Alright! Today I'm reviewing Toho's most recent Godzilla movie, Godzilla Minus One. While American markets are clamoring to see Godzilla team up with King Kong to fight a mech version of himself possessed by the ghost of King Ghidorah, Toho's take is decidedly different: Set in post-WWII Japan, Godzilla Minus One tells the story of a kamikaze pilot who fled the war and tries to reestablish himself and his family as run-ins with Godzilla threaten to destroy everything he has built.
Everyone knows that the human characters are often the weakest part of monster movies - no one cares about how the rent is due for the Smiths and their nosy neighbor, Sharon! We're here to see them be eaten by the T-Rex on the movie's poster!! It's often frustrating and boring when the movie keeps cutting to human characters and their mundane lives and problems, but we accept it since we rationally know it can't just be monsters smashing stuff, no matter how much the Godzilla x Kong movies try to make us think that.
That being said, Godzilla Minus One is exceptional in making us care about its characters. Almost all of this is done through superb setup and writing: The protagonist, Shikishima, doesn't take a shot at Godzilla while on Odo Island and inadvertently causes the deaths of a group of soldiers, adding to his shame of being a living kamikaze pilot and giving him PTSD that he battles with throughout the movie. After returning to Tokyo and only finding rubble and dead parents, he takes in a young woman, Noriko Ōishi, who already tends to an orphaned baby. Together, they form a misfit family and try to reestablish their lives.
I mean, isn't that just such a crazy set-up? I'd watch that movie even if it didn't have Godzilla! He's just icing on the cake and his role in this movie isn't as big as one might think - but not in the 2014 Godzilla way, wherein the plot revolved around the main character chasing the monster around, but rather in a Godzilla Minus One way, where Godzilla repeatedly finds and attacks the protagonists with seemingly no other purpose than to destroy everything they have established. We root for the protagonists and want them to succeed in such a drastic setting, and suddenly, a Godzilla attack becomes something to be scared of instead of the reason we bought tickets. This also links us to the main character, who has the exact same fear in the back of his mind.
This is one of my favorite parts of the movie - the dread induced by Godzilla. Maybe my mind has been conditioned to eagerly look forward to the mindless destruction and giant laser beams from American blockbusters, but Godzilla Minus One plays every one of those moments as a tragedy. Yeah, Godzilla shows up and wrecks navy ships and destroys cities, but focusing on the human characters - relatable, likable human characters - means that these moments are all horrifying. It's like a terrifying disaster that no one can stop, a force that refuses to be reasoned with and must be killed - it's Godzilla, and we're helpless to do anything but watch as he takes everything we hold dear.
It helps that the action setpieces for Godzilla are all superb and varied. We get island Zilla, ocean Zilla, city Zilla, and offense Zilla —giant action set pieces that look and feel terrific. There's a scene halfway through where Godzilla attacks Ginza that was absolutely horrifying. The pain and terror caused by Godzilla, underscored by Naoki Satō's tragic score, and anchored by Ryunosuke Kamiki's tremendous acting, left an absolutely devastating impact. I won't say much to avoid spoilers, but I was sobbing by the end.
In a cast full of stand-outs, I'd give special recognition to Kamiki, mentioned above. A lot of the movie depends on his journey and his trauma, and he sells the tragic scarring left by the war amazingly well. The movie gives him several scenes and lines of poetry that are tear-inducing and he's more than game for it. I also loved Minami Hamabe as his unrequited/requited/it's complicated/situationship Noriko - A large part of the sympathy we feel for the characters is given to us through her warmth and kindness in the helpless situation. The third standout is Hidetaka Yoshioka, although that's because his character was just really zany and fun to watch.
I also loved the gadgetry of it all - the setting is 1947 in a post-war Japan. The United States can't help due to Soviet spying and the Japanese government is ineffective. The plan they came up with to kill Godzilla is both genius and satisfyingly old-school, and the lever-switches and button-pushing required to execute it feel much better than "unexplicable futuristic technology laser." All of this is accentuated by the amazing cinematography, set design, and haunting score.
Not to belittle the quality of Godzilla Minus One in a self-referential sense, but part of the reason Godzilla Minus One feels so good and fresh might just be the current state of Hollywood. It is increasingly apparent that the audience craves something more than what Marvel or the MonsterVerse can offer, and Godzilla Minus One is that. It's a mature, emotional reshaping of a cinematic icon that feels original despite being Toho's 30th Godzilla movie and wedged between two Godzilla x Kong blockbusters.
There are no snarky heroes. There are no convenient CGI miracles. Godzilla Minus One is a serious, contemplative reexamination of post-war Japan and a terrific reminder of what makes Godzilla the ultimate movie monster.
Overall, I give Godzilla Minus One a 10/10. "Godzilla Minus One is amazing."
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