The world is an ugly nightmare filled with tragedy and death. Writer and director Takashi Yamazaki utilizes this harrowing worldview as the foundation Godzilla Minus One builds upon with its narrative and themes. While Minus One contains the thrilling kaiju destruction iconic to the king of the monster’s rich 70-year legacy, this recognizable attribute only plays a small role to elevate the focus of the film. That being its human story. The film is a hopeful look at how people come together to heal from the scars of a post-World War II Japan. Its compelling characters and heart wrenching set pieces culminate to present an emotionally resonant message: the beauty of human life, and the tenacity to preserve it.
What stands out about Godzilla Minus One’s narrative direction is its perspective of choice. Its two-hour runtime is primarily composed of slow, intimate scenes witnessing the human characters’ daily lives post wartime. For a kaiju movie, having the spotlight be on these smaller scale scenes is a creative gamble. If the human characters fall flat, then it jeopardizes the bulk of the film outside the small amount of action set pieces. Fortunately, Minus One manages to stand defiantly against these concerns. The backdrop of post-World War II serves as a catalyst to explore different perspectives on how people heal and live past tragedy. Those are the key words that embody the film, “heal and live”. Godzilla Minus One is a surprisingly optimistic film despite its horrific historical backdrop. Every character is a victim of devastating loss because of the war. The narrative utilizes their agony as the brush strokes to paint a clear picture for their tenacity to live. These people may be built from tragedy, but it’s their desire to heal that defines their lives.
What elevates an already strong thematic foundation is how Minus One challenges its thematic position with the protagonist, Koichi Shikishima (Ryûnosuke Kamiki). Koichi is an ex-kamikaze pilot who was terrified of sacrificing himself during the war. The haunting memory of his comrade’s final moments brings forth a grounded depiction of survivor’s guilt, as he questions whether he deserves to live. This internal conflict displays Koichi as a somber foil to the supporting cast. Each role they play in his life, each intimate conversation at the dinner table or at work feels essential towards elevating the impactful stakes for his growth. In an oxymoronic way, making room for these slow, small-scale scenes is what made the two hours fly by. The runtime completely dissipates when witnessing the masterful character work on display. The screenplay is immaculately efficient at delivering the emotional text and subtext for Koichi’s interactions towards the cast, providing compelling complexity behind every spoken and unspoken word. The cinematography behaves as a window for the audience to join these characters in the small spaces of their homes. A window to view the actors expressing the human vulnerability of their characters. Godzilla Minus One’s humanity driven core via its intimate scenes is what provides the raw, poignant hook of the film.
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Despite the title of the film being Godzilla Minus One, its titular monster is rarely present outside of the few set pieces. Where the film lacks in the quantity of its action, it more than makes up for its quality. Even during the destruction, the human characters are still in the forefront. As a result, the horrifying devastation of Godzilla’s rampage injects emotion within its chaos. The perspective reinforces how powerless man is against the monster. Each roar the beast bellows causes buildings to rumble. Each crushing step the beast takes is a death sentence to innocent lives. Moreover, the set pieces are the payoff to Minus One’s exceptional character work. Perceiving the chaos through the lens of these people hammers home what is on the line for them. The cast has gone through harrowing struggles and triumphs as they try to rebuild after the war, all of which could be lost in an instant by this beast. However, this consequently makes Godzilla the least interesting part of the film. That is less of a criticism towards the titular monster, and more of a testament to how impactful the human cast is written. The king of the monsters serves as a thematic villain against the human spirit. An overwhelming obstacle that our heroes must overcome both literally and metaphorically. Though the death from both the war and Godzilla’s destruction, humanity will always respond back with a thunderous roar to live. This is the cycle the movie repeats with its narrative structure, both sides engaging in this beautifully horrific balance that burdens and blesses our existence.
Additionally, Minus One’s aesthetic language enhances each deathly battle for human life. The soundtrack is superb, and the CGI is breathtaking barring a few rough moments early on. For a film with less than a $15 million budget, its dazzling visuals rivals and surpasses high budget blockbusters. Moreover, the cinematography during the battles utilizes strong techniques present in plenty of kaiju films. The camerawork demonstrates the panic the civilians feel on the ground as it cuts to beautiful shots showing the grand scale of the monster. There is a clever usage of Godzilla’s powers with visual storytelling to convey how death responds to humanity’s growing tenacity to live. All the fantastic aspects the beast brings to the table are in service of the human’s emotional journey. It is the glue that allows the film’s perspective choice to triumph.
Even through its 70-year legacy, Godzilla Minus One is a reminder that this legendary monster still has powerful stories to tell. More importantly, Godzilla Minus One is a reminder of how beautiful the human spirit is healing through tragedy. The narrative choice to spotlight the people’s everyday lives post World War II creates compelling and complex characters. The destructive action of Godzilla takes advantage of the established character depth to heighten the film’s poignant stakes. Everything culminates to convey the story’s powerful and resonant thematic message. Life is horrific, life is full of hurt, life will inevitably succumb to death. But that’s what makes choosing to preserve and enjoy the life we have so precious. Godzilla Minus One is a legendary film that will touch people for generations.
5/5 STARS