Saw the movie this morning. Full plot summary below. Full disclosure: My Japanese is upper-intermediate. I'd say I got about 90 percent of the movie, though I definitely couldn't always follow along word-for-word and will note any potential gaps where they're relevant. I'm fairly confident in anything posted below, but please don't take this as the word of god if there are mistakes here and there. I only offer this as it seems no one has offered one in the meantime, and I'm not sure how many English-speaking kaiju fans are currently in Japan with the language ability to do a write-up.
Overall reactions: I really enjoyed this! Much like the last one, it's not a movie I'd recommend to those who aren't interested in the genre, so it's not transcendent. But as an entry within the genre, it nails just about everything I'd like it to. Elements from the series' more colorful sci-fi history are cleverly remixed, the interconnecting and often conflicting motivations of the cast members are engaging, there's enough real-world weight to back up the spectacle (even if it doesn't embody the hyper-contemporary, urgent politics of the series' best), and I felt genuine tension during its climax. My heart was racing. It's about all you can ask for, and my impression coming off of both entries so far is that this is the kind of project many of the Millenium films and, say, IDW comics, so badly wanted to be: a distinct and interesting new story spun out of old elements and set in a self-contained world.
Onto the summary. Spoilers abound:
Spoiler:
Haruo wakes following the events of the last film in a small hut at the bottom of a cliff. He's covered in a mysterious powder. He isn't sure where he is, but recognizes signs of humans in the room—jars and pots. He's also surprised to find himself able to breathe without his suit. Figuring he isn't in heaven or hell, he decides to step outside, where he briefly encounters a humanoid girl, who backs away in fright, quickly bolting up a cliff-side ladder. Haruo, now suited up, decides to follow.
Haruo tracks the girl through the forest while failing to establish contact with either Central Command or any of his teammates, and he wonders if they're okay. Central Command, meanwhile, has received footage of the larger Godzilla and, noting its identical form (genetics?) despite the size difference, conclude it's the original Godzilla after 20,000 years' growth. Worse yet, after analyzing its previous attack, they conclude its beam is capable of reaching and destroying their ship, should they be noticed, although the possibility is low.
Haruo nearly steps into a monster-filled lake but is warned telepathically by the girl he's been following. He thanks her and introduces himself, and she's able to mimic his name. Hearing noise, she soon runs away.
A group of other survivors, including Yuuko, who managed to make brief contact with Haruo, are being engaged by anther humanoid. This second girl, identical to the first, dodges their fire with superhuman reflexes and tossing spears at the group. Haruo arrives, along with the other girl (the group initially thinks it's the same person who attacked them, though viewers will pick up on the fact that there are two—the Mothra twins of this universe), and after a brief standoff, the group, ammo depleted, is surrounded by other humans and surrender.
The new group of humans lead the main characters into a series of caves that house their civilization—their culture is quite advanced, showing signs of a written language and social structure. The group is lead into a holding cell, where they meet up with another set of survivors. Hashing over what they're going to do next, they wonder if they're going to be killed. They note that their cell has rows of skulls lining its walls (whether the dead of the civilization or their victims is uncertain). Haruo states that he was saved by one of the girls, and if they were going to kill them, surely they wouldn't have gone through the trouble of bringing the group this far. Yuuko says she hopes that's true. Meanwhile, an argument breaks out over whether they intend to engage Godzilla again, with Haruo steadfast in his belief that they can win with the knowledge they gained from defeating the first. During these scenes, they also discuss the origins of this new group of humans, supposing them to have evolved from the remnants of humanity millennia ago. There may be a bit of nuance to this discussion I missed.
The group is eventually brought into a ceremonial room where the girls reveal themselves to be twins. Channeling everyone's thoughts together telepathically, they demand to know why the main characters have been attacking the planet. Haruo again makes the case that they can kill Godzilla. The girls and the elders of their civilization aren't sure. During this scene, reference is also made to their god, whose current life-cycle has left them with only an egg.
The group is left free to go, though only after further arguments about whether they should attempt to kill Godzilla again or remain in this culture. Points are brought up about how the monsters seemed to have wiped the natural slate clean. In this area, flowers resembling what the main characters know are again beginning to grow, and the atmosphere is breathable.
The twins ask to go with the group, and are allowed to. After the group notes that it's inconvenient for the girls not to have names, they offer up Miana and Maina. Haruo singles out Miana (I think) as the one who saved them. Belu-be (Galu-gu?) wonders how Haruo can tell them apart, and Haruo offers that he just gets a certain feeling from them. Belu-be (?) is flummoxed over the way humans think with their emotions.
The group is attacked by creatures after Yuuko wanders toward the lake Haruo almost stepped into earlier. During combat, one of the twins fires arrows that instantly kill the creatures, catching Belu-be and Galu-gu's interest. The twins call the arrows "poison." Somewhere around this time, the group meets up with Metphies and further survivors.
After the attack, Belu-be and Galu-gu are filled with renewed confidence. As the others recover, they go off in search of something. They get the Earth humans to reveal that the source of their weapons is a chunk of nanometal—remnants of the uncompleted Bilusaludo superweapon, Mechagodzilla. If they can trace the metal back to its source, they can defeat Godzilla.
A ship arrives, sent by Central Command, to pick up the survivors around this time and retreat from the Earth. Three of the most disillusioned return, but Haruo, bolstered by Belu-be and Galu-gu's discovery, convinces most to stay.
The group eventually heads to the original Mechagodzilla research site. Monsters attack them once again, but are killed instantly and coated with nanometal by the area's defenses. The group is shocked by what they find—a sprawling city. The nanometal has copied and rebuilt the original factory, and (I believe) is continuing to spread. The twins once again comment that the city is "poison," and depart with other members of their tribe. The group cautiously head into the city, and Galu-gu assures them that it's safe to remove their helmets. The nanometal will only infect the beasts, acting out its original orders to target Godzilla's DNA.
Still feeling uneasy, the rest of the group follow the newly confident Belu-be and Galu-gu into the catacombs of the city, discovering a nanometalized body along the way. The group is horrified, but are assured once again by the Bilusaludo-ians that this won't happen to the living. In the center of the facility, they find the remnants of the Mechagodzilla project and, activating them, the nanometal assembles new control terminals in the room and restores the city's power. From here on out, the group makes Mechagodzilla City its base of operations (named for the nanometal that assembled it having come from the original Mechagodzilla).
The team spends the next few days devising a plan to lure Godzilla to a trap point, coat him with nanometal near the perimeter of the city, and plunge two harpoons into his dorsal fins to overload his energy, similar to the previous Godzilla. The nanometal will assemble the harpoons, along with three new aerial mechs called Vultures, based on scans of the team's walking mechs.
During the down time, Haruo begins to have doubts about their mission, after conversing with others about the possibility that Godzilla and the other monsters were part of a natural cycle, and that it may be humanity's fault for both strengthening them and bringing them in. The threat of the nanometal, perhaps the survivors' best shot at restoring previous human technology, as a spreading disease also weighs heavy. The group is unsure of the plan, and many members feel uneasy about trusting in, and living around, the nanometal.
During this time a few interesting conversations take place: Yuuko, chosen as one of the Vulture pilots, is struck by the beauty of the city. Walking with Haruo at night, and noting his unease, she asks if walking through cities like this is the kind of thing humans used to do. Haruo says yes, though he doesn't remember well. Yuuko reveals that taking back the Earth isn't all that important to her. She simply wishes to follow Haruo. Living aboard the ship, the previous Earth society was mostly just stories she was told by her grandfather. But seeing Haruo's passion and drive—lacking within most in the remaining society—she resolved to follow and help him. She pulls him in for a kiss.
Meanwhile, Metphies questions the Bilusaludo's intentions again—surely they would have conquered Earth had they succeeded against Godzilla back then. It doesn't matter now, since they have to defeat Godzilla together. Metphies hands Galu-gu a circular emblem, and asks if the nanometal can repair it.
In space, the Exif leader holds a prayer in which he references waiting for the day their god descends into the world.
In a cave, Metphies has the nanometal at work on "fixing" his emblem, though he doesn't divulge what exactly it is. He has a private conversation with Haruo, who is still racked with doubt. Metphies tells Haruo that the Bilusaludo and their nanometal may not be so different from the kaiju, both seeking to reshape the Earth. Haruo asks Metphies to confirm that his civilization was destroyed by kaiju as well, and Metphies says it was; all they have left are their words. He offers to share one of their sacred words with Haruo. He whispers something in his ear, but we don't hear what it is.
Godzilla awakens and begins his trek toward the city, having sensed its activation. The group is horrified when they see a Bilusaludo-ian absorbed by the nanometal in the city, and think the technology is running wild. Galu-gu and Belu-be assure them that it's not running wild. That Bilusaludo-ian had willingly shed his flesh to become part of the city's intelligence. They view this as an ideal outcome. The group is horrified. The Bilusaludo-ians reveal that they dream of recreating a world that runs on logic, without feeling; bodies are hindersome. Now with more reason to fear the spread of the nanometal, the group seems at odds, but are at least temporarily united after a Yuuko speaks on behalf of the Bilusaludo-ians. Regardless of any differences, they all need to work together to rid the Earth of Godzilla.
Godzilla approaches the city and Haruo, Yuuko and Belu-be pilot Vultures to lure him in. The harpoons are still being completed, requiring about 30 more minutes. They manage to lure Godzilla into a trap and coat him with nanometal. During the battle, the twins, communicating with the pilots telepathically, manage to help them dodge Godzilla's beam a few times.
The group manage to successfully lure Godzilla into position to be pierced by the newly-completed harpoons. His energy begins to flow back into him, creating an intense and growing heat.
However, unlike the previous Godzilla, rather than exploding, the heat continues to build. Conditions in the city and in the mechs become unbearable. With one more strike, Belu-be and Galu-gu figure they can kill Godzilla. The nanometal goes haywire in the heat (I believe; not sure on this point whether this was an intentional move on the part of the Bilusaludo-ians or not; Galu-gu allows himself to be coated in nanometal and connected to the intelligence of the base intentionally at this point at the very least). Most survivors scramble out of the city. Inside the mechs, the nanometal begins coating Belu-be, Yuuko and Haruo, much to the latter two's horror. Belu-be tells them it’ll only hurt at first.
Something I'm unclear on happens around this point; Haruo isn't fully affected by the nanometal and is able to brush it off. He briefly converses with Metphies about this telepathically; I'm unsure if his exposure to Metphies' artifact had something to do with it, or if another reason is teased. Someone else may be able to offer more insight on this after they see it.
At any rate, Yuuko is dying, and Haruo manages to catch her mech with his. Belu-be is suggesting a potentially suicidal attack on Godzilla while they have the chance. Metphies communicates to Haruo that if kills Godzilla now, the nanometal will spread unchecked. If he destroys its epicenter, the Mechagodzilla chamber to which Galu-gu has merged, he can stop it, but lose his chance to defeat Godzilla.
Belu-be and Galu-gu plead with Haruo to help them defeat Godzilla now, but Haruo ultimately opens fire on the Mechagodzilla chamber, killing Galu-gu and allowing Godzilla to move again. Belu-be dies, his consciousness having become connected to the nanometal, and Godzilla smashes his mech into a building. Godzilla then demolishes the rest of Mechagodzilla City with his breath.
Haruo manages to crash-land his and Yuuko's mechs on a cliffside. He pulls Yuuko out of her cockpit, but it's too late. The heat and the nanometal have killed her.
-Credits-
After the credits, we're treated to a flashback scene to Metphies and Haruo in the cave. Metphies states that the Exif have a word for a destructive force which even Godzilla doesn't compare to. We finally get to hear the word he whispered to Haruo earlier: "Ghidorah."
The pattern on Metphies' emblem forms the logo for the next film, from which three golden rows of scales emerge. The next film is called 星を喰う者: Planet Eater.
Haruo tracks the girl through the forest while failing to establish contact with either Central Command or any of his teammates, and he wonders if they're okay. Central Command, meanwhile, has received footage of the larger Godzilla and, noting its identical form (genetics?) despite the size difference, conclude it's the original Godzilla after 20,000 years' growth. Worse yet, after analyzing its previous attack, they conclude its beam is capable of reaching and destroying their ship, should they be noticed, although the possibility is low.
Haruo nearly steps into a monster-filled lake but is warned telepathically by the girl he's been following. He thanks her and introduces himself, and she's able to mimic his name. Hearing noise, she soon runs away.
A group of other survivors, including Yuuko, who managed to make brief contact with Haruo, are being engaged by anther humanoid. This second girl, identical to the first, dodges their fire with superhuman reflexes and tossing spears at the group. Haruo arrives, along with the other girl (the group initially thinks it's the same person who attacked them, though viewers will pick up on the fact that there are two—the Mothra twins of this universe), and after a brief standoff, the group, ammo depleted, is surrounded by other humans and surrender.
The new group of humans lead the main characters into a series of caves that house their civilization—their culture is quite advanced, showing signs of a written language and social structure. The group is lead into a holding cell, where they meet up with another set of survivors. Hashing over what they're going to do next, they wonder if they're going to be killed. They note that their cell has rows of skulls lining its walls (whether the dead of the civilization or their victims is uncertain). Haruo states that he was saved by one of the girls, and if they were going to kill them, surely they wouldn't have gone through the trouble of bringing the group this far. Yuuko says she hopes that's true. Meanwhile, an argument breaks out over whether they intend to engage Godzilla again, with Haruo steadfast in his belief that they can win with the knowledge they gained from defeating the first. During these scenes, they also discuss the origins of this new group of humans, supposing them to have evolved from the remnants of humanity millennia ago. There may be a bit of nuance to this discussion I missed.
The group is eventually brought into a ceremonial room where the girls reveal themselves to be twins. Channeling everyone's thoughts together telepathically, they demand to know why the main characters have been attacking the planet. Haruo again makes the case that they can kill Godzilla. The girls and the elders of their civilization aren't sure. During this scene, reference is also made to their god, whose current life-cycle has left them with only an egg.
The group is left free to go, though only after further arguments about whether they should attempt to kill Godzilla again or remain in this culture. Points are brought up about how the monsters seemed to have wiped the natural slate clean. In this area, flowers resembling what the main characters know are again beginning to grow, and the atmosphere is breathable.
The twins ask to go with the group, and are allowed to. After the group notes that it's inconvenient for the girls not to have names, they offer up Miana and Maina. Haruo singles out Miana (I think) as the one who saved them. Belu-be (Galu-gu?) wonders how Haruo can tell them apart, and Haruo offers that he just gets a certain feeling from them. Belu-be (?) is flummoxed over the way humans think with their emotions.
The group is attacked by creatures after Yuuko wanders toward the lake Haruo almost stepped into earlier. During combat, one of the twins fires arrows that instantly kill the creatures, catching Belu-be and Galu-gu's interest. The twins call the arrows "poison." Somewhere around this time, the group meets up with Metphies and further survivors.
After the attack, Belu-be and Galu-gu are filled with renewed confidence. As the others recover, they go off in search of something. They get the Earth humans to reveal that the source of their weapons is a chunk of nanometal—remnants of the uncompleted Bilusaludo superweapon, Mechagodzilla. If they can trace the metal back to its source, they can defeat Godzilla.
A ship arrives, sent by Central Command, to pick up the survivors around this time and retreat from the Earth. Three of the most disillusioned return, but Haruo, bolstered by Belu-be and Galu-gu's discovery, convinces most to stay.
The group eventually heads to the original Mechagodzilla research site. Monsters attack them once again, but are killed instantly and coated with nanometal by the area's defenses. The group is shocked by what they find—a sprawling city. The nanometal has copied and rebuilt the original factory, and (I believe) is continuing to spread. The twins once again comment that the city is "poison," and depart with other members of their tribe. The group cautiously head into the city, and Galu-gu assures them that it's safe to remove their helmets. The nanometal will only infect the beasts, acting out its original orders to target Godzilla's DNA.
Still feeling uneasy, the rest of the group follow the newly confident Belu-be and Galu-gu into the catacombs of the city, discovering a nanometalized body along the way. The group is horrified, but are assured once again by the Bilusaludo-ians that this won't happen to the living. In the center of the facility, they find the remnants of the Mechagodzilla project and, activating them, the nanometal assembles new control terminals in the room and restores the city's power. From here on out, the group makes Mechagodzilla City its base of operations (named for the nanometal that assembled it having come from the original Mechagodzilla).
The team spends the next few days devising a plan to lure Godzilla to a trap point, coat him with nanometal near the perimeter of the city, and plunge two harpoons into his dorsal fins to overload his energy, similar to the previous Godzilla. The nanometal will assemble the harpoons, along with three new aerial mechs called Vultures, based on scans of the team's walking mechs.
During the down time, Haruo begins to have doubts about their mission, after conversing with others about the possibility that Godzilla and the other monsters were part of a natural cycle, and that it may be humanity's fault for both strengthening them and bringing them in. The threat of the nanometal, perhaps the survivors' best shot at restoring previous human technology, as a spreading disease also weighs heavy. The group is unsure of the plan, and many members feel uneasy about trusting in, and living around, the nanometal.
During this time a few interesting conversations take place: Yuuko, chosen as one of the Vulture pilots, is struck by the beauty of the city. Walking with Haruo at night, and noting his unease, she asks if walking through cities like this is the kind of thing humans used to do. Haruo says yes, though he doesn't remember well. Yuuko reveals that taking back the Earth isn't all that important to her. She simply wishes to follow Haruo. Living aboard the ship, the previous Earth society was mostly just stories she was told by her grandfather. But seeing Haruo's passion and drive—lacking within most in the remaining society—she resolved to follow and help him. She pulls him in for a kiss.
Meanwhile, Metphies questions the Bilusaludo's intentions again—surely they would have conquered Earth had they succeeded against Godzilla back then. It doesn't matter now, since they have to defeat Godzilla together. Metphies hands Galu-gu a circular emblem, and asks if the nanometal can repair it.
In space, the Exif leader holds a prayer in which he references waiting for the day their god descends into the world.
In a cave, Metphies has the nanometal at work on "fixing" his emblem, though he doesn't divulge what exactly it is. He has a private conversation with Haruo, who is still racked with doubt. Metphies tells Haruo that the Bilusaludo and their nanometal may not be so different from the kaiju, both seeking to reshape the Earth. Haruo asks Metphies to confirm that his civilization was destroyed by kaiju as well, and Metphies says it was; all they have left are their words. He offers to share one of their sacred words with Haruo. He whispers something in his ear, but we don't hear what it is.
Godzilla awakens and begins his trek toward the city, having sensed its activation. The group is horrified when they see a Bilusaludo-ian absorbed by the nanometal in the city, and think the technology is running wild. Galu-gu and Belu-be assure them that it's not running wild. That Bilusaludo-ian had willingly shed his flesh to become part of the city's intelligence. They view this as an ideal outcome. The group is horrified. The Bilusaludo-ians reveal that they dream of recreating a world that runs on logic, without feeling; bodies are hindersome. Now with more reason to fear the spread of the nanometal, the group seems at odds, but are at least temporarily united after a Yuuko speaks on behalf of the Bilusaludo-ians. Regardless of any differences, they all need to work together to rid the Earth of Godzilla.
Godzilla approaches the city and Haruo, Yuuko and Belu-be pilot Vultures to lure him in. The harpoons are still being completed, requiring about 30 more minutes. They manage to lure Godzilla into a trap and coat him with nanometal. During the battle, the twins, communicating with the pilots telepathically, manage to help them dodge Godzilla's beam a few times.
The group manage to successfully lure Godzilla into position to be pierced by the newly-completed harpoons. His energy begins to flow back into him, creating an intense and growing heat.
However, unlike the previous Godzilla, rather than exploding, the heat continues to build. Conditions in the city and in the mechs become unbearable. With one more strike, Belu-be and Galu-gu figure they can kill Godzilla. The nanometal goes haywire in the heat (I believe; not sure on this point whether this was an intentional move on the part of the Bilusaludo-ians or not; Galu-gu allows himself to be coated in nanometal and connected to the intelligence of the base intentionally at this point at the very least). Most survivors scramble out of the city. Inside the mechs, the nanometal begins coating Belu-be, Yuuko and Haruo, much to the latter two's horror. Belu-be tells them it’ll only hurt at first.
Something I'm unclear on happens around this point; Haruo isn't fully affected by the nanometal and is able to brush it off. He briefly converses with Metphies about this telepathically; I'm unsure if his exposure to Metphies' artifact had something to do with it, or if another reason is teased. Someone else may be able to offer more insight on this after they see it.
At any rate, Yuuko is dying, and Haruo manages to catch her mech with his. Belu-be is suggesting a potentially suicidal attack on Godzilla while they have the chance. Metphies communicates to Haruo that if kills Godzilla now, the nanometal will spread unchecked. If he destroys its epicenter, the Mechagodzilla chamber to which Galu-gu has merged, he can stop it, but lose his chance to defeat Godzilla.
Belu-be and Galu-gu plead with Haruo to help them defeat Godzilla now, but Haruo ultimately opens fire on the Mechagodzilla chamber, killing Galu-gu and allowing Godzilla to move again. Belu-be dies, his consciousness having become connected to the nanometal, and Godzilla smashes his mech into a building. Godzilla then demolishes the rest of Mechagodzilla City with his breath.
Haruo manages to crash-land his and Yuuko's mechs on a cliffside. He pulls Yuuko out of her cockpit, but it's too late. The heat and the nanometal have killed her.
-Credits-
After the credits, we're treated to a flashback scene to Metphies and Haruo in the cave. Metphies states that the Exif have a word for a destructive force which even Godzilla doesn't compare to. We finally get to hear the word he whispered to Haruo earlier: "Ghidorah."
The pattern on Metphies' emblem forms the logo for the next film, from which three golden rows of scales emerge. The next film is called 星を喰う者: Planet Eater.
Spoiler:
Yuuko's death is quite telegraphed to provoke more guilt in Haruo with his Ahab complex, after her revealing she has no particular interest in Earth, but it works well enough. The characters feel fleshed out. And that Ahab dressing (a harpoon, even!) is both present enough and light enough to provide a fun extra layer. Like the previous film, this all pulls from sci-fi and genre conventions, but it's executed an interesting and tense way here. Looking forward to the next one. These aren't amazing, genre-transcending movies, but they're certainly enjoyable and interesting entries. I expect Mothra in the next film, given continuous references to its egg, and that Metphies will summon Ghidorah using his newly restored emblem/talisman, given earlier references to awaiting a god descending from the heavens (降臨).
Spoiler:
Apparently the nanometal coating Haruo, Yuuko and Belu-be is intentional on Galu-gu's part, attempting to have them be able to survive the heat in order to land the killing blow on Godzilla. The reason for Haruo's immunity is not explained.
This poster also comments that Metphies comes right out and says Ghidorah is their god. I was specifically listening for that and came away thinking he was more oblique about it, but it's completely possible I didn't catch it. Either way, it's no stretch given all the ways the movie goes out of its way to imply it. Double-checking.
This poster also comments that Metphies comes right out and says Ghidorah is their god. I was specifically listening for that and came away thinking he was more oblique about it, but it's completely possible I didn't catch it. Either way, it's no stretch given all the ways the movie goes out of its way to imply it. Double-checking.
