Godzilla Minus One Review
Theatrical Movie Review
As far as I can recall, the only time I’ve ever watched a Godzilla movie was if it was being shown on the television show “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” Because I always thought of these movies as being kind of goofy monster movies, I continued to skip them when American studios had access to the properties. But the lure of Godzilla moving back to Japan was too great, so I decided to go see “Godzilla Minus One,” directed by Takashi Yamazaki.
Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) was assigned to be a kamikaze pilot in World War 2, but as he realized the cost of this decision, he made a detour to a small island under the guise of needing repairs for his plane. He soon discovers that he is leaving one horror only to find himself in another as a giant dinosaur-like monster makes its way to shore, killing all but Shikishima and the mechanic, Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki). Shikishima makes his way back to his war-torn home, where he forms a kind of family with Noriko Oishi (Minami Hamabe) and Akiko (Sae Magatani). He gets a new job as a minesweeper, and things seem to be going well until the monster returns, bigger and madder than ever. Now, Shikishima must decide if he wants to risk his life yet again to save his fellow citizens.
This was a surprisingly deep and impressive film. Long gone are the days of the farcical rubber suit; instead, we now have a slick CGI monster whose heat ray will blow your mind. Every time the kaiju is on screen, it is an absolute visual feast.
However, what makes those moments of carnage work is how invested we are in the lives of the characters. It’s not decimation for the sake of decimation, it actually packs an emotional punch because we care what happens to the people. We see the aftermath of the war, and now that pain is amplified by the creature borne of the nuclear attack unleashed by humans.
While, at times, the performances can border on the melodramatic, the cast brings so much heart to this film. I was particularly taken with the performance from Hidetaka Yoshioka, who played Kenji Noda, the man tasked with trying to find a way to destroy Godzilla. He shows beautiful range as someone who must appear confident in his plan while also recognizing that he cannot guarantee success.
In a year when one of the most popular films in America was about the creation of the atomic bomb, I love that we are closing out the year with a film from Japan about Godzilla, the avatar for the aftermath of a nuclear attack for decades. Watching “Godzilla Minus One” is certainly a good time for those who enjoy a well-done monster movie, but it is also a powerful reminder that attacks, either from monsters or from bombs, affect real people who are just looking for peace.
This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on December 10, 2023.