GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023) review

written by: Takashi Yamazaki
produced by: Minami Ichikawa, Kazuaki Kishida, Keiichirō Moriya & Kenji Yamada
directed by: Takashi Yamazaki
rated: PG-13 (for creature violence and action)
runtime: 125 min.
U.S. release date: December 1, 2023 (theatrical)

Godzilla has always been among us, surfacing now and then over the past 70 years to re-establish his force of nature status. The enormous kaiju creature has been a destructive threat, an ally to humanity and fellow monsters, and a reluctant hero. He’s been in all sorts of media and has been the subject of recent updates of movies over at Legendary Pictures & Warner Brothers since 2014’s “Godzilla” from Gareth Edwards (expect another one next year), but that’s from the American studios. “Godzilla Minus One” from writer/director Takashi Yamazaki is the latest from Japanese studio Toho, which is where it all started back in 1954 and it surprisingly winds up being one of the best movies of the year.

You’ll get what you’re expecting, which is big-screen destruction from the giant lizard, but in an unprecedented move, there’s a moving human story here as well. This is not a slick-looking sci-fi spectacle, but rather a story that delves into the horrors of violence and the pain of guilt.

The movie opens in 1945, finding a post-World War II Japan struggling to piece itself back together. The war may have ended, but the country will be left to deal with the aftermath for some time. Kamikaze pilot, Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), lands his plane on Ozo Island claiming technical issues, but lead mechanic Sōsaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki) deduces that Shikishima has fled from his duty since he is still alive. Disaster strikes that night when Godzilla attacks the base, killing all but Shikishima and Tachibana, leaving Shikishima feeling guilty for remaining alive twice.

Already plagued by survivor’s guilt, Shikishima returns to his home the following year to find that his parents were killed when the U.S. bombed Tokyo. Despite his distraught state, he develops a makeshift family with a young woman named Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe), whose parents also died in the bombing, and an orphaned baby, whom Noriko rescued amid the chaos. The two develop something of a working partnership as they raise Akiko (Sae Nagatani) as their own. To make ends meet, Shikishima finds a job working in the Japanese islands on a minesweeping ship named the Shinsei Maru and befriends coworkers, young crewman Shirō Mizushima (Yuki Yamada), captain Yōji Akitsu (Kuranosuke Sasaki), and former Naval weapons engineer Dr. Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka). What we have so far is a compelling human story with real lived-in characters, which is something rare in a Godzilla movie.

During this time, Godzilla lays dormant under the sea – at least until human intervention. The creature is directly impacted by the United States Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands, which not only rouses Godzilla but mutates him into a giant-sized monster with incredible power. Working its way to Japan, Godzilla destroys several U.S. warships, yet the U.S. holds off on offering any help to prevent fueling already established tension between them and Russia. However, General Douglas MacArthur sends decommissioned Imperial Japanese Navy vessels to assist.

In any other movie, this development would be an exposition dump by government bureaucrats, state scientists, or career military men. Writer/director Takashi Yamazaki takes a different approach as Godzilla is incorporated into historic events that actually occurred. Archival footage of the nuclear tests is combined with shots of MacArthur while newsreel reports can be heard, creating a montage with Godzilla that almost feels like opening credits. It’s a cool and clever way to advance the story and increase the stakes.

While the human drama is front and center in “Godzilla Minus One”, Yamazaki doesn’t shy away from showing Godzilla, yet primarily offers the creature as a looming threat to the world. Typically we’ll see nighttime action sequences (often in the rain or the ocean or both) where visual effects can be somewhat hidden in kaiju movies, but not here. When Godzilla appears, whether it’s coming from the sea or causing mass destruction on land, it’s terrifying because Yamazaki often shows it all in broad daylight and the sheer scale is both frightening and exhilarating.

A great example of this can be found in one particular scene that stands out as an homage to Spielberg’s “Jaws”, albeit a good one at that. Shikishima and his minesweeper crew are tasked with stalling Godzilla’s approach to Japan, while larger vessels arrive. They are dwarfed by the creature, which surfaces with its giant head closing behind their boat. Shikishima shoots at the Godzilla’s face which has no effect and even when a mine explodes in its mouth the result reveals that Big G has new abilities that I certainly don’t have any recollection of ever seeing (but then again I am far from a Godzilla completist). Even when the Japanese cruiser Takao arrives, it is subsequently destroyed after engaging with Godzilla, who winds up unleashing a propulsive atomic breath. Because the title character is so iconic, we’re aware of the destructive capabilities it has. However, the key element that can make or break these kinds of movies is how the peril is communicated, and in “Godzilla Minus One” it all feels very real, accentuated by stunning visual effects that are aligned perfectly with the tension, fear, and danger of the moment.

About mid-movie Godzilla makes his way to land to smash everything in its path. There’s somewhat of a different take on the human response to the creature, compared to what we’ve seen in the past. Fed up with the government’s inability to respond adequately, the citizens who have experienced devastation from the war and Godzilla’s attacks, rally together to plan a solution to destroy the monster. The idea comes from the mind of Dr. Noda, who develops a scientific plan to sink Godzilla in the ocean. Since Noda is involved, Shikishima also becomes interested in being part of the plan, hopeful that he can use his piloting skills to find his redemption. Usually, the “plan of attack” in any kind of sci-fi or war movie can tend to be either boring or feel convoluted, not here. The science makes sense and is refreshingly easy to follow. In a way, the idea of “common folk” coming together feels like Yamazaki’s response to 2016’s “Shin Godzilla” (the last Godzilla movie produced by Toho studios), in which politicians were tangled in bureaucratic red tape in dealing with the sudden appearance of a giant monster that evolves whenever it is attacked. Since these human characters have already been through so much, we feel more invested in rooting for them to succeed as they push forward.

If you’re solely coming into “Godzilla Minus One” for the monster action and destruction, you will be thoroughly satisfied. For die-hard Godzilla fans, Yamazaki even includes the classic Godzilla theme music when we see the violence in all its widescreen glory. As expected, there is a grand finale and it is equally exciting and thrilling. No one will complain though that Yamazaki finds time for a compelling human story, one that is attentive to characterization and performed by a stellar cast. Some will be surprised at how great this movie is because we just think this will be “another Godzilla movie”, but the fact that such a movie can exceed our expectations makes it even greater.

RATING: ***1/2