Internet Janitor
This is not your granddaughter’s Godzilla. You’ll find no running monster, no light brite color-changing scales and he’s no savior (who even in those movies kills tens of thousands of people) as all this chunky, extra junk in the trunk Godzilla wants to stomp and mow down infrastructure like it’s made of Lego. As successful as they may be I don’t think American filmmakers understand and they never will.
The film begins at the tail end of the second world war with Japan struggling to find its feet once again. We meet a kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (played by Ryunosuke Kamiki from Spirited Away) who shriks his duties and lands on a repair island. While this is already considered shameful, Godzilla then attacks the island where he fails once again. Back on the mainland, now paired with a single woman and his daughter he begins to explore his profound grief of perceived failure. Unfortunately, Godzilla is not yet done with him as he begins his assault on Tokyo.
Godzilla Minus One, to me, is the best thus far of all the Godzilla movies as it is better than most and meshes a compelling human story along with the mega monster destruction most people pay to see. While I enjoyed the last Toho release, Shin Godzilla, the human element was a little more dry focusing a lot on politics. Which is gross.
We come to know Koichi Shikishima and his trio of best friends, all of whom meet on a dangerous assignment to clear water mines left over after the war. They work very well as a group and the lady, Noriko Oishi, as they all try to keep him afloat. He can barely see the world around him, all he can see are the lives lost on the island, and his supposed failure in the war as reasons he shouldn’t have survived.
Now for Godzilla… this is one of the best designs I’ve ever seen before. The image of him in the water with the part of his head, intelligent expressive eyes glaring is truly staggering. It is even more amazing that the film cost 15 million to make. This is less than the anti-wrinkle cream for Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny which had a budget of approximately 300 million. It’s no wonder so many American blockbusters lately fail at the box office having to make a billion or more to break even.
Godzilla Minus One will not please the Nascar, boom boom, explosion, crashing noises audience. There are long stretches of time here with no Godzilla as we explore the human story. Godzilla here, a product of the war himself, is merely a well-used tool.