3D Trigoly : Godzilla : Monster Planet
The first film of a trilogy, this Godzilla anime version makes another small bet: to type in futuristic science fiction … and it’s not too bad. At the end of the twentieth century, monsters appear everywhere on Earth and humanity has a little trouble struggling but still manages to survive. But, appears Godzilla who crushes everything in its path, humans and monsters (yes, Mr does not take sides: p). 2 humanoid extra-terrestrial civilizations (one in religious mode “we convert all the civilizations we cross”, and a rather military “we help you but in exchange we squat at home after …”) arrive to offer their help, naturally Godzilla get them fucked too. Result of the debacle: all the survivors are barred together from the Earth in search of a new planet. After 20 years of traveling a bit haphazardly, resources are running out and survivors are fewer and fewer (less than 4,000). While archival studies emit assumptions and tactics to kick Godzilla’s buttocks, he finally decided to return to Earth to try his luck. Big good hyper-space and ottoman, we arrive in orbit of the Earth … on which it has passed 20,000 years ready. So we send a big detachment (600 soldiers / engineers) who have to find the monster, analyze and check theories to finally shoot it.
The film is going well, although the beginning and a bit slow. We have a relatively powerful Godzilla, a bit clumsy but not too much. The environment of the Earth has also evolved, it is a big equatorial forest but with a fauna and a flora having a resistance equivalent to metal. The extraterrestrial civilization side is not exploited and serves only as a pretext for exile in space and to justify the technology of weapons / vessels. When the major theme of the Godzilla (nuclear all that) it goes completely to oblivion. From this point of view, this film totally lacks reflection.
Technically and aesthetically, it’s like the latest productions of Polygon Picture (Sky Crawlers, Knight of Sidonia, Blame, Ajin …): CG mixing “real CG” (vessels, Godzilla, outdoor sets) and pseudo cell-shading ( humanoids, interior decorations). The choice of “real CG” for the fauna and flora of the Earth is quite well thought, it reinforces its native side with properties close to metal. Godzilla is the big Godzilla all beautiful, the rest of the fauna is in the same style. Mechas design is more or less successful (4-legged tank, yum carriers, bipeds and speeder a little less). For the pseudo cell-shading, it is mastered and well integrated but we keep the same problem as the other productions: the chara-design.
There is something about the faces that I can not describe that gives a particular aspect, aspect that is not arranged by the fact that all the characters are in combinations having helmets in the form of XD jar. Rest for the whole the same defect as KoS or Blame: colorimetry … we oscillate between the pale and the gray and everything with a greenish filter … it’s a lack of color … Good OK, it contributes to the atmosphere a bit gloomy of the movie but hey … In the end a film that looks carefree, a good entertainment for which we can however blame the lack of depth and thematic ambition (nuclear all that …) traditional Godzilla.