'Godzilla Minus One' Review

The Shot Across the Bow of Hollywood

Written & Directed by Takashi Yamazaki

“I leave you the future”

Godzilla holds a unique position in the history of cinema: while King Kong was the first of the giant monsters, Godzilla was the first to franchise it. Godzilla films' impact on the modern superhero genre has been evident since the beginning, and with Warner continuing to make big budget kaiju films, it looks as if they are here to stay. While the Warner films have a campy charm to them (quite literally a turn-your-brain-off-and-watch-big-lizard-go-boom kind of event), Japan and Toho have gone and injected all that is missing from their American counterpart: heart, riveting drama, and intelligent themes.  

The odd paradox of what makes a good Godzilla movie is when it does not prioritize Godzilla. I specifically think about Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Godzilla, where the people affected by the existence of a giant lizard are the main focus. While the 2014 American film sometimes struggles with the “people drama”, Godzilla Minus One is stunningly competent as a drama, and works just as well as a Godzilla film. 

The emotional beats all landed for me, often moving me almost to tears. Never have I been so invested in the human characters in a Kaiju film as I have in this one. Great dialogue, satisfying character arcs, and packed with something of substance to say. The film falls in line with the notion of sharing one's struggle with others and that we all have our own personal battles to fight, but cannot do it alone. To fight them in isolation is to surrender. The film respectfully handles trauma and the postwar attitude of Japan, maintaining that there is strength in the preservation of life and in survival. 

The other major theme of Minus One that I was shocked to find is the value of all human life as individuals: despite the mass destruction, the film emphasizes how important each person is. All of the character work done with a failed kamikaze pilot is remarkable, adding a much welcomed take on the difference between heroic sacrifice and plain suicide, and why life is not something to be merely thrown away. My only dramatic gripe with the film is all of the sequel setup that was done at the very end. Had the film ended where it should have, I would argue this being the best film of the year. But after all, it is a Godzilla film, and the two small things shown at the end were there to remind me of that. While the setup for these sequels felt a little hokey, I will absolutely be watching them since the rest of this film was damn near perfect for me. 

On a $15 million budget, this film demonstrates the scale and impact on a person with remarkable competence. Every thud, explosion, and collapsing building feels like a true threat to the characters we care about. My only gripe with any of the effects is every now and then Godzilla looks a little too stiff when he is walking. This is only a minor gripe, since everything else looks absolutely fantastic. This is probably the most powerful Godzilla has ever been, with his atomic breath alone being an unbelievable spectacle that must be seen on the biggest screen possible. The use of miniatures and practical effects adds to the charm and look of this film, and all of the set design felt truly like the next step up from the original 1954 film. 

Godzilla Minus One is a stunning piece of cinema. For its seemingly shoestring budget, the film is more than on par with any of the $200 million mega projects Hollywood churns out monthly. If filmmakers from all over the world continue to make films that are this well made for this kind of budget, Hollywood will be extinct before the decade is over. Hollywood has been spending ludicrous amounts of money on advertising, when the real way to get a return on your investment is to make a good or great film. Positive word of mouth can make the most unlikely of films into mega successes. This paired with the obviously inflated production costs show the current method is an unsustainable business model.

This is an absolute must see theatrical experience and is without a doubt one of the best films of 2023. I cannot recommend it enough.