Godzilla Minus One

Genres : Drama, Action, Monsters

Writer : Surya Turaga 

Date : 23rd June, 2024

Godzilla Minus One is not just a refreshing change from the recent mediocrity, it’s also a genuinely entertaining and well made movie. It succeeded in creating a compelling story with moving character arcs, having excellent visuals despite the 11 million USD budget, and conveying a slightly foreign message very clearly to an international audience. 

Minus One is a Japanese independent monster movie directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Set in post war Japan, it follows Koichi Shikishima, a disgraced kamikaze pilot, as he encounters Godzilla the monster. FYI, kamikaze pilots are basically suicide bombers, crashing planes into the enemy. Shikishima feigned plane trouble to survive, only to feel disgrace for not giving his life to Japan. The film certainly doesn’t glorify kamikaze pilots, but it also doesn’t shy away from showing the general views at the time. 

The best thing about this film is that it’s not just a ‘monster movie’ that has a big lizard creating havoc. Minus One serves as a reminder that Godzilla is a metaphor for nuclear war. It shows atomics as the terrifying evil that it is, from the perspective of a country fresh out of war and weak from attacks. We see plenty of Godzilla wreaking havoc on cities and stuff. The visual effects were done very well. But we don’t have all the humans reduced to basically a bunch of screaming ants getting crushed. There are several main characters given significant spotlight, all of whom push the plot forward. 

Being an atypical monster movie as I mentioned, its plot has more than just ‘how should we kill this lizard’ stuff. The movie also focuses on Shikishima’s character arc, as he meets a girl and an orphaned child. An unlikely bond forms between people broken from war. Shikishima deals with his survivor's guilt as he searches for his life’s new purpose. Even some less significant characters have very compelling arcs, which are satisfying to watch as they represent the people of the country slowly mustering their strength. 

The acting is excellent, if not a little bit dramatic at times. That’s more of an observation of Japanese acting, rather than a criticism. Cinematography here was nothing extraordinary. There were a few creative angles explored, but it’s pretty standard for the most part. It doesn’t mesmerize the audience, but it keeps them engaged for sure. That and the visual effects are about you'd expect from a $11 million film. 

Minus One definitely didn’t rely on visual effects too much, but you can see that occasionally. Due to Godzilla being a completely evil figure in this adaptation, it looked fairly frightening, with an angry face and intimidating figure. The destruction was realistic, and Godzilla’s infamous atomic breath looked absolutely stunning in this film. It’s just the face that looked a little odd and inconsistent at times, where they clearly compromised on the look. 

In spite of a couple small shortcomings, Godzilla Minus One is still an excellent film. Almost as if you don’t need an entire state’s budget and crazy visuals to make a good movie. An impressive story is what matters, and this film certainly delivers on that. With a straightforward plot, it’s enjoyable to watch even if you’re not a monster movie fan. 

Surya-o-meter : 94%