Godzilla Minus One review: A low-budget epic that puts Hollywood to shame
With around a tenth of the budget of the Hollywood films, director Yamazaki creates Godzilla attacks that feel devastating.
Godzilla Minus One
★★★★☆
Dir. Takashi Yamazaki
Just in time for the 70th anniversary of the character, director Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One has become an international hit, and the most successful live action Japanese film in history at the American box office. But does this latest addition to the Kaiju genre live up to the hype?
It takes place just after World War 2, with Japan reeling from its loss to the Allied Forces. Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) stars as a former kamikaze pilot, living with survivor’s guilt after avoiding death and surviving the first attack from Godzilla.
If you are confused as to whether this has any connection to Apple’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters show, or next year’s Godzilla x Kong sequel, it doesn’t. The character Godzilla exists in two franchises: the original Japanese movies made by studio Toho, and the American English-language adaptations, made by Legendary Studios, referred to as the MonsterVerse. While the Hollywood versions are financially successful, few enthusiasts would put those films over the Japanese incarnations.
Godzilla works best in Japan because, ever since the original, it has been linked to Japanese identity. The first film in 1954 represented post-War nuclear panic, felt keenly by the nation that suffered the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombings. Seventy years later, Yamazaki delivers something more contemplative, with Shikishima’s journey one of shame and regret at having chosen living defeat over a glorious death.
That’s not to say that the set pieces are an afterthought. With around a tenth of the budget of the Hollywood films, Yamazaki creates kaiju attacks that feel devastating. It’s as much about the people fleeing in terror from each booming step as it is the ferocity of Godzilla itself, and while the action scenes are more sporadic than you might expect, every face-off means something.
Ryunosuke Kamiki, a former child actor who was discovered by Studio Ghibli legend Hayao Miyazaki, is gripping in the lead role. His trauma, as well as the unspoken longing for partner Noriko (Minami Hamabe), add layers to the story that keep the two-hour running time breeze by. Much of the supporting cast have little to do other than plan attacks, although Yuki Yamada stands out as a young crewman looking to prove himself.
One of the best Godzilla films ever made, Yamazaki doesn’t need a nine-figure budget to make a film that feels truly epic.
Godzilla Minus One is in cinemas from 15th December
