Dec 2, 2023

Hype Movie Review: Godzilla Minus One (No Spoilers 4 Emman <3)

I GOT TO SEE MINUS ONE!!! At 10 AM in the best seat I could've gotten at the theater. First of all it was awesome and I'm so excited by it that I am unsure how to focus enough to write about it.

I REALLY WANT PEOPLE TO SEE THIS MOVIE. I'M BEING SO FOR REAL. So I'll spare as many spoilers as possible. Seriously. Please go see it if you can. I took 5 friends (most of which had little to no familiarity with Godzilla films) and they all loved it as well.

Excuse the lack of formality. I REALLY liked it and I'm going to be thinking about it for a while. I might do a more serious analysis later on once it's simmered into my brain enough. Don't be surprised if that happens......

Okay. Into my concrete thoughts. Off the bat, Godzilla Minus One is unique in being the first Godzilla film to take place in the 1940's. The 1954 original too takes place shortly after World War II, but places more focus upon the trauma left from nuclear weapons, while Minus One thematically centers directly into the war, both in casualties and in the social dynamic it set in place (the latter is explored really interestingly so I don't want to elaborate too much LOL)

The film wastes NO time to get into the action. I will warn: many scenes are considerably more violent and directly so than most other official Godzilla media (and the tension was done excellently in a manner that also sets it apart). Despite this, the human plot still balances it well - I fell in love with the direction immediately. The film feels like a constant callback to itself, where every tiny detail has significance down the line. Given the setting, I worried about them putting in Imperialist apologia, but the film settles on a more anti-government stance regarding war. (as I would hope from Toho zilla)

Like most Godzilla films, there's plenty of references to older media for fans to pick up, but somehow it kept from being too predictable. There were moments I thought "Oh God, they're going to do [X], aren't they" for it to completely flip on its head. Incredibly refreshing.

My only complaint so far is that the trailer had me expecting more exploration of a tragic monster - but while the film does give you some reason to feel bad for him, it also, and maybe moreso, gives you many reasons to not. Simultaneously, Godzilla behaves more like an animal than many previous incarnations, and yet seems more intentionally malicious and destructive. He's used more as a conduit for the narrative than a predictable character. But I don't think that's a bad thing, either - If Shin Godzilla is the perfect exploration as Godzilla as a victimized, impossibly complex animal that never desired to exist, Godzilla Minus One is the perfect exploration of Godzilla as an absolute monster resulting from and representing the continuation of war.

I'll definately get around to more detailed writing later, maybe when it's become older news. REALLY GOOD MOVIE THO GOOD WATCH NOWWWWW!!!!!!!!