MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Epic Kaiju/Stars: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Sae Nagatani, Mio Tanaka, Yuya Endo, and Godzilla as himself/Runtime: 125 minutes

When you had the weird childhood that I did (Disney movies with Mom and seemingly everything else through either Dad, one of my uncles, and/or the power of free HBO/Showtime) it shouldn’t come as any surprise to learn that one of the effects of this turned out to be seeing certain movies at an age that, looking back on it now, I might have been too young at the time to be watching (cough cough Caligula cough cough). Among the many examples I could go into however, there is one (for the purposes of this review) that definitely stands out. That being the time when I was 6-years old and during one of my visits, my dad decided that we were going to watch the original Godzilla from 1954. A choice that, through the magic of Blockbuster (if you remember those then you too grew up in a significantly more magical time), was able to become a reality. Yet despite close to 24 years having come and gone since then (you do the math) to say nothing of the fact that I have seen numerous other entries in the Godzilla franchise (both from Toho and here in the States as well as that complete and utter abomination from 1998) there is one thing that I feel has been sorely missing. That being that Godzilla is not scary. Oh sure he’s still a phenomenal character, sure his atomic breath is still downright awesome, and sure his longevity on the silver screen after all this time is undeniably impressive. At the same time however, the fact still remains that, in some strange way, I miss with an undying passion the crippling terror I felt during that very first installment as I watched in awe and horror this giant merciless monster just smash his way through Tokyo whilst the rapidly dwindling number of human beings under him struggled to try and find any way they could to stop him before it was too late. Or at least that used to be the case dear reader. The reason I say used to be is because of the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you today in the form of 2023’s Godzilla Minus One. Indeed here is a slice of cinema that manages to be nothing short of consistently riveting and engaging whilst also being one that, besides making the titular monster completely and legitimately scary again, also does a terrific job of ensuring that this film places an emphasis on the human characters dealing with Godzilla’s highly unwelcome visit to say nothing of telling us a tale that, even when Godzilla is not on screen, manages to be incredibly thrilling. Suffice it to say that it might have a few issues here and there, but with the aid of potent work on both sides of the camera this is one slice of cinema that is more than just a phenomenal film; rather, it is also a powerful reminder of the power that cinema can have when made with skill and heart in equal measure.

The plot is as follows: Taking us as movie goers back in time to the long-ago year of 1945, Godzilla Minus One gets its taut narrative underway by introducing us to our hero in the form of a guy by the name of Koichi Shikishima. A young man who, among other things worth knowing about them, is a member of that distinct group in the Japanese military at one time known as kamikaze pilots. Yet, unlike a lot of the other individuals who fulfilled that specific role, we see that Shikishima isn’t entirely up to performing his duties. A fact he soon makes quite clear to us when we see him fake some technical issues with his plane and lands on a locale known as Odo Island. Unfortunately for our hero, we see that this act of (according to his brothers in arms at any rate) cowardice soon backfires on him when, shortly after arrival, his plane is attacked by….something and, in the ensuing chaos, only he and one other member of his unit are left standing. Moving ahead a solid year and we see that, in the time since, our hero has taken up residence in a war-torn Tokyo where he has done his best to move on with his life including gaining employment on a minesweeper and even becoming the patriarch of a quasi-sorta family unit comprised of himself, a woman by the name of Noriko Ōishi, and an orphaned child named Akiko respectively. Yet even though he has definitely tried his best on this front in this phase of his life, we see that our hero has nevertheless been stricken with survivor’s guilt for reasons that I think are best left for you to discover for yourself to say nothing of the fact that, in the eyes of his fellow countrymen, he is nothing more or less than a Grade-A coward due to the previously mentioned actions during the war. Unfortunately for both our hero to say nothing of the rest of Tokyo we soon see that things are about to go from bad to worse. It seems that the creature that our hero encountered, now going by the name of (get this) Godzilla, has been mutated and strengthened immensely by the nuclear tests done by the United States at the locale of Bikini Atoll. As a result, we see that Godzilla has started to annihilate ships in the immediate area and begun to forge a path of destruction and chaos straight toward Tokyo. As a result, we see that our seemingly cowardly hero is now being given the most unlikely of second chances. Not only to restore his name, but to also save the community that he holds most dear. With that in mind though, what chance does this one guy have against a monster that is seemingly unstoppable? That I will leave for you to discover…..

Now right off, it should be said that the work done by the various departments behind the camera on this slice of cinema is nothing short of impeccable in every sense of the word. This starts with the work done at the helm by Takashi Yamazaki and he does an amazing job here at really going back to the powerful symbolism that Godzilla monsterfied (?) in the very first movie from 1954. Namely the horror that cannot be kept in check, the enigmatic fears that are just simply out there waiting in the shadows biding their time, and even the anxiety that the country of Japan had in the aftermath of World War 2 that they would not ever be able to rebuild. As a result, we see that even though the film does at times go into moments that are bit on the overdramatic side, the anguish felt by the characters is still very much palpable and genuine. More than that though, this is a film that (besides featuring some truly glorious monster mayhem) also does a terrific job of instilling in/reminding us as movie goers about such virtues as the power of finding the courage to square off against adversity, discover what drives us as people to live, and to keep moving forward even when it looks like that is all but impossible. With such wonderful subtext as that in mind though, there is also no denying that Yamazaki also does a phenomenal job of sculpting this slice of cinema with an incredibly detailed eye that is able to not only bring post World War 2 Tokyo vividly to life for us and even make sure that the action beats on display are genuinely thrilling, but also give us a take on this iconic movie monster that is nothing short of terrifying. Indeed, as portrayed in this film, Godzilla is not a fan of piles of fish, Matthew Broderick, or even befriending/respecting certain other human beings such as Ken Watanabe in some of the more recent American Godzilla films. Instead this not so jolly (or even green for that matter) giant has no qualms about killing people left and right whilst unleashing either a mighty roar that will send a chill down your spine or atomic breath that not even 6000 SPF sunblock could protect you from and that is just when Godzilla is on land since when he decides to wreak havoc in the middle of the ocean he operates less like a giant monster and more like a sneakily merciless torpedo that silently stalks its unsuspecting prey in the darkness of the deep before proceeding to make deadly impact in a big way. Yet despite being easily something that is going to haunt your dreams long after the movie is over, we see that the filmmaker (who is also responsible for the incredible visual effects work on display here) takes a page from Spielberg’s playbook on Jaws and goes to painstaking lengths to not give us a lot of the titular monster. As a result, not only does this raise the suspense present in the film exponentially, but it also ensures that when Godzilla is on screen and wreaking havoc you are left on the edge of your seat in the best way possible. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate into the mix a truly mesmerizingly melancholic yet powerfully moving musical score from the incredible Naoki Satō and jaw-droppingly beautiful work in the cinematography department from Kōzō Shibasaki it’s clear that the work done behind the camera has managed to do a magnificent job of bringing audiences back the kind of Godzilla movie that we have so desperately needed all this time and then some.

Of course, the other big element that can either make or break a slice of cinema like this doesn’t come from the performance given by the monster. Rather, it comes from the human performers operating alongside them. After all: a monster fighting other monsters can be quite entertaining, but when you have to put up with a group of whiny and/or insufferable human characters it can really make the moments between monster combat more than just a wee bit on the grating side to sit through. Fortunately for audiences, this slice of cinema may have a few overdramatic moments here and there, but overall the performances given by the human cast of characters here is actually really freaking good even if they are very much playing archetypes rather than three dimensional individuals. Without a doubt in my mind, this starts with the top-tier work done by Ryunosuke Kamiki in the lead role of Kōichi Shikishima. Indeed not only does Kamiki do a beautifully delicate job of presenting us as movie goers with the intricate nuances that come when a person finds themselves afflicted with both survivor’s guilt as well as PTSD from his experiences and choices that he made during the war, but he also does an equally as impressive job of showcasing the slow yet inspiring shift in his character to becoming someone that is genuinely brave and heroic as a result of this string of vicious attacks by Godzilla on both his surrogate family to say nothing of the city of Tokyo overall. Suffice it to say that it is a wonderful lead performance and one that should bring this bonafide talent to the attention of the international filmgoing community. Backing up the aforementioned wonderful work done in the lead role by Kamiki is a collection of equally as solid supporting performances. This starts with the performance given by Minami Hamabe in the role of Shikishima’s girlfriend Noriko and to be sure we might not get as much time with her character for reasons I shan’t spoil, but even so there is no denying that Hamabe does a wonderful job at presenting us with a woman who very much does her best to help her boyfriend move forward in life despite the pain that is holding him back. Indeed should they decide to make a sequel to this I definitely would love for Noriko to get significantly more screentime as she definitely is the most underutilized character in this film’s human roster. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate into this mix delightful efforts from such talents as Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki to name but a few it’s clear that whilst each of these characters in their own ways might be an archetypal kind of character that you most likely have seen a million times before the performances given by the cast still do a wonderful job here. Not only because each member of the cast of characters possesses a clear-cut personality to help distinguish them from the other characters involved, but because each and every one of them, despite any issues that they may be faced with, still prove to be quite likable and definitely worth rooting for amidst all the monster-caused destruction and chaos.

All in all and at the end of the day is Godzilla Minus One a perfect slice of cinema? Sadly as much as I would like to say that it is I am afraid that I can’t though certainly by no means due to lack of effort on the part of either cast or crew. At the same time though, this is also NOT the worst Godzilla-related (however tangentially) cinematic adventure I have ever been a part of so this also has that going for it as well. In all fairness though when the worst is *still* that 1998 atrocity from Roland Emmerich which even the incredible Jean Reno couldn’t save then I think it’s safe to say without a doubt in my mind that isn’t exactly the hardest cinematic hurdle in the world to overcome. Sarcastic observations aside however dear reader, I cannot deny that I truly do love this movie with an immense passion. To be sure, there are moments of melodrama that are a wee bit on the unnecessary side and there are also points where the human cast of characters does stumble a little from a performance perspective. Even so, it should be said that the work done in front of the camera by this cast of talent (to say nothing of their gigantic and quite homicidal monster co-star) is otherwise an absolute joy and the work done behind the camera is nothing short of impeccable. Not only in bringing the titular monster to terrifying life in a way that audiences hadn’t seen since perhaps the first installment from all the way back in the long ago year of 1954, but also in giving us an a film that in nearly every facet from writing and directing to visual effects all the way down is blessed with having the heart, soul, and even thought-provoking social commentary necessary for a Godzilla movie to really take in and subsequently soar on (even if all the big guy can do is either menacingly swim or walk. A facet of his capabilities for which airline passengers the world over should be immensely grateful for). Suffice it to say then that at the end of the day Godzilla Minus One is more than just an exemplary, well-acted, and extremely well-made film. Rather, it is also a potent and incredible reminder of the power that cinema can have as an artform especially when sculpted and delivered to us with this skill and this much care by a team of professionals all operating near the pinnacle of their respective abilities. Make of that what thou will and maybe think twice before planning a trip to Tokyo after seeing this movie. After all: you never know who or what might decide to come along with you. On a scale of 1-5 I give Godzilla Minus One a solid 4.5 out of 5.