Sometimes we go to the movies distracted. They're supposed to be our escape, yet there are periods where life has a lot going on and it seeps in to affect the experience.
As I saw Godzilla Minus One on Thursday night, it was one of those trips for me. Work had been crazy that week - nothing awful - just a lot going on (hence why I'm not even getting to this review until Saturday). I'd just hung up the phone with our vet as my Bernese Mountain Dog, Barley, has kennel cough with further stress being added by this mystery respiratory illness affecting dogs. I'm releasing my novella next week with to-do's still to check off. I'm prepping the Rath Awards to try and not fall behind. Etc. Etc. Aside from being a worried dog parent, those are all good things, but just a lot happening all at once.
So admittedly, my viewing of Godzilla Minus One was one that didn't have my complete mental focus. Because of that, I'm glad I waited to write this review until some time had passed and I could reflect on the film.
Among many circles, Godzilla Minus One has been getting glowing reviews. It is a Japanese foreign language film detached from the current WB Monsterverse, and is a bit of a starting point back in post-WWII years for this franchise(?).
As I thought more about the film, I was realizing that my list of things I didn't like was very short. I remember being taken aback by some of the (over)acting initially, but it was really just my own culture shock to Japanese performances more than anything. There's some downtime where I wish the screenplay would have been more efficient with its pacing; I believe this 2 hour and 5 minute film could have been sub-2-hours, but it's not like other films that have been 30, 40, 60 minutes too long either. But other than that, I was really only remembering the scenes that I loved. Spoiler: pretty much anything with this menacing version of Godzilla in it.
Before getting to the Big-Boi-Dinosaur-Boi, I'll reflect for a moment on the characters. It's perhaps here where my distraction made me feel the most detached, but the character work in Minus One is excellent with characters that have unique relationships and complex backgrounds (e.g. a deserting kamikaze pilot in the final days of the war) that shape their motivations. The majority of their plot threads are meaningful and pay off in well-earned ways. Often the least important (and worst) part about these movies are the humans and while they don't outshine the monster-of-the-moment completely, this is an example of characters and Godzilla being together in harmony from a quality perspective.
Because they sure as hell ain't living together in harmony in this film. Different from the current Monsterverse, the Godzilla of this film is a destroyer. And damn. Is it awesome. Not only are the special effects fantastic and the original score generally rousing, but this guy is violent, setting off nuclear explosions like it's going out of style. It's an awesome, jaw-dropping sight to behold, and that the film doesn't shy away from some of its cataclysmic violence makes the stakes feel all that much higher.
Even distracted, I enjoyed Godzilla Minus One a good amount. Thinking on it further before committing words to "paper" has made me realize I liked it a lot, and there's not much going against it. It's a highlight of a blockbuster in a year with a decently strong track record so far and I for one would love to watch it again...just when I'm a little less distracted this time.
Rapid Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10
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