Godzilla Minus One Review
 
So I just watched Godzilla Minus One. A compelling post war drama, but with Godzilla. Let me just start by saying I wholeheartedly recommend this movie. I went into this movie knowing nothing about it and I recommend anybody willing to watch a Japanese movie with subtitles to do the same. I found this movie to be surprisingly engaging and even moving. In a year where Hollywood movies have been shallow computer generated turds, it's nice to see a movie with a thoughtful script, fully fleshed out characters, stakes that may seem outlandish in premise but are relatable in impact, and a giant cg monster that serves a story purpose beyond spectacle. It's a movie full of themes about the value of life, guilt, responsibility, and moving on. I thought about going into the plot here, but I don't want to spoil anything for anybody. The only note I'll make here regarding the plot is that I found literally the last maybe 2 minutes of the movie to be unsatisfying. I'd say the last 2 scenes slightly undercut what is otherwise a very solid drama. I'd probably give this movie a perfect score were it not for the very last bit so I'm going to minus one. I give this movie 7 out of 8 explosions.
 
Stray Thoughts:
  • Godzilla loves throwing things from off screen
  • Akiko needs to work on her art skills
  • This movie feels like Grave of the Fireflies, but with Godzilla
  • That ending was like if Saving Private Ryan had an Avengers style post credits stinger