Since 2014’s release of Gareth Edwards’Godzilla, Japan, and the United States have reignited cinematic dialogue, periodically trading monumental blows in the form of monster movies with a blockbuster appetite. Edwards’ contemporary take on the 1954 classic brought the reptilian monster back to the forefront of the public consciousness, helping establish Legendary Pictures’MonsterVerseas one of the more financially successful franchises and renewing Toho’s interest in bringing Godzilla back to the big screen.
Along with 2016’sShin Godzillaand a trio of animated movies on Netflix, Toho recently releasedGodzilla Minus Oneas its thirty-third Godzilla movie overall and its fifth since the new reboot. While theJapanese and American versionsof this storied character in cinema tend to differ in tone and cinematic form,Godzilla Minus Onepresents as a formidable companion piece to the highly anticipatedGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Comparing the interpretations presented by Legendary Pictures and Toho Studios is less of a quest to see who produces better films and more of an exercise in understanding cinematic tendencies. With its inherent social themes and prepackaged story structure, Godzilla offers a ready-made formula that almost guarantees a riveting piece of blockbuster entertainment. BothGodzilla(2014) andShin Godzilla(2016)provided strong examples of how the mythos of Godzilla can apply to contemporary themes and social issues.
However, some have criticized recent sequels such as 2019’sGodzilla: King of Monstersand 2021’sGodzilla vs. Kongfor prioritizing its loyalty to the Hollow Earth plotline and its cheap pursuits at building a Marvel-esque cinematic universe. This undeniably detracts from the beloved monster, with each movie dedicating less and less screen time to the towering beast.
In contrast to Legendary Pictures’ franchise-building tactics, Toho Studios opts for a more artist-centric approach, allowing writers, directors, and visual effects artists to craft their projects separate from a studio agenda. Compared to its American counterparts,Godzilla Minus Onefocuses more on the titular character and its character design while maintaining harrowing acting performances. Combined with its poetic editing and pacing, the film stands out from the formulaicMonsterVerse moviesand American blockbusters in general.
Godzilla Minus One Focuses on Godzilla
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Part of the success behind the thrilling and momentous storyline ofGodzilla Minus Oneis linked to Godzilla’s heavy involvement in the film. While MonsterVerse films limit Godzilla’s appearances to maximize his gravitas,Godzilla Minus Oneincludes the prehistoric monster in the opening sequence and features multiple action scenes in various environments.
The opening attack occurs on the island of Odo in the shadows of night. The next attack takes place in the middle of the ocean in a spiritual ode to Steven Spielberg’sJaws(1975), which is soon followed by a massive attack on Tokyo. Godzilla’s reign of terror is felt in every environment, setting, and landscape, his impending doom piercing any sense of security and safety.
Similar toShin Godzilla(2016),Godzilla Minus Onealso pays homage to the original monster design in the original 1954 classic. While the MonsterVerse Godzilla represents a more realistic lizard-like appearance, Toho Godzillas tend to remain loyal to the original character design. The original design boasts a more anthropomorphic stature with an upright posture, and its face exhibits terrifyingly beady eyes. In some ways, Godzilla’s anthropomorphic mutations cleverly suggest that humanity’s worst fears derive from human hands rather than some buried past.
Through a strengthened sense of character design,Godzilla Minus Onealso carries a strong human storyline, a historical message that resonates with our current time.
Godzilla Minus One Has Great Acting Performances
While Legendary Pictures repeatedly loads eachGodzilla moviewith a bundle of A-list Hollywood stars, their performances frequently lack the emotional weight to support their character’s backstories. It’s easy to see through the typical Hollywood tendencies as superficial. This too often leaves one disappointed, craving more action scenes to distract from the poor acting. As Legendary Pictures continues to follow the industry standard, which is the biggest problem with the films, their formulaic approach to filmmaking will eventually lead the American Godzilla franchise down the same path as other revered franchises such asTransformers,Harry Potter, andPirates of the Caribbean.
Along with its stellar Godzilla character design,Godzilla Minus Oneexcels by combining theGodzilla originand lore with a World War II genre piece. While Godzilla has been known to be a metaphor for Japan’s fear of nuclear warfare and America in general, the film blends these two well-known storylines into a cohesive and pensive character study on trauma, guilt, and forgiveness.
Ryunosuke Kamiki’s performance as former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima is as captivating and destructive as the giant nuclear monster, destroying any semblance of a normal home life the way Godzilla tears through Tokyo without remorse. This spreads throughout the cast as Minami Hamabe and Sakura Ando both hold down definitive performances as Noriko and Sumiko, respectively.
Godzilla: Minus One: 10 Movies That Had a Clear Inspiration on the Brilliant New Monster Film
Godzilla Minus One took inspiration from a multitude of incredible movies, including Jaws and The End of Evangelion.
Regardless of artistic excellence or financial success, the Godzilla franchise is in good hands on both sides of the Pacific. Legendary Pictures continues to expand its scope as a cinematic universe, andGodzilla Minus Onebecame the first internationalfilm to top the US charts since 2004.
