Godzilla: Minus One

After the heinous nature of 65, it was nice to have a palette cleanser with this movie! A dark, harrowing period piece under the guise of a Godzilla movie. It's a solid look into a straight up savage and murderous Godzilla. Recent Hollywood attempts at the character have made him more of a guardian, but here Godzilla is the villain, straight up. Very much the most interesting and inspired take on the character, so let's get into it!

PLOT: Haunting.

This film is haunting in how it depicts not just World War 2, but also the effects of nuclear warfare. The story focuses on a kamikaze pilot who returns home after the horrors of war only to find a new threat to his homeland: Godzilla. The plot is easy to follow, never gets complicated, and progresses in a lovely way. It's a film with horror elements, thus much of it holds you in suspense as much as possible which it does very well.

CHARACTERS: Likeable and endearing.

This film has endearing and enjoyable characters that never feel forced into the plot or out of place. They are also incredibly likeable so that you feel upset when someone dies or when someone loses a loved one. It's good stuff and really shows the tragedy of war. The main character, Koichi, is haunted by war and is great at demonstrating the effects of PTSD. I hope the actor gets more work after this!

SHOTS: Insane for the budget.

This film is made on shoestrings and looks better than some Hollywood movies with 10 times bigger budgets than this. It's insane what you can achieve on a low budget when you're forced to utilize your means. The shots reflect this as many are ambitious and clever and trying something new. It's very well done!

SOUND: Terrifying!

The sound design is always a crucial part of a film and, again, you notice it when it's either really good or really bad. It's obviously the former here. The music and sound design are tense and constantly builsing a sense of anxiety through their use. It's great!

WRITING: A little hokey.

As it is not in English, I will give this film a little leeway as language has different context clues for most. However, the lines get a little hokey and I do feel showing rather than telling is crucial. That being said, it's certainly not distracting.

CONS: The unfortunate issue...

The unfortunate issue is the writing. I won't drill into it as I just mentioned it, but it's not great. The editing can also get a little choppy, but again, not distracting.

LITTLE THINGS: The budget!

While the budget has been the subject of debate, I am impressed how this film looks on such a low budget. It looks like an expensive Hollywood movie on roughly $10-20 million, when most Hollywood movies are made on $100-200 million.

VERDICT: A great period piece with a solid Godzilla movie.

Overall, this is a great period piece with Brilliant shots and characters surrounded by a godzilla movie with decent writing and great effects. Not much else to say other than to recommend it to anyone who likes Godzilla. Otherwise, it is an easy recommendation for those who love suspenseful period pieces.

SCORE: 9/10