Godzilla Minus One
Tony Folgia '24
First announced in 2022 Toho had revealed their next installment in their Japanese Godzilla series with the title Godzilla Minus One. This would be their first film in seven years, the last being Shin Gojira which was released in japan in 2016. Many fans of the iconic series had their expectations high because this movie was going to bring Godzilla back to his original devastating roots. Fast forward to December 1st 2023, the movie has become a hit in America with high praise from both critics and movie goers alike. As of December 19th Godzilla Minus One has made over a total of over $60 million dollars and is the highest grossing japanese film in the U.S. What’s even more impressive is that this film was crafted with a budget of roughly $15 million dollars or under.
Godzilla Minus One takes place during post war Japan where they are at their lowest as a country, but little do they know that the pain, trauma, and tragedy of war will soon come back to haunt them in the form of a monster taking them from zero to minus one. The film itself goes over topics such as anti war, survivor’s guilt, the meaning to live, hope, and making an act for your people when the government won't, turning all of it into one compelling story. Godzilla himself is an absolutely terrifying adversary to Japan and the devastation he causes is both horrific yet awesome at the same time. He feels massive and godlike, like an unstoppable force of nature, every time he’s on screen Godzilla will leave you mesmerized. With great cinematography, stunning visual effects, and a powerful soundtrack to top it all off, this is definitely my favorite film of 2023.
The human characters in this story are incredibly memorable and well written, you can really emphasize with and root for them in this film. It starts off with the main character named Koichi Shikishima, a kamikaze pilot who abandoned his station after making the decision that he’d rather live than fight to his demise in the war. But after coming face to face with a pre-irradiated Godzilla during panic on Odo Island Shikishima returns home only to find his entire city devastated from an American airstrike. He is met with shame by the locals and is left with nothing but his own guilt, he has lived to see another day but at a cost that just wasn’t worth it. But that is only a lick of his suffering, just as things seem to be getting better after a lot of building and what seems like the start of a new family, we cut a scene showcasing an atomic bomb testing in the ocean with a loud and petrifying roar as we see a familiar face awakened.
I could not recommend this movie enough, I thought it was absolutely stunning and it is what I’ve been wanting out of a modern day Godzilla film for so long. If you’re looking for a powerful conflicting story that builds tension, has an awesome climax, and features an awesome radioactive dinosaur like creature this movie is definitely worth checking out, overall I give this film a 9/10.
