--- title: "Shin Godzilla: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/shin-godzilla/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/shin-godzilla" critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Shin Godzilla (2016): what the critics said Critics' score 65 from 16 reviews: 8 positive, 7 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics come away favourable, though the mixed verdicts are almost as numerous as the positive ones. The praise gathers in two places. The first is the political satire: the scenes of Japanese officials bickering in committee rooms while Tokyo comes apart are widely called shrewd, pointed and funny. The second is the creature itself. Reviewers admire the unsettling redesign, the awe-inspiring scale and the destruction sequences, and several note that the effects grow more convincing as Godzilla mutates. The reservations gather around the talk. Many find the dialogue-heavy stretches slow the film, and a few say it runs too long. Empire complains that Godzilla disappears for much of the second half, and Time Out finds too little horror in the monster’s return. HeyUGuys, the lone outright dissenter, calls the film cold and monotonous, with thin characters. The spread is wide: from four stars to a shrug, with most reviews settling somewhere between entertained and unconvinced. ## Radio Times — Jamie Healy Rating 4/5. The critic finds the reboot unconventional and distinctive. They praise its shift from bureaucratic satire into a chilling nuclear-threat thriller. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-7170jv/shin-godzilla/) ## The i Paper — Matthew Turner Rating ★★★★. 10 August 2017. Turner finds the film an effective blend of monster movie and political satire. He especially praises its impressive effects and sharply written treatment of political dithering. [Read the review](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/shin-godzilla-review-satire-nuclear-war-84028) ## The AV Club — Katie Rife Rating B. 13 October 2016. Rife finds the film a charming, smashing return to form despite its dialogue-heavy stretches and anticlimactic ending. She praises the creature effects and the spectacular battle sequence, while noting the film’s pointed bureaucratic satire. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/political-satire-and-monster-mayhem-collide-in-shin-god-1798189094) ## Variety — Joe Leydon Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2016. Festival review. Leydon finds the reboot largely satisfying and surprisingly clever. He praises its political satire and increasingly persuasive effects as Godzilla mutates. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2016/film/festivals/shin-godzilla-film-review-1201872105/) ## The New York Times Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2016. The URL identifies this as a review of the matching film. The page returned only an access error, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint are unavailable. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/11/movies/shin-godzilla-review.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Rating 3/5. 11 August 2017. Bradshaw finds the film watchable entertainment, though its first glimpse of the monster and an American character disappoint. He praises the shrewd, amusing scenes of Japan’s bickering bureaucracy. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/aug/11/shin-godzilla-review-japans-great-monster-revived-once-more) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Elizabeth Kerr Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 26 August 2016. Kerr finds the reboot energetic and appealing, though weighed down by talky political scenes and an imperfectly handled satire. She praises its distinctive Godzilla and the impressive destruction of Tokyo. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/godzilla-resurgence-shin-gojira-923097/) ## Time Out — Trevor Johnston Rating 3/5. 8 August 2017. The review finds the reboot politically minded but short on scares. Its central complaint is that the giant lizard’s return offers too little horror. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/shin-godzilla) ## Little White Lies — Anton Bitel Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. Bitel finds the film entertaining but also very silly, with uneven effects and characterization. He praises its relentless pace and its focus on the logistics of emergency response. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/festivals/shin-godzilla-first-look-review) ## Empire — Owen Williams Fi1m's normalised score 45/100 (inferred from the text). 10 August 2017. Williams finds the film an oddly paced but worthwhile twist on the Godzilla formula. He praises the creature’s awe-inspiring scale and the compelling political climax, but complains that Godzilla disappears for much of the second half. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shin-godzilla-review/) ## Consequence — Dominick Suzanne-Mayer Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 October 2016. The critic finds it an effective, engaging Godzilla reboot with pointed political satire and an unusually hopeful core. He especially praises its depiction of bureaucratic paralysis and the creature’s genuinely monstrous design. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/10/film-review-shin-godzilla/) ## /Film — Jacob Hall Rating 7.5/10. 29 September 2016. Festival review. Hall finds the film fascinating and frustrating, ultimately praising its distinctive mix of monster movie, political satire, and patriotic tribute. He singles out the effective bureaucratic satire and the eerie, frightening redesign of Godzilla, while noting the film’s limited monster presence and rough visual effects. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/546807/shin-godzilla-review/) ## Paste — Jim Vorel Rating 7.5/10. 29 October 2016. Vorel finds the film entertaining and an effective fit alongside earlier Japanese Godzilla films. He praises the frightening final Godzilla design and the film’s lively political satire. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/shin-godzilla/shin-godzilla-review) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2016. The critic recommends the film, finding it compelling beyond its monster spectacle. The political satire and realistic portrayal of disaster response stand out, though the film could be shorter. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/shin-godzilla-review-resurgence-toho/) ## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 23 August 2017. Robertson gives a mixed verdict, saying he is glad to have seen the film while remaining unsure how he feels about it. He praises the bureaucratic technothriller elements for grounding the outlandish monster story, but finds its tone and some of its messaging clumsy. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/shin-godzilla-2016-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) ## HeyUGuys — Daniel Goodwin Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). Festival review. The critic finds the film cold and often monotonous despite its impressive spectacle. The striking scenes of destruction stand out, while political discussions and thin characterization weigh it down. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/shin-godzilla-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/shin-godzilla.md