Godzilla is one of the longest-running film franchises of all time. In 1954, the giant lizard rampaged through Japanese cities for the first time. The latest film, Godzilla Minus One, is based on the origins and was the best cinema experience that MeinMMO author Niko Hernes has had in years.
What is Godzilla Minus One about? Just before the end of World War II, Kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima deserts and pretends to have a plane malfunction. He ends up on an island with engineers who are supposed to repair his aircraft.
Suddenly a monster appears, and Shikishima is frozen in fear, even though he is supposed to shoot it down with his plane. As a result, all stationed engineers on the island except for Shikishima and the station chief die.
As it turns out, the monster is Godzilla. Some time passes, and Shikishima lives with his guilt in a destroyed city, along with a woman and a small girl for whom he needs to provide money. For this, he works on a boat to fish mines from the sea.
During this time, the war ended, but atomic bomb tests caused Godzilla to mutate and became active, threatening the cities of Japan.
You can see a trailer for the film here:
Finally again Godzilla as a destructive natural force
Godzilla Minus One is the first Japanese Godzilla film since Shin Godzilla from 2016. In the meantime, two American Godzilla films from Legendary Pictures have been released, which belong to the so-called MonsterVerse
. In the American version, Godzilla is currently almost a hero who protects the Earth from evil Kaijus.
Shin Godzilla, however, was almost an apocalyptic natural force, underscored by the wrong decisions of politics. The director Hideaki Anno, who was also responsible for Neon Genesis Evangelion, depicted a monster that shows the pure despair of humans and serves as a metaphor for the disaster in Fukushima.
As much as I like the heroic Godzilla, I am even more fascinated by Godzilla as a projection of human fears and the processing of the horrors of war. That is why Shin Godzilla is one of my favorite films, which I have seen multiple times. Godzilla Minus One strikes a similar chord and again deals with the post-war period in Japan.
This is already evident in the environment where Shikishima lives. The people are surrounded by rubble but still try to rebuild their lives. The government, both the Japanese and the American, is criticized, especially in regards to the throwing away
of human lives.
The film does not directly address the atrocities and actions of the war but projects them onto Godzilla itself, who also represents the visualization of the protagonist Shikishima’s traumas. And the monster still possesses destructive power even after the war.
When Godzilla appears, there is pure goosebumps
The story is somewhat secondary. The star and the big highlight here is of course Godzilla himself. His design is threatening and not too silly, which I liked. His movements always seemed natural and emphasized his gigantic stature. Some background effects reveal the modest budget of $15 million, but Godzilla himself and his destructiveness always look impressive.
When Godzilla goes ashore, the music starts, which is based on the original soundtrack by Ifukube Akira, and he begins to roar his famous scream, that’s when I get goosebumps. When he starts charging his famous Atomic Breath in the middle of the city, I am like enthralled in my cinema seat. When he unleashes the laser and obliterates an entire city in an impressive explosion, I am at a loss for words.
Not only the destructive power and the metaphor make me love this film so much, but also the hope. Because as invincible as Godzilla seems, so invincible is also the hope of the people who fight against this natural force despite all circumstances.
Godzilla-typical, the defense measure is absurd. Through the Japanese acting, taking it seriously, it still seems like the most brilliantly stupid idea of all time. And even the film’s finale still shows humanity and leaves me with a good feeling as I exit the cinema.
Unfortunately, the film only ran limited in German cinemas, some smaller theaters might still be playing it. If it remains this successful, it might also receive an extended theatrical release.
Anyone who has the opportunity to see the film in cinema should seize the chance, because for me there have been hardly any cinema experiences in recent years that were as rewarding as Godzilla Minus One.
Another impressive sci-fi film from this year is The Creator:
