GODZILLA: MINUS ONE isn't just a great Godzilla film, it's a great film, period. Writer-Director Takashi Yamazaki's kaiju tale strikes the right balance between FX spectacle and human drama, and it's far more memorable than any brand-name franchise movie made in the last five years.
It must be pointed out that this is a real Godzilla film, made in Japan by Toho Studios. It has no connection whatsoever with the American-made Monsterverse, or Monarchverse, or whatever they call it. GODZILLA: MINUS ONE is a standalone story, with the title character appearing at the end of World War II, instead of his historical debut in the 1954 original Godzilla feature.
The main human character in MINUS ONE is a young man named Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), who was trained as a kamikaze pilot, but failed to carry out his mission. At war's end Shikishima returns to a devastated Tokyo, and tries to rebuild his life with a young woman named Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and an orphan child. But the young man is suffering from survivor's guilt, and haunted by having experienced an attack on Odo Island by a giant dinosaur-like creature. That creature (Godzilla of course) soon returns, larger and more powerful, and proceeds to rain down destruction on a country already reeling from a catastrophic military defeat. Shikishima, sensing a chance to redeem himself, joins up with a group of regular citizens who decide to fight the monster on their very own.
There are plenty of scenes of awesome destruction in MINUS ONE--the Godzilla presented here may be the most horrible and threatening yet--but there's also plenty of heart as well. The two young human leads are likable, believable characters, and the viewer is truly interested in their plight. Unlike recent American popcorn movies, MINUS ONE avoids dopey attempts at humor, contrived approaches at being trendy, and drawn out action sequences that steadily become more and more ridiculous. There's a simplicity to the style of MINUS ONE that is refreshing when compared to the bombastic attempts by the big-name entertainment companies to overwhelm today's audiences. The idea of a group of ordinary citizens coming together to battle a major threat is one that would have been heartily endorsed by original Godzilla director Ishiro Honda.
If Disney, Marvel, or Warners/DC had any sense--which is highly doubtful at this stage--they would hire Takashi Yamazaki as quickly as possible, and let him work on whatever project he deems fit. What Yamazaki has done is make a brand-name genre entry that is entertaining and moving--and he did it without any major human stars, and on a $15 million dollar budget!! GODZILLA: MINUS ONE is the best new theatrical film I have seen in 2023.
Only $15,000,000 to make this? That's chump change in this day and age. I haven't heard anything negative about this movie, so maybe I should go see it. I like your point about the big-name entertainment companies trying to overwhelm audiences. I think I've been overwhelmed once too often.
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