Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Cast: Minami Hamabe, Sakura Ando, Ryunosuke Kamiki Synopsis: Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb. Runtime: 2 hr 4 min Release Date: December 1, 2023 I'll be completely honest, going to the movies in 2023 was largely not a fun experience, as I'm sure most people would agree. There were a few bright spots for me, like Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, The Boys in the Boat, and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. But for the most part, this was a very disappointing year, and don't even get me started on superhero movies--a genre that is currently more dead than a multi-gunshot victim in a John Wick movie.
But 2023 went out with a surprising bang--a bang not from Hollywood, but from Japanese cinema--and that was Godzilla Minus One. This film left theaters just a couple weeks ago, but I'd be remiss if I didn't comment on just how important this film is and how it contrasts the filth (pardon my bluntness) that Hollywood is largely putting out these days in their high budget films. In essence, Godzilla Minus One does everything right what Hollywood is doing wrong in their mega-budget films. This film, in contrast to the recent Godzilla films, actually has an emotional and poignant human story embedded within it, and for once it's not buried beneath the mass of destruction that the title creature creates. No, instead it's front and center, and Godzilla is in the background. Our protagonist, Kōichi Shikishima, is guilt ridden from his cowardice actions in the war, and goes on an emotional journey to restore his dignity, but more importantly to learn how to live again in the face of loss within his family. He's wandering throughout life, surrounded by literal ruins, and only by forming human connections does he start to have the resolve to not only survive, but live again. This is a strong theme that resonates throughout the film as strong as Godzilla's own formidable presence and atomic breath. I must also state that I saw this film in it's black and white version--a version that was only in theaters in the US for about a week, and while I want to see the colored version at some point, the black and white greatly aided the film visually and thematically. Since the film takes place in the 1940s in post war Japan, it feels like it should be in black and white naturally, and it feels like lost archive footage of real, historical events (which obviously, some events are genuinely historical). But the black and white aspect also heavily aides the visuals of Godzilla--it disguises the CGI beautifully and makes him feel like a real, tangible being that's in camera. And a lot of praise has to be given to director Takashi Yamazaki for the masterful framing and well-crafted, suspense-driven scenes that really made me feel like I was watching the original Jurassic Park for the first time again. It's that good. Godzilla is an unstoppable force in this film. You feel his weight. You feel when he's approaching. And you feel the wrath and destruction that he invokes upon the Japanese. He's a full on villain in this film--not an anti-hero like the recent Godzilla films. And that's what's also refreshing about it all--Minus One takes Godzilla back to his roots---as a seemingly unstoppable, immortal being from hell itself. As someone who generally shies away from foreign films because I just hate having to read subtitles (and I don't like to watch them dubbed because it takes away the performance from the original actors), I'm so glad I didn't pass on Godzilla Minus One. Even if you're not a Godzilla fan or you don't like monster films, I still highly recommend this film. Because ultimately, it's about the humans, their struggle to survive and overcome unimaginable odds, and finding the will to live again in the face of trials and despair. Godzilla Minus One should serve as a stark reminder to Hollywood that to be successful, you need a strong, character driven story first that's rich in thought-provoking themes, then build off of that. In the other monster verse films, the humans are used sparingly and are one dimensional cutouts, while Godzilla gets all the attention. Godzilla Minus One reverses it, with Godzilla himself only being on screen sparingly, but utilizing every frame when he does appear (it's the Jaws aesthetic, and it works beautifully). I can't recommend this film highly enough, and hope that if you didn't get a chance to see it on the big screen, you'll at least consider buying or streaming it, because it seems that the only way Hollywood will take a hint is if it sees these kinds of films be successful. Grade: A (97%) Written by Anthony Watkins, February 17, 2024 |