 |
| Images courtesy of Toho |
Godzilla films are often a balancing act, mixing character-driven drama with bombastic epic action pieces. A standard critique with modern entries is that "there isn't enough Godzilla!" The real issue is that the writing for the human characters needs to be more compelling to make the audience care about them, thus making those sections in between the kaiju attacks feel less like a slog. Director Takashi Yamazaki has crafted a perfect combination of pathos and excitement with Godzilla Minus One (2023), paying homage to the original 1954 film while bringing it into the modern age.
Godzilla Minus One takes place at the end of WWII and follows Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), an ex-kamikaze pilot who has returned to a devastated Tokyo. He strikes up a complicated relationship with a survivor named Noriko (Minami Hamabe), who lost both of her parents in the bombings. They also end up adopting a baby that was abandoned by her mother and the three become an unconventional family unit. Kōichi struggles with extreme survivor's guilt not only from his defection from a kamikaze sortie but also from an encounter a few years earlier with Godzilla in which he was one of the few survivors.
The conditions in post-WWII Tokyo were abominable, as many parts of Tokyo were burned to the ground, and millions had perished. A third of the nation's wealth had been destroyed, and the economy was in shambles. It would be many years through US occupation and reconstruction before Japan regained its collective feet. The title Godzilla Minus One refers to these conditions, implying that Japan had been reduced to "zero" at the end of WWII and that the appearance of Godzilla set them back even more, a further tragedy for an already desolated country.
Godzilla has always been a metaphor for the nuclear bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, his skin gnarled and deformed like burn victims and stomping his way through the cities, destroying everything he touches. In Godzilla Minus One, he is a direct stand-in for the nuclear presence, as the film doesn't show the horrific aftermath of the nuclear bombs directly. Godzilla's atomic breath attack has become more literal in its depiction, causing a mushroom cloud blast at its epicenter and fallout in its wake. One moment has Kōichi screaming in despair while black rain from the attack pours down on him, a grim reminder of the fate of the hibakusha, many of whom were caught in the caustic radioactive downpour and suffered their whole lives from health problems and discrimination.
These topics are bleak and mixed with the action set-pieces; it makes for fascinating tonal switches. Rarely are the losses from Godzilla attacks felt so acutely, making it easy for the audience to empathize with the characters' plight. The special effects for Godzilla are excellent, and even though some might lament the loss of the man in the rubber suit (which, to be fair, is part of what makes Godzilla films fun), it allows for the monster to be taken much more seriously. Godzilla is terrifying in this version, not a villain, but an impartial force of nature that is unpredictable at best. Naoki Sato's score is haunting and foreboding, utilizing air raid sounds and choirs to impart fear and sadness. Akira Ifukube's iconic theme appears at opportune times, guaranteed to elicit goosebumps.
At the heart of the film is a call for fellowship during times of need while respecting life's sanctity. During WWII, death over surrender was pushed by the Emperor of Japan, with it being touted as "honorable" to give one's life to further the war effort. This ideology was adopted by civilians and soldiers alike, with the Imperial Japanese Army significantly contributing to the prevailing attitude. Kōichi's character distills the harm of that attitude; instead of being relieved that he survived the war, he feels like he let his family and country down. The theme of this movie directly subverts this ideology (with perhaps a touch of ire for the US government as well), positing that a country can not surrender to hostile outside forces without sacrificing lives and that there is always a way out with human ingenuity and cooperation--even if the government doesn't offer any help. No matter how dark things become, there is light at the end of the tunnel if we look hard enough.
--Michelle Kisner