Most of the acclaim surrounding Toho Studios’ latest entry will focus on the depiction of Godzilla, but don’t lose sight of how effective the cast conveys a mixture of post-World War 2 emotions.
Godzilla Minus One
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, and Yuki Yamada
Runtime: 2 hours, 5 mins
Synopsis
Reeling after a chance encounter with a younger Godzilla years earlier, former kamikaze pilot Koichi (Kamiki) struggles with his place in a post-war Japan as a surviving pilot and how to chart a path forward when his own countrymen take exception to his existence. The re-emergence of Godzilla in the present day will force him to deal with his failings in the war and decide what he wants to live for.
When The Humans Matter
In the MonsterVerse setup between Toho and Legendary / Warner Bros, you could be forgiven for not caring about the human characters. Aside from Ken Watanabe as Dr. Serizawa, most of them have been fairly forgettable. The true shame is even when they have potential, like Bryan Cranston’s nuclear scientist role in Gareth Edwards reboot of Godzilla (2014) or say Vera Famiga’s Dr. Emma Russell in Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), the plot makes sure to undermine their characters in several inane ways.
However, the recent Toho entries, starting with Shin Godzilla back in 2016 (Toho, the original Japanese studio that made and produced Godzilla, has made no connection between these films and the American versions by Warner Bros), have made sure that the human characters have weight and agency. With Shin, a modern version of the Japanese government is facing the possibility of two nuclear powers, China and the United States, rejecting Japan’s autonomy to use any means necessary to stop Godzilla. This setup allowed director and writer Hideaki Anno (co-directing with Shinji Higuchi) to consider the ramifications of foreign powers unleashing nuclear weapons on Japan, how the populace would react, and what would that rally the country to do. The answers to these questions drive the final act and make the cast of Japanese officials, desperate to avoid a nuclear calamity, inexorably linked to the narrative in an effective way.
With Minus One, director Takashi Yamazaki firmly roots the film in the past as Japan deals with the after effects of World War 2. However, instead of making Godzilla a metaphor that’s squarely aimed at American atrocities (though that critique is very much alive and well), this entry forces the Japanese people to wrestle with the effects of their country’s Imperialistic goals and how they played a part as individuals. The easiest example of this lies in lead actor Ryunosuke Kamiki as the kamikaze pilot Koichi. His mere existence in the film divides everyone he comes across and serves as the launching point for several complex conversations on the issue of suicide, sacrificing for your country / patriotism.
Credit: Toho Studios
The rest of the Minus One cast shines in their moments as they were carefully designed to explore more of Koichi’s failings and successes. This stands in stark contrast to America’s MonsterVerse, which has seen a variable who’s who of characters coming and going. While it’s fair to say audiences may forget some aspects of the Toho humans as well, you won’t forget what each character meant to Koichi or how they were connected to him. Each team member or member of Koichi’s surrogate family serve to analyze different parts of the war, from the pre-Cold War situation between Japan, Russia, and the United States to how families rebuilt themselves in the aftermath of WW2. Minus One would still shine with Koichi alone, if these various group moments were lackluster. But their inclusion and Takashi’s direction makes them worth every minute, delivering a profound effect on the story and elevating the whole affair.
Sublime Special Effects
At a time when practical effects are being trumpeted by major directors like Christopher Nolan or megastars like Tom Cruise – while completely ignoring or downplaying the various special effects still being used in their blockbusters – it’s refreshing to see Toho strike a balance between the two disciplines (which is how it’s always been honestly) and deliver an epic experience with a $15 million budget. It’s insane that they were able to create such an impressive creature model and make it work with the human actors so well. Now, this isn’t a perfect union as repeat viewings will easily show how some areas don’t hold up with intense scrutiny. However, the overall story succeeds so well that if you’re as engaged and enthralled as I predict, you won’t be nitpicking the occasionally rough transition spot or two.
What About The Big Lizard?
But let’s be honest, you came to watch this film for the prehistoric monster, the child of the atom themselves, Godzilla. So how does our favorite kaiju fare in this recent adaptation?
Credit: Toho Studios
For fans of the original Godzilla models in the Showa era or the recent Toho release in Shin Godzilla, this particular Godzilla is a faithful continuation of what makes the Japanese original feel unique. It towers over people and cities like the force of nature it is, its scales and tail feel reminiscent of those early models, with some visual twists or changes like the blue nuclear breath. One sore spot will probably be the smaller Godzilla model used in the first act. It works for the scene, but I was honestly a bit confused until I realized the film was going to eventually make Godzilla get bigger through the typical South Pacific nuclear weapon tests. Even if the younger Godzilla was jarring for a moment, what’s great is the strong visual and historical link to the original 1954 film. In that movie, Godzilla’s first appearance occurs on Odo Island as a entity that the locals have respected and revered for centuries. In Minus One, that tradition continues with our new entity being smaller and only turning into the bigger version once the US starts testing nuclear weapons, making multiple connections to the past film and American nuclear atrocities. It’s a subtle change, but it’s one that really drives home different points that Yamazaki sets up.
Naoki Satō’s Score
When dealing with a character as old as Godzilla, there are certain themes that every new composer taps into as an honor to legendary composer Akira Ifukube. Satō’s “Godzilla Suite” directly taps Ifukube’s classic themes of Godzilla’s appearances and rampages, while adding exquisitely themed, one word tracks to convey different feelings throughout the film. While moments in Shin Godzilla stood out more for their connection to the score, like the laser breath scene paired with the haunting track “Who Will Know,” Satō does a fantastic job creating an effective score that works across every scene evenly.
Conclusion / Recommendation
By returning to the political intrigue that made the original Godzilla special, Minus One is able to tell a new story that examines the post-World War 2 era in greater detail with compelling characters that don’t drag down the proceedings and earns its place in the conversation of great kaiju films.
Godzilla Minus One is still playing in various theaters across the United States as of this writing, so I would highly recommend you catch this one on the big screen if you can or renting it and watching on the biggest screen possible when it’s available for home release. If it’s not playing in your country, Toho is still planning to release in more countries due to its worldwide success, so check for updates with your local theater chain.
Score: 9 out of 10
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