Writer and director Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One is easily among 2023’s most engaging, exciting, and poignant films. This isn’t some pulp monster movie to be casually dismissed by snobs—it’s a compelling post-World War II drama that periodically features a monster rearing its huge head, and it gives its big, scaly, radioactive leading man his best—and most ferocious—part in years.
Near the end of World War II, kamikaze pilot Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) freezes in terror behind his gun as Godzilla attacks a small island, resulting in heavy casualties. Returning in disgrace to shattered postwar Tokyo, he gradually rebuilds his life in the rubble and forms a surrogate family with young thief Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and Akiko, her adopted infant.
As Japan revives itself, Koichi supports his dependents with a risky job aboard a ship that destroys the war’s leftover mines dotting coastal waters. Meanwhile, atomic testing has rendered Godzilla infinitely more powerful, and the creature starts swimming—as always—toward Tokyo to lay waste to the city and its people. Koichi and his fellow veterans band together in an attempt to destroy the seemingly unstoppable beast.
Godzilla Minus One is essentially a broad reimagining of the original 1954 Godzilla, and it draws somewhat on that film’s adult tone. Unlike the light-hearted juvenilia that Godzilla movies became over subsequent decades, the first film was meant to be genuinely scary and disturbing. The monster represented the horrible aftermath of the atomic bombings and the specter of the nuclear age.
It’s a reminder of how rich monster movies—including Japan’s kaiju (giant monster) films—can be. Sometimes with Godzilla, the audience cheers the big gray guy on as he battles Ghidorah, or some other monster, and wrecks Tokyo. Here, the horrible cost of his mayhem is always evident, and viewers wince at the devastation he wreaks, which is the filmmaker’s intention. Yamazaki presents arguably the most vicious, merciless Godzilla in the entire series’ history.
But it’s the human element that makes Godzilla Minus One so successful. The cast is exceptionally likable and sympathetic, from its leads to supporting characters like neighbor Sumiko (Sakura Ando) to Koichi’s captain, Yoji (Kuranosuke Sasaki). These competent actors keep the story potent while successfully seasoning it with comedy.
It’s astounding that Godzilla Minus One cost a reported $15 million when its production values are so lavish. The visual effects are remarkably convincing, while still paying tribute to the classic Godzilla. Although he is largely a CG effect here, the monster is designed to stay true to its traditional bottom-heavy, man-in-a-suit physicality. Among other touches, Godzilla’s trademark roar carries over from his previous cinematic incarnations, and composer Akira Ifukube’s theme music intensifies the action in several key scenes.
To go into greater detail would likely lead to spoilers. Suffice it to say that Godzilla Minus One excels most current films by a wide margin on all fronts. At a time when foreign releases seldom get American distribution, a subtitled movie about a gargantuan lizard that has captivated audiences this widely is a testament to its overall quality. Hollywood could learn a lot about storytelling from this giant, animated dinosaur that is stomping most of its Oscar bait flat.