No mere monster movie, “Godzilla: Minus One” treats audiences to more heart and humanity than just about any film this year. Go see it as soon as you can.
Spoiler-free review ahead.
When was the last time you saw a movie that moved you?
I mean a movie that really reached down deep inside to touch you and make you care?
Ladies and gentlemen, believe it or not, that is exactly what Toho Studios and writer/director Takashi Yamazaki have delivered in “Godzilla: Minus One,” the 37th film in the franchise and the best of the bunch by far. (It currently has a rating of 97% at Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience score of 98%.)
What makes this film so tremendous — and not just as a monster movie, but as a work of art — is that it tells a human story of honor, duty, cowardice, love, loss, and redemption so poignant, everyone can appreciate it.
Below: A trailer for “Godzilla: Minus One.”
No, you don’t have to be a Godzilla fan to enjoy every moment of this film’s two-hour-and-five-minute runtime. (Although you will have to read, as the dialog is in Japanese with English subtitles.)
The film explores themes so powerful, so universal, so integral to the human experience — and brings its characters to life so well — that if your eyes aren’t tearing up in the final third of this movie, you may need to see a doctor because something is wrong with you.
A celebration of the 70th anniversary of Godzilla, “Godzilla: Minus One” stomps a mudhole in all of the American-made Godzilla movies and makes a mockery of most Hollywood output of the past many years.
I dare you to watch this film and explain to me how its creators achieved such awe-inspiring scope and spectacle on a paltry $15 million budget when today’s Hollywood studios struggle to crap out semi-coherent snoozefests that cost 10, 15, or 20 times as much. (Recent box-office bomb “The Marvels” carried a price tag of more than $270 million, while the much-maligned “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” reportedly cost $290 million, with some claiming it actually cost $329 million.)
I guess good ideas and honest, heartfelt writing in Japan cost but a fraction of what American movie studios are willing to pay for agenda-driven propaganda filled to the brim with overpaid actors, endless and mind-numbing action scenes, schlocky one-liners, dumb comic-relief characters, and unrelenting virtue-signaling to show just how lost, confused, and consumed by crazy our film industry really is.
Oh hey, did I mention the monster design kicks ass?
Look, stop reading this and do yourself a favor. See a great movie and support quality entertainment — go see “Godzilla: Minus One” on the biggest screen you can today.
Cranky Movie Review rating: Five monster-sized stars out of five.
Want to know more? Here’s a review that I think really hits the mark:
And another:
And a third:
What do you think, Cranky readers? Is “Godzilla: Minus One” worthy of all the praise? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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A fabulously written review, as you’d expect. $15m whaaaat, that’s crazy. I must take my son to see it. The new Indiana Jones has just hit Disney but I am not tempted in the least.
What’s even crazier is the movie’s director hinted that his budget was even less than $15 million. As soon as that number started floating around, he replied on Twitter, “I wish it were that much.”
Makes Hollywood look like a money-laundering operation to rival Ukraine.
My husband of 40 years and I are now 60. As kids we both watched Godzilla and King Kong movies. And since 2nd grade, we’ve pretty much seen them all. Watched G-1 before your post. Loved it! Loved the movie. Loved your reaction. Everything you said we totally agree!
Thanks, Holiday. As it happens, I just left the theatre after seeing the movie a second time. It’s so impressive to see such a smart script come together so perfectly at the end. I’m not ashamed to admit, I cried again — and I wasn’t the only one!
Cranky – you are so correct. My wife and I go to very few movies these days, but we really wanted to see this on the big screen. I wish we had timed it to miss the commercials and the six! god-awful previews of upcoming movies – all American made and all looked terrible – mostly loud, obnoxious and patting themselves on the back for being so cleverly self-referential. Gee, I can’t wait to see the one about the “killer teddy bear.”
Godzilla Minus One simply crushes Hollywood! I’d pay to see that movie too. If G-1 were eligible for an academy award, it would have to win for best story and best score. So many emotional beats in this instant classic. An incredible piece of filmmaking and clocking-in at a mere 124 minutes, it’s so much more than a mere monster movie. Toho should be very proud!
Spot on. I too watched the previews of coming attractions with a face contorted in cringe, hoping fervently that the glowing reviews were well earned and Godzilla would live up to the hype.
Thankfully, this film exceeded all my expectations. It truly is a remarkable human story that just so happens to feature a monster.
I’m going to see it again next week!
Thanks and good to hear from you.
I will definitely check this out!🦖
Bring some tissues, Maryann. And enjoy. This film really is something special.