HOLY. SHIT.
Godzilla Minus 1 is an old school Godzilla movie. He is not a savior of Earth. He is not your friend. Godzilla is Mother Nature’s tool of destruction and no one is safe. It’s refreshing to see Godzilla return to form with this entry into Toho’s 33 film franchise. The destruction brought to a post WW2 Japan is as terrifying as it is monumental. Godzilla lays waste to just about everything in his path and seemingly nothing can stop him.
Godzilla receives a origin of sorts in this version as our main human, Kōichi runs into a dinosaur on Odo Island. The dinosaur massacres the Japanese military stationed on the island leaving Kōichi completely paralyzed in fear. The event leaves him traumatized as he returns to Japan after the war in an attempt to rebuild his life. The human character’s, especially Kōichi are great in this movie, usually something lacking in every Godzilla movie up to this point. The plot point that he is a disgraced kamikaze pilot who did not want to die is just as strong as Godzilla’s destruction and that is something that makes Godzilla Minus 1 stand out from the rest. The audience is actually made to care about our human leads in between the action scenes we love to watch. Kōichi’s story is truly one of accepting life and the will to keep striving forward in the face of death and cataclysmic destruction.
Godzilla Minus 1 is closer to to the original 1953 movie as there is no fellow monster for Godzilla to fight. He’s a genuine force of atomic destruction. The special effects for his heat ray (atomic breath) were awesome as this Godzilla gets how own flair. His dorsals pop out as they charge and the devastation on the receiving end is nothing short of an atomic bomb. The parallel of effects of the atomic bomb and Godzilla’s attack on Japan are present more so more than ever in this film.
Godzilla Minus 1 is fresh entry into this constantly evolving franchise. It stand head and shoulders above the Toho films of old and their American counterparts. Godzilla Minus 1 is the definitive Godzilla film of its generation and one that can appeal to audiences at large.
I enjoyed every aspect of this movie. I cannot wait to own it to watch at home.
Godzilla Minus 1 – 10/10
