Godzilla Minus One is a Japanese film that came out on November 3rd, 2023 (October 18th in Shinjuku) and later released in the United States and Canada on the 1st of December to critical and financial praise. while only having a budget of 15 million dollars, it more than quadrupled that in the weeks following its release.
I was very lucky the other night when a friend of mine had called me up, telling me that there was only one theater in our whole city of Victoria, British Columbia, showing it. Naturally, you know I went to see it that night with two of my closest family friends. I’ve never been to this theater before, and I was overall impressed by what I was seeing. We had reclining chairs, a rather small screen, and the crowd was mostly pleasant…mostly. There were these two guests, however. While they didn’t chat the whole time or had their phones out or just left a huge mess, they did cheer and clapped for whenever Godzilla showed up. It’s not the worst behavior, mind you. After all, just look at those theatrical reaction videos, like, for example King of the Monsters. People were cheering and clapping whenever Godzilla showed up or when a monster fight broke out. I admit I too clapped when I heard Godzilla’s theme song because I was going with the flow.
I suppose towards the end, there was this one guy who, for the last hour and a half, had to hear these two cheering and clapping and had enough of them. He yelled at them to shut up who they, in turn, told him to shut up and it all devolved into a last 5 minute shouting match that had him calling them assholes, the girl started twerking…for some reason (I wish I was joking), and the guy walking up to them and just giving them hell. To say they didn’t care would be an understatement.
I leaned in beside my friend and whispered “They certainly enjoyed the movie”.
Now it’s not wrong to cheer and clap for a movie. However, it’s better to do all that after the flick is over when the credits roll, to me who comes from the old-fashioned moviegoer it’s just polite. If you do it in the middle of a movie and some are trying to enjoy it, then that might be considered rude. I’m not supporting these two nor will I condone them. They choose to be either fans having a good time or were being obnoxious. And if they are reading this blog, glad you guys enjoyed the movie just tone it down a notch next time.
Anyway, what’s the story?
Taking place in the final days of the Second World War, a Kamikaze pilot named Koichi Shikishima feigns technical issues and lands on Odo Island. That night the garrison there is attacked by a dinosaur-like creature called Godzilla from the locals and kills everyone but Koichi, who returns to the disheveled and bombed-out ruins of Tokyo. With the war over, Koichi seemingly adopts a pair of misplaced survivors, the beautiful Noriko Oishi and the orphaned infant Akiko, who in the following years sees the two as her parents. Two Years later, Koichi works as a minesweeper at sea with former naval engineer “Doc” Noda, Shiro, a young inexperienced crewmember, and Yōji Akitsu, captain of their little boat the Shinseimaru. However, things soon become dire as Godzilla, recently empowered and mutated by radiation, returns to sinking ships before making land in Ginza, where Noriko is currently working, and destroys it with a powerful atomic blast. Stricken by trauma and survivor’s guilt, Koichi must face his demons to preserve the future of Japan from Godzilla’s rampage.
Let’s get this out of the way: Godzilla: Minus One is a celebration of 70 years of Godzilla and, much like KOTM before, gives us numerous references to the past; most obviously homages to the original 1954 movie that started it all. Some that come to mind include the score, composed brilliantly by Naoki Sato, who brought back many of the themes by the late great Akira Ifukube, especially during Godzilla’s scenes.
Yamazaki reused the roar of the original Godzilla, mixed in with more growls much like 1984’s roar, they even brought back the mythology such as Odo Island’s legends. But then there are the references to past films, most particularly the first form of Godzilla from the beginning of the movie, who takes on a more theropod posture, maybe a reference to Zilla from ’98 Tristar, not only that but also refers to Godzillasaurus from Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah, with the form-taking being a reference to how Shin Godzilla had many forms.
My personal favorite moment and past reference would be when Godzilla attacked the train station, almost exactly how he attacked it back in ’54. if you compare both scenes and the split second of the two train drivers’ reactions they are almost the same reactions as the two in the first movie. If that’s not attention to detail, I don’t know what is.
The cast of characters are pretty fun and notable. Koichi is a fantastic protagonist, and I hate to say it, one of the best characters in Godzilla history. his guilt not only makes him sympathetic, but you feel his drive to want to kill Godzilla. It’s different from Mark or Haruo from the Anime Trilogy, who are fueled by years of vengeful thinking because he didn’t spend their entire life or the past few years obsessing over getting revenge, here he was more interested in having a normal and happy life. had Godzilla never returned, he would have lived happily with his adopted family. The rest of the cast are great, but the one that stuck out for me was Noda, the naval engineer. From his hair to the round glasses, makes him feel like a quirky scientist rather than someone who has seen hell firsthand like the others. He had some great moments like his plan that, while I won’t spoil, is completely practical but at the same time ludicrous. He easily understands Godzilla’s strengths and weaknesses, and through his insane strategy and guidance, was able to help win the day.
That’s all fun and good, but it’s time to talk about the real star of the show.
Godzilla is as awesome as ever, with his design coming directly from Godzilla The Ride’s look with a few tweaks here and there. He’s a lot more aggressive than most incarnations, attacking all naval in the area with incredible strength and surprisingly nimble on his feet, especially in his original form before being nuked. As Gojicenter speculated, if there were any other kaiju in the movie he would have been a brawler. As for his main attack, instead of simply glowing, his dorsal plates now pop out like they were nuclear rods before popping back in like a flintlock pistol, resulting in probably one of the most powerful atomic breaths in Godzilla history.
My only real complaint without spoiling anything is a minor one at that. Whilst watching, I really wished this was the movie that used a man in a suit with miniatures, to pay the ultimate homage to the long history of the franchise. I understand that practical effects for a modern movie would have skyrocketed the budget of this movie, CGI is often a cost-saving measure for movies of today where directors can virtually make any film they want. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been a problem for the filmmakers to use a rubber suit, after all, look at Tsuburaya’s work with the Ultraman franchise. Heck, have the company be brought in to create a new suit, bring them back to the character the Father of Special Effects helped make all those years ago.
But I’m simply a reviewer on the internet. what would I know about budgeting movies?
Ultimately, Godzilla Minus One was amazing. It’s not my top favorite, like King of the Monsters, or my least favorite, like the Anime Trilogy, I can safely say it’s certainly coming closer to being in my top five. It was a success with critics and audiences alike. Perhaps you could say it’s a plus-one Godzilla movie.
See you Space Cowboy!
