Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)

[GODZILLA 怪獣惑星]

Director: Kobun Shizuno, Hiroyuki Seshita
Starring: Mamoru Miyano, Takahiro Sakurai, Kana Hanazawa

Synopsis:
After being driven from Earth by Godzilla, the remnant of humanity along with its extraterrestrial allies launch an offensive to reclaim the planet.

Impressions:
A subtitle like "Kaijuu Wakusei" is more than enough to get my attention. I'd considered seeing this in the theaters when it came out. If ticket prices weren't so expensive in Japan, I probably would've done it. Anyway, now that it's available and I've given it a watch, overall I was fairly satisfied with the experience. The cel-shaded 3D character models reminds me of the cutscenes for recent Fire Emblem games, a style I like and I feel is a decent compromise between the 2D style I prefer and the push toward CG animation. The story is decent, though a lot of people call out the protagonist for his narrow Ahab-like focus on Godzilla (which may play into the later films). I did like how you had an alliance between humans and the Exif and Bilusaludo. I didn't initially realize this was the first entry in an intended trilogy, so the ending threw me off a bit. I'd say watch the trailer ad if it looks interesting to you, you'll probably find it worthwhile. I certainly thought it was worth seeing and wouldn't mind seeing the sequel when it comes out.

Rating:
Watch It