“Godzilla Minus One” directed by Takashi Yamazaki is a standalone breathtaking return to form for a legendary monster movie franchise. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that everyone should experience.
The movie follows Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) in postwar Japan as he deals with the mental fallout of the war and a new looming threat. With the help of Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka), Yōji Akitsu (Kuranosuke Sasaki), Shirō Mizushima (Yuki Yamada), Sōsaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki), and many others he plans to save Japan from the terrifying Godzilla.
This movie transcends what a monster movie can be and truly sets a new standard for the genre. Although it is a monster movie it is also a war movie in every possible way. We get to intimately know the psyche of Kōichi as he comes to terms with himself being a disgraced kamikaze pilot, a survivor of World War 2, and not feeling like he deserves to dream.
The movie largely focuses on the human drama surrounding Godzilla rather than Godzilla himself during its 125 minute runtime. It lets the viewer bask in the terror of Godzilla and the aftermath of his attacks on Tokyo. Kōichi’s found family is also highlighted through his partner Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe) and their adopted child Akiko (Sae Nagatani). This human drama, unlike the American “Monsterverse” movies, is handled incredibly well and gets very emotional at many points.
The performances are all incredible. They all capture the pure terror, sadness, and hopelessness that anyone would feel when facing a monstrous creature like Godzilla. But outside of the scenes with Godzilla Kamiki Ryunosuke and Minami Hamabe give stellar performances that portray a relationship strained by war, survivors guilt, and PTSD. The film is very anti-war and every performance prominently displays it as such.
Godzilla is truly terrifying in this rendition. Godzilla’s design this time around is deeply inspired by his original appearance in 1954’s “Godzilla” and looks amazing. By far the best rendition since 2016’s “Shin Godzilla” directed by Hideaki Anno and also one of the best of all time. The special effects surrounding Godzilla truly create a sense of scale and destruction that is almost heartbreaking to watch. The first time he uses the atomic breath on land is an incredibly horrifying spectacle to see and quite possibly one of the best scenes put to film this year.
This movie is sad, scary, triumphant. It immerses you in the emotions of everyone on screen and lets you sit in terror with them. Many moments feel bleak, but just as many feel hopeful. At the end of the day it’s a film about the hope and perseverance that mankind can have when we work together rather than fight each other. For all of these reasons and many more this film is a must watch for the year of 2023.
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Tamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakurea Ando, Kuranosuke, Sae Nagatani
Rated PG-13
Runtime: 125 minutes
My Rating: ★★★★★
