Godzilla Minus One is the latest Godzilla film, marking the 70th anniversary of the character. I have to say, Japan pulled out all the stops for this one. I would say this is probably the best live action Godzilla movie I've seen, beating out Shin Godzilla for the title. Now, I won't label myself a die-hard Godzilla fan, as I've not seen every movie and TV series released over the course of Godzilla's 70-year history. But I have seen my fair share.
I grew up watching Godzilla movies. The first one I ever saw was the 1997 American version by Roland Emmerich (as well as the animated series). That film still has some fun nostalgic value for me, even though it's not that good of a film. The first Japanese Godzilla film I saw was Godzilla 2000, which I also enjoy. My favorite live action Godzilla movies I've seen would be that film, Shin Godzilla, the Final War, and now Minus One. My all-time favorite Godzilla films are the Planet Godzilla trilogy on Netflix. Those are easily the most underrated Godzilla films ever made, and I love them.
Minus One, in some ways, feels like a remake of the original Godzilla from 1954. It takes place in a post-war Japan. Godzilla truly feels like a menace, like in that film. Yes, this is not the vigilante Godzilla we're so used to seeing today. The Godzilla in Minus One is out for blood, preferably human blood. In that sense, this film feels like a better version of the original. Yes, I said it. While I respect the original Godzilla as a cultural milestone, it's never been one of my favorites in the franchise.
There are three ways to make a good, or at least entertaining Godzilla movie. One is to just have Godzilla (and some other monsters) wreaking havoc for most of it. Another is to have such a unique and insane premise that you cannot help but appreciate it. The Final War falls into this category. The last is to have actual interesting human characters. This is what Godzilla Minus One does.
Many Godzilla films have the titular character not appear that much, and have it mostly focused on the human drama. The problem is that most times the human characters aren't that engaging, and the drama feels phoned-in. This is the main problem with the Legendary Godzilla films. In this the human characters are the heart of the piece. It's a heartfelt tale of redemption and facing one's demons to finally find peace.
However, when Godzilla does show-up it's a spectacle. This is easily the best-looking Japanese Godzilla movie ever. I don't know If I'd go as far as to say this is the best-looking Godzilla movie period, because if there's one undeniably good thing I can say about the Legendary Monsterverse films is that they're gorgeous to look at. However, this film's visuals are more impressive given that this film has a fraction of the budget those movies had.
Overall, if you're a Godzilla fan in any capacity, you owe it to yourself to check out Minus One.
I grew up watching Godzilla movies. The first one I ever saw was the 1997 American version by Roland Emmerich (as well as the animated series). That film still has some fun nostalgic value for me, even though it's not that good of a film. The first Japanese Godzilla film I saw was Godzilla 2000, which I also enjoy. My favorite live action Godzilla movies I've seen would be that film, Shin Godzilla, the Final War, and now Minus One. My all-time favorite Godzilla films are the Planet Godzilla trilogy on Netflix. Those are easily the most underrated Godzilla films ever made, and I love them.
Minus One, in some ways, feels like a remake of the original Godzilla from 1954. It takes place in a post-war Japan. Godzilla truly feels like a menace, like in that film. Yes, this is not the vigilante Godzilla we're so used to seeing today. The Godzilla in Minus One is out for blood, preferably human blood. In that sense, this film feels like a better version of the original. Yes, I said it. While I respect the original Godzilla as a cultural milestone, it's never been one of my favorites in the franchise.
There are three ways to make a good, or at least entertaining Godzilla movie. One is to just have Godzilla (and some other monsters) wreaking havoc for most of it. Another is to have such a unique and insane premise that you cannot help but appreciate it. The Final War falls into this category. The last is to have actual interesting human characters. This is what Godzilla Minus One does.
Many Godzilla films have the titular character not appear that much, and have it mostly focused on the human drama. The problem is that most times the human characters aren't that engaging, and the drama feels phoned-in. This is the main problem with the Legendary Godzilla films. In this the human characters are the heart of the piece. It's a heartfelt tale of redemption and facing one's demons to finally find peace.
However, when Godzilla does show-up it's a spectacle. This is easily the best-looking Japanese Godzilla movie ever. I don't know If I'd go as far as to say this is the best-looking Godzilla movie period, because if there's one undeniably good thing I can say about the Legendary Monsterverse films is that they're gorgeous to look at. However, this film's visuals are more impressive given that this film has a fraction of the budget those movies had.
Overall, if you're a Godzilla fan in any capacity, you owe it to yourself to check out Minus One.
