Summary
- Godzilla Minus One returns the iconic monster to his roots, treating the character with intelligence and restoring his necessary gravitas.
- The film successfully makes Godzilla terrifying again, depicting him as a destructive force of nature, embodying fear.
- Director Takashi Yamazaki delivers a visually stunning movie with powerful imagery and a perfect balance of action and emotion.
Godzilla Minus One has showtimes across the country, and reviews are beginning to pile up. They are almost universally positive, which is rare for any Godzilla movie.
Those reviews provide insight into exactly what people appreciate most about Godzilla Minus One.The accomplished cast and production team behind the movie have collaborated to create an absolute phenomenon that is destined for box office success in both America and Japan. There are a number of elements that have been praised by almost all viewers, and they prove just how superior Toho's latest movie is compared to most modern Godzilla movies.
10 Godzilla Minus One Respects Godzilla's History
The movie returns Godzilla to his roots.
Godzilla is one of the most globally famous and revered characters in movie history, and is in fact celebrating his 70th anniversary in 2024. Godzilla Minus One celebrates that history by returning Godzilla to his roots with a rebooted yet deferential plot that reflects Godzilla's original purpose. As Mike McGranaghan of Aisle Seat summarizes, "Godzilla Minus One does justice to a cinematic monster that has entertained audiences around the world for decades by taking it seriously and approaching it with intelligence." For much of Godzilla's Showa Era he was treated as a somewhat silly and anthropomorphic character, but Godzilla Minus One totally restores a necessary gravitas to the radioactive lizard.
9 Godzilla Minus One Makes Godzilla Terrifying Again
It reminds audiences of Godzilla's original monstrous nature.
One of Godzilla's classic elements that the Monsterverse has forgotten is the fear that he inspires. In the 1954 version of Godzilla, he was not the benevolent protector of Earth; he was a destructive force of nature with no conscience or motive. He was the very embodiment of fear, and Godzilla Minus One brought that element back. As Jeffrey Harris of 411mania noted in his review, "The King of the Monsters is scary again, as writer-director Takashi Yamazaki depicts the iconic kaiju as a terrifying force of nature for the first time in ages, returning Big G to his roots."
8 Godzilla Minus One's Direction Is Among The Franchise's Best
The movie's acclaimed director is at his best.
Writer-director and visual effects supervisor Takashi Yamazaki is one of the most respected filmmakers in Japan, and his expertise shines in Godzilla Minus One. Yamazaki has won multiple Japanese Academy Awards, so expectations were high when he took on a Godzilla project, and he did not disappoint. The movie is riddled with powerful imagery and breathtaking cinematography, but Yamazaki's influence is most felt in the balance between action and destruction and the intimate, emotional moments of the story. As Julian Roman of MovieWeb said, "...Yamazaki delivers a monster attack masterpiece that transcends the genre with powerfully emotional themes."
7 Godzilla Minus One Has an Excellent Score
An operatic and powerful score is anchored by Godzilla's past.
It's always difficult to put into words the emotion that can be evoked by a powerful score, but Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com summarized Godzilla Minus One's score well, saying, "It's one of the most rousing and nerve-wracking original scores in a recent Godzilla movie." Godzilla's on-screen appearances are typically underlined by music that appropriately accentuates the power and size of the massive monster, but composer Naoki Satō's dramatic and operatic score might be the best to ever accompany him. True-blue Godzilla fans have also been delighted by how masterfully Satō weaves in Godzilla's famous original theme as well.
6 Godzilla Minus One Is Well-Acted Throughout
The film is carried by an impressive and accomplished cast.
As exciting as the notion of Takashi Yamazaki taking on Godzilla was, the acclaimed cast received almost as much attention in the lead up to Godzilla Minus One's release. Hannah Rose of CBR wrote that the film, "...has some phenomenal, believable, and endearing performances." Led by Ryunosuke Kamiki, who delivers an emotional and powerful performance as Kōichi Shikishima, the cast has award-winning talent throughout. Minami Hamabe is one of the top actresses in the Japanese entertainment industry, and she deftly delivers as Noriko, Shikishima's partner. Japanese Academy Award-winner Hidetaka Yoshioka is also a highlight, balancing humor and drama as the mastermind behind the plot to destroy Godzilla, Kenji Noda.
5 Godzilla Minus One's Heart Is An Emotional Human Story
Unlike most modern Godzilla movies, humanity is at the center.
Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One is so rich with compelling characters that it’s easy to emotionally gravitate to its central story.
Recent Godzilla movies, particularly in Legendary's Monsterverse, have often suffered from weak human characters who mostly act as comic relief or sources of exposition. Godzilla Minus One acts as the polar opposite; it is driven by the powerful human stories at its center. While the tortured and traumatized Shikishima is the lead, all the major characters serve a unique and necessary purpose. Patrice Witherspoon said in Screen Rant's Godzilla Minus One review that, "Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One is so rich with compelling characters that it’s easy to emotionally gravitate to its central story." It's hard to argue that any other Godzilla movie has matched Godzilla Minus One's masterful human story.
4 Godzilla Minus One Is Visually Stunning
Writer-director Takashi Yamazaki's visual effects prowess is on full display.
It's somewhat astonishing what Takashi Yamazaki was able to pull off with a budget that's a fraction of the typical Hollywood blockbuster. Godzilla Minus One contains some of the most impressive and awe-inspiring imagery ever seen in a Godzilla movie. Largely due to Yamazaki's prowess as a visual effects supervisor, the effects for the movie are top-flight, most notably including the fully-CGI monster that is comparable to the Monsterverse's version.
Yamazaki's depiction of Godzilla's destruction is devastating, and it will be difficult for any Godzilla movie to match the striking image of the kaiju readying his atomic breath. Godzilla Minus One is loaded with visual callbacks to classic movies like Jurassic Park and Jaws, while also paying respect to Godzilla's origins. Katie Walsh of the Tribune News Service notes that Yamazaki's, "...aesthetic take is classical as well, combining a retro 1940s style with cutting-edge visual effects." Most critics and fans seem to believe that Godzilla has never looked better on the big screen.
3 Godzilla Minus One Has Amazing Action Sequences
The kaiju destruction does not disappoint.
As powerful as the human story at the heart of Godzilla Minus One is, it's backed by some of the best kaiju action that Toho has ever produced. Cris Parker at C3 Films says it is, "A perfect Godzilla movie that seamlessly blends modern action with the feel and spirit of the originals." While Godzilla slowly stomps around Tokyo in a similar fashion to his 1954 counterpart, his destruction is punctuated by sudden, violent movements that result in utter carnage. Whether it's biting down on a train or firing a heat ray that results in a literal nuclear explosion, Godzilla's attacks are sudden and devastating, which is a defining feature of the movie's overall action.
2 Godzilla Minus One Is Loaded With Poignant Commentary
Yamazaki expands upon the original movie's commentary.
The original Godzilla movie utilized the massive monster as an on-the-nose metaphor for the horrors and ongoing threat of nuclear destruction, and Godzilla Minus One certainly doesn't shy away from echoing that message. However, Takashi Yamazaki is able to expand upon Godzilla's original theme to include larger explorations of war, trauma and guilt in general. Elijah Gonzalez of Paste Magazine notes that, "the destruction sown by Godzilla dovetails with this rendition of a beleaguered post-war Japan, alluding to the literal destruction and emotional damage wrought by this conflict."
On the flip side of that coin, the movie's main takeaway is a message of hope. The characters in the movie band together to defeat Godzilla, ultimately delivering the message that in order to build towards a better future, it takes everyone. As destructive and menacing as Godzilla is, future generations are protected by the efforts of ordinary citizens who believe in--and act upon--the notion that a better future is within their grasp.
1 Godzilla Minus One Addresses Contemporary Anxieties
The movie speaks to the fears of both the past and the present.
Director Takashi Yamazaka stated in an interview with Aera that while making Godzilla Minus One, he was inspired by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. A parallel can certainly be drawn between the anxiety and fear that consumed Japan at the end of WWII and the global anxiety that was rampant during the ongoing pandemic. It isn't a far stretch to even compare Godzilla to the COVID-19 virus, as both were, for a time, seemingly invincible and responsible for countless deaths.
Whether leaning into its old-school messaging or acting as an allegory for modern anxiety, James Whitbrook of i09 said that Godzilla Minus One is, "...masterfully using its period setting to make its political allegories clear and explicit to its audience." The radioactive lizard has broken new ground in what kind of emotional impact a Godzilla movie can have, while still ensuring that there is plenty of monstrous destruction to go around. Godzilla Minus One will likely continue to gain acclaim as word spreads and more people head to the theaters to see for themselves if it really is one of the best Godzilla movies ever.
Source: Aisle Seat, 411mania, CBR, MovieWeb, RogerEbert.com, Tribune News Service, C3 Films, Paste Magazine, i09, Aera
