GODZILLA MINUS ONE - Andy's Review

[BobaMike]

My 6th grade son and I went and saw Godzilla Minus One last night. I'm not a huge Godzilla fan...mostly enjoy watching the old cheesy 60's ones. I always zoned out during the human stuff. I warned my son that this was not like that, and was subtitled, and was more of a 'serious' Godzilla movie.
I thought it was pretty good...maybe a 7/10. The Godzilla scenes were top-notch. Good nods to Jaws. I loved the recreation of what I always remember as the iconic Godzilla image (him with the train in his mouth). It was nice to have characters I could actually care about and wasn't bored by.

The theater only had about 10 people it it (a 4pm show) and my son sort of was laying down in the seat, so I wasn't sure how he was feeling about the movie...at the end he turned and said "I loved it- best movie I've seen in a long time!" He said the subtitles were fine (he's a good reader), and he loved the action. His only complaint was that there wasn't enough monster action. Which I agree with.

My complaints:
-Not a *ton* of action, as there were a lot of slow dramatic scenes. I feel like the pacing could have been tightened up...lots of scenes of the lead crying. I know this was a fairly low budget movie.
-typical Japanese overacting/mugging. Maybe it's a bit racist to say that, but it always bugs me.
-the score..what a let down. The only time it wasn't boring droning noise was when the old Godzilla themes started up- and wow! They made the rest of the score seem like garbage. Even my kid noticed and said they need more of the Godzilla music. I think it would have sped up some scenes.

Definately worth seeing on the big screen (the sound FX were great!), and probably the best Godzilla movie ever, but considering the other films (both Japanese and American), that's a low bar.

[AndyDursin]

This guy...bravo.

[Eric Paddon]

I saw it today but my viewing experience was a bit disrupted by a circumstance unrelated to any rude audience members. I had gotten a message from my boss about a new project at 11 AM. I worked on it for two hours then went to the cinema for a 2 PM showing and planned to return to it when I got back. Then an hour into the movie when I randomly checked my e-mail on my silenced phone I found three new messages from him adding layers to the project I hadn't anticipated and wanting it by this evening and needless to say I was suddenly more interested in wondering when the film would be over and not knowing at the time it was two hours five minutes running time (with credits) I was suddenly restless and tense and may not have fairly judged the last half.

First off, you are right Andy this film avoids the typical kaiju bashing of the West for creating Godzilla because of A-bomb testing beyond the subtle inference that the Bikini test enlarged the creature (this is a partly recycled idea from the 90s "Godzilla vs. King Ghidrah" film. That one I'd note offensively had the "small Godzilla" saving Japanese troops from Americans!) But at the same time, my "historian's hat" kicked in when I kept waiting to see just when this film was going to acknowledge the fact that in this late 40s post-war period, Japan was under a state of TOTAL occupation by the US in which Douglas MacArthur was a one-man show running the country. They finally gave us one tiny concession to this where we are told MacArthur has decided that this is entirely a local problem for Japan to work out themselves because any action might inflame US-Soviet tensions. I had to roll my eyes at that one. It's rather obvious that this is a case of a Japanese production that has a hard time coming to grips with the fact that the entire rebuilding of Japan from the horrific damage the nation suffered during the war was underwritten 100% by the American taxpayer so thus, the 'solution' has to be found in a pure case of Japanese private action when in fact, the US people running the show at the time would have been operating first and foremost to address the problem. Maybe that's a case of my letting my historian background get in the way, but to me it's as egregious an omission of real history as the fact that "Wonder Woman 1984" refused to accurately admit who was President in 1984 for reasons that were clearly agenda-driven. I'll grant that doesn't add up to America-bashing (but it is suggesting American indifference because of Cold War matters when in fact America wanted to build up Japan so it would be a bulwark against Asian communism), and they were going for a story to appeal to a Japanese audience which requires Japanese characters but as an American I'm not going to avoid commenting on that after my first viewing. Maybe on a later viewing, I won't be so self-conscious of it.

Kudos to them for having a city stomp sequence in broad daylight unlike Godzilla 98 and Godzilla 2014! (the latter I found okay as I recall). The Ifukube cues were nice but they might have erred in their choices in a couple instances because the first Ifukube cue is from "Godzilla vs. The Thing", the second Mothra film and quotes the Mothra theme a couple times while one of the other pieces while the trap is being set in the Bay is from "King Kong vs. Godzilla" and is the Faro Island music for Kong! The original 1954 "Godzilla" theme is welcome. But you're right in how the use of those classic themes showed off how unimpressive the rest of the music is!

I do have to say I didn't like the fact that we were withheld information about the matter of (1) the ejection seat and (2) oh BTW, she wasn't dead after all! The first one, I was literally quoting Connery in "Goldfinger", "Ejection seat? YOU MUST BE JOKING!" That's a cheat in the writing designed to manipulate the audience.

I caught the homages to "Jaws" too (I was naturally going, "You're going to need a bigger boat" at one point).

I wish my mind hadn't been distracted halfway through (as it turned out it was no harm no foul as I got home in plenty of time to finish the report. It helps when your boss is a good friend!). I'll get the Blu-Ray when it comes out and revisit it then.

[AndyDursin]

I do have to say I didn't like the fact that we were withheld information about the matter of (1) the ejection seat and (2) oh BTW, she wasn't dead after all! The first one, I was literally quoting Connery in "Goldfinger", "Ejection seat? YOU MUST BE JOKING!" That's a cheat in the writing designed to manipulate the audience.

I thought both were set up in the script, especially the ejection seat. There's a line when the guy from the island base starts telling the hero, as he's been shown the plane controls and sitting in the cockpit, "I made one modification..." and the scene cuts abruptly. I expected that was it. Certainly the way it was cut was intended for the viewer to expect something along those lines I felt.

The girl's ultimate fate was definitely less telegraphed, but I still felt was a possibility when they ran some news report on Godzilla's romp through that area, and there was a line "the search for survivors has been delayed by radiation." As soon as I heard the word "survivors" I also expected it was possibly a set-up for the ending, since there was no other reason really to throw that in. Nor the fact they wouldn't have known she was still alive unless there couldn't be an immediate hunt for survivors.

Those are literally a couple of lines of dialogue that, if you missed either, wouldn't connect, but they are there so it's not like either totally came out of thin air IMO.

[Eric Paddon]

Andy thanks for mentioning that, because that may well be something I missed because of my angst distraction caused by my boss's e-mails that like I said were making me overly self-conscious about the time. Next time I see it, I know I'll be watching for those points with a more discerning eye than I had then.

[AndyDursin]

Understood Eric, that's the kind of thing where if you weren't reading that exact subtitle it was easy to miss. (And it's hard enough always to fully get the meaning of things as delivered when you rely on subs!). I understand you had other things going on so I just wanted to point that out.

[mkaroly]

Outstanding film...basically a reimagining of Godzilla '54 with a bit from Godzilla Raids Again in there (specifically the pilot). Also payed homage to JAWS (agree with everyone there). The story was super moving and I loved that it had a happy ending (the film telegraphed the ejector seat when the mechanic looked at the German plaque on the seat, and right before a cut-away when the pilot was sitting in the seat and receiving instructions from the mechanic before the reveal later on). I thought the King Kong vs Godzilla cues were out of place (as was the Mothra bit in there), but enjoyed hearing Ifukube's theme when Godzilla got to Ginza.

Not to get too political, but I personally never had a problem with "American bashing" in kaiju films - had it been in there I would have been totally fine with it. Overall it was an immensely enjoyable experience. I like the spectacle aspects of Godzilla films a lot, but when you're able to work in a decent story from the human side of things it adds a great deal to the movie as a whole (something the American iteration of Godzilla should take more seriously). As far as a grade I will probably go 9/10...an extra point goes to the willingness of the filmmakers to give us a very happy ending.

[mkaroly]

BTW...great review Andy! Just read it...you nailed it.

[AndyDursin]

Thanks Michael, I knew you'd enjoy the film.

In terms of the politics, I just found the move away from what I anticipated was supposed to be a heavy sermon on "the bomb" to be refreshing. The film takes a redemptive angle for its characters that I found quite pleasing and surprising, and the happy ending fits right in concert with it as you said Michael. I think maybe that's what surprised some people -- it's a heavier dramatic piece than your typical Toho Godzilla, but it's not at all, in the end, a more downbeat one. Quite the opposite, but I think that was the point. The film was about making the decision to live, and even though there was talk of death, both in the war and as a sacrifice against Godzilla, the point was a reaffirmation of living.

[mkaroly]

The film was about making the decision to live, and even though there was talk of death, both in the war and as a sacrifice against Godzilla, the point was a reaffirmation of living.

Totally agree...and I admit I cried a little towards the end of the film. Lol...

[Monterey Jack]

So many movies tend to have the "heroic sacrifice" by the protagonist at the end when they could have easily defeated the monster/villain/disaster AND survived to live another day, and it always drives me a little nuts, so to see a movie where the hero managed to defeat his personal demons and survive and get the girl at the end was very gratifying. It reminded me of the line by Anthony Hopkins in The Mask Of Zorro where he makes his offer to Antonio Banderas to train him to fight, and "...to take your revenge with honor, and live to celebrate it".

[AndyDursin]

[Monterey Jack]

With this and The Creator both looking absolutely spectacular on a tiny fraction of the usual cost for an F/X blockbuster, it becomes more obvious than ever that people high up in the Hollywood food chain are cooking the books like crazy. Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania cost over $200 million, and looked like this...