Godzilla Minus One
I should preface this review with a few facts about myself. 1) I am an absolutely massive Godzilla fan. That being said, I have done my best to review it objectively. 2) This past Summer I spent nearly a month in Japan. Part of that trip saw me visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum where I learned things I never knew about the atomic bombings. It's no stretch at all to say that is the most I have ever been emotionally and (to a degree) physically affected by an exhibit, display, or just any other means of conveying information. After my trip to Hiroshima, I actually feel like a different person entirely. It was that powerful of an experience. What does this have to do with “Godzilla Minus One”? Well, the movie is set in the aftermath of World War 2, and there are quite a few parallels to the destruction of the atomic blasts, which was the original allegory of Godzilla in 1954 anyways. My recent experiences may have enhanced the movie's effectiveness for me, but rest assured even if you (somehow) know nothing at all about World War 2 and it's devastation, “Minus One” is still an incredible film.
This is the 38th Godzilla film entry (if you include the terrible Netflix animated films that had some cool monster design and absolutely nothing else), and Godzilla continues to be a character that brings so much flexibility to whatever tale he's featured in. Right now, the Legendary Monsterverse (which I love) treats Godzilla almost like a Marvel super hero, a very different interpretation from how Japan has been treating the character in recent years. The last Japanese Godzilla film, “Shin Gojira”, was a very strong allegory about the governments ineffectiveness in the face of an immediate environmental disaster crisis. It was such a different take on the character, pulling hugely from the real-world Fukushima meltdown. It was much beloved and in fact won the equivalent of the Japanese Oscar (The Japanese Academy Prize), so it's no secret that Toho was looking to go forward with the character in a way that would continue on this new “elevated” Godzilla film path. Enter “Minus One”, the very first Godzilla film to be set as a period piece.
Setting this film in the shadow of WW2 was a brilliant move. It allows the audience (especially Western audiences) to see the reflected emotion of a country defeated. Trying to rebuild from the literal ashes of war. I don't want to give many details away, so I won't say much about the films main character, but on the backdrop of being a war survivor, “Minus One” has easily created the most compelling human story in the franchise history. Now maybe that's not saying much, because Godzilla films always have mostly throwaway characters. That doesn't mean they're all bad, but let's put it this way: I've seen all the Godzilla films quite literally hundreds of times, I don't know if I can name you more than two characters across all the films. It's not because they're bad or boring, it's because the real main character has always been Godzilla. So it's quite an incredible feat that “Minus One” has crafted such amazing human characters. Wracked with guilt, determination, the hope to rebuild. It's an amazing cast and there isn't a weak actor in the bunch (sorry, no Don Frye cameos in this one).
Visually it's incredible (and already in talks for an Oscar nomination, which has never been achieved by a Godzilla film previously), and if you have a chance to see it at the theatre, go. Like, right now. This is a movie that deserves every ounce of the big screen and I'm so happy Toho decided to give it a (select at first, but now wide) release in the West, because it's just that good. The look of Godzilla is kind of similar to the 80s incarnation which is definitely the most villainous of them all. In the 80s they tried to create another “scary” Godzilla, and he turned into a downright menace in those films. As opposed to say, “Shin Gojira” where he's more like an indiscriminate force of nature. Here in “Minus One” he's almost a hybrid between those two. Very much a force of nature (especially in the opening moments that features a very “Jurassic Park” like sequence that is just incredible), but as the film runs on he becomes more and more menacing.
There is a very, very brief glimpse of his transition into a full powered Godzilla, but it isn't drug out or dwelled upon. And at this point, Godzilla is like Spider-Man. No one needs to see Uncle Ben get shot to know why Spider-Man is Spider-Man. Just like Godzilla and the atomic blasts, we get it. They can use his screen time in new and novel ways. And they absolutely do. There is one sequence that is probably closer to “Jaws” than anything else I can compare it to. It's very cool to continue to see this character be used in innovative ways again and again.
The story as whole is easily a contender for the best Godzilla film out there. There is one thing story related I didn't care for, but it's so incredibly minor that I don't think it affects my thoughts on the film as a whole. Unfortunately I can't even allude to it, because it's a pretty important part of the movie. But it goes to show that even a diamond can have a small blemish.
Is this the best Godzilla film? For some people it absolutely will be. For me I think that's an impossible question to answer. These are films I've been watching literally my entire life. Films I've seen countless times, again and again. Films I've seen more than any other franchise out there. On VHS, on DVD, on Blu-Ray and even 4K. So for me, I'm just happy to see another stellar entry in the series, that is a completely different take from anything we've seen before. I hope this series continues to innovate and persevere for as long as I live, because at 70 years strong so far, the people have spoken and the Godzilla franchise is still the King of The Monsters.
10/10 - Masterpiece
