godzilla minus one review!! (SPOILERS)

i just got back from seeing godzilla minus one!! this was one i was anticipating since its announcement and it didn’t disappoint at all. the original godzilla film from 1954 is one of my favorite films im general, and the franchise is one i hold very near and dear to my heart. what can i say? i’m a sucker for that big nuclear dinosaur -3-

now is where we step into spoiler territory, so if you haven’t seen the movie yet, be warned!! or just go out and watch it if you haven’t already. you’re missing out!!

okay, so. as the title suggests, minus one is a prequel to the 1954 original, taking place closer towards the end of world war ii. it follows shikishima, a failed kamikaze pilot, and his life after the war as well as his many encounters with goji itself. his first encounter takes place on odo island (yes, that odo island, from the first film) where he witnesses firsthand goji’s raw strength, watching him decimate an entire crew of mechanics stationed there during the war. he attempts to take the beast out with the guns on his plane, but finds himself too afraid to shoot. after the attack, he falls unconscious, waking up to see he is one of only two survivors. the other, tachibana, ended up with the brunt of the damage, gaining a limp that lasted until the end of the film.

it continues onward to shikishima’s return to tokyo, finding himself ostracized by what’s left of his community. though this doesn’t last long, as he finds himself thrust into a whole new situation entirely. he meets noriko, a woman who also lost her family during the war, in tow with an infant who doesn’t belong to her, named akiko. though he’d much rather not take them in due to recent circumstances, he lets them stay, starting a makeshift family together. months pass, and shikishima needs to find work. he takes up a job blowing up old american mines on a wooden boat with a crew of three. there’s “captain” akitsu, “doc” noda, and “kid” mizushima. this is where he encounters goji for the second time. during the job, the monster emerges from the water, having destroyed a ship earlier in the week. with the used of some decommissioned mines, they stave goji off, even damaging it before it inevitably regenerates, until it’s temporarily taken out by destroyer ship takao. though, it soon retaliates with the most devastating heat ray within the entirety of the franchise.

shikishima, feeling immense survivors guilt, reveals his history to noriko, who’s now working herself out in ginza. days later, goji rises from the water and comes onto land and begins to attack, you guessed it, ginza. an evacuation is called and the residents make it out less than unscathed, except for noriko, who sadly doesn’t make it out. with another heat ray, ginza is decimated, the resulting shockwave sending noriko flying as she shoves shikishima away to safety, meeting her supposed demise. a small funeral is held, as well as a hearing on methods to take out the monster. the plan is simple: two destroyer ships equipped with cylinders full of freon attached to cables will wrap around goji’s body, releasing gas and sending it down into the sagami bay at a depth of 1500 meters, the rapid pressurization hopefully killing it. if that fails, balloons will fill up and bring it to the surface, the decompression potentially killing it.

at the same time, shikishima gains access to a prototype j7w shinden jet fighter in less than working condition. to try to bury the hatchet and atone for his guilt, he seeks out the only mechanic he’s certain can fix it: tachibana. after finding and getting thoroughly beaten up by the mechanic, he agrees to help fix up the fighter jet, equipping it with a bomb within the fuselage, allowing him to kamikaze and destroy the monster from the inside out. certain that he’s going to die, he sends his neighbor and akiko’s current caretaker, sumiko, all of his money and a letter to take care of his daughter, though she also recieves an anonymous telegram which makes a revelation later on. the plan goes into effect, goji arriving to the mainland and shikishima driving him away to the bay with his plane. after more destruction on the monster’s part, phase one of the plan begins proper, sending goji down below to his watery grave. after that doesn’t work, they move to plan b, pulling him up with the balloons. but that is less than successful, the cranes stalling.

when all seems lost, a fleet of smaller ships helmed by mizushima helps increase the thrust by pulling the destroyer along. goji, of course, survives, so there’s only one option left. kamikaze. in a display of bravery, shikishima sends his plane careening into the monster’s mouth, detonating it inside and taking him out for good. however, this is no sacrifice, as an ejector was installed at tachibana’s request, the latter urging the former to live. he returns home and gets the telegram, soon rushing himself and akiko to the hospital where, surprisingly, noriko is alive and well!! she’s worse for wear, but alive. and as the scene closes out, we return to the bottom of the ocean, seeing the remnants of goji regenerating one last time.

now, for my thoughts on the film. this is definitely a whole bunch more dramatic that many other goji films, and while it’s less of a psychological thriller than my personal favorite godzilla film being “shin godzilla”, it’s still incredibly touching and very emotional, many scenes causing me to cry which is a very, very rare occurence for me. but when all is said and done, i can say that godzilla minus one is one of my favorite films this year and lived up to my every expectation as a prequel. i give it a rating of 9.4/10, a very solid rating for a very solid film!