No doubt about it, this is a magnificent time to be a fan of the King of the Monsters. Not only is the MonsterVerse among the healthier movie universes out there, with Monarch Legacy of Monsters conquering the small screen to much acclaim and next year’s Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire set to reduce cinematoriums to rubble again, but the legendary (pun intended) Toho studios have realised a brand new Godzilla to cinemas in Minus One. Their 33rd Godzilla, and a Christmas present for both fans of the radioactive reptilian, as well as fans of soulful, passionate cinema itself, to cherish.
Set in post-WW2 Japan, the film sees a country that lost everything and was left with zero, but with the arrival of a devastating natural force in Godzilla, a creature amplified by the after-effects of mankind’s weapons, they are set to lose even more and be left with minus one!
Ahead of Godzilla’s 70th anniversary next year, writer/director/VFX artist Takashi Yamazaki’s new film is a masterful, emotional and thematically rich kaiju story that does the utmost justice to the iconic creation of Ishirō Honda.
Scarily, like in 1954, we are still living under the ominous shadow and threat of nuclear annihilation, and Godzilla’s return to being a metaphor for radioactive devastation could not be any more meaningful. A story of nature blown out of proportion, post-war trauma and the affliction of duty and regret, Minus One is a human tale, as moving as it is crowd-pleasing. Feeling at times like Spielberg’s Jaws crossed with a wartime picture of loss, retribution and the pain of survival.
Lead stars Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe give this film its poignant human core as Kōichi and Noriko, respectively, as they headline an all-round superb cast of memorable characters, so plentiful in number you could list and discuss a mighty majority of the supporting cast here. The highlight, perhaps, is Hidetaka Yoshioka’s reflective weapons engineer, Kenji. This is certainly one of the best-assembled rosters of human characters in any Godzilla feature ever.
Mind you, we would guess you are all probably eager to hear about Godzilla himself. Well, he has never looked better, in all his atomic dorsal finned beauty, with a design as majestic as it is frightening (wait for that atomic breath). While Naoki Satō’s stirring rendition of Akira Ifukube’s classic score leaves you as breathless as the spectacular seat-rattling set piece spectacle.
Minus One shows so many modern blockbusters how it’s done visually (indeed, what Yamazaki has achieved here on this budget ought to be studied by all) but even more so narratively, in a thunderous, profound, and exciting cinema experience that is absolutely not to be missed!
All hail the king!
Godzilla Minus One releases in UK cinemas on December 15th.
