I am really enjoying what is being done with the MonsterVerse series and cannot wait for Godzilla X Kong next year. However, I will admit that despite being a fan of Godzilla since I was a kid, I was a little unsure if I would be as into another Toho Godzilla movie from Japan. What a moron I was for thinking that – as it turns out Godzilla Minus One is my movie of 2023.
How to Download Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla Minus One was released on November 3, 2023. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Also, check out other Godzilla films, for example, Godzilla, Godzilla vs. Kong, and Godzilla: King of the Monsters.
The Movie Review
Personal Experience and Anticipation
This is having a rather limited theatrical run and remember my negativity I just spoke of? Well, my wife is not into this kind of thing, my son did not want to go and I was not feeling like going to the movies on my own. My wife said that I would probably regret not going to see it, so I sucked it up and sat my lonesome butt right in the front row and I am so glad that I made the effort to see this on the big screen.
Setting and Characters of Godzilla Minus One
The movie takes place just after World War II and Japan is fighting to get back on its feet. Our main character is a kamikaze pilot called Shikishima who along with a whole lot of other people experiences the power and destruction of Godzilla for the first time. Shikishima manages to survive the attack by the monster, but he has some major survivor’s guilt.
Emotional Connection and Storyline
When he arrives home, Shikishima makes a rather odd family with a young woman called Noriko who lost her family in the war, and a child called Akiko who became an orphan due to the war that Noriko has adopted. I love this trio! No other Godzilla movie has made me feel as connected to the humans as much as this one did.
Godzilla as the Antagonist
I so wanted all of these people to make it out and I was legit terrified when Godzilla was on his rampage in Japan. I can honestly say that no other Godzilla movie has made me get a little teary-eyed, but this one did! Usually, you just want to see Godzilla smashing stuff or fighting monsters, but this time, I wanted to see the people put a stop to him.
Budget and Special Effects
That brings me to a major cool point about this movie. Godzilla is 100 percent the villain here, there is no him trying to help or anything like that, he is a monster and he is on a rampage. I also liked how it was not some kind of military operation to try and stop him, instead, it was a group of brave people coming together to try and stop the monster.
The Visuals
One thing that blew my mind and I did not find this out until after I had seen the movie was that this thing had a budget of 15 million! How the heck does this look as good as it does, but movies like The Flash have terrible CG? I was very, very impressed with the special effects here and it has the best use of Godzilla’s atomic breath that I have ever seen, it looked so powerful, and it was awesome!
Godzilla’s Design and Overall Impact
I also liked how there was no hiding things in the dark, many big movies that utilize CGI try to hide things in the dark, but that is not the case here. The fact that they were able to make this for such a modest budget is incredible. I loved the design of Godzilla too, he seems a bit smaller, but I thought his design was cool and you better believe I want an action figure of it. He kind of looked like a similar Godzilla like we have in the current MonsterVerse.
Concluding Thoughts on Godzilla Minus One
Hopefully by the time you read this, Godzilla Minus One will still be having its short theatrical run and you can go check it out. I would have been mad at myself had I waited for this to come home and watched it there for the first time. The same night I saw this when I got home, I went straight online to see if the 4K was available for pre-order! I have seen some great movies in 2023, but this is right there at the top as my favorite.
