Mini Film Review – Godzilla Minus One

I have just seen Godzilla Minus One; and it was FANTASTIC! Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, and starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, and Hidetaka Yoshioka; Godzilla Minus One is a giant monster movie, and the 37th film in the Godzilla series. Set during post-war Japan, the country is trying to rebuild itself, and a young Kamikaze pilot is trying to move on with his life, whilst also dealing with feelings of survivor guilt; but then, a Giant Monster appears! Godzilla Minus One has a very explosive start, immediately introducing both the lead character, and the lead attraction, setting up the character and his future motives. The film in a nutshell is very similar to Colossal; it’s a film with a giant monster in it, but that’s not the only thing happening. At heart it’s a complex dramatic narrative, about life in post World War II Japan, and the difficulties a Kamikaze pilot has in trying to move on. So we see how his return to normal life is rather shunned, due to him being seen as a coward, choosing to live, rather than die in honourable fashion for his country. We then get told a very deep story about coming to terms with the life he lived, and the life that is developing around him, but one he chooses not to live, as he feels like he isn’t allowed to live that kind of life. And he goes on an emotional journey, one which envelopes him more when things get taken from him. That is the film in a nutshell, it’s a drama, a very deep and compelling one…which also happens to feature a giant monster in it. But this doesn’t mean that Godzilla‘s time in the foreground is shunned off to the side, as it’s because of his existence that feeds this dramatic story. Practically every scene featuring the Big G is Glorious. The film provides a visual spectacle, that I am genuinely surprised that Hollywood with it’s larger budgets and effects departments, hasn’t given us. Every scene, every shot is a shock to the eyes as we see close-ups never seen before in any Godzilla movie to date. It’s magnificent what this film shows us, and plays for us too, as that iconic theme blasts out into your ears. It’s a film that has taken the best part of seven decades to finally be realized, and altogether: it was absolutely FANTASTIC!