Godzilla Minus One

After the original Godzilla from 1954, this is my second encounter with a purely Japanese production within the kaiju films, and it's incredible that the most famous movie monster has built on a tradition that spans seven decades. The current outing does not deny its predecessors, but at the same time it tries to technically elevate the film to the level of today's effects-hungry audience, and the final product is a solid example of how a decent spectacle can be made on a truly modest budget - the first contact with the monster was what got me the most, but the other action sequences had their charm as well. But Godzilla -1.0 is not only about the devastating natural destruction embodied by the gigantic monster, but also a solidly written social drama about the effects of war on individuals, about coping with (post-)war trauma, and about finding new hope and meaning in a society destroyed by war and now destroyed by Godzilla. The relationship between Koichi and Noriko, who together with the girl Akiko have formed a kind of "patchwork" family, created from the wreckage of the war, intrigued me – and even moved me at the end – and it's a bit of a pity that (not only) this social level was a bit brought down by the expressive Japanese acting and emotions. The actual plan to deal with Godzilla was crazy, but cute ... crazy, but cute – which I guess is the way of the genre. A strong four stars! (08/01/2024)

This year, it seems to me that perhaps all the films around which there is general hype seem to be slightly above average at best, and Japan's Godzilla -1.0 is another one of those. As long as it deals with the intimate fates of individuals in post-war Japan and the lizard is only seen in waves, it's fine. Once the lizard makes landfall, the Japanese get a chance to use their over-the-top acting, and the characters start hatching crazy plans, but it in the end it turns that the lizard is enough (... well, you'll see), so it goes down the tubes, at least for me. I can appreciate how it looks given its budget, but I can't enjoy it authentically. (23/12/2023)

Godzilla -1.0 is a film about the tragedy of inaction and fear and the motivation that drives individuals to action and the ultimate sacrifice. The opposite of the cheerful American fooling around, made for relaxing entertainment I saw a few days ago. The Japanese open old wounds here, using a metaphor derived from the two nuclear bombs that Oppenheimer served up to the US military for quick use. Broken people slowly getting back on their feet after a lost war, only to be trampled by another disaster. Stunning destruction, backed by a roaring musical score, vivid characters where you care who survives and who doesn't. Surprisingly, the main character, a coward, lives. (03/05/2024)

A return to the roots of a monster that grew out of traumatic guilt, a feeling of failure and the rise of the atomic age, which Japan felt on its body like no other nation. Yamazaki and co. have filmed an organic blend of post-war family drama and Jaws on steroids, making clever and aesthetically economical use of their limited budget. Even though those limits are perceptible, they are always in service of the whole, which is both intimate and epic at the same time. Godzilla Minus One is the kind of blockbuster that Gareth Edwards tried to make, i.e. unencumbered by compromises and pressure from the studio. It is depressing and uplifting, naïve and touching. Everything that I require from a blockbuster! (07/12/2023)

The protagonist’s repetitive lamenting over trauma and remorse becomes boring over time, but the gloomy tone of Japan’s deteriorating position in the war brings a lot to the gigantic monster. Against a background of dark, foreboding music, Godzilla is a symbol of the horrors of war, including the devastating nuclear threat. The ocean scenes with the monster are excellent, with a build-up and ideas to make the most of its physiological capabilities. It is scary, angry and indestructible. The scenes with Godzilla in the city are only perfunctory, as if the filmmakers didn’t want to repeat what has already been seen a hundred times before (even in American monster movies) and instead wanted to retain the specific maritime nature of the story. The budget of $15 million for such high-quality CGI mayhem is unbelievable and the film’s success in American cinemas could signal a change in thinking among the Hollywood bean counters as to what a good movie needs and doesn’t need. In this respect, Godzilla Minus One is another “transformational phenomenon” of the year, much as Barbenheimer was. (13/12/2023)