Godzilla is one of the longest-running film franchises of all time. In 1954, the giant lizard rampaged through Japanese cities for the first time. The latest film Godzilla Minus One is based on the beginnings and was the best cinematic experience MeinMMO author Niko Hernes has had in years.
What is Godzilla Minus One about? Shortly before the end of World War II, the kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima deserted and faked an aircraft defect. He ends up on an island with engineers who are supposed to repair his machine.
Suddenly a monster appears and Shikishima freezes in fear, even though he is supposed to shoot the monster down with his plane. As a result, except for Shikishima and the head of the station, all of the stationed engineers on the island die.
As it turns out, the monster is Godzilla. A certain amount of time passes and Shikishima lives with his regrets in a destroyed city, with a woman and a little girl for whom he has to raise money. To do this, he works on a boat to fish mines out of the sea.
During this time, the war ended, but atomic bomb testing caused Godzilla to mutate and scare him away, causing the now gigantic monster to threaten the cities of Japan.
You can see a trailer for the film here:
Godzilla Minus One – Trailer for the Japanese return of the gigantic lizard
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Finally Godzilla again as a destructive force of nature
Godzilla Minus One is the first Japanese Godzilla film since Shin Godzilla in 2016. In the meantime, 2 American Godzilla films were released by Legendary Pictures, which belong to the so-called MonsterVerse. In the American version, Godzilla is currently almost a hero who protects the earth from evil Kaijus.
Shin Godzilla, however, was almost an apocalyptic force of nature that was underlined by poor political decisions. Director Hideaki Anno, who was also responsible for Neon Genesis Evangelion, drew a monster that shows the sheer desperation of people and was a metaphor for the catastrophe in Fukushima.
As much as I like the heroic Godzilla, I am more fascinated by Godzilla as a projection of human fears and the processing of the horror of war. That’s why Shin Godzilla is one of my favorite films that I’ve seen several times. Godzilla Minus One now takes a similar approach and deals again with the post-war period in Japan.
This is evident in the environment in which Shikishima lives. People are surrounded by rubble, but are still trying to rebuild their lives. The government, both Japanese and American, are criticized especially for throwing away human lives.
The film does not directly address the atrocities and actions of the war, but rather projects them onto Godzilla himself, who is also the protagonist Shikishima’s visualization of his traumas. And the monster still has destructive power even after the war.
When Godzilla appears, it’s pure goosebumps
But the story is rather secondary. The star and the big highlight here is of course Godzilla himself. His design is menacing and not too silly, which I liked. His movements always seemed natural and highlighted his gigantic stature. With some of the background effects you notice the low budget of 15 million dollars, but Godzilla himself and his rage for destruction always look impressive.
When Godzilla goes to the mainland, the music starts, which is based on the original soundtrack by Ifukube Akira, and he starts screaming his famous scream, I immediately get goosebumps. When he starts charging his famous Atomic Breath in the middle of the city, I’m glued to my seat in the cinema. If he then lets out the laser and destroys an entire city in an impressive explosion, I’m simply speechless.
It’s not just the destructiveness and the metaphor that make me love this film so much, but also the hope. Because as invincible as Godzilla seems, the hope of the people who defend themselves against this force of nature despite all the circumstances is also invincible.
In typical Godzilla fashion, the defensive measure is absurd. The Japanese acting style of taking it seriously still makes it seem like the most stupidly brilliant idea of all time. And the finale of the film still shows humanity and leaves me with a good feeling from the cinema.
Unfortunately, the film only had a limited run in German cinemas; some smaller cinemas could still play the film. If it continues to be so successful, it is possible that the film will get an expanded theatrical release.
But if you have the opportunity to see the film in the cinema, you should take the chance, because for me there has hardly been a cinema experience in recent years that has been as worthwhile as Godzilla Minus One.
Another impressive sci-fi film from this year is The Creator:
Rogue One director makes new film without expensive trappings, but still delights critics: “A masterpiece”