Godzilla Minus One

What a theatrical experience. Fifteen million dollars. This cost less than Marvel and Lucasfilm shows. And this film looks and feels just as grand and epic as the films touted so by Hollywood.

Godzilla's rampage through Ginza after it's initial massacre of Odo Island mechanics while pilot, Shikishima, is so traumatized by war he is frozen in fear and unable to use his kamikazi plane is next level impressive. I kept thinking, 15 million dollars. Astonishing use of resources for such an accomplishment.

The human drama, the message on what war can do and cause, and the effects and impact on the survivors trying to eke out some sort of rebound from the rubble through primarily the perspective of shellshocked Shikishima and another survivor, Noriko, looking after a child, Akiko, just built this inspired take on Godzilla that was taken very seriously and sincerely, while the fantastic director, Yamazaki, did not forget to remind us just how ferocious, devastating, and immense this monster was.

Just Godzilla's tail whips topple and rip apart city structures, and it's walk ruptures and protrudes asphalt and earth while traversing Ginza like a boss with no end in sight. The atomic breath and the whiplash effects adding even more carnage only enhance the emphasis on Godzilla as a force of nature needing to be stopped if there was any hope for the Japanese people.

Private citizens and war veterans having to pool together what they have and get creative with engineer, Yoshioka, leading the way and even an inflatable tubing company involved, only adds great dramatic weight to how Shikishima will get in a repurposed plane to lure Godzilla into the ocean.

Satō's score hits all the emotional beats, from the surface recovery and rebuild after war to Godzilla's presentation...it made me feel the entirely of the story told. This is not camp Godzilla. I love all the different varieties of Godzilla. I do. But sometimes serious Godzilla, especially this well made, is welcome and appreciated.