Godzilla Minus One (2023)
December 1, 2023 7:58 PM - Subscribe
Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb. (In theaters now)
Review: ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Is One Of 2023’s Greatest Films (Forbes)
Underwater, Godzilla moves swiftly and is agile, compared to on land where he is heavy and encumbered by his own massive weight. This creates nice distinctions between the various attack sequences. And when Godzilla does move onto land and unleashes his atomic breath, the effect is mind-blowing and unparalleled in giant-monster cinema. It’s chilling and shocking to witness.
Importantly, none of this is ever disaster-porn, it’s not intended to thrill us and excite us. It’s meant to terrify, to disgust, to bring us to tears. And it does, not just because of the sheer immersive magnitude and human toll we are forced to witness, but also how the film ties every such event directly into the lives and stories of the characters.
Godzilla Minus One is the throwback Godzilla fans have been waiting for (Polygon)
Instead, Godzilla Minus One sticks to the original recipe. The movie that kicked it all off, 1954’s Godzilla, mixes horror, classic melodrama, and a feverish anti-war message to mine the anxieties of ’50s Japan. Minus One goes even further into the past, with a story set in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Writer-director Takashi Yamazaki (who took another beloved franchise back to basics with Lupin III: The First) imagines how a Japan with no military, no economy, and no international support would respond to Godzilla’s first attack.
Godzilla Minus One (Japan, 2023) ReelViews
This film is darker than most Godzilla stories, focusing on many of the negative consequences of the monster’s attacks. The death and destruction feel tangible, especially in the way it directly impacts Koichi. The characters are better fleshed out than one expects from a Godzilla movie and the understated romance between Koichi and Noriko is touching. These things make the stakes higher when Godzilla attacks and add a layer of peril to scenes that otherwise might be appreciated on the basis of their technical acumen.
Review: ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Is One Of 2023’s Greatest Films (Forbes)
Underwater, Godzilla moves swiftly and is agile, compared to on land where he is heavy and encumbered by his own massive weight. This creates nice distinctions between the various attack sequences. And when Godzilla does move onto land and unleashes his atomic breath, the effect is mind-blowing and unparalleled in giant-monster cinema. It’s chilling and shocking to witness.
Importantly, none of this is ever disaster-porn, it’s not intended to thrill us and excite us. It’s meant to terrify, to disgust, to bring us to tears. And it does, not just because of the sheer immersive magnitude and human toll we are forced to witness, but also how the film ties every such event directly into the lives and stories of the characters.
Godzilla Minus One is the throwback Godzilla fans have been waiting for (Polygon)
Instead, Godzilla Minus One sticks to the original recipe. The movie that kicked it all off, 1954’s Godzilla, mixes horror, classic melodrama, and a feverish anti-war message to mine the anxieties of ’50s Japan. Minus One goes even further into the past, with a story set in the immediate aftermath of World War II. Writer-director Takashi Yamazaki (who took another beloved franchise back to basics with Lupin III: The First) imagines how a Japan with no military, no economy, and no international support would respond to Godzilla’s first attack.
Godzilla Minus One (Japan, 2023) ReelViews
This film is darker than most Godzilla stories, focusing on many of the negative consequences of the monster’s attacks. The death and destruction feel tangible, especially in the way it directly impacts Koichi. The characters are better fleshed out than one expects from a Godzilla movie and the understated romance between Koichi and Noriko is touching. These things make the stakes higher when Godzilla attacks and add a layer of peril to scenes that otherwise might be appreciated on the basis of their technical acumen.
I just walked out of this movie! It was so good! The effects are great! It has real human scale stakes, while it also has a giant lizard smashing a lovingly recreated 1940s Tokyo! It's, like, a real movie!
posted by chrchr at 9:35 PM on December 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by chrchr at 9:35 PM on December 1, 2023 [5 favorites]
IT IS SO GOOD.
posted by lapolla at 6:07 AM on December 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by lapolla at 6:07 AM on December 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
I took Fleebnork Jr to see it last night, as he is a huge Godzilla fan. It was very good, much better than I had anticipated. The human story was poignant, and Godzilla’s heat ray was more terrifying than before, with its nuclear blast that follows.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:15 AM on December 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Fleebnork at 6:15 AM on December 2, 2023 [3 favorites]
I have to object to this whole enterprise. Being into Godzilla has always my shorthand for explaining that I love trashy cornball genre movies. A couple more like this and the series is gonna change its reputation.
If they keep making these all these GOOD Godzilla movies I'm gonna have to catch up on the Fast and the Furious or something just to make a point.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 2:14 PM on December 2, 2023 [14 favorites]
If they keep making these all these GOOD Godzilla movies I'm gonna have to catch up on the Fast and the Furious or something just to make a point.
posted by Phobos the Space Potato at 2:14 PM on December 2, 2023 [14 favorites]
I loved that the beginning of Act 2 (where our main character takes the crazy-dangerous mine-clearing job) is basically the final act of Jaws, complete with the climactic "smile you son-of-a-bitch" moment where he blows up an explosive lodged in the creature's mouth, only to discover that there's a world of difference between a larger-than-average shark and a giant irradiated lizard cryptid.
posted by Strange Interlude at 10:55 AM on December 5, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by Strange Interlude at 10:55 AM on December 5, 2023 [9 favorites]
I really enjoyed it but was in the slight minority -- my wife was enthralled (while annoyed that some absolute potato brought his pre-reading age child to a Japanese monster movie and sat next to her, so the entire movie was either calming the kid down, or re-reading subtitles because the kid couldn't read them himself), as was our friend, while I got kind of dozy during the middle third.
Loved the Big Guy, and thought it was some of the most effective uses of the big G that I'd seen on screen. As a metaphor that Godzilla is war -- immense, almost unstoppable, implacable -- it worked really well, and Shikishima had a genuinely great arc.
At points, though, I felt like the filmmakers were pulling off the completely baller move of having a post-WWII drama that had five minutes of monster off the top, and then Godzilla would never appear again, which I would have found completely amazing. But -- again -- tremendously effective uses of Godzilla as being totally terrifying.
posted by Shepherd at 2:04 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Loved the Big Guy, and thought it was some of the most effective uses of the big G that I'd seen on screen. As a metaphor that Godzilla is war -- immense, almost unstoppable, implacable -- it worked really well, and Shikishima had a genuinely great arc.
At points, though, I felt like the filmmakers were pulling off the completely baller move of having a post-WWII drama that had five minutes of monster off the top, and then Godzilla would never appear again, which I would have found completely amazing. But -- again -- tremendously effective uses of Godzilla as being totally terrifying.
posted by Shepherd at 2:04 PM on December 10, 2023 [1 favorite]
Went to see this yesterday with daughter and we both loved it. Never thought I'd be tearing up at a Godzilla movie, but here we are.
While it's comforting to occasionally see one of the "Godzilla is our protector" stories, i think I prefer the Godzilla is a wrecking ball and a problem that needs to be solved.
My very favorite moment was Noriko's sacrifice. The timing of her shove and then the blast that took her offscreen was perfectly done and completely unexpected after the absurd way that she survived the train. Her plot armor seemed assured and then whoosh, gone in an instant, which of course made the telegram that much more powerful.
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:19 AM on December 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
While it's comforting to occasionally see one of the "Godzilla is our protector" stories, i think I prefer the Godzilla is a wrecking ball and a problem that needs to be solved.
My very favorite moment was Noriko's sacrifice. The timing of her shove and then the blast that took her offscreen was perfectly done and completely unexpected after the absurd way that she survived the train. Her plot armor seemed assured and then whoosh, gone in an instant, which of course made the telegram that much more powerful.
posted by OHenryPacey at 9:19 AM on December 11, 2023 [4 favorites]
Wow. Brutal, effective, simple but moving.
posted by praemunire at 10:30 PM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 10:30 PM on December 16, 2023 [1 favorite]
Fantastic movie! The way it depicted the war trauma of the characters was superb.
I also thought it was interesting how it almost always depicted Godzilla from a puny human point of view. Normally when we see Godzilla rampaging across a city, the camera is about level with Godzilla's head, as if we're Godzilla-sized and part of the destructive force. Showing Godzilla from a low angle makes us empathize much more with the people watching their homes torn apart.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 5:09 AM on December 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I also thought it was interesting how it almost always depicted Godzilla from a puny human point of view. Normally when we see Godzilla rampaging across a city, the camera is about level with Godzilla's head, as if we're Godzilla-sized and part of the destructive force. Showing Godzilla from a low angle makes us empathize much more with the people watching their homes torn apart.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 5:09 AM on December 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Rewatched this today and was just really impressed at what a solid piece of monster-film-making it is. (Even the corny twist at the end is a little more plausible given postwar chaos.) The score in particular deserves special mention.
posted by praemunire at 7:13 PM on December 25, 2023
posted by praemunire at 7:13 PM on December 25, 2023
I would never have imagined how extremely grimly serious this is.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:12 AM on January 9 [2 favorites]
posted by DirtyOldTown at 11:12 AM on January 9 [2 favorites]
They're releasing Godzilla Minus One Minus Color (a remastering, not just slapping a filter on the film) this weekend.
posted by praemunire at 3:48 PM on January 23 [3 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 3:48 PM on January 23 [3 favorites]
But only for one week, alas.
posted by OHenryPacey at 5:05 PM on January 23
posted by OHenryPacey at 5:05 PM on January 23
Pleased to report it's quite as effective in b&w (indeed, the initial nightmare attack on Odo Island may be better for it). Also your theater just might be showing it in a premium format when it didn't show the original so. Extra percussion in the audio is all to the good!
posted by praemunire at 8:59 PM on January 26 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 8:59 PM on January 26 [1 favorite]
I saw it for the first time tonight, and I thought the B&W worked well, it's not just a gimmick.
posted by erikgrande at 7:41 PM on January 27
posted by erikgrande at 7:41 PM on January 27
Saw this last night and I can't stop thinking about it. It was just so good - see the b&w version if you can.
posted by Space Kitty at 8:41 PM on January 29
posted by Space Kitty at 8:41 PM on January 29
Same, saw the b&w version last night and it is superb.
posted by chimpsonfilm at 9:17 AM on January 30 [1 favorite]
posted by chimpsonfilm at 9:17 AM on January 30 [1 favorite]
* Akiko never got to shout Mommiiieee!!
* The "vintage" montage stuff was jarringly bad looking (like, unconvincing audio/video-aging effects)
* Kind of a sausage party
and then I think I'm done complaining.
more like Koichi Skywalker all flying his funny-lookin fighter to launch a bomb in the tailpipe of the big enemy cannon... okay, the intake vent..
I pumped my fist when I caught sight of the Shinden's 6-blade prop behind the canvas. Such a great opportunity, and in-joke - never actually flown in anger, but now secretly the plane that saved Japan... The tie-in between Noda's speech ("planes with no ejector seats") and the German text apparent on the seat headrest while they're working on it...
I appreciated the redemption arc of Tachibana; like the others, he hated Koichi for his cowardice, but also had to reckon with his own private war, all those planes he fixed & sent on their doomed way, all those pilots...
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:42 PM on January 30
* The "vintage" montage stuff was jarringly bad looking (like, unconvincing audio/video-aging effects)
* Kind of a sausage party
and then I think I'm done complaining.
more like Koichi Skywalker all flying his funny-lookin fighter to launch a bomb in the tailpipe of the big enemy cannon... okay, the intake vent..
I pumped my fist when I caught sight of the Shinden's 6-blade prop behind the canvas. Such a great opportunity, and in-joke - never actually flown in anger, but now secretly the plane that saved Japan... The tie-in between Noda's speech ("planes with no ejector seats") and the German text apparent on the seat headrest while they're working on it...
I appreciated the redemption arc of Tachibana; like the others, he hated Koichi for his cowardice, but also had to reckon with his own private war, all those planes he fixed & sent on their doomed way, all those pilots...
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:42 PM on January 30
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Some of the drama didn't sit quite right with me, but most of it worked, and went well with the story.
Definitely worth seeing on a big screen to get the most out of the monster laying waste to things.
posted by Gorgik at 8:05 PM on December 1, 2023 [3 favorites]