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Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters

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This article is about 2017 film. For 1994 short film, see Monster Planet of Godzilla.

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters
Theatrical release poster
Japanese name
Kanjiゴジラ怪獣惑星
Transcriptions
Revised HepburnGojira: Kaijū Wakusei
Screenplay byGen Urobuchi
Story byGen Urobuchi[a]
Produced byTakashi Yoshizawa
Starring
CinematographyKousuke Kawamura[b]
Edited byAya Hida
Music byTakayuki Hattori
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • November 17, 2017 (2017-11-17) (Japan)
Running time
88 minutes[2]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office$3 million (worldwide)

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters[1] (ゴジラ怪獣惑星, Gojira: Kaijū Wakusei)[d] is a 2017 Japanese computer-animated kaiju film directed by Kōbun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita, written by Gen Urobuchi, and produced by Toho Animation and Polygon Pictures, in association with Netflix. It is the 32nd film in the Godzilla franchise, the 30th Godzilla film produced by Toho, the first animated film in the franchise, and the second film in the franchise's Reiwa era.[e]

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters follows a group of human refugees who attempt to recolonize Earth 20,000 years after the planet was taken over by Godzilla. The film was released theatrically in Japan on November 17, 2017, and was released worldwide on Netflix on January 17, 2018. It was followed by two sequels, Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle and Godzilla: The Planet Eater, both of which were released in 2018.

Setting

In the last summer of the 20th century, giant monsters began plaguing Earth and humanity is driven to near extinction by one monster which eliminated the others: Godzilla. Two alien races with ulterior motives, the religious Exif (エクシフ, Ekushifu) and the technologically advanced Bilusaludo (ビルサルド, Birusarudo), came to Earth and offered their assistance against Godzilla. After the Bilusaludo's gambit with Mechagodzilla failed before it could be activated, both the aliens and humanity were forced to abandon Earth and emigrate to the exoplanet Tau Ceti e via the spaceship Aratrum (アラトラム号, Aratoramu-gō), while a second interstellar ark, the Oratio (オラティオ号, Oratio-gō), was sent to Kepler-452b, but disappeared under mysterious circumstances.[8] 20 years later, Aratrum is 11.9 light years from Earth and contains the remaining humans accompanied by Exif and Bilusaludo refugees.

Plot

Captain Haruo Sakaki bears a seething hatred towards Godzilla, which killed his parents during the exodus from Earth. He believes the planet selected for colonization, Tau-e, is uninhabitable and tries to force the ship's committee to rescind the order to send the elderly, including his grandfather, to scout the planet. Haruo is arrested and then witnesses the exploratory shuttle explode while entering the planet's atmosphere. He then anonymously publishes a classified essay on Godzilla's weak points provided by the Exif priest named Metphies. This sways public opinion among the population forcing the central committee into returning to Earth after deciding that they are unlikely to find another habitable world.

The Aratrum arrives in Earth orbit and sends reconnaissance drones to scout the surface which reveal that Godzilla is still alive. Metphies arranges Haruo's bail and he explains to the committee that Godzilla has a vulnerability. It is an electromagnetic pulse-producing organ in its body which generates an asymmetrical permeable shield making it impervious to all damage except for a short period when the organ recycles. Haruo proposes using that window to crack the shield organ and quickly implant an EMP probe into Godzilla to cause an implosion from the resulting energy buildup. He stresses that close quarters combat would be needed for accurately coordinated attacks in order to find the organ and requests a force of 600 people to implement the plan.

When Haruo and the two battalions reach Earth's surface, they learn that almost 20,000 years have elapsed due to relativistic effects. Also, Godzilla's presence on the planet has radically altered Earth's biosphere. They suffer losses and damage to their landing ships by flying creatures called Servums. The remaining troops mobilize and soon encounter Godzilla. Haruo proceeds with the original plan on his own and attacks Godzilla before Leland intervenes and provoke Godzilla, his death allowing the others to learn Godzilla's weak point is its dorsal fins. Command falls to Metphies, who promotes Haruo to commander as the human convinces the remaining survivors to continue with the plan and defeat Godzilla.

The group manage to trap Godzilla within a collapsed mountain pass, where they succeed in killing the monster. However, it appears to only be an offspring and the original Godzilla, which has grown to 300m in height, emerges from beneath a nearby mountain and destroys most of the remaining crew. Trapped beneath rubble, Haruo watches Godzilla leave while vowing to kill it before losing consciousness.

In a post-credits scene, Haruo wakes up in a secluded area and sees an indigenous girl standing next to him.

Voice cast

Characters Japanese[9][10] English[3]
Haruo Sakaki (ハルオ・サカキ) Mamoru Miyano (adult),

Aya Suzaki (child)[11]

Chris Niosi (adult),

Rachelle Heger (child)

Metphies (メトフィエス, Metofiesu) Takahiro Sakurai Lucien Dodge
Martin Lazzari (マーティン・ラッザリ, Mātin Razzari) Tomokazu Sugita Edward Bosco
Mulu Elu Galu Gu (ムルエル・ガルグ, Murueru Garugu) Junichi Suwabe Jamieson Price
Rilu-Elu Belu-be (リルエル・ベルベ, Rilueru Berube) Kenta Miyake Rich Brown
Yuko Tani (ユウコ・タニ, Yūko Tani) Kana Hanazawa Cristina Vee
Adam Bindewald (アダム・ビンデバルト, Adamu Bindebarudo) Yūki Kaji Robbie Daymond
Eliott Leland (エリオット・リーランド, Eriotto Rīrando) Daisuke Ono Ray Chase
Unberto Mori (ウンベルト・モーリ, Unberuto Mōri) Kenyu Horiuchi Keith Silverstein
Halu-Elu Dolu-do (ハルエル・ドルド, Harueru Dorudo) Kazuya Nakai Doug Stone
Endurphe (エンダルフ, Endarufu) Kazuhiro Yamaji Joe Ochman

Production

In August 2016, Toho announced that an animated Godzilla film was being developed, targeted for a 2017 release. Gen Urobuchi was announced as the writer, Kobun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita as the directors, and Polygon Pictures was announced as the studio that would animate the film.[12][13] In January 2017, Urobuchi announced the main cast on his Twitter account.[9] In March 2017, Toho announced that the film would be the first film in a new trilogy.[14]

About the production, co-director Shizuno stated, "From the start, we had the blessing of Toho to not be constrained by previous entries in the franchise, and with the freedom of imagination offered by animation I feel we have come up with a cool new form for Godzilla."[1] On Godzilla's new design, co-director Seshita stated, "With his masses of muscle fibers and unique body tissue to support his enormous bulk, this is an extraordinarily rugged-looking physique. It was an overwhelming presence that reverberated through the whole project, like a fearsome deity that even we who created it must prostrate ourselves before. That is our Godzilla."[1] The English dub was produced by Post Haste Digital.[3]

Music

Takayuki Hattori composed the film's soundtrack, marking it his third Godzilla film score. XAI performed the film's theme White Out.[15]

Marketing

A stage event for the film was held at AnimeJapan 2017 on March 26, 2017.[9] That same month, a teaser poster revealed that the film will be released theatrically in Japan on November 17, 2017.[16] The film's directors attended the Annecy International Animation Film Festival to reveal more details regarding the film.[17] In June 2017, a new poster detailing Godzilla's design was revealed with the tagline "Despair Evolves".[18] In August 2017, a new trailer and poster were released with the tagline "Who will go extinct — humans, or Godzilla?"[19] In September, Toho announced a collaborated with Sanrio to promote the film, using Hello Kitty to help promote the film.[20][21][22][23][24]

Release

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters was given a theatrical release in Japan on November 17, 2017. In March 2017, it was announced that the film will be streamed in 190 countries via Netflix following the film's Japanese theatrical release. Greg Peters, President of Netflix Japan stated, "Working with the best creators such as Toho in bringing Godzilla to Netflix users in over 190 countries marks a major milestone for us".[25][26] In January 2018, Netflix announced that the film will be released worldwide on their platform on January 17, 2018.[27]

Box office

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters reached #3 at the Japanese box office on its opening weekend, earning ¥103 million from 71,200 admissions within two days.[28] By its third weekend, it had grossed ¥342,349,800 ($3,052,062).[29] Upon its Chinese release in 2018, the film grossed CN¥1.62 million ($251,163) at the Chinese box office,[30] bringing the film's total box office gross to $3.3 million in East Asia.

Critical reception

Brian Ashcraft of the Kotaku website felt that the characters "aren’t all that interesting" but did state that the "anime version of Godzilla is surprisingly effective and frightening" and that despite his complaints, the "overall experience was good" and "It’s not a perfect picture, but it was a powerful proof of concept: Godzilla works as an anime."[31] Matt Schley from The Japan Times praised the film's CG animation, stating, "even skeptics will admit the 3-D version of the king of the monsters looks pretty darn cool" but felt the film wasn't "nearly as thematically ambitious as its predecessor" and concluded by stating, "But still, with its impressive 3-D animation and action sequences, 'Planet of the Monsters' has the makings of something interesting."[32] Callum May from Anime News Network gave the film an overall B+ rating, calling the film "not for the uninitiated". May criticized the character of Haruo as being "grating", as the film didn't allow audiences to connect with other characters but praised the animation, call it Polygon's "best-looking CG title yet" and concluded that the film "is a thrilling film that lives up to the reputation of the franchise and delivers on its science fiction premise".[33]

Mike Cecchini from Den of Geek felt the film was "beautifully animated" but criticized the characters, feeling they weren't sympathetic or well-developed. He also felt the technological dialogue felt more like it came from a video game but concluded by stating, "But Planet of the Monsters is just so damn gorgeous to look at, and such a complete departure from what you usually expect from this world, that you should just take it all in and enjoy the surprises."[34] Patrick Galvan from Syfy Wired called the film "dull", criticizing the lack of human drama, the poorly developed world-building, and the writing, stating, "the writing is sadly not strong enough to even work on its own terms." He concluded by stating, "With a more polished script, Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters might've been something of a modern classic. As is, it's a largely dull, impersonal product with only a few bursts of genuine interest to its name."[35]

Jonathan Barkan from Dread Central gave the film 2 stars out of 5, feeling that the film has "great potential" but is "bland". He criticized the characters as being "forgettable", the film's was lack of exploring its "imaginative opportunities", called the animation's color scheme "flat and uninteresting" and felt some of the action scenes were too shaky. He concluded by stating, "Suffice it to say that it definitely has me interested in the second and third films but I really hope that this new world will be explored further in those entries. Otherwise, we’ve got a fascinating foundation that will be squandered."[36] Paul Thomas Chapman from Otaku USA called the film a "train wreck". He criticized the film for dedicating various scenes to "nonstop barrage of technobabble and exposition" and criticized the character development for not exploring the inner lives of other characters. He concluded by stating the film "is not an easy film to recommend to either casual fans or to battle-hardened kaiju otaku. But despite its (many, glaring) flaws". Despite his criticism, Chapman "enjoyed" the film regardless.[37]

Home media

In Japan, the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by Toho Video on May 16, 2018.[38] It sold 5,813 Blu-ray units within its first week,[39] and 1,784 DVD units within two weeks.[40]

Sequels

Main articles: Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle and Godzilla: The Planet Eater

Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters is the first film in the anime trilogy.[14] The second film in the trilogy, titled Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle was released on May 18, 2018.[41][42] The third and final film in the trilogy, titled Godzilla: The Planet Eater, was released on November 9, 2018.[43]

Notes

  1. ^ Sadayuki Murai served as the series composer alongside Urobuchi.[1]
  2. ^ Credited as Lighting & Composite Supervisor (ライティング＆コンポジットスーパーバイザー).
  3. ^ Hiroshi Shimada serves as the animation director.
  4. ^ Also known as Godzilla Part 1: Planet of the Monsters[3] and Godzilla: Monster Planet[4][5] for short
  5. ^ Japan's Reiwa era began on May 1, 2019,[6] however, Toho considers Shin Godzilla and the anime trilogy as part of the Reiwa era.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters Press Notes from Toho". SciFi Japan. July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  2. ^ Knight, Rosie (March 7, 2018). "Godzilla Anime Reveals Radical Sequel Concept Art". Nerdist. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters Now Streaming Worldwide on Netflix". SciFi Japan. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  4. ^ Muncy, Julie (January 7, 2018). "Get Ready For the Ultimate Kaiju Battle With This Godzilla: Monster Planet Release Trailer". io9. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  5. ^ Grebey, James (January 18, 2018). "'Godzilla: Monster Planet' Is an Anime First, Godzilla Movie... Maybe Third". Inverse. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  6. ^ Euan McKirdy; Junko Ogura; James Griffiths (April 1, 2019). "'Reiwa': Japan announces dawn of a new era". CNN. Archived from the original on October 12, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  7. ^ Cassam Looch (May 24, 2019). "'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' and a Japanese Phenomenon". Culture Trip. Archived from the original on October 12, 2019. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  8. ^ INVESTIGATION REPORT - godzilla-anime.com
  9. ^ a b c Crystalyn Hodgkins (January 19, 2017). "Gen Urobuchi's Godzilla Anime Film Reveals 6 Main Cast Members, Concept Art Image". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
  10. ^ "Godzilla Anime Films Cast Daisuke Ono, Kenta Miyake, Kenyuu Horiuchi, Kazuya Nakai, Kazuhiro Yamaji". Anime News Network. August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  11. ^ @suzaki_aya. "Aya Suzaki Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  12. ^ Ragone, August (August 18, 2016). "Toho Gears Up First Godzilla Anime Movie From the Makers of Gargantia & Sidonia". The Good, the Bad, and Godzilla. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  13. ^ Egan Loo (August 18, 2016). "2017 Godzilla Anime Film Penned by Gen Urobuchi, Animated by Polygon Pictures". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2017.
  14. ^ a b Egan Loo (March 21, 2017). "Godzilla Anime Is Film Trilogy Starring Mamoru Miyano". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  15. ^ Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters Soundtrack Titles Revealed
  16. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (March 24, 2017). "2nd Teaser Visual, Story Setting for "Godzilla: Monster Planet" Anime Film Revealed". Crunchyroll. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  17. ^ Julian, Mark (June 5, 2017). "More Details About Netflix's Godzilla Anime Trilogy To Be Unveiled At Upcoming Animation Film Festival". Anime Mojo. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  18. ^ ""Godzilla: Monster Planet" 3rd Teaser Visual Shows The Biggest Godzilla in History". Crunchyroll. June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
  19. ^ "1st Godzilla Anime Film's Trailer Unveils New Head Design". Anime News Network. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  20. ^ Whalen, Amanda (September 1, 2017). "Godzilla Dons Hello Kitty Bow in Collaboration with Sanrio for Upcoming Anime Film". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  21. ^ Drum, Nicole (September 18, 2017). "Godzilla Just Announced Its Adorable Hello Kitty Collaboration". Comicbook.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  22. ^ Johnston, Lachlan (September 1, 2017). "Check out the New 'Godzilla' X 'Sanrio' Collaboration". OTAQUEST. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  23. ^ "Godzilla Receives Adorable Hello Kitty Makeover in Collab!". otakumode.com. September 3, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  24. ^ "Sanrio X Godzilla Promo Merchandise Coming". Kaiju Battle. September 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  25. ^ Gilyadov, Alex (March 13, 2017). "Netflix to Air Original Anime Movie, Godzilla". IGN. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  26. ^ "Godzilla Anime Film to Stream on Netflix Globally This Year". Anime News Network. March 13, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  27. ^ Muncy, Julie (January 7, 2018). "Get Ready For the Ultimate Kaiju Battle With This Godzilla: Monster Planet Release Trailer". Gizmodo. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
  28. ^ "1st Godzilla Anime Film Debuts at #3 at Japanese Box Office". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  29. ^ "Live-Action Fullmetal Alchemist Film Tops Japan's Box Office". Anime News Network. December 5, 2017. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  30. ^ "哥斯拉：怪兽行星 (Godzilla: Monster Planet)". Maoyan. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  31. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (November 17, 2017). "The New Anime Godzilla Movie Is Pretty Good". Kotaku. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  32. ^ Schley, Matt (November 15, 2017). "'Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters': Japan's main mutant gets animated and goes global". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  33. ^ May, Callum (January 17, 2018). "Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  34. ^ Cecchini, Mike (January 17, 2018). "Godzilla Anime Review: Planet of the Monsters". Den of Geek. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  35. ^ Galvan, Patrick (January 18, 2018). "Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters Review: Netflix Anime has Easter Eggs, Little Else". Syfy Wire. Archived from the original on January 31, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  36. ^ Barkan, Jonathan (January 17, 2018). "Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters Review – A Timid Step Towards a Frightening Possibility". Dread Central. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  37. ^ Chapman, Paul Thomas (May 5, 2018). "Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters [Review]". Otaku USA. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  38. ^ Squires, John (February 27, 2018). "Toho Video Releasing 'Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters' On DVD & Blu-ray". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  39. ^ Loo, Egan (May 22, 2018). "Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking, May 14–20". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  40. ^ Loo, Egan (May 29, 2018). "Japan's Animation DVD Ranking, May 21–27". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  41. ^ Schilling, Mark (November 16, 2017). "Toho to Make Second and Third 'Godzilla' Animation Movies". Variety. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  42. ^ "2nd Godzilla Anime Film Teases Mechagodzilla Before May Debut". Anime News Network. November 11, 2017. Retrieved November 24, 2017.
  43. ^ Barkan, Jonathan (May 17, 2018). "Posters Suggests Ghidorah Coming to Godzilla Anime". Dread Central. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
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