After “Shin Godzilla” came out in 2016 as the first film in the Reiwa Era, Japanese production company Toho collaborated with Netflix to produce an anime trilogy. All three entries streamed in 2017-2018. I haven’t seen every single one. Four years after the anime trilogy ended, Toho confirmed they’re working on a live-action Godzilla movie known as “Godzilla Minus One.” However, it’s not tied to the American version produced by Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures. Basically, a self-contained story set in post-World War II Japan.
Godzilla Minus One earned critical acclaim from critics, fans and movie goers alike. In addition to praise, the film managed to recoup its $15 million budget. As you may know, “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” is currently streaming on Apple TV Plus. “Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire” will be released on April 12, 2024.
This review contains no crucial SPOILERS. Feel free to read my non-spoiler article.
Powerful & Weak Aspects
Powerful: Actors all did a superb job for their respective performances.
Takashi Yamazaki (Lupin III: The First) did an excellent job directing. He also wrote the script. I haven’t seen a lot of Mr. Yamazaki’s work. Maybe someday, I’ll check out his filmography.
Action Sequences display Godzilla wreaking havoc in Japan. I’m giving his atomic breath Bonus Points. I’ve never seen anything quite like that in previous films.
The Tone’s dark and realistic. This one isn’t fun and cheesy like the old school movies.
Human characters were interesting and relatable. A former kamikaze pilot is the main protagonist who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He struggles to move on from his first encounter with Godzilla. He forms a close bond with a young woman and a baby girl she found after her birth mother died. The pilot gains allies, helping him to put an end to Godzilla’s wrath.
Takashi mentioned the film’s influenced by “Jaws” & “Dunkirk.” Steven Spielberg meets Christopher Nolan.
Pacing didn’t take forever. I was invested with every single human character.
Primary Themes are Survival, Trauma, Regret & Guilt. Each one’s handled carefully.
Character Development involving the Pilot. As the story progresses, he overcomes his cowardice doing everything he can to protect human lives.
Cinematography captures in-depth imagery of Godzilla’s rampage.
Unlike previous entries, Godzilla’s C.G.I. He looks badass and scary. Roland Emmerich, eat your heart out. Takashi has experience in special effects. I’m puzzled the budget’s $15 million. It looks like a $100+ million blockbuster. Beating several expensive flops. Hollywood’s been dicking around not these projects seriously. Thanks (but no thanks) to Joe Biden’s inflation, greedy CEOs causing the Actor’s/Writer’s Strikes, poor management and underpaid royalty paychecks. OUCHIES!
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (underwhelming)
- Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (great)
- Renfield (liked it)
- Beau Is Afraid
- Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
- Hypnotic
- Knights of the Zodiac
- Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
- The Flash (thought it was good)
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (screw you, Kathleen Kennedy)
- Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
- Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning – Part One (awesome)
- Haunted Mansion
- Blue Beetle
- Strays
- Retribution
- Dumb Money
- The Expendables 4
- Killers of the Flower Moon (modern classic)
- The Marvels (worse than Morbius)
Production Value looks Class A.
It’s not required to watch the MonsterVerse series. A one-off not setting up a cinematic universe. Fine by me.
Weak: Although I’m not Japanese, it’s hard for me to remember a human character’s name. As if it’s difficult to know the seven children first names from “The Sound of Music.”
If you’re not used to watching non-English films with subtitles, you’ll be turned off. I got used to the subtitles. I’ll let this con slide.
The Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
At first, I was gonna give this movie an A-, but after witnessing an epic Kaiju film about survival, it deserves my highest-grade. Godzilla Minus One is the best giant monster movie I have ever seen since my all-time favorite, “Cloverfield.” I consider Toho’s instant classic my second favorite film of 2023. Awards Season isn’t over. I really wanna see “Poor Things.” Emma Stone’s nominated for a Golden Globe nomination. It’s a darn shame Godzilla Minus One didn’t earn a nomination for “Best Foreign Film.” Godzilla and Kong: A New Empire’s gonna be a tough act to follow. I think it’s gonna be a fun and wacky action-packed team-up movie.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 