Godzilla Minus One

Monster movies have been around since the early 1900´s and one of the most iconic motion pictures is without a doubt the 1922 German horror film Nosferatu: A Symphony Of Horror inspired by Bram Stoker´s novel Dracula. Of course America saw the potential in Nosferatu and decided to do their own version of the novel simply calling the film Dracula. Released in 1931 the horror film Dracula would definetely bring the vampire genre to a completely different level before in cinema where legendary actor Bela Lugosi brought a magical performance as Count Dracula. I have seen this 1931 film several times and even though i am usually not a big fan of too old movies ( especially from 1920´s and 1930´s for different reasons ), i do appreciate Dracula as a horror classic. A lot of sequels were made after the first American film version was released and since then we had both remakes and sequels based on Bram Stoker´s iconic book. Speaking of monster films of the past there were a lot of monster movies made after Dracula came out. You have classics such a the 1932 horror film The Mummy and of course the 1935 horror film Werewolf Of London, both worth checking out. But there are so many other titles released especially in the 1950´s you should experience. There is one film i feel doesn´t get talked about a lot and that is the 1959 film Attack Of The Giant Leeches directed by Bernard L. Kowalski. This is really B movie territory so if you appreciate monster B movies this is one of those films you might enjoy. Just the idea of big leeches attacking humans is absolutely brilliant and a fun idea. Even if America have made most monster movies in the past we even had Japan bringing a true classic to cinema history by releasing the 1954 horror film Godzilla directed by Ishiro Honda. I have seen the original film and it is quite charming. Since the original film we have a lot of sequels as well as American updated versions of Godzilla ( where especially the 1998 American version failed ) and i especially appreciated the 2014 American version. The other films in the Godzilla sequels have been enjoyable as well for different reasons but i have been very curious to see the Oscar winner Godzilla Minus One. As the film was released digital i decided to sit down and give this film a chance. Is this Japanese film a big highlight for monster fans worldwide or is this not as fun as i was hoping it would be?

In 1945, near the end of world war II. kamikaze pilot Kóichi Shikishima ( Ryunosuke Kamiki ) lands his Mitsubishi A6M Zero at a Japanese base on Odo Island. That night the base is attacked by a large dinosaur-like creature known as Godzilla and this is the very first time Kóichi see the beast with his own eyes. Kóichi returns to his home to find his parents were killed in the bombing of Tokyo. Plagued by survivor´s guilt, he begins supporting a woman, Noriko Óishi ( Minami Hamabe ), whos parents also died in the bombing. She is taking care of an orphaned baby named Akiko. As they begin to build a life together Kóichi have no other option than get money to survive by working as at minesweeper. While trying to destroy mines Godzilla shows up in the ocean and they are not able to stop the beast from entering Tokyo city. Godzilla destroy big parts of the city and Noriko is tragically killed among the many other victims of civilians. Kóichi agree to gather with a big group of people to try and stop Godzilla with the help of former naval engineer Kenji Noda ( Hidetaka Yoshioka ).

To compare this Godzilla film to others in the franchise would probably not be a good idea, at least if we are talking about the American versions. Godzilla Minus One does something completely different than the American versions and that is take the ground material much more serious and actually tries to go on a much more deeper dramatic level than before. That doesn´t mean this is a film that is supposed to be made like a drama, they just try to make the story much more emotional and serious than we are used to see. The connection with the end of World War II definetely helps this film bring out the more serious tone, and you actually feel the impact this war have done to the Japanese people. You might wonder do they manage to portrait Godzilla in a different way than before? Not completely, but i will say this i really think Godzilla looks incredible in this film when it comes to the CGI effects. They have done a really good job on the design of Godzilla and the attack scenes looks really well made. In fact i would even say that some of the action scenes in Godzilla Minus One have some of the best looking monster scenes i have seen in any of the Godzilla films so far in this franchise. When it comes to the acting i have to say the whole cast does a really good job with each character, even though i am not familiar with any of the actors except for actress Sakura Andó ( who i especially remember from the very powerful drama film Shoplifters, a film i really enjoyed in cinema ) i am actually feeling that i need to see these actors in other films as well after their powerful performances in Godzilla Minus One. Lead actor Ryunosuke Kamiki playing the character Koichi manage to portrait a soldier struggling with PTSD in a realistic way. With really powerful CGI effects, brilliant sound effects and really strong acting performances i have a feeling this may be the best Godzilla film yet so far. Godzilla Minus One delivers more than i expected and director Takashi Yamakazi ( director of the sci fi action classic Returner ) clearly knew what this franchise needed to get back on it´s feet. If you are a fan of monster movies i guarantee you are going to enjoy this delightful film. Godzilla Minus One hit all the right spots for me and i can´t do anything else than highly recommend this film.

Rating: DDDD