Godzilla: Minus One opens in the last days of World War II. A kamikaze pilot named Kōichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands on an island, claiming his aircraft is having mechanical issues. Engineers check his plane and determine there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s soon clear Kōichi defied his orders, wanting to live.
Not long after, Godzilla appears and attacks the island. Kōichi is told to fire on Godzilla with his airplane’s guns but runs away afraid. The atomic monster kills everyone on the island except for Kōichi and another mechanic, who blames the pilot’s cowardice for everyone’s deaths.
Upon returning to Japan, Kōichi finds his parents dead and parts of Tokyo in ruins from the war. He soon takes in a woman named Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and a baby girl named Akilo, who was orphaned by the recent bombings.
Together, the trio form a sort of family. Kōichi soon finds work disposing of mines in the waters of Japan leftover from the war, but Godzilla reappears, threatening the island nation. The creature destroys ships, trains, homes, cities, and anything in its way.
With the U.S. unable to help Japan due to ongoing tensions with Russia, the nation ruined by war will have to contend with the atomic monster on its own. Kōichi, struggling with PTSD and survivor’s guilt, finds himself embroiled in another conflict that threatens the fragile life he’d just begun to rebuild with Noriko and Akiko.
“Godzilla: Minus One” accomplishes something the American versions have yet to master, and that’s writing characters that the audience will care about. Kōichi is such a well-written and performed character. Viewers will feel every ounce of his guilt and fear thanks to Kamiki’s amazing performance. He’s someone looking for redemption and a way to protect his family.
Kamiki and Hamabe provide incredible stakes with their roles. They aren’t just cardboard cutouts or exposition machines. These are real people who have lost everything and are clinging desperately to whatever shreds of a life they can build together amid the ruins of war and a giant monster attacking.
The American Godzilla movies clearly come with a bigger special effects budget, but “Minus One” is far from men in monster suits fighting on tiny sets. It instantly captures the look and feel of post-war Japan and gives Godzilla some frighteningly close encounters.
And while the human aspect grounds its story, Godzilla: Minus One doesn’t skimp on monster action. Audiences will still get to see the kaiju-level cities, throw boats like footballs, and devour trains. The monster design is unique, and Godzilla’s atomic breath really comes with an earth-shattering heftiness.
There are philosophical themes running all through this movie about choosing life after ending a war by sending a large number of pilots to their intentional deaths just to inflict a little more damage on the enemy. One of the most fascinating aspects of Godzilla: Minus One is just comparing how Japan views this monster’s story to how America views its story.
In Japan, Godzilla is a severe threat meant to humble mankind and teach about the horrors of war and atomic weapons. In America, Godzilla is a protector that keeps humans safe from other giant monsters. Japan unites to innovate and defeat Godzilla through scientific research. The U.S. assembles a ragtag team of hotshots to carry long-running themes of American exceptionalism through each monster fight. The way each country uses Godzilla to tell wildly different stories is a gift unto itself.
Godzilla: Minus One packs grounded human drama, terrifying monster visuals, and top-notch sound design to create one of 2023’s best films. It’s part “Jaws,” part war drama, and part classic Godzilla throwback. It offers something for everyone to enjoy, and no part of this movie deserves to be underestimated.
