‘Godzilla Minus One’ Review
Stars: Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yuki Yamada, Yuya Endo, Kisuke Iida, Sae Nagatani, Ozuno Nakamura | Written and Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
After debuting on the big screen in 1954, Godzilla has become famous throughout all of cinema. Staring in over thirty films, the giant lizard has terrorised the world, from Tokyo to San Francisco, and now the filmmakers of Godzilla Minus One have brought the monster back to what feels like its roots, in post-World War 2 Japan. This time it may just be the best version we’ve ever had.
Godzilla Minus One is set in post-war Japan, as the country is at its lowest point, we follow Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a kamikaze pilot who abandoned his position at the end of the war. His so-called failure and his very duty in the war is brought into question, and in doing so reflects the very belief the Japanese people had in the war itself. It’s through this character and the people he grows close to, where we get to the real heart of the story. For years, one of the biggest issues in any Godzilla film has been the human element. For decades we have had stories about characters we don’t care about, doing things that don’t really affect the story or world. This time, that changes. Like all the best blockbusters, monster movies, and action flicks of the past, the key is to care about the story before the turn happens.
Examples span from Jurassic Park to Die Hard. Jurassic Park works because before the dinosaurs escape we care about the story of trying to open a park and the characters involved. In Die Hard we have to care about a husband trying to save his marriage before Hans Gruber attacks. For the longest time this has not been the case with a Godzilla film, until now. With Godzilla Minus One we learn to care about the failures and strengths of our characters. It’s these characters that make up the heart of the story and their relationship to the world post World War 2, creating a fascinating look into the world and allowing some important themes and ideas to come to life.
Throughout the film there is a sense of failure in a nation, of disappointment and regret. We see a nation wanting better, wanting to come together, and no longer allowing themselves to die for the wrong reasons. They get their chance to prove themselves when Godzilla decimates their land and threatens their future.
Along with the characters and the heart of the story, when you go to see a Godzilla film you expect huge kaiju action. Godzilla Minus One delivers on that and then some, with some of the most destructive and terrifying Godzilla mayhem we’ve ever seen on the big screen, showing off theatre-sized ambition every chance it gets. The weight of these action scenes and monster set pieces is only made better by the care we have already built for the characters, and how their fears and history with Godzilla come into play. With an incredible score and some stunning cinematography, the whole film comes together perfectly to showcase some brilliant blockbuster filmmaking that feels closer to a Spielberg classic than anything else in recent times. It also reminds me of the Bong Joon Ho film The Host (2006) where the characters and story make every monster moment have so much more weight to it.
Godzilla Minus One is not only one of the best of the year, but perhaps the best Godzilla film to ever hit our screens. With the film now becoming the most successful live-action Japanese feature ever to play in North American cinemas, it shows that audiences will watch great cinema, no matter the language barrier. Stories are there to be enjoyed by all, and the language of cinema is a blurred line, one we can all enjoy and empathise with, even when it’s a story of a World War 2 kamikaze pilot facing off against the might of Godzilla.
***** 5/5
Godzilla Minus One is in cinemas now.
