Godzilla Minus One [Review]
We live in an age of cinematic spectacle. While a decent share of the scale and splendor can be attributed to the emergence and expansion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, films like Avatar, Everything Everywhere all at Once, and even the most recent Mission Impossible movie deliver elevated action sequences to take your breath away.
Yet, there are few that can stand up to the King of the Monsters.
Toho International has blessed us with yet another entry for Godzilla’s broad filmography, now counting 37 titles, with Godzilla Minus One. This latest entry delivers awe-inspiring scenes of destruction while also telling a compelling human story.
I have to preface the following with some personal information - I actually earned a Masters in Japanese History from UC Santa Cruz. Under the tutelage of Alan Christy, I wrote my thesis on postwar Okinawa, and how the GHQ re-appropriated civilian farmland and property for military use. With this in mind, the historical context was of particular interest to me, and the underlying themes really struck a chord.
The story starts in the final days of World War II. Kōichi Shikishima is a kamikaze pilot who takes a detour to the island of Odo because his plane is “faulty”. After landing, the chief mechanic, Tachibana, notes that the team can’t find anything wrong with the young soldier’s plane. Rather than arresting him or reporting him outright, Tachibana empathizes with Kōichi, and the two seem to come to an understanding.
It’s not long after this, however, that a monster of local legend known as “Godzilla” emerges from the water to attack the base. Tachibana rallies his men as they retreat into a nearby trench, and he commands Kōichi to use the large guns on his plane to drive the monster away. The young pilot makes it to his plane, but is overcome with fear and unable to act on Tachibana’s orders. Another terrified soldier then begins to fire on Godzilla, and what follows is a scene of carnage and destruction that leaves all of the soldiers dead.
All but Kōichi, and Tachibana.
Carrying the weight of that horrible event with him, we watch Kōichi return to his scorched hometown to find his parents dead and his childhood home destroyed. During a chance encounter with a young woman accused of theft, a baby girl is thrust into his arms as she runs off. Weighing the thought of abandoning the baby himself, he proceeds to take her home, only to re-encounter the girl and discover that the baby, named Akiko, was actually entrusted to her by a dying woman after the Tokyo firebombings. Introducing herself as Noriko, the three form an unusual family unit, with Kōichi eventually acquiring work as a minesweeper.
Kōichi makes some new friends aboard the boat, including the intelligent Dr. Noda, Captain Yōji, and a younger man named Mizushima. Noriko secures a desk job in Ginza, and as the months go by, Kōichi uses his money to build a new unit on his family’s property. In the ruins of World War II, daily life seems to be returning to normal. Though for Kōichi it’s the specter of war, and Godzilla, that ever loom in the back of his mind.
Meanwhile, the US continues to perform additional atomic testing, and the already fearsome monster known as Godzilla has firsthand exposure to atomic blasts and radiation, greatly affecting its size and abilities. Eventually, a truly terrible force of destruction arrives in Japan, risking the utter destruction of a country that was already brought low.
To start, I have to say this film features some exceptional performances. It can be easy enough to write Godzilla films off as cheap fun - similar to disaster flicks or hokey B-films…and some of the acting in previous films has not helped this reputation. Yet, there are some real moving performances and scenes in Godzilla Minus One, and they are anchored in Ryunosuke Kamiki’s performance as Kōichi.
In discussing one of the chief challenges of the role, Kamiki said “My character, Shikishima, is a man deeply scarred by the war. No one knows how deep his pain is, so figuring out how much of that pain I should reveal was something I really struggled with. Should I get into character by putting myself through the same level of mental anguish? But such an experience might leave me unstable and prevent me from acting well. I kept wondering how much I should become the character.”
Indeed, Kōichi sees himself as a man who should not be alive. Kamiki portrays these struggles with survivors guilt brilliantly, encapsulating the pain that so many soldiers experienced in the postwar years in Japan. An early scene with one of his neighbors bitterly captures how the experience of defeated Japanese war veterans differed from the triumphant, returning American forces.
Complementing Kamiki’s performance is Japanese Academy award-winner Kuranosuke Sasaki (Captain Akitsu) and Hidetaka Yoshioka (Dr. Noda). Each offers the young Kōichi some necessary guidance and counseling, and Sasaki in particular has a penchant for toeing the line between excellent comedic deliveries and weighty, confrontational scenes.
Finally, Minami Hamabe brilliantly conveys Noriko’s fierce dedication to survival, and her view on the “gift” of life provides a much-needed salve to Kōichi’s sorrowful outlook.
While strong acting might be a draw for film aficionados, I know the real question many of you are asking:
What about the destruction?!
Fear not, my kaiju-loving friends. Godzilla’s major appearance does not disappoint. While there is only one instance of him leveling a city, it’s impressive enough to instill fear and awe…and this is where I should mention the movie was made on a comparatively shoestring budget of only $15 million.
Considering the set pieces, the impressive wide-angle shots, and that beautiful looking atomic laser beam, you have to wonder how they pulled it off. It’s honestly impressive.
Add to this an awesome soundtrack, including the iconic Godzilla theme, and you have a thrilling ride from beginning to end.
Godzilla Minus One is a movie that does it all: it features bombastic and breathtaking action sequences on impressive scale, while also delivering a deeply moving narrative around the tenacity of the human spirit, and the internal struggle that so many veterans face after they return home from war. Arguably the strongest Godzilla entry in its filmography (and I LOVED Shin Godzilla), it is a franchise refresh that needs to be seen.
