Godzilla Minus One

I've been fairly lukewarm toward Godzilla most of my life.  I was a fan of the old '70s animated series, where the big green guy was not a menace but a hero.  I didn't see the original 1954 film until a few years ago.  Hollywood's 1998 version did nothing for me.  I probably glimpsed parts of his earlier adventures fighting smog monsters and such in his several "Creature Feature" epics on late night TV.  Yet 2023's GODZILLA MINUS ONE was getting a lot of attention last year.  And that title intrigued me.

It was not what I expected.  I was ready for a cynical, nasty, dour contemporary take on Japan's greatest nemesis following the H-bomb.  Instead, writer/director Takashi Yamazaki's  movie played as an old-fashioned crowd pleaser with plenty of heart to go along with all the social and political commentary.  The sort of film Hollywood used to make.  A big spectacle, yet filmed for way under today's standard 200 mil price tag for a tentpole release.  

It's a deeply human story of a man suffering some severe "survivor's guilt".  More than once as the film progresses.  Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) is a kamikaze pilot who abandons the war effort and lands on a Japanese base.  Shortly after, Godzilla attacks the island, killing all but Koichi and lead mechanic Sosaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki).  The latter furious at the former for failing to open fire on the monster from his plane when he had the chance. 

Little improves when the pilot returns home to discover his parents were killed during bombings, and his neighbor Sumiko (Sakura Ando) joins the chorus of those who call him a coward.  Then a young woman named Noriko (Minami Hamabe) crashes into him, with a newborn in tow.  Not her child, she explains, but one who she rescued when the baby's parents were also killed during the bombings.  Reluctantly, Koichi takes them in and soon assumes role of a surrogate father, but not husband.  Neither role he feels ready for, as he's still fighting his own internal war. 

Godzilla will re-emerge, first taking on Koichi and his minesweeper crew (his new gig) at sea, then unleashing mass destruction by land in Ginza.  He now seems to have atomic power, possibly via nuclear tests performed at the Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.  There will be tragedy, and a chance for redemption. 

GODZILLA MINUS ONE is unfailingly earnest.  Refreshingly free of the sort of pop culture snark seen in just about every big effects laden product churned out these days.  Maybe the drama is old hat and not that far above a 1950s programmer, but it works.  I even teared up a few times, especially during that rather shameless final scene.  The sentiment alternates with some barbs against the U.S., the Soviet Union, and even Japan itself, which will lead to some old school nationalism and sense of duty, which here never seemed hokey.  Perhaps because duty calls for humanity, not merely a flag or political system. 

And yes, the visual effects are impressive.  Computer generated, but still convincing enough, especially when Godzilla's spine goes blue with radiation.   Even the terrestrial destruction doesn't look too phony.