In some regards, modern Godzilla fans don’t quite know how tough they’ve got it, after all, the previous three eras of Toho’s returning city smasher had runs of varied length that each saw movies featuring the King of the Monsters appear every year. In comparison, this latest phase (dubbed the Reiwa Era) has only seen the release of Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi’s impressively radical Shin Godzilla in 2016 and a trio of annoyingly bland anime movies that often seemed to forget that Godzilla was supposed to be in them.
Yep, as much as it seems bizarre to say, the main flag waver for Godzilla over the last decade has been chiefly the U S of A, as it’s strived to make up for Roland Emmerich’s 98 abomination with the ever-expanding MonsterVerse. However, there’s a new Godzilla in town who not only desires to go back to the raw social commentary of Ishiro Honda’s classic original, but aims to mercilessly unleash that potent, radioactive breath upon our heart strings too.
It’s fast approaching the end of the Second World War and disillusioned Kamikazi pilot, Koichi Shikishima, lies about his plane experiencing technical difficulties in order to avoid giving his life to a war that Japan has already lost. However, while he struggles with his decision, a large, dinosaur-like creature dubbed “Godzilla” attacks the airfield on Odo island, killing the majority of men stationed there directly thanks to Koichi once again freezing up in the midst of the chaos.
Around a year later, the guilt ridden pilot returns to Tokyo after the end of the war only to find it in ruins and his parents dead as a result of the American bombings and so the young man tries to scrape together a living which is made all the more tougher when he takes in the homeless vagrant Noriko Oishi and an orphaned baby girl named Akiko.
As time goes by, this makeshift, thrown together family – much like Japan – starts to rebuild with Noriko blossoming into a competent mother and Koichi earning a decent wage from patrolling the coastline in a rickety wooden boat while sweeping for mines, but he still can’t shake the existential dread of survivors guilt that plagues him ever waking hour.
However, the symbol of his shame resurfaces when Godzilla – now at least three times its original size and absurdly jacked-up thanks to the American atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll – heads towards Tokyo Bay with destruction on its singular mind.
Facing utter ruin for the second time in as many years Tokyo attempts to fight back without the aid of their government, but faced with a monster who can regenerate like Wolverine and spit nuclear fire that explodes like an A-Bomb, can the indefatigable spirit of the people possibly overcome such an immense threat. Only if Koichi can overcome his demons first.
Wisely leaving the slightly immature, Showa Era ridiculousness to the American Monsterverse, Toho’s subsequent Godzilla entries have taken up the baton held by Ishiro Honda’s grim, allegorical original. However, if 2016s Shin Godzilla was a scathing, sarcastic put down of antiquated Japanese politics in a modern world, then Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One is a poignant examination of a nation clambering to pull together after sustaining unimaginable war time losses. Yamazaki is no stranger to either Godzilla or period pieces as seen in such lauded films as Always: Sunset on Third Street and its sequel (in which the large, scaly one himself made a cameo in a dream sequence), but here he manages to fuse them together as one in a way that balances heart, emotion, legitimate stakes and breath-snatching thrills in a way that strongly resembles vintage Spielberg.
In fact, I can’t remember a time in all of Godzilla’s 70 year history (Honda’s original included) where I was so invested in the human parts of the story with the chance forming of the family of Koichi, Noriko and the ludicrously adorable Akiko proving to be overwhelmingly touching. It’s a rare feat for a director to be able to have their audience not want Godzilla to turn up in a Godzilla movie, as it truly feels like the King of the Monsters is kicking a nation when its down, but when he does make an appearance, it’s awe inspiring stuff.
Treating every Godzilla shot with reverence as if it’s a glimpse of a Jurassic Park dinosaur or an overdue sighting of the shark from Jaws, Yamazaki gets maximum effectiveness from this rare, out and out villain turn from his towering star as his numerous attacks prove to be nail biting stuff. An early attack on an airfield in a pre-nuclear form screams of a T-Rex attack and his later, more familiar, rampages through postwar Tokyo proves to be terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure as whole trains are hurled through the air like toys. However, it’s a scene that sees Koichi and his motley crew of mine sweepers first encounter the creature as it’s out for a swim that truly sets the bar impressively high as it riffs heavily on the later scenes from Jaws as they attempt to slow his advance in ways that would make the crew of the Orca proud.
In fact, Godzilla Minus One, may in fact be the most perfect Godzilla movie ever made as it juggles its genuinely inspiring message along with stirring scenes of Kaiju devastation that confidently square up to anything Hollywood has provided over the last twenty years. However, those expecting something akin to Godzilla Vs. Kong may find themselves shuffling uncomfortably in their seats as they impatiently wait for the next serving of Kaiju carnage – but for those people I’d suggest that maybe the next Monsterverse installment might help deal with their ADD issues. However, those more familiar with history may notice that the film is suspiciously vague about Japans own track record during the war, but the script manages to separate the actions of the government to the people who rise up and decide to fight Godzilla off their own backs.
And fight they do, in a thrilling finale that sees an audacious plan put into effect that is profoundly moving as it is nail bitingly tense – heartfelt odes to community are rarely this exciting. It’s the cherry on the top of a Kaiju cake that not only honors the Big G’s long and varied history, but also feels remarkably fresh and new in this suprisingly fertile period of Kaiju cinema.
At turns immensely riveting and emotional, it may be called Minus One, but this Godzilla has nothing but plus points.
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