As someone who typically doesn’t enjoy monster movies, I realize that I am not a member of the target audience for “Godzilla Minus One.” As a critic, it’s my job to be objective when evaluating a piece of cinema, and very little about this film worked for me. While I admire writer / director Takashi Yamazaki‘s ambitious vision of making a Godzilla film with a more human-focused story, I found it difficult to form an emotional attachment to any of the characters. Combined with the forced acting and sluggish pacing, almost everything about the movie is painfully dull.
Near the end of World War II in 1945, a kamikaze pilot (Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands on a Japanese base on Odo Island. A mechanic (Munetaka Aoki) assumes that the man has fled his duty by claiming his aircraft is suffering from a technical problem. Later that evening, a terrifying creature emerges from the ocean and attacks. Already devastated by the war, Japan faces a new crisis in the form of a giant lizard monster called Godzilla.
With the exception of the opening Godzilla attack, the narrative set-up is slow, which will disappoint those expecting an action packed monster movie. Not that this is a bad thing, but be aware this is a more emotionally heavy Godzilla movie. There are some action scenes with mayhem and destruction that top out at “just okay,” and the tone abruptly shifts towards the dramatic.
The CGI effects are decent but certainly not mind-blowing, and there are times when Godzilla looks like he’s stepped out of a second-rate video game. He is goofy looking with a cheesy grin and a big, round belly, which makes him more laughable than formidable (which is a problem in a monster movie). The end fight to defeat Godzilla is the most exciting part of the movie, because everybody loves a hero. But the dramatic elements of the film feel manufactured and fake (cue the ridiculously hokey happy ending), especially when I felt zero emotional investment in the characters.
“Godzilla Minus One” doesn’t have the universal appeal that it so desperately needs. I am not and have never been a fan of Godzilla, and this film did nothing to make me one.
