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© 2023 Toho/Toho Studios and Robot Communications. Directed by Takashi Yamazaki.
Watched it at AMC Theaters (First Film Review of 2024!)
From The Nuclear Ashes, A Monster Is Born The Godzilla franchise keeps growing every few years with each installment from Japan and the US but this time, it has revolutionized. The Toho team including director Takashi Yamazaki, has created an emotional film that not only enhances the action and suspense that makes these films exciting and entertaining but greatly improves its human characters which makes this new film entry so powerful and thrilling. Finally, this is the Godzilla film I have been waiting for since the 2014 US version. Let's go back to the 1940s and witness Godzilla's first steps into Japan. Story: Post-war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb. Trauma, violence, and heroism are some of the biggest thematic elements within the storytelling of Godzilla Minus One. There are more elements that I could mention but these were the biggest standouts because trauma is the biggest element that has been utilized throughout the franchise. Trauma being displayed here is refreshing because even though there is a big monster that represents the atomic destruction caused by the USA, but I think trauma is being used more based on second chances. The trauma of loss, second chances, and ultimately love. The protagonist, Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), faces many traumas throughout the first hour of the film which makes his motivations and goals even more impactful throughout the film. The loss of his family and the destruction of Tokyo led to an unexpected path where he helped Noriko Ōishi (Minami Hamabe) and a missing child after the war. We get to see him processing and moving on from his trauma by taking care of the woman and child and later, they develop to become one family. The storyline of this family is captured as a way to comfort Shikishima's family loss by developing a new family during post-WWII. The storyline gets more juicer in the later half of the film but it is done well within its execution. This leads to the second trauma sub-element which is second chances. Shikishima is given a second chance with his new family and we get to see many scenes trying to process and fight his trauma and PTSD of Godzilla and his family's death. The writing of these scenes is sharp and emotionally complex due to not just the amount of trauma the protagonist is facing, but the lost sense of love. The trauma of love within Shikishima's life and journey is a big challenge throughout the film. He didn't want to be accompanied by anyone else until he was forced to help out Noriko and the kid. His love is unbalanced but through each act, his love improves and it is a huge motivation throughout the final act in order to save Japan and ultimately, his family. These three sub-elements strive for the emotionality and direction of this film which keeps the story fresh and engaging. The complexity is far greater here than in any other Godzilla film to date and even if you take the trauma out of these characters, they still have their unique personalities and flaw traits that make the characters in this film likable and most importantly, actually caring for them. In past Godzilla films, the majority of the human characters are written as one-note or uninteresting with no complexity or flaws behind their character. Since the 2014 version of Godzilla from Legendary, there hasn't been a single character that stood out that I remember fondly. The only ones would be Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe's characters. I would also include Aaron Taylor-Johnson but those were the standouts for a long time until this film. This would be a huge hot take but the cast here are way better than the previous casts from Godzilla Vs. Kong and Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Each character in the film is memorable and has standout traits and moments that help the emotional climax and resolution. It is honestly refreshing to see a cast of characters who helped in some way to defeat Godzilla but they have actual relatable personalities, emotions, and even complexity. Each character gets a shining moment and it made me care about these characters. Also, the characters here were not written dumb or comically which was a problem with the majority of the characters in the American films. Thank god, these characters here were smart, relatable, and likable. Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka) was my favorite side character from the cast due to the likable personality of his character and Yoshioka's acting, but also his purpose to defeat Godzilla by trying to get everyone on the same page. He cares for everyone and wants Shikishima to complete his initial goal. To kill Godzilla and save his family. The chemistry between each actor is strong and radiant which helps create golden moments that made me appreciate their performances and the arcs they have. Also, finally, this film has good character arcs which the other films lacked on. Takashi Yamazaki wrote a well-written script that not only made these characters complex but also had emotionality behind them to care for them when they fought back against Godzilla. Speaking of fighting Godzilla, the action here is amusing and breathtaking which makes Godzilla look more deadlier than ever.
The action in this new entry of the Godzilla franchise is more grounded and real than any other Godzilla film. No sci-fi blasters or weird modern technology to kill the monster. It is pure chaos with no help from the government and you only see people running away from this monster. Even Godzilla himself looks more realistic with a dirtier and crisp look. The way these actions sequences were directed were almost viewed from the perspectives of the humans. There were not as many close-ups or epic solo shots as I thought the film would typically have. However, the action is tighter in its direction and it feels like there are actual stakes in the situation these characters are in. There were emotional stakes in the mix of the action and it made me care about the characters' fate, especially in the final act. I was legit worried that some of these characters were about to die and I was on the edge of my seat. That is how you deliver intense action sequences and Yamazaki cooked it to the max while still focusing on the characters. I was surprised by the beautiful dark look of these sequences because when I saw that the film's budget was around fifteen million dollars, I was astonished by the work behind this project.
From the visual effects to the CGI, I was so mesmerized by the design of Godzilla and the destruction in the action sequences. For a supposed fifteen million dollar film, this looks fantastic and it looks way more expensive than I thought it was. The VFX and CGI are unreal. Even though the VFX seems to appear more clearly within the destruction of Ginza, it still looks very good with a blend of practical and visual effects. The cinematography is slick and smooth with its unique color pattern in each major sequence. Some memorable shots truly show the epicenes and real threat of Godzilla. The score is heart-pounding and energetic with Godzilla appearing in a scene. With the music, it allows a sense of true fear and intensity. Combined with the sound design, it makes the whole experience exciting and thrilling! Overall, the technical elements are fantastic and well put together in a low-budget blockbuster film that looks better than the majority of big CGI films. However, there are some flaws that I want to point out that are still plaguing the franchise. Throughout the franchise, some characters will be underdeveloped or forgotten which is a continuing problem in the series. In this entry, Noriko Ōishi, the partner of the protagonist, was a bit underutilized in the film. She was introduced as an important character and she only had a small amount of screen time presence. She had her moment but I feel like there was so much left out from her character which makes the relationship feel unstable. There were some typical cliches within the story's actions, especially in the final act but I was still engaged with some unexpected twists and turns. Thrilling, emotional, and epic, this is what the Godzilla franchise needed and this film succeeds in it. I was captivated every second from the destruction created by Godzilla to the well-written characters that I actually cared about. This is a breath of fresh air for the franchise and it was a cool experience in theaters. I hope this franchise continues in this direction. I also hope Legendary learns from this film and go back to the old direction from the 2014 version. Either way, I cannot wait for the next film.
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Vizeit Score: "A"
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Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
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