Godzilla: The Planet Eater

Some stuff gets spoiled below.

I just got home from seeing Godzilla: Planet Eater, and at this point, I've really run out of things to say. You've heard it all before, I've said it all before, so what's left to say?

Well, there are a few things. To my eye, the animation in this installment was the best of the three. Having said that, I should point out that I saw The Planet Eater on a much smaller screen than the first two films, so perhaps that has something to do with it. In any event, the little imperfections I've noticed in the past were absent here, and the animation seemed to flow a bit more smoothly.

There is also more monster action than in the previous two entries. In fact, I'd say The Planet Eater comes the closest to being what any Godzilla fan would have reasonably expected from these animated films. However, that's still not saying a whole lot. Ghidorah (minus the "King") leaves a lot to be desired, and its updated designed is a bit of a head-scratcher. Ghidorah is essentially three golden Mandas that work in tandem. What's more, its battle with Godzilla is hardly a battle of any kind.

See that poster at the top of the blog post? Well, picture that scene stretched out over (what felt like) 30 minutes, and there's your epic showdown. In the film, the three Ghidorah heads clamp down on Godzilla's flesh, and, well, that's it. After an eternity, Godzilla eventually breaks free and summarily destroys each Ghidorah head. In any other kaiju movie, the audience would have felt cheated. But in this trilogy? It's interesting enough to keep you from checking your watch. (The bar is quite low here.)

If I had to rank the three films, I'd put The Planet Eater at the top, Planet of the Monsters at #2, and City on the Edge of Battle at the bottom. Planet of the Monsters had a couple of interesting scenes, which elevates it to the middle of the bunch. I literally can't recommend anything about City on the Edge of Battle, which is why it brings up the rear.

Even though The Planet Eater is the best of three, I can't really recommend it on its own merits, either. It's more of the same, just done a bit better this time. Furthermore, the first act is just as boring as anything in the other two flicks. The only way I could recommend it is if you haven't seen either of the previous animated Godzilla movies and just want to see what they're like. In that case, you might as well go with the best one. Otherwise, you're better off picking something else to Netflix and chill with.

Toho Cinemas' Anigoji Theater Display!

Anigoji is back! Photo by Brett Homenick.

While at Toho Cinemas Shinjuku on Sunday night, I noticed that the Anigoji theater display was, well, on display again. Of course, it's there to promote Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle, but you're better off photographing the display than seeing that movie. 

Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle

Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle in Shinjuku. Photo by Brett Homenick.

(Some spoilers are contained below, but given all the clickbait websites that are already blaring spoilers in their headlines, you probably know everything that happens by now.)

I'll admit it: I chuckled when I went to buy my ticket for Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle about half an hour before it screened and saw that less than 10 others had bought tickets. Perhaps everyone else knew something the eight or so of us didn't.

If you read my review of Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, it more or less applies to this film, too. Stylistically, the film is exactly the same. Haruo screams a bit less, so that's an improvement. But the animation seemed even weaker here than in the first movie. One step forward, two Anigoji-size steps back.

Once again, nothing really happens of note. All the drama and even the action are tied up in the same bland characters, none of whom I cared about, and most of whom I still couldn't identify. Even after finishing the second entry in the trilogy, I still don't know who any of these people are (except for Haruo and maybe his love interest, Yuko), and I'm not interested in finding out -- there isn't anything to find out. 

Full disclosure: I started dozing off when the humans (in their Vulture mecha) were attacking Godzilla at Mechagodzilla City, so I may have missed something important. But the big tease that we were all expecting simply doesn't happen. The post-credit sequence teases King Ghidorah's appearance in the third film, but I'm still waiting for Mechagodzilla's. Wasn't it supposed to be in this movie?

There are some obvious Mothra references in some of the characters we're introduced to (two in particular), but other than that, I'm already out of things to say. The thing that surprised me most is that Godzilla seems even less relevant in this movie than in the first one. Oh, sure, he's the factor that motivates the characters to do what they do, but when Godzilla shows up, it's like he's just woken up from a deep sleep -- probably because that's exactly what he does in the movie. His lack of enthusiasm sure is contagious.

Long story short: The napping father and the restless boy sitting next to me ought to sum it all up for you.

Personally, I loved the fan-translated title "Godzilla - Decisive Battle: Mobile Breeder City" and hoped they'd keep it. Sounds like quite a title to Netflix and chill to.

The next movie is due out sometime in November. Here's hoping it gets a bit better.

GODZILLA: CITY ON THE EDGE OF BATTLE! Toho Cinemas Shinjuku Gears Up for Godzilla's Latest!

Two massive posters for Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle adorn Toho Cinemas Shinjuku. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While it may not be receiving the fanfare of Shin Godzilla, or even Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters, the new animated Godzilla film is finally getting its promotional roll-out in Japan. Here's how things currently look at Toho Cinemas Shinjuku.

Now there's a guy who definitely looks like he wants "motto" pancakes!