Godzilla is a series that while I am familiar with but. The first movie I ever saw from the king of monsters was the 1998 adaption staring Matthew Broadrick, aka “That’s a lot of fish”…….yes, that film. Not the best first impression and even the MonsterVerse movies didn’t help change my opinion either. This year however saw the release of Godzilla minus One. A bunch of my favorite reviewers were praising this film and it was showing at my local theater, so I decided to give it a watch. The film takes place during the end of World War II and focuses on pilot Kōichi Shikishima who is struggling with survivor’s guilt after failing his kamikaze mission during an attack from Godzilla. When he returns home, he meets and takes care of Noriko Ōishi and her orphaned baby.
Kōichi is a very sympathetic and well written protagonist. Anyone who’s suffered PTSD and/or survivor’s guilt will identify with him. I also really his minesweeper crew and each of them have likable and enjoyable personalities. Unlike most films where Godzilla was a metaphor for nuclear, here he is a metaphor for trauma which cleverly ties into Koichi’s arc throughout the film. Also, it’s kind of rare to see Godzilla actually being a kind of a dick instead of a usual misunderstood and tragic creature. I also thought the effects on him were very impressive and realistic. Something about the way he’s filmed or the way he moves gives him such an intimidating presence.
Naoki Sato’s score in this film is amazing. They play the signature theme but the way they use it is brilliant. The first time is plays its slower but every time it plays throughout the film it gets faster. Some of my favorite tracks are Devine, Honor, and Resolution (the violin bit in the beginning gives me chills). This film has probably my favorite climax of any film this year. Everything from the directing, editing, cinematography and of course the music gives this final battle such an epic scale. I’m also really glad that none of the major characters die in the end because they were very likable and even Koichi surviving wonderfully ties into his arc of overcoming trauma.
Seeing this film was actually a very new experience for my because not only was this the first proper Godzilla film I ever saw but it was also the very first subbed film I ever saw in theaters. Most foreign films like anime films I’ve seen dubbed so this was something new to me. I’m really glad movies from Japan such as this and The Boy and the Heron are doing very well here in America. If there was any film in the Godzilla series that would be a great introduction to this famous giant lizard, Godzilla minus One is honestly a great first choice.
Verdict:
+ Godzilla
+ Naoki’s score
+ The characters
+ The climax
Score: A
JacobsonCinema 