Godzilla minus one is the newest movie in the Godzilla universe. Produced by Toho(Godzilla’s original company) it is the latest movie in their Reiwa series which includes movies like Shin Godzilla and the anime movie trilogy, anime like Godzilla singular point and more. The movie is a celebration of Godzilla’s 70 years of silver screen appearances. Godzilla minus one came out on Friday December 2nd and currently has a 98% on rotten tomatoes from audiences and 97% from critics. It seems that so far most people have loved Toho’s newest rendition of Godzilla with a lot of people saying it was the best movie in the series or if they’re not saying that the movie is better than the more recent movies with a more compelling story. And as a lifelong fan of the series it was amazing. I have watched most of the movies in the godzilla series with my dad who introduced it to me. We would curl up on the coach or the recliners and watch godzilla movies. And Minus One felt like I was back in that living room on that couch watching as Godzilla went on his rampage in Japan.
But Godzilla Minus One is definitely not for everyone since it is 1 in japanese with English subtitles, so for those who had never watched something like that it makes it less enjoyable for some, and 2 it isn’t the epic cgi monsterfights that the monsterverse is. Godzilla Minus One focuses on the tragedy of not only the after effects of WW2 and how it impacts the survivors but also the tragedy of Godzilla, a walking nuclear bomb that destroys a recovering Tokyo, a slower version of the bombs that took the lives of so many loved ones. It’s a drama based around the after effects of WW2 and how people band together to fight against disaster. Because of this there aren’t a lot of fight scenes and Godzilla himself doesn’t show up outside of when he’s causing destruction. So it’s different to what a lot of Godzilla movies do; it isn’t just about fighting monsters or Godzilla, it’s about coming together to fight against the odds and it’s about healing from trauma. And for some people that isn’t interesting to watch and this movie feels like a fish out of water to some when looking at Godzilla movies recently. This is a movie that brings back a theme from Godzilla’s origin, the terror of the nuclear bomb and that kind of story is not for everyone.
Godzilla Minus One felt like a breath of fresh air for not only the Godzilla franchise but for more recent movies as well. For me I haven’t been really invested in any movies in the past few years, which does include the monsterverse Godzilla. For a lot of the movies it doesn’t feel like there is any tension most of the time and in the case of the monsterverse movies, it doesn’t make you care for the characters so since they take up a lot screen time it makes the movie less interesting and it feels like it drags on until the monster fights. I couldn’t tell you a single name of the monsterverse characters or what they were like. I never really cared if someone lived or died, it was irrelevant. In Minus One it doesn’t feel like it was dragging on because I felt genuinely invested in the movie and the characters and their struggles. I love how the characters bond together and how their relationships develop in a believable way. Like for example the found family that Shikishima, Noriko, and Akiko built. And I like how they treat Shikishima’s survivor’s guilt both from running from his duty as a Kamikaze pilot and from his failure to shoot the pre-nuke Godzilla. I love how it affects his desire to marry Noriko and how it affects his relationship with Akiko. He doesn’t want to be with them until his war is over, he wants to be the person they deserve, not a broken man.I love how everyone’s character arc ends and it makes the movie so much more amazing and fun to watch and it was boosted by the music of the film.
To me the music of the movie can make it or break it, and the music in Minus One was amazing and worked with the story to add to it. A part that really helped was the iconic theme of Godzilla that played when first seeing him in the city. This scene was handled really well and a remix of his theme playing over him stomping through the city in a similar way, as to when he first did almost 70 years ago for the first time. It brings a sense of terror and hopelessness as we watch Godzilla rampage through the city leaving destruction in his wake. The music or lack there of works well to back up the emotional moments as well like after Noriko’s death it is silent reflecting the feelings of Shikishima and when he gets into a fight with his friends. Overall the music really works with the movie and builds the story making it even better.
Minus One is a remake of the original Godzilla, in many ways it has similarities but doesn’t feel like a cheap remake or imitation. It has its own unique story that pays homage to the original movie while keeping it different from said movie. Both are tragic stories with hopeful yet ominous endings. The original has a sorrowful ending as Serizawa had recently sacrificed himself and his mentor Kyohei Yamane reflects on the nature of Godzilla and the atomic bomb. The movie was made in 1954 and took some inspiration from both the atomic bombings from WW2 and what happened to the Daigo Fukuryū Maru or Lucky dragon 5 which was when a Japanese tuna boat was hit with the radiation from the hydrogen bomb testing. The original movie was meant to be a tragedy about the bombs and a warning about hydrogen bomb testing. The movie was equally about humans and godzilla, and Minus one replicates that style of Godzilla movie. Minus One is a more hopeful and happy ending than the original with a little teaser before the credit that leaves the room for sequels. Minus One has a similar base structure to the original but with different conflicts and a new but similar story. It works as a remake because of how it is its own story but it ties to the original in many ways that you can notice throughout the movie. One that is similar is how we never see Godzilla’s full body after he got nuked until it attacks the city, it’s the same in the original as we don’t see Godzilla’s full body until the attack on the city.
The movie is a celebration of Goddzilla’s 70 years of movies, making it one of the longest running movie franchises of all time. Minus One was released in Japan on the same date of the original movie, November 3rd. The movie was an amazing way to celebrate the long history of Godzilla, and was one of the best in the franchise. Every part of the movie was filled with a passion that feels like it is missing from some of the more recent Hollywood movies. It’s a refreshing movie that y’all should go watch, that while not the best is an amazing introduction to the many sides of the Godzilla franchise.
