'Godzilla Minus One' A Review

Godzilla Minus One is a period kaiju film, the latest in the Godzilla franchise. Near the end of WWII kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima(Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands on Odo Island for repairs, that night Godzilla attacks and only Shikishima and a mechanic survive. Returning to Tokyo after the war Shikishima befriends Noriko Ōishi(Minami Hamabe) and the two raise an orphaned child together. Looking for work Shikishima works on a repurposed fishing boat to deactivate mines only to again be confronted with the monster.

Kamiki anchors the film with confidence and an emotional vulnerability that elevates this monster flick to a whole other level, same with Hamabe, her tenacity, their relationship, his guilt and PTSD it all runs solidly as an undercurrent to the surface level(and still very effective) kaiju adventure. The support cast is all stupendous especially Kamiki's counterparts on the boat. There's a lot of balls to juggle here and the cast absolutely sells the fear and devastation of Godzilla while also carving out fully dimensional characters who are not only dealing with the monster disaster but also the wreckage of life in post-war Japan. Its an impressive feat.

Visually the film is spectacular, with mostly on location shooting, evocative sets and costuming, limited CGI of which the rendering of Godzilla is wonderful and limited and in so doing more effective. The score is a triumph with the classic thrumming Godzilla theme being utilized whenever the creature appears. It has a clarity and a heart the recent US incarnation has not been able to achieve with its current string of films that have far larger budgets. Another example of the viability of smaller budget films that are allowed to have more focus and imagination.

Surprising, entertaining, and maybe even inspiring.

Currently in theaters, coming soon to VOD.

See It.