Watching Godzilla Minus One as Someone Who Never Liked Godzilla

On paper, I’ve always understood the appeal of the Godzilla franchise. It has giant monsters, robots, and some genuinely strange stories. I think at some point, Godzilla had a kid and was super weird towards it?

I missed out on the original films growing up, so my first experience with Godzilla was the American version with Matthew Broderick and Jean Reno. It was one of the first films I remember as a kid leaving the theater going “do some movies suck?”

When the 2014 version came out, I decided to give the big green guy a second chance and saw it with friends on the opening weekend. And again, I walked out really disappointed. I found the film to be really dull and couldn’t care less about the characters or what was going on until we the final act when Godzilla actually got to do something. Same thing happened to me with the 2019 sequel: King of Monsters. Although I do recognize that the cinematography and soundtrack were genuinely stellar, the film itself bored me through most of it to the point that I couldn’t wait for the credits to roll.

So, when friends were telling me about Godzilla Minus One, I had no interest in it. I’ve been hurt three times by the terror of Tokyo already and fool me four times, shame on me. Even now as I’m writing this, I can’t tell you why I went to go see it.

And let me tell you, I’m so glad that I did. Mild Spoilers Ahead:

Godzilla Minus One is a story about PTSD, survivor’s guilt, surviving in a postwar Tokyo, and dealing with a government that had no regard for the lives of others.

Taking place at the end of World War II, Kōichi Shikishima is a kamikaze pilot that survived a younger, yet still dangerous, Godzilla attack while his plane was undergoing repairs. After he returns to Tokyo, Shikishima has to learn to not only live with having survived a literal monster onslaught, but has to do so in a city that looks down on him for not fulfilling his duty. Shikishima soon meets Noriko Ōishi and her recently adopted child, Akiko.

For a good chunk of the film, we’re treated to watching Shikishima learn how to pick up the pieces of his life while still wrestling with his demons. At a couple of points, I sort of forgot that this was a Godzilla film. The live actor performances were so emotionally engaging that I would have been just fine watching their lives play out and never have Godzilla show up at all. Huge shout out to Ryunosuke Kamiki for his portrayal of Shikishima. Without spoiling too much, he demonstrated a range that I haven’t seen that often, transitioning from vulnerable, to an uneasy calm when things seem to be going well, to solemn rage.

Everything else about the film hit all of the right notes. The soundtrack was solid, cinematography was creative without being exhausting, and the action scenes were engaging yet restrained. I could go on about the film, but I don’t want to run the risk of hinting at major plot points. Enough to say, it’s worth a watch.

I’m trying to think of any aspects of the film that I didn’t like, but as I’m writing this, I can’t think of anything. And considering my history with the franchise, that’s really saying something.

If you’re near a theater that is playing it, it’s absolutely worth a watch. Otherwise, it’s worth a purchase.