Godzilla Minus One makes my skin crawl. The Japanese king of monsters is back

I will repeat it like a mantra; entertainment films with fantastic elements can feature compelling dramatic themes and an intriguing, unconventional message. Some studios have gotten used to making cookie-cutter titles, concentrating only on special effects, even without a hint of styling for something potentially atmospheric. This case concerns the film Godzilla from 2014, during which I found myself checking my watch way too often.

Recently, the Japanese have presented us with a completely different spectacle, aligning with the creation of films with a message and stirring emotions. Godzilla Minus One, directed by Takashi Yamazaki, could still retain many of its assets even without a massive monster - and that's because the people are important in this story.

Postwar Japan

The action of the film takes place shortly after World War II. The timing of the events isn't simply a background to showcase the older weapons in a confrontation with Godzilla. Although it's true that watching tanks, ships, and fighters from the 1940s has a retro vibe and deserves praise. The destruction scene after the bombing is also worth appreciating, as it conveys to the viewer the extent to which the lives of the Japanese people have been affected by poverty and complete devastation.

You return from war, and there's rubble and destroyed buildings all around. You don't know who among your loved ones survived and who died. Furthermore, you don't need to be greeted by the survivors with open arms - not if you were a kamikaze pilot, meant to sacrifice yourself for the good of the country. This is what Shikishima's (Ryunosuke Kamiki) life looks like now. The man struggles with remorse, nightmares, and the pressure exerted on him by Japanese society. Because he should have died.

Godzilla Minus One turns out to be Japan's reckoning with the war. However, this isn't a praise of how the country acted during the conflict. On the contrary, the script depicts the imprudent waste of human life in a negative way in order to overcome the enemy. The film presents the strength and uniqueness of the individual. Pays attention to family values, love, and brotherhood. We observe the settlement on both a micro level - Shikishima's struggles to find a new purpose - and a macro level - where the Japanese are repenting for their mistakes and no longer wish to indiscriminately increase the number of victims in the face of another threat.

Human tragedies are more important than Godzilla

Takashi Yamazaki extensively explored the lives of ordinary people. Every character will eventually evoke sympathy, and the depicted dramas and inner turmoil genuinely stir emotions. There's a sense of melodrama - but that's the domain of the genre chosen by the director. The characters experience intense emotions, and sometimes, relationships are quickly developed (time skips), but these techniques are understandable. I still don't detect any deception in the message, and a tear even formed in my eye, so you see - this film really didn't require a monster.

However, there he is. Godzilla appears and there is quite a lot of him. During the action, he proves to be a true king of destruction, practically an indestructible monster, adding catastrophic value to the film. However, sometimes the effects may seem artificial, but this doesn't apply to Godzilla himself - the monster looks grotesque, alien, and even majestic. I really like the effect of the atomic breath, which resembles the dropping of a bomb. It induces shivers, instills fear, and compels the characters to utilize all their physical and intellectual resources to confront the danger. The audio was also excellent, as the roar of the creature similar to an unknown dinosaur sends chills down the spine, and the music amplifies the gravity of the situation.

Godzilla Minus One is a powerful film with melodramatic plots, catastrophism, and a monster that is a walking destruction. In other words, everything required for a very good movie experience is here. The film has an important message, and the technical execution has deficiencies only in places where perfection was unnecessary. The Japanese king returned in glory and honor.

OUR SCORE: 8/10

Krzysztof Lewandowski

Krzysztof Lewandowski

He studied journalism, Polish philology, and psychology at UKSW, UW, and SWPS. There he wrote, among other things, a diploma thesis dedicated to the contemporary role of black-and-white cinema. Has been working at GRYOnline.pl since August 2021. Writes articles and reviews of games, movies, and series, and since July 2023, he is a content creator specialist in the Paid Products department. He is the author of the scientific article "Dynamika internetu a zachowania jezykowe" published in the book "Relacje w cyberprzestrzeni". He co-created a dictionary of local names of the Wawer district of Warsaw. Tried his hand at poetry, but in the future he would prefer to write a novel. Started writing online on the GameExe.pl portal at the age of 14. First, he reviewed books, but he didn't stop there and on various Internet portals he reviewed games, movies, series, and comics. He likes surrealist motifs and RPGs the most.