"Godzilla: The Planet Eater" review: What's the new appeal of monster movies?

"Godzilla: The Planet Eater" - Godzilla's new challenge and profound theme

■ Public Media

theater

■ Original Media

Special Effects

■ Release date

November 9, 2018 - January 1, 0000

■Distribution company

Toho Video Division

■Frequencies

90 min

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 1

■Original Story

・Story concept/Gen Urobuchi

■ Director

Kobun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita

■ Production

・Production: Polygon Pictures

■Works

©2017 TOHO CO.,LTD.

■ Story

After the destruction of Mechagodzilla City, Yuko is declared brain dead, and Haruo is devastated by the result of his decision. Meanwhile, Metphies preaches that Haruo was spared the nanometal contamination due to God's protection, and by elevating Haruo to a hero chosen by God, he succeeds in drawing in most of the survivors who were devastated by the defeat of Mechagodzilla City into his followers. Haruo claims that the reason he and some others were spared the contamination was due to the treatment of Futsua, but Metphies confesses that he knew this and is increasing his number of followers, preparing to summon the god they worship. As Haruo's distrust of Metphies grows, the incident in Mechagodzilla City intensifies the conflict between the species on the Aratrum. The Bilsaludo use force to occupy the power room of the Aratrum and demand the death penalty for Haruo, who killed his comrades and missed the chance to destroy Godzilla. After receiving this information, Haruo, at Martin's suggestion, decides to hide in a Futua hideout to buy time for the conflict to calm down. There, he is taught the Futua values ​​by Miana: if you survive and keep on living, you win, and if you die and disappear, you lose. He also shares his life with Maina, who has feelings for him.

■Cast

・Haruo Sakaki/Mamoru Miyano ・Martin Lazzari/Tomokazu Sugita ・Metphies/Takahiro Sakurai

■ Main staff

・Story concept: Gen Urobuchi (Nitroplus)
・Screenplay: Gen Urobuchi (Nitroplus)
・Series Composition: Gen Urobuchi (Nitroplus), Sadayuki Murai ・Storyboard: Hiroyuki Shimazu, Masako Sato, Iwao Teraoka, Naohiro Yoshihira "Tady", Hiroaki Ando ・Assistant Director: Hiroaki Ando, ​​Naohiro Yoshihira "Tady" ・Direction: Taku Yonebayashi ・Original Character Design: Yusuke Kozaki ・Production Design: Naoya Tanaka, Ferdinando Patulli
・CG character design / Yuki Moriyama ・Modeling director / Mitsunori Katayama ・CG supervisor / Masaki Takaya ・Mechanic design cooperation / Izumo Heavy Machinery ・Modeling supervisor / Yoshinori Nakajima ・Art director / Yukihiro Shibuya ・Editor / Fumi Hida ・Sound director / Satoshi Motoyama ・Production producer / Kenji Ishimaru ・Music / Takayuki Hattori ・Producer / Keiji Ota

■ Main Characters

Haruo Sakaki: Having witnessed his parents being caught up in a Godzilla attack, he has a stronger desire for revenge against Godzilla than anyone else.
Martin Lazzari: He has a curious personality and is very self-determined, but even the Bilsardos consider him a bit "unique." He believes that the evolution of living things is the result of adaptation to the environment over a long period of time.
Metphies: A military priest (archbishop) from the alien planet "Exif." His rank is lieutenant colonel. He runs the cult in place of Endalf, and his personality and philanthropy have earned him popularity across all races. He never shows his emotions, and is always calm and collected.

■ Main robot items

- Vulture: A highly mobile humanoid manned weapon created by the Bilsaludo using nanometal to redesign a powered suit for combat. With long limbs and a head resembling that of a bird of prey, it can fly at high speeds through the air using flight wings equipped with rocket engines on its back.

■ Related works

・GODZILLA Monster Planet ・GODZILLA City on the Edge of Battle

■ Theme songs and music

・TM1
・Live and die
Lyrics by XAI
・Composer: Masayuki Nakano (BOOM BOOM SATELLITES)
・Arrangement: Masayuki Nakano (BOOM BOOM SATELLITES)
・Song: XAI
・IN1
・Evergreen ・Lyrics by Sachiko Aoyama (Negoto)
・Composer: Masayuki Nakano (BOOM BOOM SATELLITES)
・Arrangement: Masayuki Nakano (BOOM BOOM SATELLITES)
・Song: XAI

■ Review

"Godzilla: The Planet Eater" is a new challenge for the Godzilla series, and a work that depicts a profound theme. Gen Urobuchi's original story and screenplay create a profound tale that sets it apart from previous Godzilla films. In particular, the anguish and conflict that Haruo faces after the destruction of Mechagodzilla City leaves a strong impression on viewers. As Haruo's desire for revenge and Metphies' religious faith intersect, issues of humanity and faith are highlighted. This work is not just a monster movie, but can also be said to be an excellent human drama.

The CG animation by Polygon Pictures brings out the power and beauty of Godzilla to the fullest. In particular, the design and movement of the Vulture visually express the technological and fighting abilities of the Bilsaludo, making it visually appealing. Takayuki Hattori's powerful score also adds excitement to the story and plays a role in evoking the emotions of the viewer.

The acting of the cast is also superb, with Miyano Mamoru as Haruo, Sugita Tomokazu as Martin, and Sakurai Takahiro as Metphies all delivering performances that delve deeply into the inner world of their characters. In particular, Sakurai Takahiro's performance, which expresses Metphies' calmness and faith, will leave a strong impression on viewers.

■Recommendation

"Godzilla: The Planet Eater" is recommended not only for Godzilla fans, but also for viewers who want to enjoy deeper themes. It is a must-see for those who are interested in Urobuchi Gen's scripts and those who want to appreciate the beauty of CG animation. As related works, we recommend you also check out "Godzilla: Monster Planet" and "Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle." By watching these works, you will be able to discover new charms of the Godzilla series.

The theme songs "Live and Die" and "Evergreen" are also great songs, and XAI's singing voice enhances the emotion of the story. I would recommend this work to music fans as well.

Overall, "Godzilla: The Planet Eater" shows new possibilities for the Godzilla series and will leave viewers deeply moved and thinking. I hope you'll experience its power for yourself at the cinema.