In the words of the poet Buck Dharma “Oh no, they say he’s got to go. Go go Godzilla, yeah.” However, despite this protestation, Godzilla seems to be going nowhere. Gearing up for their 70th anniversary next year, Godzilla has been a constant presence for the last 10 years since his Hollywood revival in the Monsterverse. That cinematic universe alone has had 4 cinematic entries, and a series currently streaming on Apple TV+. There’s also been 3 animated movies for Netflix and an animated series. But as any true Godzilla fan will tell you, nothing quite beats a feature from the team at Toho. 2016 saw Shin Godzilla impress audiences with its satire and political commentary, detailing how the appearance of a giant monster might go down.
7 years later Toho have decided to hit reset once again for this stand-alone entry. Godzilla Minus One takes place in post-WWII Japan, and whereas the country is left at Zero in the aftermath of the war, a visit from a certain angry lizard is about to see it taken even further back. To Minus One. It’s a fascinating setup for an expansive series and uses its period setting to explore its characters and themes of honour, duty, and self-forgiveness.
Takashi Yamazaki directs with confidence and brings strict cohesion to the entire production by also fulfilling the role of Visual Effects Supervisor. This allows for the effects-laden set pieces to gel seamlessly with the surrounding drama. Yamazaki isn’t afraid to have his Godzilla out in the daylight and the glorious CGI is presented with pride. Some fans may be a little upset that practical effects and men in rubber suits may very much be a thing of the past, but Yamazaki hits the right aesthetic tone so you are completely drawn in. There wasn’t one effect that broke the immersion, which isn’t something that can be said for recent, much much more expensive, Hollywood releases.
The action is tight and furious and presents us with the most terrifying iteration of Godzilla to date. Sure, Shin Godzilla was horrific, but there he was more of a mindless force of nature. Here, Godzilla is one mean SOB. Spread out across 4 major set pieces, each appearance of the kaiju utilises him in different ways. From an opening attack where he is much smaller and agile, humorously more reminiscent of the maligned 1998 American interpretation, to a Jaws-inspired boat chase, followed by some classic Tokyo destruction, and then the final confrontation. Each moment is magnificent and deserves to be seen on the biggest screen.
“Godzilla Minus One is one of the best Godzilla films of all time“
But with a running time of over 2 hours is there enough between the titular beasts greatest hits to engage? Afterall, the human elements are not always the most interesting parts of a Godzilla film. Thankfully, this is where Godzilla Minus One surprises the most. Our protagonist is Koichi, played with emotional gravitas by Ryunosuke Kamiki, a kamikaze pilot who fakes a plane malfunction to avoid his mission. While settling on an island with an airbase he is unable to fire upon Godzilla out of fear, resulting in the deaths of the majority of the mechanics and soldiers. These events leave us with a character filled with great guilt and shame and it’s his growth throughout that makes this more than just a monster flick.
Anyone familiar with Japanese blockbusters will know that they can sometimes go too melodramatic, and although that can be said of some of the performances here, it also works in the realm of heightened reality. Godzilla Minus One is one of the best Godzilla films of all time. Exceptional in its action, sense of threat, visual style, music, and delivering on its nearly 70-year-old premise. With Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire set to continue the Monsterverse in April, there is a new benchmark in quality to aim for.
Godzilla Minus One is in cinemas, IMAX and 4DX nationwide from 15th December 2023
Godzilla Minus One
Summary
Exceptional in its action, sense of threat, visual style, music, and delivering on its nearly 70-year-old premise.
