Godzilla Minus One – more than just the monster. It struck me as an apocalyptic creation of the mind of post World War Two Japan in an economic mess, so watching this version struck me as going back to the original fiction without the Hollywood money. And it was obvious this movie lacked the convincing CGI we have become used to from recent Hollywood Kong and Godzilla movies. Putting that aside the scenes of Godzilla tramping through downtown Tokyo bumping into and knocking over buildings in its path was realistic enough to hold me through the movie. The moments when Godzilla became radioactive was obvious in its limitations as the what was happening was mostly left to our imagination.
We have an early glance of Godzilla where he meets the main character, Kôichi, and chews up a few others. It is a while before he makes a return as this is as much a meditation on post-WW2 Japanese as it is about Godzilla.
We are taken through the politics of kamikaze pilots, and children whose parents are killed in the bombing. Koichi carries his guilt of avoiding death as a Kamikaze pilot. His neighbours have berated him for this and his parents in the bombing, and his own guilt for failing to take his opportunities to shoot at Godzilla, Finally he then reluctantly taking in a homeless woman with a child that is not her own – so a reluctant father too. At times this takes over as the main story without much consideration for the main event – Godzilla.
Koichi gets a job blowing up American mines in the sea. After being nuked by the Americans at Bikini Atoll Godzilla turns up but this time is pretty indestructable. But he has a cunning plan and – with a slight journey through a group of people privately looking to destroy Godzilla rather than leave it to the ruined government – returns to save Tokyo from another Godzilla attack. From his low point of failing at his kamikaze mission he resurrects himself as the hero, a metaphor for Japan’s own return from devastatoin.
As a Japanese Godzilla movie it is a metaphor for the fear of nuclear testing and disturbing monsters, Godzilla Minus One is no real origin story about actually more about the creative fears of Japanese – more than just about the monster. This was at times entertainingly fearful (with a little imagination) but lacking sufficient plot lines for Godzilla for me. The Japanese post war story was firstly engaging but became too much ‘talk’ late on the movie, and too far away from Godzilla. With its Japanese politics it is ultimately suited for Asian audiences.
