Godzilla Minus One

by Mike McGranaghan

At the conclusion of my Godzilla Minus One screening, an older gentleman stood up, faced the crowd, and shouted, “Hell, yeah! The Japanese still know how to make a good Godzilla movie!” I’m certainly not going to argue with him. I’d go even further and say this is quite possibly the best Godzilla movie since the 1954 original. The character has been the focus of several American movies, but writer/director Takashi Yamazaki adheres to the historical and cultural meaning embedded in it. That makes a world of difference.

Rather than being a story about Godzilla, the film is really the story of Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a kamikaze pilot who, realizing WWII is nearing its end, abandons his mission by pretending his plane needs repair. He also chickens out when Godzilla strikes Odo Island, leading to the deaths of many men. Following several years of survivor’s guilt, Shikishima gets a chance at redemption when the massive lizard starts making its way toward Japan.

The original Godzilla thematically dealt with the impact of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which gave it real-world relevance underneath the creature feature trappings. Godzilla Minus One uses Godzilla to explore Japan’s treatment of soldiers during the war. After forming a de facto family with a woman he meets and the abandoned child she began caring for after the bombing of Tokyo, Shikishima begins to digest how unfair it was to demand kamikaze pilots go on suicide missions, knowing they had families back home. The effort to stop Godzilla allows him to come to terms with that, as well as with the remorse he’s been carrying around. His entire character arc is very compelling.

American Godzilla pictures like Godzilla: King of the Monsters have used it as fuel for over-the-top action sequences designed to be “cool” and “awesome.” Yamazaki understands that it has to mean something when Godzilla comes onscreen. This film’s action scenes avoid blatant showiness in favor of emphasizing the danger to those in its path and, more specifically, the opportunity that arises for Shikishima to heal himself. That quality ensures that they’re incredibly thrilling. A climactic battle is especially taut, as it involves a multi-pronged attack designed to trap Godzilla.

The visual effects in Godzilla Minus One are superb. Again, in American films, the CGI is so overdone that it looks like CGI. Yamazaki’s effects are scaled back to look real (or real within the fantasy-based world). Godzilla destroys cities in a manner that appears authentic, as opposed to being stylized to death. And when illuminated spikes emerge from its back, indicating preparation to unleash a death beam, you might just get a rush of excitement. The FX here serve the plot instead of justifying it.

You can feel the respect that infuses Godzilla Minus One. It does justice to a cinematic monster that has entertained audiences around the world for decades by taking it seriously and approaching it with intelligence. I had a great time watching the film. If you appreciate Godzilla, you will too.

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