Cinematic Point Of View

I wrote this short review a few days after watching Godzilla Minus One opening weekend. This blog did not exist then so I am sharing it here now.

In the days since I first watched Godzilla Minus One, I have read countless comments online about the overwhelming personal experience of watching this movie on the big screen. They all say the exact same thing and embody my exact feelings.

“Go see it.” “It’s incredible.” “It will leave you speechless.” “It’s powerful.”

For me, it is akin to the feeling I had after seeing the original Jurassic Park. That’s a feeling that’s hard to explain. Maybe close to a religious experience? I feel changed. Cleansed. Uplifted. Hopeful.

To me, watching a movie is like experiencing someone’s dream. To watch a movie in the theater is to share that dream experience on a whole other level. Godzilla Minus One is the perfect dream for right now.

It’s a simple story of ordinary people coming together in post-war Japan to fight overwhelming odds. A thin layer below that are messages of redemption, hope, forgiveness, family, and love. This film is so easy to absorb if you let it get into your skin.

Every character is understandable and honestly, likeable. Thinking about it now there really are no human villains in this movie. That just might be part of the beauty of it and why it feels so different.

The visual FX are on a completely different level from really anything I’ve seen. That’s where the Jurassic Park part comes into play. The way that film’s FX melted my little brain back in the 90s. Wow. There are moments in this movie, when Koichi is flying a plane around Godzilla that will take your breath away. I could watch an hour of that alone.

And Godzilla himself is such a perfect, deadly blend of rubber man in the suit and hyper realism. His power is overwhelming and absolutely must be seen on the big screen. The music and sound design hit so hard as well. When that theme plays it’s really something.

I feel like the movie will lose something on your TV though. It’s meant for the largest screen possible. Even if you aren’t a Godzilla fan, this story is 75 percent human drama so go see it in the theater if you have a chance. We saw it a 2nd time this week as my wife missed seeing it with us the first time around. I’d go see it a 3rd and 4th time really. Don’t want to go alone? Give me a call, I’ll meet you at the movies! (UPDATE: I ended up seeing it 6 times in the theater, once Minus Color. Will make another post about those versions in a week or so)

Director Takashi Yamazaki has created the ultimate love letter to the original Godzilla. It is a masterpiece, and it goes without saying it’s my favorite film of the year.

I’d love to hear what you think!