Howl from Beyond the Fog (Japan, 2019)

During the Meiji era, a blind girl named Takiri and a monster called Nebula fight against greedy developers who threaten to take over her family's land.

Howl from Beyond the Fog felt like the Loch Ness story filtered through a Japanese kaiju filter. In just a little over half an hour, Howl tells the story how a huge sea monster is siding with a young girl. Another thing, the cast are all played by puppets. It really fits the theme of the movie and it becomes entertaining on an another level. Director Daisuke Sato worked on the special effects for several Godzilla films and I'm guessing this was a dream project of his finally coming to life.  

Genre: Animation/Short/Fantasy. 35 min.

Mothra (Japan, 1961)

Shipwreck survivors are found on Beiru Island, which was previously used for atomic tests. The interior is amazingly free of radiation effects, and they believe that they were protected by a special juice that was given to them by the island's residents. A joint expedition of Rolisican and Japanese scientists explores Beiru and discovers many curious things, including two women only one foot high. Unscrupulous expedition leader Clark Nelson abducts the women and puts them in a vaudeville show. But their sweet singing contains a telepathic cry for help to Mothra, a gigantic moth that is worshiped as a deity by the island people.

Mothra is the first film to feature the sort of good kaiju that also appeared in the Godzilla-universe. Directed by Ishiro Honda, the co-creator of Godzilla and lifelong friend of Akira Kurosawa, Mothra featured the most detailed miniature work of any Toho film to that point. One of the biggest joys is seeing the city get destroyed by an angry moth, with charmingly obvious toy tanks and humans getting blown away by Mothra's gusts of wind. The destruction is far more enjoyable to watch than any of the latest billion-dollar remakes from the US, which is kind of a sad thought that CGI-films are the way to go nowadays.

 

Genre: Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (Japan, 2001)

Strange incidents occur when an American submarine has been destroyed by a mysterious force at sea off the shores of Guam. Only Admiral Tachibana was certain that behind the disaster was none other than the destructive King of the Monsters, Godzilla! 50 years after his attack on Tokyo in 1954, Godzilla has mysteriously returned to life to destroy Japan, and General Tachibana, whose parents died in the monster's destructive wake, was prepared for his return.

In these days of never-ending, disappointing remakes it's always nice to fall back on the originals. GMK does what a billion dollars worth of computer graphics can't: create timeless, wildly entertaining destruction. Watching this film today is just as fun as it was back in the day, and will be in many years from now due to the fact that everything is made of real props and every exploding building is an amazing spectacle. Here, the monsters have gotten an updated look, King Ghidorah is a nice guy (!) and Godzilla is back to being the main baddie. 

The plot is of course nothing to write home about, and basically follows a B-movie storyline pattern but that's forgiven the second Godzilla shows up. Cue an amazing amount of destruction, cool monster fighting scenes and a bit of hilarious monster choreography and you know you're in for a good time. GMK is a great example of what's being lost when everything is made inside of a computer, you're no longer watching hollow action but carefully planned scenes and detailed set designs.

Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama

Godzilla: Resurgence (Japan, 2016)

An unknown accident occurs in Tokyo Bay's Aqua Line, which causes an emergency cabinet to assemble. All of the sudden, a giant creature immediately appears, destroying town after town with its landing reaching the capital. This mysterious giant monster is named "Godzilla".

The King of Monsters is officially back. There hasn't been a Japanese Godzilla movie since 2004, but now, everyones favorite nuclear powered 380ft tall lizard is here to be a huge pain for the people of Japan once again. In the directorial seat we have Hideaki Anno, known for his Evangelion-franchise, and his love for practical effects shine through every city demolishing scene in this film. Unlike the American entry from 2014, directed by Gareth Edwards, Resurgence (a.k.a. Shin Godzilla) very rarely cuts away from the action and often just basically gives the viewers what they want. Halfway into the film it loses some steam, and there's a lot to be explained by men in suits and while it isn't as fun to see a board meeting about Godzilla than it is to see trains being thrown into buildings, the film is commenting on the failing bureaucracy during the 2011 Fukushima disaster. A promising new beginning, and I'm looking forward to the the upcoming sequels.

Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama

Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2 (Japan, 1993)

In response to Japan's request for a countermeasure against Godzilla, UN engineers construct Mechagodzilla, a giant robotic version of Godzilla. Nonetheless, Godzilla proves himself a force to be reckoned with against this monstrosity and battle ensues.

This will be my second and maybe last look at the Godzilla franchise. I mentioned in my earlier Godzilla post a few films that stands out from all the rest, and well, those films might be really great but in a sea of Godzilla movies, there's bound to be more that deserves mentioning. Godzilla vs. MechaGodzilla 2 is one of those that just goes all out and reduces cities to burning rubble, it's genuinely awesome and the practical effects really impresses. 

One the other side of the spectrum we have the films that entertains us because they're so cheesy and funny, like Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), a film that has that charm of the older Godzilla films. I couldn't help but laugh when the evil monster Titanosaurus kicks Godzilla's body and he flies away like a  pool toy. It's hilarious. So for me there's two kinds of Godzilla movies: the more serious and much more technically advanced one, which satisfies your cravings for insane destruction, and then there's the films that makes you laugh and are more goofy. To experience what Godzilla really is, one should experience both these sides of the franchise,  because they're both immensely entertaining.  

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi