GODZILLA: MINUS ONE (2023)
Godzilla has become a staple of pop culture and the film industry as a whole. Ever since his introduction to the world in 1954, he has stirred fear and excitement in the hearts of millions of movie goers around the world.
While some of the later incarnations have relied on more heavily CGI-ed, large scale fight scenes to sell tickets. One of the newest films has decidedly taken a different approach. Instead of focusing primarily on Godzilla himself, film maker Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla: Minus One has turned the focus to the humans who encounter the famed beast of the seas.
Set over a series of many years in post war Japan, Minus One tells the story of Kochi, a failed kamakasi pilot, who returns to his war torn village to find almost everyone he loved has been killed in the air raids. Showing kindness to a woman who also has lost everything, Kochi takes in Noriko and creates a new life with her and an orphaned baby. When a new threat, in the form of a gigantic lizard, threatens their way of life, Kochi is once again called upon to answer the call. Torn between his devotion to his country and new life, Kochi must make a choice that will change his life forever.
Godzilla: Minus One is an absolute triumph because of it’s human qualities. It never relies on the monster to stir emotion within the viewer, in fact it uses the action sequences to break up the tension that builds between the humans. At it’s core, the film is a drama that is blended effortlessly with a creature feature, to bring an extremely engaging story to the screen.
Hollywood should take note, audiences don’t just want giant creatures attacking cities. They want giant creatures attacking cities full of people that we care about. The audience becomes so fully invested in the characters that when danger strikes, we have true fear for the characters. They are not action heroes trying to save the world, they are fully realized humans who live seemingly mundane lives.
When it was released in the United States, Godzilla: Minus One was somewhat of a dark horse. The fan base built slowly and organically as word of mouth regarding the film, started to spread. This was the true driver to it’s success, taking it all the way to the Academy Awards where it took home Best Visual Effects for a Motion Picture, a first for a Godzilla film.
This proved another point to the Hollywood elite. An inflated budget does not mean that you will have the best looking film. Godzilla: Minus One’s creatives have been very tight lipped regarding the budget that the film was made on but if Takashi Yamazaki’s comments are to be believed, it was made for less than $15 million and it looks a heck of a lot more expensive.
Godzilla: Minus One is not just a great Godzilla movie, it is a great film in general. Perhaps one of the best in the past few years. Nothing beats a fun popcorn flick but when it is paired with a deeply emotional story, it becomes unbeatable. That is exactly what this film is, an unbeatable film that is sure to become a modern favorite (once it is released world wide for easier access to view it).
