Godzilla: Monster Warrior (Gojira: Kaiju Senshi) is a 2022 kaiju film. Directed, produced and written by Takashi Miike it is the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise and the 33rd Japanese film.
The film stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Kento Yamazaki, Mikie Hara, Nao Omori and Scott Foley. In the film a second Godzilla emerges but shows no sign of causing harm. Meanwhile 3 more monsters awake. The film was a critical and commercial success grossing 129 billion yen against a budget of 111 billion yen. The film was followed by 2 sequels.
Plot[]
In 1954, a giant monster mutated by nuclear testing called Godzilla attacks Tokyo but is killed by the Oxygen Destroyer. In 2022 several sightings of various kaiju are seen. Worried that one of them might be another Godzilla, Shinji Nakamura and Hiro Yamazaki are sent to Aokigahara Forest to discover. They meet priestess Kei Nishikawa of the Bankai village. Suddenly Baragon emerges. Kei reveals that Baragon is a monster who was awakened in 1965 and was put to sleep by the villagers. Meanwhile Ren Mazaki meets American mythologist James Hawking who gives him a book titled "The Monsters and Gods". The book features Godzilla, Baragon and Manda, the guardian of the sunken continent Mu and Anguirus, the guardian of North American tribes. A second Godzilla emerges in Osaka where he simply walks until a bomber attacks his dorsal plate causing him to shoot his atomic breath destroying the bunker and leaves. Ren reads in the book that a reptile dubbed Hachuruira attacked them. Godzilla was able to seal it in Mount Fuji. In Tokyo the Japanese Prime Minister announces that all kaiju must be destroyed. Suddenly Hachuruira emerges and destroys the Tokyo Tower and National Diet Building but the PM escapes via helicopter. Manda then awakens in Mu and swims to Yokohama before leaving. Anguirus then awakens in Hokkaido where he also leaves. Kei then awakens Baragon and she, Shinji and Hiro follow him on a plane where Ren reads that the battle between Hachuruira happened in Fukushima. Manda, Anguirus, Baragon and Hachuruira arrive. The large reptile gains the upper hand knocking Baragon's horn off. Godzilla then arrives and fights Hachuruira taking the fight to the sea. Shinj and Hiro and Ren and James enter submarines Phoenix 1 and Phoenix 2 hit both monsters with their Maser Bombs knocking the younger Godzilla. Hachuruira emerges but is knocked by Baragon's heat ray and is tied by Manda who constructs himself across the reptile while Anguirus repeatedly attacks him. Godzilla is revived after hearing the 1954 incarnations roars and finishes the monster off while acknowledging the others before leaving. The PM declares the monsters allies while James states that the Godzilla is still young and has a lot to learn.
Crew[]
- Directed by: Takashi Miike
- Written by: Takashi Miike
- Produced by: Takashi Miike
- Director of Photography: Hideo Yamamoto
- Music by: Takayuki Hattori
- Production Company: Toho Pictures
- Distributed by: Toho (Japan) and Funmation (worldwide)
Cast[]
- Hiroyuki Sanada as Shinji Nakamura
- Kento Yamazaki as Hiro Yamazaki
- Mikie Hara as Kei Nishikawa
- Nao Omari as Ren Mazaki
- Scott Foley as James Hawking
- Kenpachiro Satsuma as Prime Minister of Japan. Satsuma was the suit actor of Godzilla for the Heisei series.
Production[]
After the Godzilla anime trilogy, Toho planned for a new live action film. They hired Takashi Miike who wrote two scripts. One had Godzilla return to his villainous ways only to be killed after the maser cannon increased his energy causing him to blow up and the other script was the one Toho approved and became the film. Miike hired several people who he had worked before. Shooting started in December 23rd 2021 and wrapped up on June 30th 2023.
Reception[]
Box office[]
The film grossed 129 billion yen on a 111 billion budget.
Critical reception[]
Godzilla: Monster Warrior received positive reviews. In Rotten Tomatoes it has a score of 81% based on 222 reviews. On Metacritic it received the score of 80 out of 100 indicating generally favourable reviews.
Sequels[]
The film gained two sequels titled Godzilla: Rise Of King Ghidorah and Godzilla: Monster War.
Trivia[]
- The suit was dubbed 22Goji or TakaGoji
- This is the first incarnation of Godzilla to be portrayed by CGI in a Japanese Godzilla movie.
- This is not the first CGI Japanese Godzilla. It first appeared in 2007 Always: Sunset on Third Street 2.
- Miike said that Godzilla was stuck in ice which is why he is young.
- Millie Bobby Brown cameos in one scene. She plays Madison Russel in the MonsterVerse.