Godzilla Mentioned | Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare (2026) Review

My reaction to the HBO documentary on the Fukushima nuclear accident was somewhat fussy. I found it moving, then odd, then moving again, and ultimately, wanting. How could a movie that elicited genuine emotion be, in the end, kind of mediocre? For starters, and despite the star rating, I would absolutely recommend Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare. If you’re familiar with the event – as I so was, having done what I assume was Wikipedia-level research for a post about Shin Godzilla – it’s a more intimate look at the human cost, and if you’re unfamiliar or have largely forgotten, it’s a great overview. I’d love to say it’s scarily relevant, but only in how much “World War III” has been trending lately between four nuclear powers. My understanding of the event begins with politics, that the meltdown scare was the result of corporate mismanagement and a government too afraid to take consequential action. It begins, truthfully, with Shin Godzilla. The info spinning out of that movie wasn’t contradicted by Fukushima, but it was hinted at, frustratingly. … More Godzilla Mentioned | Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare (2026) Review

Your Guide to the Politics of Shin Godzilla

I’d wanted to write this story about a giant monster attack and realized I didn’t know how it would play out, point by point. Which government organization would do what, at what moment? Who are the key people? And then it struck me, with the power of discouragement: that story already exists, and it’s one of my favorite movies, Shin Godzilla. So onto the shelf that story went, but the question stuck: what would have to happen if a giant monster attacked? I imagined there’d be a treasure trove of resources for “speculative crisis management” or something like that, but maybe some things are too silly even for the Internet. We’ll have to go straight to the source: how do co-directors Shinji Higuchi and Hideaki Anno answer this question? A closer look at the bureaucratic drama of Shin Godzilla might help us understand their political critique. … More Your Guide to the Politics of Shin Godzilla