Godzilla Minus One
The Godzilla franchise is one that has endured for almost 70 years, with the monster’s portrayal ranging wildly from its origins as an allegory for the atomic bomb to a goofy, kid-friendly hero as seen in Showa-era romps like Godzilla vs. Megalon. In recent years, the American Monsterverse has positioned the character as a primarily benevolent force of nature, while Toho’s Shin Godzilla returned to a solo rampaging creature to present a metaphor about modern Japan’s bureaucracy. The question one might ask, after seven decades and 37 films: is there a compelling Godzilla story left to tell? Fortunately, the answer is a confident “Yes.”
Like the aforementioned 1954 original, The Return of Godzilla (released in America as Godzilla 1985), Tristar’s disastrous 1998 Godzilla, and Shin Godzilla, Godzilla Minus One provides us not a monster-on-monster grudge match, but rather a monster’s presence as the catalyst for a larger story. Unlike previous films, however, Godzilla Minus One presents us with perhaps the most human and deeply personal story yet, as Godzilla becomes a living avatar of one man’s post-traumatic stress and survivor’s guilt.
Godzilla Minus One is a very much an auteur film, written, directed, and with visual effects supervised by Japanese filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki. While not a household name in the United States, he’s a renowned Japanese filmmaker with six Japanese Academy Awards. The cast includes Ryunosuke Kamiki as Koichi Shikishima, Minami Hamabe as Noriko Oishi, Yuki Yamada as Shiro Mizushima (who the others refer to lovingly as “Kid”), Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda (called “Doc” by others), and Kuranosuke Sasaki as Yoji Akitsu (similarly called “Captain” by his companions).
The plot takes place over a few years, from the end of WWII in 1945 through 1947. It begins with Shikishima, a “failed” kamikaze pilot, landing at a garrison on Odo Island claiming that there are issues with his aircraft (which the technicians quickly determine is false). Following a devastating encounter with an unexpected enemy, Shikishima finds himself as one of the few survivors of the garrison, returning to a Tokyo devastated by the American firebombing during the war. Shamed by neighbors and haunted by the fact that he “failed” to do his duty as a kamikaze or take action to help the garrison on Odo Island, Shikishima finds himself sheltering Noriko along with a baby, Akiko, an orphan that Noriko had taken in. Life moves on for Shikishima, who takes a minesweeping job and begins to bond with his crewmates (the aforementioned Captain, Doc, and Kid), until Godzilla emerges, like a ghost from Shikishima’s past in order to remind him of his own shame and guilt – but also provide him an opportunity for redemption.
Although there is an ensemble cast, Godzilla Minus One is Shikishima’s film and Ryunosuke Kamiki is up to the challenge. The pain and guilt from his past prevents him from being able to move on and leads him to believe that he should be punished. There is a desperate anguish to Kamiki’s performance that informs the entire tone, making Godzilla seem less like an angry animal and more like a devastating manifestation of one man’s failure.
Honestly, none of the performances are weak by any means, but there are a few other particular standouts. Munetaka Aoki, playing fellow Odo Island survivor Sosaku Tachibana, plays a character that subverts the sort of archetype that he seems to be representing (a drunk, bitter, and hardened man), in a refreshing reversal of expectations. Sakura Ando’s performance as Sumiko Ota is another that takes an unexpected turn, from first expressing disapproval and resentment to Shikishima, to gradually finding herself closer to the young family (of sorts). Finally, the trio of Yuki Yamada, Hidetaka Yoshioka, and Kuranosuke Sasaki as “Kid”, “Doc”, and “Captain” respectively, have a particular buddy-film charm that plays a role in both Shikishima’s growth and healing, and later, a role in the fight with Godzilla (almost as though those two things are thematically linked).
It is impossible to discuss a Godzilla film without remarking on the special effects, and Godzilla Minus One is stunning. A lot of buzz has been made online about the film’s production budget translating to $15 million yet turning out an incredibly realistic creature design, and those conversations are not exaggerated. There are, of course, CGI moments that don’t look quite up to par (for instance, some tanks during the attack on Ginza), but most scenes hit their mark marvelously well. There’s a tense chase scene where the minesweeper crew is pursued by Godzilla on open water, and in that scene, Godzilla looks more like a life-size model than a CGI creation. Further, there are scenes of immense devastation caused by Godzilla’s heat ray that look more at home in a Roland Emmerich disaster film (sans the dated CGI showcased in films like 2012 and The Day After Tomorrow).
Perhaps the most remarkable thing that one can say about this Godzilla film is that, were it not to contain Godzilla, it would still be an interesting story. Often, Godzilla movies are graded on a curve where the human story is what the audience tolerates to get to giant monster action; Godzilla Minus One on the other hand is, at its core, a human film. Thematically, it is more personal and less cynical than other solo interpretations.
Ultimately, despite the rampaging monster and the destruction in his wake, Godzilla Minus One is a hopeful film about overcoming guilt and loss. The fact that institutions fail, and collective action is how the monster is overcome, is a bonus bit of thematic work. Perhaps it does end on a bit too much of a happy note, but it is done in service to a greater message, so that sort of plot contrivance can be overlooked. The theatrical run of Godzilla Minus One has been expanded due to its success, but that run is coming to an end in the United States. If you have a theater near you playing it, go see it! You will see for yourself that there are still compelling stories to tell in this giant monster franchise.
By: Stefan
