GODZILLA: MONSTER PLANET. Netflix Serves the Legend

Godzilla is apparently immune to franchise fatigue. Even though the cinematic tale of the King of the Monsters has already spanned dozens of installments, screenwriters keep finding ways to continue the series. In the case of Godzilla: Monster Planet, we even got a major novelty. This was the first full-length animated film in the series. That’s surprising when you consider that the famous monster was born in Japan—the homeland of anime. As the saying goes, better late than never to tap into a rich domestic tradition of drawn storytelling.

However, the film almost became something much longer, which would have made it lose its pioneering character. Initially, the project was planned as an animated series, and as we know, the Godzilla franchise already includes such formats. The decision to shorten Monster Planet to a feature film was made for a very specific, and unsurprisingly, commercial reason. The box office (and artistic) success of Shin Godzilla, another remake of the 1954 original released in Japanese cinemas in 2016, convinced the creators that a shorter, theatrical format would be the right fit for the film. Meanwhile, Netflix didn’t want a repeat of 2016—when Shin Godzilla earned a fortune at the Japanese box office but was a limited release abroad, shown in only a few territories—so the company decided to handle international distribution for Monster Planet.

If you’ve always felt that the King of the Monsters’ story lacked pure science fiction elements, the plot of this new film will bring you plenty of joy—the main action takes place in a distant future. It’s a future in which humanity has ultimately lost the fight for dominance on Earth to the kaiju—giant monsters. After wandering for years through the cosmic void, humanity, seeing no other chance of survival, decides to take one last stand: return to their home planet to destroy Godzilla—the most powerful of the monsters—and restore balance to nature. But the journey of nearly twelve million light-years comes at a heavy price. When the heroes return, they find an Earth that is twenty thousand years older than the one they left behind. One of them, Haruo, has a personal score to settle with Godzilla and won’t rest until the radioactive giant is wiped from the surface of the blue planet.

The film was directed by the duo Hiroyuki Seshita and Kôbun Shizuno. Anime fans may recognize them from their earlier work on Sidonia no Kishi (which, due to its popularity, was also adapted into a film). Subscribers of Netflix may also recognize Hiroyuki Seshita’s name from Blame!, last year’s adaptation of the famous manga of the same title. Stylistically, Godzilla: Monster Planet has the most in common with Blame!. In both cases, we’re dealing with anime that, while based on traditional drawings, is ultimately enhanced with computer-generated effects. Personally, I prefer the classic “flat” animation style, but it must be said that in this case, the three-dimensional design of Godzilla works very well.

The film isn’t flawless. The characters aren’t exactly the kind you want to follow. Haruo, for instance, has as much charisma as a streetlamp—he only shines over a short distance. The dialogue is packed with clunky exposition, hammering out the more complex plot points with all the grace of an elephant. On top of that, the tone leans too heavily on pathos. So why do I still find Monster Planet to be an interesting entry in this prominent series? Because the narrative concept, which tells an old story in a new way, captures our attention. The skillfully built tension leads to another encounter with the well-known monster—but this encounter is unlike anything we’ve experienced before.

Godzilla: Monster Planet is an invitation to a fully futuristic world, one that makes room for both a cult of technology and faith in God (a thread that clearly begs for expansion). But the most captivating element is its atmosphere of nostalgia. By venturing into the future with the characters, we get to experience a longing for our home planet, which in the film has been overtaken by manifestations of our deepest fears. Even today, Earth is increasingly slipping out of our control—and that’s without the help of giant monsters. So, the film offers yet another subtle warning, continuing the long-standing tradition of the series.