Review of “Godzilla Minus One” (2023)

I’d been waiting to see this one for a long time. Everyone I know who’d seen it told me it was a great movie. Long story short, it did not disappoint. It is more than a Godzilla movie.

Plot:

Near the end of World War II, kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands his plane at the repair base on (fictional) Odo Island. Lead Mechanic Sosaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki) tells him the crew can find nothing wrong.

“What are you implying?” Shikishima asks and storms off to sit by the beach. He notices deep-water fish rising to the surface.

Tachibana approaches. “I’m on your side,” he says. “Why die honorably when the outcome [of the war] is already clear?”

OUCH.

That night, Godzilla comes ashore and attacks the installation. Tachibana tells Shikishima to fire on the monster with the 20mm guns in his plane. Shikishima runs to his plane but freezes. He and Tachibana are the only survivors. Tachibana understandably is furious. He later gives Shikishima a packet containing the personal pictures belonging to all the lost men.

Shikishima returns to a devastated Tokyo, where he learns his parents were killed in the bombings. Upon recognizing him, a neighbor, Sumiko Ota (Sakura Andô), tells him, “Weren’t you a kamikaze? If you had done your job, my children wouldn’t have been killed.”

Almost accidentally, Shikishima finds himself setting up a household with a woman, Noriko Oishi (Minami Hamabe), and a baby she rescued. The neighbor who yelled at him now helps them raise the child because they are helpless.

After working several low-paying jobs, Shikishima comes home to say he’s found a good one with good pay—aboard a wooden minesweeper. What could go wrong?


Thoughts:

Many years ago, I read a science fiction story whose main character came to believe—however reluctantly—a god had been born of the nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I will never remember the title or the author’s name.

The movie doesn’t claim that, but it speaks to how fundamentally the bombs rocked Japanese society. The locals around out-of-the-way Odo Island know Godzilla. When they see deep-sea fish come to the surface, they know Godzilla will follow. Radiation from American experimentation with nuclear power after WWII supercharges him to the point where he can overturn aircraft carriers. His fire-breath sets off explosions that look very much like atomic mushroom cloud. Conventional weapons are useless against him.

The devastation at Odo Island haunts Shikishima. He wakes screaming from nightmares. The theme of his personal redemption runs through the movie, beginning with the unconventional family that just sorta happens. He cares for them but cannot let himself show affection to them. He tells the child not to call him “Daddy,” for example. Later, he has a chance to face Godzilla.

Another theme is that of the common people, G. I. Takao war vets (so to speak), redeeming themselves and saving Japan from destruction when Godzilla strikes. Neither the Japanese nor foreign governments offer much help, so the people must go it alone. The people’s army also cares for its members. Unlike those under the Imperial Army, no one is expendable.

This is a different Godzilla movie, but it pays homage to history. Odo Island was Godzilla’s home turf since the original in 1954. Generally, the movies are about the monsters. Human stories are minimal. Like the original (particularly the Japanese version of the original), it offers anti-war and anti-nuke messages.

It garnered fifty-four nominations and thirty-eight wins, including 2024 Best Film and Best Screenplay from the Japanese Academy.

We watched it on Netflix. The English dubbing was excellent. There are also English subtitles. It’s available to rent or buy on places like Google TV or YouTube. Some services may not have the English dubbing, however.

All in all, a fine flick.


Title: Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Directed by
Takashi Yamazaki

Writing Credits (in alphabetical order)
Ishirô Honda…(original creator) (uncredited)
Takeo Murata…(original creator) (uncredited)
Takashi Yamazaki…(screenplay)

Cast
Darren Barnet…Koichi Shikishima (voice)
Nelson Lee…(voice)
Ell…Noriko Oishi (voice)
Minami Hamabe…Noriko Oishi
Ashley Peldon…(voice)
Ryunosuke Kamiki…Koichi Shikishima
Zeno Robinson…(voice)
Kagga Jayson…Boy #5
Sakura Andô…Sumiko Ota (as Sakura Ando)
Greg Chun…Tachibana (voice)

Released: 2023
Length: 2 hours, 4 minutes