TL;DR – A visual riot and fascinating story that shows that Godzilla still has it after 70 years.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I paid to see this film.

Godzilla Minus One Review –

Few icons can last 70 years and still feel fresh and engaging, but Godzilla is very much the exception. There is something so iconic that even a single frame can invoke an emotion. It is in this space that we look at today’s film, which goes back in time to tell a very modern story.

So to set the scene, it is in the closing days of World War 2, and Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) feigns technical issues with his kamikaze plane and lands on Odo Island. The mechanics humour the boy and check out his plane before he is sent on his way on the inevitable suicide mission. However, that night, a siren goes off as something attacks the beach. But it is not the Americans, island hopping their way to the mainland. It is Godzilla. Shikishima is given a second chance to prove himself, only to fail again, with a shame that follows him all the way back to the ruins of Tokyo.

Let us start with one of the film’s highlights, and that is the visual effects. Does every visual effect work? No, absolutely not. I can think of some very hinky-looking tanks, etc, during the run time. But when it needed to be there, it delivered. This might be one of the best renditions of Godzilla that I have ever seen. Leaning into it being a hefty lad that can stomp down on buildings rather than flow between them. Add to this a nuclear breath that turns into one of the best atomic explosions that I have seen on the big screen. It also did all of this on a frankly minuscule $15 million budget, which puts a lot of its contemporaries to shame, given they don’t get close with over ten times the budget.  

It did take a little bit to get used to the style of delivery all the actors were given as they were all playing to the gallery. It feels out of place for quite a while till you understand what the film wants to explore. This movie takes the series back to its routes in the post-WW2/ early Cold War period, which was a difficult one for Japan. It is here where the film walks a very narrow line between exploring the trauma of a ruined Japan and the legacy that it has on its people, without glamorising the regime that came before. The film is not perfect in pulling that balancing act off, but I do respect them trying.

We are constantly reinforced about the legacy of trauma, but also how some characters start to heal. Shikishima is haunted by his perceived cowardness in a war that has never left him and haunts his dreams. Sumiko (Sakura Ando) has to work through losing her children in the Fire Bombing of Tokyo, a grief that no parent should suffer. Those in the military are working through being losers in a great war, but also a war where their lives were considered cheap. A constant web of emotions permeated the film, which would have been interesting to explore even if there had not been a giant monster about to crush everyone you love. This emotion is juxtaposed with the impact that Godzilla makes, and if there was ever a movie moment that earned its musical theme, it was this.

In the end, do we recommend Godzilla Minus One? Yes, yes, we would. I found this to be a fascinating film that does not hold back. While all the punches might not land, there is effort in every swing. If you liked  Godzilla Minus One, we would recommend to you Sisu.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Godzilla Minus One?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 


Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Godzilla Minus One
Directed by – Takashi Yamazaki
Written by – Takashi Yamazaki
Based on – Godzilla by Toho
Music by – Naoki Satō
Cinematography by – Kōzō Shibasaki
Edited by – Ryūji Miyajima
Production/Distribution Companies – Toho Studios, Robot Communications Toho International & Sugoi Co
Starring – Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Mio Tanaka, Yuya Endo, Kisuke Iida & Sae Nagatani with Sae Nagatani, Sentarô Kusakabe, Shota Taniguchi, Yosuke Minogawa & Yûsuke Karita
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: 14A; Germany: 12; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13