How Shin Godzilla fixed the kaiju movie's weakest element

Shin Godzilla abandons the usual human-drama blueprint and makes the crisis itself the story. A mysterious creature emerges from Tokyo Bay and begins to evolve and grow, threatening to destroy the city — and the film essentially follows how the government tries to stop it.

That's literally the entire plot synopsis of a two-hour-long movie described in two sentences. Rather than frantic, melodramatic characters, the film stages dry, methodical meetings in taupe-colored rooms where officials catalogue information and debate options.

The movie even acknowledges the bureaucracy: "So much red tape. Every action requires a meeting." Cross-cutting those deliberations with Godzilla's destruction turns tedious procedure into a source of tension. The story takes an omniscient perspective, cutting to wherever vital information is found.

Japan, Tokyo Bay

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