Godzilla Minus One Review

11.7.2023

Shin Godzilla raised the bar seven years ago. But Godzilla Minus One surpassed it, exceeding my expectations. From start to finish, Director Takashi Yamazaki has given audiences and fans a masterpiece. He created a Godzilla distinctively his own set in a postwar Japan “historical drama” with characters, times and themes reminiscent of his previous work, such as Always: Sunset on Third Street, The Great War of Archimedes, and Eternal Zero. Yamazaki returns on familiar themes of family, service, sacrifice set in the Showa era. He draws from the seventy years of Godzilla history and non-Godzilla films in surprising and interesting ways to create an amazing and memorable movie experience.

Godzilla Minus One is peak Yamazaki and the culmination of his work to date. The film is a well-crafted intense and emotional “historical drama,” packed with a powerful antiwar message fitting for our times. Minus One reimagines the birth of Godzilla in familiar and unexpected ways. Yamazaki’s Godzilla is ferocious and vindictive unlike any of his predecessors. His Godzilla is more than an animal; he is a god. Yamazaki creation is respectful of the King of the Monsters while pushing what is known of Godzilla to new limits to tell his story of Japanese pain, resistance and resolve immediately after the war. The casting is great. As in previous Yamazaki films the characters are complex and the actors are attractive, drawing the admiration and interest of moviegoers. The film is supported by a stirring and evocative soundtrack by Japanese composer Naoki Sato known for his popular anime and film scores. Minus One is an exceptional installment in the series, celebrating 70 years of Godzilla movie entertainment. Godzilla Minus One is an emotional rollercoaster and tear-jerker until the very end.