By: Alex Kuhn @magman28
Before you read this, I will warn you there are spoilers. If you plan to watch Godzilla – Minus 1, I suggest you go ahead and return to this review.
The Good In Godzilla Minus 1:
There is so much good in this movie that it’s hard to know where to begin.
Technically, the CGI rendering of Godzilla the monster is exceptional, especially considering it was accomplished by less than 100 CGI artists.
But, most importantly, the plot is enjoyable. The story begins with a military deserter, Shikishima, fleeing to an island containing a Japanese base. Later that night, Godzilla attacks the base, and though he is given the chance to, Shikishima fails to shoot the monster, thereby allowing it to wreak havoc on the island. Critically, in addition to sheer brute strength, Godzilla also has the ability to charge and release an energy beam that can destroy anyone and anything nearby.
The entertainment continues through the end of the movie when the Japanese attempt to neutralize Godzilla by sinking the monster in Sagami Bay and then making it rise swiftly in hopes that the resulting water pressure will kill it. Sadly, the monster ends up surviving this endeavor, and it’s now up to Shikishima to fly his airplane directly into Godzilla’s mouth, destroying the monster’s head. To add to the drama, Godzilla is in the middle of charging up its energy blast when this occurs, meaning the loss of the head causes the energy blast to destroy the entire body. Now, you might think this is the end, but you’d be mistaken. Godzilla, it turns out, has regenerative abilities, which it can use to heal itself, enabling the franchise to go forward.
The Bad:
The stakes were pretty low for the movie, considering that the monster could regenerate any of its destroyed limbs.
In addition, the movie is in Japanese, and foreign-language films aren’t for everyone. However, there are English subtitles, and the Japanese audio helps to lend authenticity to the movie, which is set in Japan during the 1940s.
In fact, others have labeled the film a sequel to Oppenheimer, being that it takes place near the end of World War II and includes themes related to that conflict.
Overall, this film was a 10/10, would watch again.