godzilla has been one of the most iconic franchises that have come out of Japan in the second part of the 20th century. Over the years, with more than twenty films released, the lore about the radioactive monster has evolved to such extent that many of its characteristics have been imprinted in the audience's minds.
The franchise has also enjoyed many reboots that reworked these pieces of lore but mostly sticks to the basics. Until Shin Godzilla (also known as Godzilla Resurgence) came out. The 2016 movie directed by Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno, took a very different approach when portraying the famed destroyer of Tokyo while, at the same time, makes an homage to the franchise.
10 CHANGE: Godzilla's Body
One element that seems to change a lot from movie to movie in the Godzilla franchise is the design of the creature itself. Famously, the original design of Godzilla was meant to look like the atomic mushroom an atomic bomb leaves after detonating, an obvious reference to the end of World War II.
However, Godzilla never stayed the same and it has seen a lot of changes, going from dinosaur to reptile monster. In Shin Godzilla, its appearance takes a whole other level, having three different forms and resembling its first iteration but with a more alien-looking skin.
9 KEPT: The Roar
Although Shin Godzilla takes new bold ideas and applies them to the concept of the monster, it also pays homage to the classic 1954 film. There are things that are better left unchanged and Higuchi and Anno understood that.
That's why they left the famous Godzilla roar in the film that has become synonymous with the character. It's so well known that is not strange to find people all around the world who can identify the sound immediately. And to think it was a sound-effect produced by the rubbing of a glove against the strings of a cello.
8 CHANGE: Its Origin
Godzilla has had many origins throughout the years it has been on the big and little screen. It has come from the bottom of the ocean, and also, has fallen from the skies, making him an alien creature. Either way, it's something that doesn't seem to affect its stories that much.
Shin Godzilla takes another direction by implying that Godzilla is an organism coming from the depths of the ocean. The difference here is that it didn't start as the lizard creature we all know, but more like a microorganism that evolved by consuming nuclear radiation.
7 KEPT: The Classic Theme
Something that gives the chills to the Godzilla fans is that famous score that has survived since its introduction in the first movie in 1954. Composed by Akira Ifukube, the theme, reminiscent of a march, encapsulates a feeling of dread caused by the sighting of such a scary and gigantic creature.
But the funny thing is that the score wasn't actually made to be related to Godzilla but to the Japanese Self Defense Forces as they fought in that first movie against the creature.
6 CHANGE: Godzilla's Nature
The Kaiju genre is thought to be a very simple one. Take a monster, put it in a city, and let it run havoc. Or put another monster in the mix and let them run havoc while they fight each other. Sometimes they have special abilities, but the important thing is that they are gigantic and relatively simple creatures.
The monster depicted in Shin Godzilla isn't simple. Producers actually reinvented Godzilla's nature by introducing him as an organism capable of evolving at a rapid pace to adapt to different situations. That's why it has three different forms in the movie and almost a fourth one since it intended to become little Godzilla humanoids before being stopped.
5 KEPT: Nuclear Disaster Theme
The original Godzilla film was a product of a post-war era in Japan after the country lost to the allies in World War II. The dropping of the atomic bombs in the towns of Hiroshima and Nagasaki left a profound impact on the minds of Japanese people.
This is reflected in the media that came after and Godzilla was part of that. The original monster was an allegory for the bomb. In Shin Godzilla, the monster is also an allegory for a nuclear disaster, but a different one: the meltdown of the nuclear plants of Fukushima after the 2011's earthquake.
4 CHANGE: Other Monsters
Technically, the original Japanese movie didn't have any other monsters besides Godzilla. But the inclusion of other kaiju has become such a staple of the franchise that is basically an important part of the lore surrounding the character. Monsters like Mothra, King Ghidorah, and Rodan are very important to the fandom.
Don't expect them here, however, since Shin Godzilla doesn't use any of this character and neither implies the existence of them. The reboot solely focuses on the King of the Monsters and nothing else.
3 KEPT: Its Lizard Form
Although the movie makes an effort into redefining what Godzilla is, it also acknowledges the classic silhouette of the monster by making it its last form. It's a classic and, frankly, Godzilla wouldn't be Godzilla if it didn't look like a gigantic lizard.
And, as discussed before, it has some differences, but the basic form is there; it also references the classic film since its head kind of looks like that atomic mushroom.
2 CHANGE: Godzilla's Powers
Besides being gigantic and immensely strong, Godzilla has one unique power: its atomic breath. In the first movie, it was depicted like fire coming out of a flamethrower. With time, the power changed to become more like an energy beam Godzilla spits out with tremendous, incinerating power.
Shin Godzilla depicts the famous ability, showing Godzilla destroying many buildings with it. But it also adds a new power that is not totally out character for the monster: fin lasers. From the fins in its back, Godzilla is able to shoot several powerful lasers, making him look like a nuclear porcupine.
1 KEPT: Coming From The Sea
No matter if Godzilla's origins are from space or the bottom of the ocean, it is a classic image is to see the monster coming out of the sea. It is also a scary image to see this massive creature poking its head out of the water and revealing its menacing appearance.
In Shin Godzilla, this scene is depicted as well and it's something that they couldn't leave out since they were trying to call back to the original film. The ocean is an integral part of Godzilla's imagery because it helps the audiences realize how big the King is.