Film Review: Godzilla Minus One

So I just saw Godzilla Minus One in theaters and although it came very late to the party, it is already a high contender for my film of the year. Which is saying a lot, considering that 2023 has been a pretty great year for cinema overall. With films like Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon.

This Godzilla movie is a pretty drastic tone change from some of the more recent films. A lot of the more recent Godzilla films are campy monster battles where Godzilla and his friends save the day. However, considering it is the 70th anniversary of Godzilla, this movie has taken Godzilla back to his roots, making him an indestructible force wreaking havoc on Japan. Godzilla Minus One has a very dark tone and is a giant callback to the very first Godzilla movie, Gojira (1954). Which to say I appreciated would be an understatement, considering the very cool poster I have in my room:

This movie brings back a lot of the things that made the original Godzilla film so great to a modern cinema screen. They even bring back his iconic roar, and the killer soundtrack from the 1954 classic as well. The original Godzilla was meant as a metaphor for the devastation that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki brought upon Japan, which Gojira does in a huge way, capturing the hopelessness of the Japanese people as they struggle to stop this monster destroying everything in it’s path. It is very much the same in Godzilla Minus One. Godzilla isn’t on screen for much in this film, but when he is, every bit of it is significant. They really don’t hold back on how destructive and how much of a threat Godzilla is, and it makes all of his appearances on screen that much more memorable. The film also takes it a step further, being set right in the aftermath of World War 2, where Japan is already significantly weakened.

I’m glad to say that where Godzilla Minus One really shined for me, was the story of the human characters. For me in a lot of recent Godzilla movies, the humans have been the worst part. They’re usually very cliche caricature archetypes or just don’t really have that interesting of a story, they kind of act as filler while you’re waiting for when Godzilla appears next. However this film does a very good job of making you care about the human characters and what they’re going through. I especially loved the performance of the lead actor Ryunosuke Kamiki, there’s a scene where his character breaks down due to his PTSD from his time in the war and his encounters with Godzilla, he really sells it and makes it believable. I don’t usually get emotional in movies but there were definitely a couple times where his performance got me choked up.

I truly believe you don’t even really need to be a Godzilla fan at all to enjoy this film. It’s just a very well written and well made story and there’s something in it for everyone.

I give Godzilla Minus One a 9/10

Check it out in theaters and let us know if you agree! Tell us your thoughts on our Instagram @nr92dotcom. Or if you have questions, you can ask me on my personal Instagram @kaisalzl.

Image Source: IGN

All images and mentions of Godzilla Minus One are copyright of Toho Co., Ltd and fall under fair use.

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