Last Sunday, history was made when the (spiritual) sequel to OPPENHEIMER won an Oscar.
Many of my friends and colleagues have been praising this film online and what its win meant. Rather than jump on that bandwagon, I’m taking a different approach, and sharing why this particular Godzilla film resonated with me so deeply. Much of it has to do with the timing of the film’s release coinciding with personal things going on in my life. Events that had some level of connectivity to the story. When you’re in an emotionally vulnerable state or frame of mind, two out of three of those things found in this movie, hit a little harder than normally would any other time.
First, a month before the film opened, I had just become an uncle to twin girls. It’s no secret on social media that there were complications. Happy to report things have greatly improved and will touch upon that in the following week. But, the ordeal proved traumatic as we were all constantly on edge for months receiving tidbits of new information. With that in the back of my mind, a huge chunk of the plot dealt with a young couple raising a baby girl they had found who was orphaned during the fire bombing air raids of Tokyo during World War II. this makeshift family raise the girl as their own doing what they can to “protect her future.”
Secondly, two months prior to the film’s release, my relationship with my partner had come to an end. She was half Japanese and spent the majority of her life living there. We were supposed to see this movie together. It never happened. The film also has a strong love story and when you’re watching a love story taking place in Japan while missing your Japanese girlfriend… yeah, it’s gonna hit you different. We had talked about visiting Japan together and there were things peppered throughout the film that were reminders, including her nickname appearing near the end of the credits!
Third is more on a creative level. This is where I sound like I’m gatekeeping. In a healthy way, much like director Gareth Edwards, I too am jealous I did not get to make this Godzilla movie. From a tonal and emotional standpoint, this was the kind of Godzilla movie I’ve always wanted to make. The only major difference is that MINUS ONE is a period piece, whereas I would’ve set mine in the present. Despite some minor similarities (notably the idea behind the train sequence and the ending), setting it in present day would not have been as successful as Yamazaki’s film. I feel that by setting it in Post World War II Japan, the movie benefits from this. It amplifies the emotionality and raises the stakes.
Watching the movie, my feelings are 50/50. There is both sadness and happiness. Sadness in that, this movie was so good that I’ve lost any desire to make the Godzilla movie in my mind, fan-film or otherwise. But grateful that finally, American audiences got to experience something close to what I’ve always felt had the potential. I also feel split about its Oscar win in retrospective but lean much more towards the positive. It should’ve been nominated for at least one more award other than just the one for effects because, at the end of the day, the effects are not what made this movie work. The movie was only suppose to play in theatres for a week and just by word of mouth and barely any advertising, subtitled, it kept getting extended to 2 months and eventually became the highest grossing foreign film stateside. The effects were not the reason people kept going back or rave about it. It was how well some of the human characters were fleshed and how heartfelt that human story was. Another aspect often overlooked was the fact that the actors were not known to American audiences which aided the verisimilitude of the story and made it easier for movie goers to truly be invested in the characters without the baggage of their previous work or media gossip.
On the other side of that, I vicariously enjoy the success of MINUS ONE. The franchise has been around since 1954, inspiring many acclaimed directors. In 70 years, this is the first time a Godzilla movie ever won an Oscar! What’s even more incredible and wholesome was that a foreign film, a small group of artists, and working with a budget just south of 15 million, beat out its American, big budget competitors!
Next week a Hollywood American Godzilla movie via Warner Bros. comes out. From everything that is known, GODZILLA X KONG is a VASTLY different kind of Godzilla movie from MINUS ONE. That’s the beauty of it, the versatility of Godzilla. Families with small children will no doubt take them to see GODZILLA X KONG. Being a hard-core/ hyper fixated Godzilla fan all my life, I have intentions to see it too if time permits.
But having heard from people who are not fans, some getting teary eyed over MINUS ONE, if there is one Godzilla movie I would recommend to someone who is NOT a fan, I would immediately direct them to MINUS ONE. Dealing with heavy themes such as survivor’s guilt, PTSD, questioning your government, hope and celebrating life, rendering the film as a heartbreaking triumph of the human spirit. MINUS ONE is the closest film to have the DNA of the intent the 1954 original movie had.”
