Fresh off a triumphant return to theaters in 4K, one of the best Godzilla movies of the century is circling back for another attack. Shin Godzilla will play in select cinemas once again on Aug. 31. Only this time, it’s in black and white.
Officially titled SHIN GODZILLA:ORTHOchromatic and distributed by GKIDS, this new re-release promises “starker contrasts and more pronounced blacks,” according to the official announcement. If you’re wondering, orthochromatic refers to a certain type of film used during the early days of filmmaking. However, I’m not really sure why they couldn’t just call it Shin Godzilla: Black and White Edition or something less confusing like that.
Aside from being a cool and unique way to experience the movie, this treatment also serves as a throwback to the earliest Godzilla movies, since, as the longest-running franchise in movie history, Godzilla predates the invention of movies with colors in them. The recent Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One, also got a similar release with the clever title Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color. That version made $2.6 million during its one-week engagement in the U.S., and the studio likely hopes for similar success with Shin Godzilla. (Then again, the fact that GKIDS literally just released the 4K version last weekend.)
It’s also worth noting that one of the most interesting aspects of Shin Godzilla is the monster’s unique and colorful design. Director Hideaki Anno (creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion) reimagined the legendary kaiju as a constantly evolving creature covered in elastic red muscle tissue that slowly becomes hidden behind heavy scales. That red color is a key part of the monster’s visual style, and it’s hard to imagine how it will translate into black and white. Orthochromatic film typically renders reds more darkly, which could emphasize that design or obscure it. (It’s hard to tell from the short trailer embedded above.)
Regardless, if you’re a Godzilla fan, and you’ve somehow never seen Shin Godzilla before (or haven’t rewatched it since its original 2016 release), you owe it to yourself to catch the black and white version in theaters on Aug. 31.
