BLOOD WORK: December 2023

GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023)

Few franchises mean more to me than the Godzilla franchise. I first encountered this character at a tender age of three or four (my memory has it at age 4 but I have documented evidence of me holding my first Godzilla toy at age 3. Memory is a funny thing). Over thirty years later my love for Godzilla has only grown greater still. My heart truly lies with the Godzilla films I grew up with, namely the Showa era films (1954 through 1975) and the Heisei era (1984 through 1995). I can remember a time when there were no other Godzilla films after Godzilla 1985 (that's how far back my fandom goes). I do enjoy most of the Millennium series too (1999 through 2004). There are ups and down, certain films I like better than others, sure, but I do enjoy nearly all of these films.

The last twenty years of Godzilla films have been interesting and, dare I say, the most uneven and inconsistent in the entire franchise. I'd call this the "Experimental" phase of Godzilla's history. The American made Monsterverse being its own thing entirely, looking solely at the Japanese Godzilla material shows a company that doesn't quite know what to do with this cinematic icon. There's a reason why I haven't reviewed (or finished watching) GODZILLA SINGULAR POINT yet as I'm just burnt out on these "new takes" and wildly different interpretations. I'll get to Singular Point eventually, but I have no real drive to watch it, which is a first for me with Godzilla.

Shin Godzilla, the last true Godzilla film, was fine. It was another of these experimental Godzilla films that's a fine diversion for a time, but nothing I want to see regularly from the series. I have only seen one film from director Takashi Yamazaki, the director of GODZILLA MINUS ONE. That film was LUPIN III: THE FIRST and I loved it. This gave me hope for Godzilla Minus One. I'm happy to say that Godzilla Minus One did not disappoint.

THE SYNOPSIS

During the final days of World War II a lone kamakazi pilot lands on Odo Island, afraid to follow through with his mission. While there a giant monster comes ashore. Having a chance to kill the beast, the pilot once again succumbs to fear and lets the monster live only to see it kill everyone else on the island. Finally returning to mainland Japan after the closing of the war, he discovers the devastation wrought by the atomic bombs, having lost his family home and parents in the bombing. Stumbling upon other survivors in need, he inadvertently finds himself with a new family.

Two years later they have started piecing their lives back together, finally finding a way forward. Suddenly a monster rises out of the sea, wreaking enough damage to rival the nuclear holocaust of the war. He realizes that this is the same creature he had a chance to kill on Odo Island, now mutated and much much bigger. He finds that his nation needs him again, perhaps to once more, make the ultimate sacrifice. Still rebuilding the nation from being knocked down to zero after the war, Godzilla could take them even lower still... Minus One.

Artwork by John Dunn

INITIAL REACTION

The original Godzilla movie from 1954 was very much a film about Japan coming to grips with what happened to them, the one and only nation in history to have a nuclear bomb dropped on them. Suffering through the aftermath of poisonous radiation, an invisible killer ravaging their land and people too; Godzilla was a way of giving form to all of this. Through the film Godzilla gave them something to project all of the fear and anxiety being felt throughout the nation upon. There is no other film in the series quite like the original. The subsequent films, while wonderful in their own rights, have never quite carried the same weight or meaning.

Godzilla Minus One is the first film in the series to be set in this period, even earlier than the original film. Set in 1945 through 1947, during and immediately after World War II, allows the story to once more capture the fears and anxieties that gave birth to Godzilla in 1954. As a result Godzilla Minus One feels the most akin to the original concept and allegory of the 1954 film. At long last, this iteration feels like Godzilla, the real Godzilla. No other film in the nearly 70 year history of the franchise comes quite as close to matching the original film as Godzilla Minus One. And it feels like this could have only been achieved by setting the story in this time period. To me, if you're beginning to rebuild the franchise with a new saga, setting the first film in this time period is perfect.

KAIJU FILM OR DRAMA?

This film isn't a monster movie. This is a human drama of the highest quality, emotionally profound and culturally significant. Once more Godzilla is used as an allegory for post war anxieties, helping Japan come to grips with what happened during World War II, and displaying a hopeful message that they can move forward as a nation after this. The fact that he's a kaiju is irrelevant. He merely represents a common foe to unite them once again, but to fight for the right reasons. The guilt the Japanese carried and how to move forward after what happened in the war is the real story here. The human characters and their journeys back from the brink of the war are the backbone of this film. This is very much a life affirming story, healing the soul of a nation. One could even consider the film a war epic with humanity at the center of it all.

That being said, there is an imbalance. This film focuses intently on the human drama, and it is precisely this human drama that connects to us as an audience, and makes this film so great. I wouldn't change that at all. Yet this makes it weaker on the monster spectacle. The monster is clearly not the focus of the film, but rather the fulcrum moving it forward. As a result of this, personally I feel this isn't really Godzilla's film. He could be substituted out easily and the movie would still play out the same way. Everyone's mileage will vary on this, some might say that the human drama here is what makes this movie great, not the monster. For me, I see this film as a fine piece of cinematic art, maybe among the greatest, but not so much as a kaiju film.

STYLE VS SUBSTANCE

The deeper meanings of these films are essential and, for some, the reason to revisit them again and again. That opinion is not wrong, although I'd say as a piece of entertainment and kaiju cinema, it may feel deficient for some. Having a deeper meaning or not, let alone having a wonderful human story, doesn't necessarily make for a great piece of entertainment. To make up for this imbalance I would've loved to have had more scenes with the monster. No matter what your thoughts and feelings are about the Godzilla series, monsters are a central part of them, an equally key component, and this one was light on this aspect. It's what makes a kaiju film a kaiju film versus a period piece war drama that just happens to have a monster in it.

Alternatively we could look at this seeming lack of cinematic spectacle a different way. For years now Hollywood has been supplying us with cinematic spectacle after cinematic spectacle, leaning more on the spectacle and less on the substance behind the spectacle. At some point the spectacle becomes hollow, losing it's magnificence, as a result of having no substance. Conversely, Godzilla Minus One, by having such engaging and powerful substance behind it, lends its few scenes of spectacle far more gravity and awe. Godzilla Minus One relies more on substance and less on spectacle, giving its audience something truly substantial to feast upon. Quality spectacle versus quantity. More protein, less unhealthy sugars. From this perspective, Godzilla Minus One is even more amazing. The more the movie sits with me the more I subscribe to this idea, despite feeling like I needed more kaiju spectacle.

But what of the spectacle and kaiju scenes that we did get? The monster scenes are all incredible. Every scene that Godzilla is in is either frightening, shocking, or mouth-droppingly powerful. Every scene Godzilla is in has meaning and purpose. Each scene is evolving some aspect of Godzilla or moving the story forward, not a single wasted moment. It really is a case of quality over quantity. Like the human drama, each scene with Godzilla carries weight and has impact.

A Godzilla Fan Detail

This next part might seem minor to some, but it means a great deal to someone like me. A huge factor in every one of these films, whether American or Japanese, is Godzilla's design. As trivial as this may sound, Godzilla's design can either make or break a Godzilla movie for me. Godzilla is more than just a name you can slap on just any old character, he is a world recognized icon. Thus it makes sense to say that he has a specific image in our collective consciousness. Stray too much from this image and it simply isn't Godzilla anymore. Case and point: Godzilla 1998. The design can be played with and altered to a degree, yes, but ultimately there are particular traits that need to be maintained. His general shape, the dorsal plates, his mouth, his feet, when altered to too extreme a degree it ceases to be Godzilla.

All of this is a longwinded explanation to justify why the design of Godzilla is so important and an aspect I place great emphasis on with each film. The 1998 iteration was so far afield it didn't feel at all like Godzilla to me. 2004's was too slim and rubbery. The 2014 iteration, the first in the Monsterverse series, missed the mark with the bland dorsal plates, alligator-like snout, and elephantine legs and feet. The 2019 Monsterverse design improved extensively, only to be undone by the 2021 iteration. Shin Godzilla was closer in some aspects yet too extreme in others. "Planet-Godzilla" also lacked specific details to really shine as a design and Singular Point took certain body features to exaggerated proportions. The design in Godzilla Minus One, however, is very good, in my opinion, one of the best designs, if not the best, since 2003. Equally iconic and a key component is his roar. His roar isn't perfect here, but it's close.

THE VERDICT

The king of the monsters has been in a strange place for the last ten years. There is something decidedly off with the Monsterverse Godzilla that makes him feel not entirely authentic. After Shin Godzilla, the Godzilla Planet trilogy, and Singular Point, I wasn't sure Toho could do a traditional Godzilla film again nor if they had any interest in doing so. Needless to say, going into this film I was worried if another beloved franchise was going to continue down a disappointing path.

Godzilla Minus One somehow managed to embrace an almost completely traditional approach, capturing the power and pathos that made the original film an enduring classic while simultaneously feeling refreshing. The film in unabashedly Japanese yet the characters' stories and struggles are universally felt and empathized with. Godzilla is terrifying and powerful, the threat to Japan and its people palpable. In summary, this movie is incredibly well made and is the great "return to form" I'd been longing for.

Overall Ranking: 9 out of 10

The only thing holding Godzilla Minus One back from being perfect is that our titular kaiju could use a little more screen time. That's all. All in all, this is the proper way to curate and care for a world beloved icon and long-enduring franchise.