If you’re a fan of Godzilla you are being spoiled right now. Recently you have been treated to the very silly but very fun Godzilla X Kong (2024), but before that, you got this film, Godzilla Minus One (2023). Now, opinions on films are subjective and it isn’t for me to say which of the two you should prefer, but while the American film is a turn-your-brain-off fun ride the Japanese film that just proceeded it is about as good as a Godzilla film can be and is arguably a masterpiece. I’m not the first person to laud this film and I highly doubt I will be the last, but it deserves all the praise it has been receiving. Harkening back to the original Godzilla (1954)the film allows itself to be both a great monster film with brilliant action set pieces, while also providing effective commentary on wartime, While the original film is very much a metaphor for the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this film takes aim more at the Japanese government at the time, sending young men to die at war with no real care for the lives they were throwing away. The film's attention to character, which is much more focused than in any prior Godzilla film to my knowledge, makes this clear. Our main character is a failed kamikaze pilot riddled with the guilt of not being able to follow through on orders and give his life for his country, but also shortly after not having the strength to pull the trigger which leads to innocent men being killed by Godzilla. The torment runs throughout the film and informs his decisions and actions at every point. The war isn’t over for him, and in Godzilla, he has a chance to make up for his guilt from the war. But it is not just him, all character’s motivations are fuelled by their experience in war, whether this be a staunch anti-war message or in the case of one character this feeling of excitement and envy of not being involved due to his age. As a character piece, it works marvellously, and I would argue is the best the series has ever been in that regard.
But of course, this is also a Godzilla film and so a good chunk of focus needs to be on the main man himself. And my god is this a top-tier Godzilla. He is a proper bastard from start to finish. This almost unthinking machine leaves absolute destruction and horror in its wake. And the design of him completely fits the tone. He just looks evil, with jagged edges and skin that looks almost like he was carved from stone. It is a wonderful design while also clearly being Godzilla at a glance. And don’t get me started on his atomic breath! This is the best that it has ever been, and the first time we see it properly, in fear of me sending like a 12-year-old boy, is so bloody cool. Slowly watching as his spines pop out and turn blue before he eventually unleashes and this absolute devastation is witnessed. It is on the one hand awesome and the other harrowing, which is an almost perfect description of the film on the whole now I think of it. And a shout-out has to be given to the special effects. They won the Oscar for special effects and it is completely deserved, especially considering the reported budget of this film was as little as $10 million. But I want to end this review by speaking about the one moment in the film that both times I have seen it made the film so much better for me. This is right towards the end when the original Godzilla theme fully kicks into gear. It had been teased earlier in the film but here it fully comes in and I couldn’t help beaming as it did. It is one of the greatest pieces of film music ever composed in my opinion and the way they utilise it in this film is perfect. It lifted what was already a great film into a superb film and I can’t recommend it enough.
Godzilla Minus One is available to watch on Netflix.
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