by Joseph Perry and Mike Imboden
In our “The Good, the Bad, and the Verdict” film reviews, Joseph and Mike give their thoughts on a slice of cinema. For this installment, it’s Shin Godzilla: Orthochromatic by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, part of Japan Cuts film festival and an extra special addition to our Kaijuly lineup!
Synopsis
From Japan Cuts’ official description: Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi’s 21st century masterpiece is reborn with this stunning black-and-white version, released in Japan last year in the leadup to Godzilla’s 70th anniversary. A major critical and commercial success that earned seven Japan Academy Prize awards, Shin Godzilla (2016) pays tribute to the monster movie franchise’s origins while reinventing the iconic kaiju within the context of Japan’s political present. Proposed by Anno and overseen by Higuchi, ORTHOchromatic adds new dimensions to the film’s visual impact by rendering it in orthochromatic (“ortho” for short) black-and-white, a type of monochrome characterized by starker contrasts and more pronounced blacks. The results are awe-inspiring and presents Shin Godzilla as never seen before.
The Good
Joseph: Because most viewers interested in Shin Godzilla have already watched the original color version, I’m going to focus more here on this orthochromatic version than on special effects, plot, performances, and so on. Simply put, this version looks stunning. Every scene involving The Big Fella is jaw-dropping with its contrasts, and his rage and fury, and the damage it causes, looks stellar. The black-and-white also serves the governmental meetings well, giving things a bit more of a traditional feeling, suggesting that bureaucratic messes are nothing new.
Mike: I’m going to assume that those looking to catch Shin Godzilla: Orthochromatic have already seen the full color, original release version so I won’t spend too much time on the film itself other than to laud the fantastic effects and storyline. It’s also worth mentioning, I suppose, that there are plenty of musical and audible cues pulled from the original 1954 Godzilla which is a great touch.
But enough about that - the main point of watching this is to marvel at the orthochromatic presentation which gives the film a very different look, most visibly present in the scenes of Godzilla itself. The shots of destruction and his rampage look quite realistic as the viewer isn’t as focused on the specific objects, instead seeing it all as destroyed pieces of rubble, the blacks and whites acting as a sort of camouflage for anything that the eye can’t be tricked into seeing as a real when it isn’t.
The Bad
Joseph: No complaints at all here about this new presentation. A word to those who haven’t yet seen Shin Godzilla or who remember it mostly for its many scenes of governmental buck-passing: I found that aspect much more humorous on this, my second viewing of the film, than I did the first. Hang in there; the Godzilla action is well worth it.
Mike: Assuming, again, that those wanting to watch Shin Godzilla: Orthochromatic have seen the original, I feel that they’ve already seen the better of the two. The color of Godzilla’s different stages varies enough to make them quite interesting to look at and here in shades of gray they don’t have as much pop.
There’s also the difference between this and Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color in that it is a bit of a period piece - the black and white gives it an added flavor as it makes it seem almost like a documentary from the time. With this, it’s more of a gimmicky way to get eyes on a movie that is already stellar and stands just fine on its own.
It goes without saying that those who dislike the film because of all of the bureaucratic goings-on will find it all intact and as much a point of derision as they did when they first saw it.
The Verdict
Joseph: Whether you have seen Shin Godzilla in color never, once, or repeated times, Shin Godzilla: Orthochromatic is a gorgeous-looking first-time watch and a fascinating reworking of the original version. Highly recommended for monster movie maniacs, and required viewing for Godzilla and daikaiju film fans.
Mike: Shin Godzilla is a great movie and draining it of its color is a curious move other than to possibly cash in on the success of Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color. That’s not to say that Shin Godzilla: Orthochromatic looks bad - in fact, far from it. The scenes of destruction have an eerily more realistic look to them and Godzilla looks a bit more horrific having lost some of his coloring. Is the film better for this de-colorization? No, but it IS still highly recommended if for no reason other than to remind viewers what a fantastic film this is, color or not.
Shin Godzilla: Orthochromatic
Directed By: Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi
Written By: Hideaki Anno
Starring: Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara
Run Time: 2h
Rating: not rated
Release Date: July 29, 2016 (Japan, original version); October 2023 (Japan, orthochromatic version)
🚫 No trailer was available at the time of this screening
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