Directed by:
Takashi YamazakiScreenplay:
Takashi YamazakiCinematography:
柴崎幸三Composer:
佐藤直紀Cast:
Ryūnosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, 青木崇高, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Andō, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Miō Tanaka, Yûya Endô, 飯田基祐, Sae Nagatani, Tsubaki ŌmuraVOD (3)
Plots(1)
Set in a post-war Japan, Godzilla Minus One will once again show us a Godzilla that is a terrifying and overwhelming force, which you already get a sense of from the teaser trailer and poster," Koji Ueda, President of Toho International, said in a statement. "The concept is that Japan, which had already been devastated by the war, faces a new threat with Godzilla, bringing the country into the 'minus.'" (Toho International)
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Reviews (15)
We’re gonna need a much bigger boat, or the famous mutated lizard intends to send post-war Japan and its traumatized inhabitants from ground zero to the basement. It comes with an attractive combination of the creator's heartfelt contribution from the realm of the destructive endemic and charming naivety, epitomized by the disheveled scientist’s shadow on the projector screen (with all due respect to Japan’s incredible ingenuity in protecting the country from natural disasters). I managed to get through the emotional outbursts and the crying on cue from the J-horror girl and focused on the beauty of the Kyushu J7W Shinden, which the local Lucius Fox had fitted with a button from Mr. Wayne. Kudos to Yamazaki for pulling it off with the budget that would have been enough for crazy Roland to get Broderick, Reno’s lighter, and a few live worms.
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This year, it seems to me that perhaps all the films around which there is general hype seem to be slightly above average at best, and Japan's Godzilla -1.0 is another one of those. As long as it deals with the intimate fates of individuals in post-war Japan and the lizard is only seen in waves, it's fine. Once the lizard makes landfall, the Japanese get a chance to use their over-the-top acting, and the characters start hatching crazy plans, but it in the end it turns that the lizard is enough (... well, you'll see), so it goes down the tubes, at least for me. I can appreciate how it looks given its budget, but I can't enjoy it authentically.
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The protagonist’s repetitive lamenting over trauma and remorse becomes boring over time, but the gloomy tone of Japan’s deteriorating position in the war brings a lot to the gigantic monster. Against a background of dark, foreboding music, Godzilla is a symbol of the horrors of war, including the devastating nuclear threat. The ocean scenes with the monster are excellent, with a build-up and ideas to make the most of its physiological capabilities. It is scary, angry and indestructible. The scenes with Godzilla in the city are only perfunctory, as if the filmmakers didn’t want to repeat what has already been seen a hundred times before (even in American monster movies) and instead wanted to retain the specific maritime nature of the story. The budget of $15 million for such high-quality CGI mayhem is unbelievable and the film’s success in American cinemas could signal a change in thinking among the Hollywood bean counters as to what a good movie needs and doesn’t need. In this respect, Godzilla Minus One is another “transformational phenomenon” of the year, much as Barbenheimer was.
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The fact that a Japanese film is making it into the best films of 2023 lists is noteworthy in itself. The Japanese have returned to their globally iconic monster, creating a fascinating film set in the aftermath of World War II. The atmosphere is fittingly historical, and while the digital effects are quite wild, the storytelling is where this film truly shines. It masterfully blends the collective mindset and struggles of a nation grappling with its post-war identity. This, in my opinion, is the most compelling aspect of the film. It's a total catharsis for a nation, embodied in a monster movie that defines a genre and aids in the purification of the Japanese spirit.
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On the occasion of his almost seventieth birthday, Gojira got a film that goes down well with the majority of the audience. That isn't a bad thing, but if you're expecting a procedural social critique like Shin Godzilla or over the top giant kaiju like in later Japanese works, you'll come away disappointed. A more fitting title would have been "how my post-war life was repeatedly affected by a monster" (the inspiration in the concept from the Godzilla comics: “Half Century War” is evident), because this time around it's stingy on Godzilla, he sort of plays third fiddle. When he does arrive, it's worth it (traditional design, origin and abilities, scale and action), but for most of its running time it's a tear-jerking melodrama about a kamikaze who failed in his duty and suffers from post-traumatic syndrome. He struggles to piece together a life in the ruins of Tokyo and a decimated post-war Japanese society that is also undergoing a fundamental transformation. Only that occasionally they (he and Japan) are shaken by Gojira's claw. Ironically, it's closer to the Pohlywood-ized kaiju variant on Jaws mixed with Pearl Harbor than to the previous Japanese Godzilla films (but the serious ones and the B-movie ones). Another installment is on the cards, but I'd personally prefer a sequel to Shin Godzilla. Perhaps as a satire on the Japanese government's bureaucratic mishandling of covid and the Olympics.
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Gallery (29)
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