The Godzilla franchise has been revived quite massively both within the east and the west in recent years. The whole monster franchise of Hollywood has been performing nicely with the addition of Kong and others. As well as Godzilla gaining some more interest back in its hometown in Japan. The idea behind the monster is something deeply rooted in Japan's past, as a metaphor for the atomic strikes that happened during World War 2, the coping mechanism for the destruction and nuclear capabilities the weapon displayed on the citizens of Japan. A horrific incident that then spawned the idea of Godzilla not many decades later, also then spawning Japan's own monster franchise with the many additional monsters (men in rather visible costumes) that came to market. A few years ago the creator of Neon Genesis Evangelion had his chance to direct a modern Japanese Godzilla release: Shin Godzilla, mostly referred to in the west as Godzilla Resurgence. I quite enjoyed this release, seeing how Japan could again attempt the live action side of films after a very rough patch of poor anime live action attempts and generally poor films. Shin Godzilla was a breathe of fresh air that served well, and now it is seeing its successor, Godzilla Minus One.
I heard so many things about Godzilla Minus One around its release. And the fact that it saw such success led to it having a black and white release shortly after is quite a feat. It had me quite excited to watch the film finally, but being here in Armenia, it felt impossible to do so with the fact that it just never had a release in the cinemas here. It was disappointing. All the academy awards, all the discussion online, and me, the fan of kaiju incapable of watching what all the fuss was about. Well, I finally got to watch Godzilla Minus One, and it's quite a disappointment. This is a film that felt a bit too long, a bit too uninteresting and tame. Where the previous film had more engaging material. I'm not entirely sure how this film managed to gain the traction it did, and while the film does have some redeeming qualities, it is one that just didn't really do anything for me. At times I questioned whether I could finish the film or needed to take a break from it. Which is such a surprise given my love for these types of films.
This review may feature the odd spoiler, though I will refrain from mentioning major plot points that could be considered important events within the narrative.
Clocking in at just over two hours in length, Godzilla Minus One feels like one of Japan's true attempts at a modern blockbuster, breaching the long, painful past of awful anime live action attempts and instead trying to pursue a film industry that sticks true to its culture and history. As mentioned before, Godzilla is more than just a monster to Japan, it's a very real one. A painful reminder of that struggles the people and nation once faced, often giving the perspective of the citizens with very little of Godzilla to actually be seen. I can say that is similar to how this film is played out, the idea of the struggles Japanese people felt during World War 2, the chaos of the end of the war and how its culture had made so many of its men failures in their own eyes. This is conducted with the protagonist that should be a kamikaze pilot, a young man that understandably chickened out by landing his place on a nearby island and claiming it had some mechanical issues that stopped him from carrying out his duties.
For the most part, I found this performance to be atrocious. As is often the case with Japanese acting, it's not that good. For a protagonist, he had terrible range, it felt as if he was void of emotion for most of the film, which isn't what you want to see from someone facing that internal conflict of guilt and trying to redeem his attempts at war efforts in a culture that looks down upon those who flee from battle. This wasn't always pertaining to our protagonist, however. Some performances just felt flat, barely suitable for the big screen. Of course, Japanese acting tends to have its own sort of technique, but that's visible in other Japanese titles in which things certainly don't have this same sort of feeling. In particular, this also didn't seem to fit the time period, in which this was meant to be taking place just after the Second World War. The visuals certainly were true to that period, but not so much the general dialogue and movements.
What bothered me more was the narrative, which felt like just a very simple retelling of Shin Godzilla, a story that felt as if it just copied the same structure in the event of Godzilla's appearance. I'm a bit tired of how similar these films are starting to feel with this: Godzilla makes an appearance, a nation now has to quickly form a plan to adapt to it and bring it down. A few government talks and positions being stubborn, scientists talking, and well, that's it. That's how these films now feel, with very little freshness to it. The most unique aspect of this title would be the time period it's set in, which again is no surprise given the foundations of Godzilla. Another metaphor, naturally. It just all felt so formulaic for the most part. And that's disappointing for such a film because you begin to easily read how it will play out, you know when Godzilla will be teased, small moments of action followed by exposition and drama, and you can almost time it down to the exact moment such events will take place.
From a directing perspective that leans more on the cinematography side of things, it's not a bad looking film. Still holding that slight cheapness to it that Japan seems to adore regarding the special effects, but these are often easy to ignore, sometimes a bit too clear but also used sparingly as that aforementioned moments of exposition chime back in. The lighting is mostly dim, a rather modern look for a film despite the era, I didn't mind it though. Here and there the directing looked a bit odd, but in other moments it certainly stood out, I think it's clear where these moments are: the real action, the moments in which Godzilla's might becomes clear. The camera movements are something simplistic, either with fixed perspectives entirely or some slight panning and tracking with the characters. It's a style that doesn't really stand out much, but you can notice it and take appreciation for the craft. I quite enjoy films like these where perhaps cinematography isn't everything, but you need that focus on the story to allow it to stand out and blend together.
All in all, I feel this was a film that was made well in the visuals, and sometimes in the sound design, but the directing and story just didn't really do anything for me. I found it a bit too boring. Too similar to its predecessors without trying to saying anything new. A problem that comes with relying on a monster that was made to say one thing only, and to no surprise why Hollywood's adaptations feature a plethora of flashy monsters of other nature to spice things up. But all things I'm considered, I'm just glad Japan's film industry looks to be showing some strength again. At its core, it feels more about a film that is focused on the attempted redemption of a citizen trying to do his country good, after having seemingly failed it previously. But again, shallow performances, and a lack of depth just didn't do enough.
I have this one on my watchlist, maybe I'll give it a chance tonight. (my first Godzilla film btw)