It’s a peaceful day in Japan when a strange fountain of water erupts in the bay, causing panic to spread among government officials. At first, they suspect only volcanic activity, but one young executive dares to wonder if it may be something different… something alive. His worst nightmare comes to life when a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and begins tearing through the city, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

As the government scrambles to save the citizens, a rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster’s weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side—the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.

The screening will be followed by a short talk by Dr Rin Ushiyama briefly highlighting the sociological themes of the film, such as the relationship of ‘Kaiju’ films to the Japanese national traumas of the Atomic bombings and the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and the nation’s ambivalence towards the Self-Defence Force.

Real to Reel: Film and Social Life is a regular sociological cinema series presented in collaboration with the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s University.