From a boiling, blood-filled ocean emerges a monster.

Tokyo is ravaged by a force of nature beyond anything the city has ever seen.

Godzilla is here, and nothing can stop it.

“Shin Godzilla” returned to theaters in North America, this time with a full-scale release in 4K. Originally released in 2016, “Shin Godzilla” was met with mostly positive reviews from critics and audiences. Despite being well-received, the movie only had a limited release in North America.

Out of Tokyo Bay emerges Godzilla, sending the unprepared government into a frenzy to stop the creature. Facing pressure from Western governments and the giant lizard running amok in their backyard, young politician Rando Yaguchi, played by Hiroki Hasegawa, must work against his government’s doubts to save his people.

The Godzilla franchise is one of the richest and most diverse series of movies in the history of the art form.

What started as a monster movie served as a somber and beautiful allegory for nuclear bombs, has evolved into a huge blockbuster franchise where a big lizard fights a monkey, a moth, a robot doppleganger and other bigger lizards.

After the commercial success of 2014’s “Godzilla,” Toho decided to bring the franchise back to Japan for the first time since 2004.

This new Godzilla film would stand alone from the American Godzilla entries and be helmed by creators of “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” Hideki Anno and Shinji Higuchi.

In 2016, “Shin Godzilla” became one of the most unique entries in the franchise.

It begins with found footage that shows the Japanese Coast Guard discovering an abandoned yacht in Tokyo Bay. Then, with no explanation, the yacht is destroyed.

The water in Tokyo Bay begins to boil and fill with blood.

Immediately, the movie establishes its own identity, assuring you that it’s not a blockbuster action film.

This Godzilla is not a hero, as he often is in more recent iterations, but a pure force of nature. A creature that is meant to scare and entrance the audience with its grotesque beauty. Anno and Higuchi’s Godzilla is truly unlike any other put to screen.

It starts as a floppy sea creature. Shin Godzilla slithers through the streets of Tokyo, leaving a trail of its own blood.

Its eyes are milky, and its mouth never closes. The blood comes from large, open flaps of skin that appear to be gills.

Shin Godzilla evolves to stand bipedally and grows two small arms. Its gills are gone and its hide seems significantly thicker.

Finally, Shin Godzilla evolves to its final form, a grotesque take on the classic Godzilla design. It’s now a creature devoid of anything smooth or gentle. Its eyes are tiny, white pearls buried in a sea of rugged, black scales that are streaked with scarlet red undertones.

When it shoots its atomic breath, its maw extends in a hideously awesome show of Godzilla’s power.

When discussing Godzilla, it’s hard to classify exactly what he is. While he is more than a plot device, he’s rarely deep enough to be considered a character.

His look, his motivations and everything else about him are pretty inconsistent across his appearances. 

When it comes to Godzilla, it’s best to think of it in terms of a genre of character. The many Godzillas that exist are often nothing like each other, and that’s okay.

“Shin Godzilla” presents what is perhaps the most sympathetic version of the character while keeping him the antagonist.

Unlike the original, malicious monster of “Godzilla” or “Godzilla Minus One,” the creature of “Shin Godzilla” is scared and acts out of instinct. 

He’s more than a beast or a creature. Godzilla’s not a monster, he’s a force of nature. Mark Schilling’s review in the Japan Times phrases it best.

Schilling wrote, “(Shin Godzilla is) an ambulatory tsunami, earthquake and nuclear reactor, leaving radioactive contamination in his wake.”

“Shin Godzilla” also serves as a scarily accurate and biting political satire. It shows the inherent issues that lie within a government ruled by people too old and powerful to be in touch with their people.

The movie is very politically focused, centering itself entirely on Tokyo’s government.

The film’s lead, Rando Yaguchi, is a young politician who stands out amongst his coworkers.

In a sea of grey hair and faces marred by apathy, Yaguchi fights to do the right thing.

When Tokyo Bay begins boiling and turning red, Yaguchi suggests that it could be an unknown creature in the water. He’s dismissed as crazy until Godzilla emerges from the water.

Yaguchi is forced time and time again to fight against the elder establishment to save Tokyo.

Anno and Higuchi wrote an amazing allegory for the inefficient redundancy endemic to modern government structures.

Like I said earlier, the film is very politically focused. Aside from Godzilla’s gorgeous moments of destruction, the movie is about meetings of government workers and politicians.

In theory, the film should be boring, but it’s made with a genuine artistry that keeps it from falling into the doldrums of monotony.

“Shin Godzilla” is graced with stunning and inventive cinematography courtesy of Kosuke Yamada. Its score is beautifully composed and mixes original songs with classic Godzilla themes to amazing effect.

Anno and Higuchi crafted a Godzilla film that is genuinely one of the greatest in the franchise’s history. I’m glad to see it returning to theaters in America, and I hope its re-release can earn it some new fans.