Rent Godzilla Minus One on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Ishirô Honda, Takeo Murata (original creator, uncredited), Takashi Yamazaki (screenplay)
Directed by: Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer
Plot
Post-war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.
Verdict
It's a Godzilla movie that's true to the original rather than just another mindless sequel. Godzilla represents war and how that destroys cities and people. Just after the destruction from World War II, Japan must deal with another threat that poses unimaginable catastrophic power. The metaphor is clear. It's a new war. The main arc focuses on a soldier's failings in the war as the reason he's committed to not fail again which leads to a thrilling conclusion. The intense moments in this are so well done, perfectly raising the level of emotion and engagement. This is engrossing from beginning to end, succeeding where the 'monsterverse' fails because this is focused on human drama first. Godzilla is a means to explore that instead of the centerpiece.
Watch It.
Review
I initially dismissed this as another entry in the Kong/Godzilla monsterverse franchise, but later discovered that it's unrelated. It's also much better. Just a few years ago I watched the original 1954 Godzilla. I thought the original would be like it's numerous cheesy sequels. It's not. It's a movie with strong themes and a monster that symbolizes the destruction wrought by the hydrogen bomb. Minus One takes a lot of inspiration from the 1954 movie.
I wondered about the title. After World War II and the atomic bombs, Japan was at its lowest point, zero. Godzilla creates even more havoc, terrorizing the country and bringing them to a state of less than zero.
Kamikaze pilot Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands at a base on Odo island, claiming mechanical issues with his plane. The mechanics can't find anything wrong, and it seems Shikishima may just be scared to carry out his task. This doesn't take long to bring Godzilla to Odo Island. It's intense, the creature and the fear of everyone on the island. Shikishima gets in his plane to attack from the ground but freezes. It wouldn't have made much of a difference. This feels realistic as it captures the sheer terror from seeing such a large beast. It's exactly what the monsterverse lacks, realism and emotion. Shikishima and Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki) are the only survivors, and Tachibana is enraged that Shikishima failed to act.
While we see a quick snippet of a bomb at Bikini Atoll, the movie doesn't provide additional information. In reality, after World War II the United States used the island for nuclear weapons testing.
Godzilla is a metaphor for war; the horror and terror it invokes. The destruction from Godzilla looks eerily like the devastation from an atomic bomb. It's an effective comparison. The unequipped and undermanned fight something they don't understand. Shikishima is forced to face Godzilla again. Will he freeze or act this time?
There's an intense chase with a little wooden boat and Godzilla. When you think just maybe they've got an advantage, the rules of the game change. This sequence alone is worth the price of admission. Japan must stop Godzilla, and a scientist comes up with a creative plan. It's also plausible that the plan would have redundancies. It's a sharp script, from how it characterizes Shikishima and the horrors of Godzilla to how Shikishima find an ally in Tachabana. He knew pleading for help wouldn't work, he had to insult him to cause a confrontation.
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| Ryunosuke Kamiki, Munetaka Aoki play Shikishima, Tachibana |
The strongest aspect of the movie is that Godzilla isn't the focus, he's an obstacle. We focus on Shikishima trying to overcome his fear, Japan banding together to fight, and the future generation as the reason they must fight. The attack against Godzilla is personal for Shikishima, a way to make things right in spite of his failures, and he gets to use his skills as a pilot. That and the music create a great sequence. The movie draws the scene out perfectly as we wonder if he was successful. Throughout the movie, the intense moments are fully realized and you completely feel it.
I appreciate this never resorts to exposition. I had to look up what the title Minus One and a sequel hint at the end represented. Surprisingly, this never mentions Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but the connection is ever present. This did reach for too much with the ending. There was no need for hints that this might get a sequel. It undermines the strength of the message.
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