Godzilla Minus One

In selected cinemas now

Godzilla has had a rough ride in recent years. Although Takashi Yamazaki’s film stands as the 37th instalment in the franchise and coincides with the character’s 70th anniversary, recent Hollywood adaptations have left much to be desired. Indeed, Western interpretation of the iconic Kaiju has left many to wonder (including this writer) whether he is best left in the care of his country of origin, and the enjoyable Godzilla Minus One does little to dispel that notion.

Directed, written, and with visual effects by Yamazaki, the film is cleverly set in a Japan that is navigating the emotional and physical damage caused by its involvement in World War II, and is centred on a disgraced kamikaze pilot (played by Ryunosuke Kamiki) that returns to a hollowed-out Tokyo after a frightening encounter with the titular monster.

Sure enough, it’s not long before Godzilla reemerges and begins attacking the city, leading a ragtag group of volunteers to rally together in an attempt to thwart him. Yamazaki cleverly leans into politics throughout the course of Godzilla Minus One and arguably depicts his antagonist as a physical embodiment of the nuclear holocaust which is so synonymous with his country’s post-war trauma, while unashamedly riffing on genre bedfellows such as Jaws to ensure the film’s appeal remains satisfactorily broad.

Nonetheless, despite its thematic quality, Godzilla Minus One is essentially just another monster movie. Although the low benchmark associated with that genre does undoubtedly work in its favour, the film is typically devoid of stakes and reliant on its special effects to heighten tension, a dependency which grows tiresome before too long.

All the same, with the film grossing over $96 million worldwide (against a budget of under $15 million), it cannot be viewed as anything other than a huge commercial success, an achievement which reiterates that some franchises are best kept out of Tinsel town.