Synopsis: Set in Japan post WWII, a guilt-ridden kamikaze pilot named Koichi, returns home to Tokyo after surviving an attack by Godzilla. As he sets up home with a young woman and adopted baby, the new family try to rebuild their lives as the city regrows around them until, only a few years later, the king of monsters returns from the deep to deliver more devastation to Tokyo – with catastrophic results. Pushed to his limits, Koichi joins forces with an army of civilians to put a stop to Godzilla once and for all! (125 Mins)

 

Views: Straight up – this was one of my last great cinematic experiences of 2023!! From its opening to the very last minute, my family and I were all gripped and enthralled with what we were watching on the big screen. Godzilla Minus One is, quite simply, one of the best movies of the year and should be making Hollywood executives sit up and take notice of how a monster movie should be handled correctly! Unlike its western adaptations and Hollywood adventure movies in general, there was no need for drug-humour, corny comedy sidekicks, generic rock music, or cheesy over-acting kids who save the day – in fact, this was everything most big budget American movies wish they could be. Unlike its Hollywood counterpart, who is just considered a powerful monster and weapon against other kaiju, the Japanese Godzilla has always been something more; almost godlike to some degree, albeit an incredibly destructive and malevolent one!

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Retelling the story of where it all began, Godzilla Minus One is an emotional roller-coaster that carefully delivers a strong and meaningful social commentary on war and loss, set during the end of World War 2. This time period lends itself to the 'Minus One' in the title, with Japan having already been devastated by the historic bombings it was ultimately brought down to zero. So when Godzilla arrives to deliver even more destruction, it shifts Japan – both as a country and nation – into the minus. The film opens with a very shaken young kamikaze pilot, Koichi, landing his plane on Odo Island after pretending that he had to abandon his suicide mission due to a faulty plane. But as the army engineers question his arrival in finding no faults at all, they are attacked by an unknown creature that has come from the depths. Freezing with fear during his one and only time to attack the monster, Koichi watches in horror as all the engineers but one are slaughtered! Shamed at abandoning his mission and letting the men around him die, Koichi heads back to Tokyo to find his family, but instead, finds nothing but devastation. While struggling to survive and plagued with survivors guilt, Koichi soon bumps into Noriko – a homeless young woman who is carrying a rescued baby. Forcing herself into his life, the pair see out the next few years working together as an unattached couple so that they can parent young Akiko and help give her a good life, with Koichi finding a job as a minesweeper. But as things start to move forward, the city finds itself floored once again in a horrific attack by a bigger and more powerful Godzilla – eventually destroying Ginza where Noriko now works. As he rushes to her rescue, Koichi soon loses her in one of Godzilla's heat blasts and, now heartbroken, vows to take down the godlike creature no matter what it takes; even if it means resorting to his original fate as a kamikaze pilot. Along with his new friends, and the remaining engineer Tachibana, Koichi sets out to put a stop to Godzilla in a bid to end his own inner-war and take revenge for his fallen loved ones...

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Written and directed by the talented Takashi Yamazaki, the visual effects artist turned director who was also behind the awesome Takeshi Kaneshiro sci-fi flicks The Returner and K-20: Legend Of The Black Mask, as well as titles such as the Always: Sunset On Third Street Trilogy, Space Battleship Yamato, Parasyte 1 & 2, and The Great War Of Archimedes, among others, Godzilla Minus One is by far his biggest and most incredible piece to date. While Go and Shuji Abe both produce for him once again, the film also benefits from having many other names from the Toei studio behind it. Cinematographer Kozo Shibasaki, the same eye behind many of Yamazaki's biggest titles, does another incredible job in capturing 125 minutes of beautiful images that really deserve to be seen on the big screen – and I'm just glad that I did! His images are accompanied by another regular name from Yamazaki titles with Naoki Sato – a hugely talented composer who was also behind the scores on films such as the Rurouni Kenshin live-action series, Sword Of The Stranger, Black Belt, and the Eureka Seven anime series among many others. Here, Sato sends chills down the spine of diehard Godzilla fans as he brings back notes from the original movies that were a joy to hear in the cinema. It's clear that this is a team who work well together, having flawlessly brought one of the biggest movies of the year to the big screens around the world, and my fingers are crossed that their success will encourage more western viewers to check out their others works.

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In front of the camera, Yamazaki manages to pull together a hugely talented leading cast among hundreds of extras. The handsome Ryunosuke Kamiki, who began acting at an early age, stars as the hard-hit and guilt-ridden former kamikaze pilot, Koichi Shikishima, delivering up yet another powerful and fantastic performance. As well as voicing many characters in a host of much loved anime films including Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Summer Wars, Arrietty, Mary & The Witches Flower, and more, Kamiki has also appeared in hit films such as Survive Style 5+, Big Man Japan, 20th Century Boys Chapter 3, the Rurouni Kenshin film series, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and also played the super cute kid in Takashi Miike's brilliant Great Yokai War in 2005. He is joined by the lovely Minami Hamabe who stars as Noriko Oishi – the young homeless girl who forces herself into Koichi's life after seeing what a kind heart he has. Between them, the two work together to bring up baby Akiko whom she saved during the bombing of Japan. Over time, they eventually fall in love and complete their family circle with Noriko quickly maturing to fit her new position. Having starred in Yamazaki's aforementioned Great War Of Archimedes, Hamabe also impressed in films such as My Teacher My Love and The Promised Neverland, continuing to do so here once again. The cute Yuki Yamada, recognisable for his roles in the High & Low film series, Kamen Rider movies, Stray Dogs, Tokyo Revengers, and Kingdom, stars as Shiro Mizushima – Koichi's minesweeping co-worker. Joining them on the boat is award winning actor Hidetaka Yoshioka who had previously starred in Yamazaki's Always: Sunset On Third Street; here playing the brains of the operation Kenji Noda, with the brilliant Kuranosuke Sasaki, star of films such as Bayside Shakedown 2, the 20th Century Boys Trilogy, Samurai Hustle, and the We Make Antiques Trilogy – completing the gang. And then there's the talented Munetaka Aoki who gives an impressive turn as the island engineer who survives the first Godzilla attack, reluctantly returning years later to help Koichi and his team bring the giant monster down. Debuting in the underrated Battle Royale 2, Aoki went onto star in films such as Tokyo Rhapsody, Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai, Twisted Justice, Samurai Marathon, and the live-action Rurouni Kenshin series with a number of his co-stars.

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Making its global big-screen appearance just a month after debuting in Japan, Godzilla Minus One went onto gross over $65 million against its $15 million dollar budget, making this masterpiece one of the highest earning foreign films of the 21st century. As I write, it's currently running alongside Studio Ghibli's stunning new entry, The Boy & The Heron, making this the first time that two Japanese movies would be in the top 5 of the North American box office in the same weekend – which is just incredible! Bringing a tear to my eye and a lump to my throat more than once during its running time, it's fair to say that Godzilla Minus One is a genuine ride of emotions with Yamakazi blending the tension of Spielberg's Jaws and Jurassic Park with the beauty and drama of Hayao Miyazaki's animated works (Studio Ghibli). It's a film that has you on the edge of your seat a number of times – especially when Godzilla is going in for the kill. Let's be honest, this Godzilla is something else. He's a mean looking motherfucker that proves to be undefeatable, with intimidating eyes and outrageous dorsal plates that push out before he blasts an atomic ray from his mouth. This could well be the scariest, most brutal, and toughest Godzilla of them all – and really I can't wait to see more!!

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Overall: A genuine modern masterpiece of a classic legend, Godzilla Minus One is beautifully made and an incredible cinematic experience for all!