Godzilla Minus One looks like it’s going to be an unforgettable entry in the franchise.
I’ve been a kaiju fan for longer than I can remember. While a lot of the films are really cornball in appearance, the concept of a massive creature brought about by our own hubris has always been something that stayed with me even as a kid.
Honestly, I think kids can get more into it because what hits a kid harder than a giant monster who attacks the adults because of their over confident nonsense? At a time when shows like Captain Planet were letting me know about the environment damage adults were causing, having some massive monster coming in after the adults have had their warning and tearing through Tokyo the way I’d jump into a leaf pile felt amazing.
Over time I got into the films hard. They’re not the kind of thing I watch all the time but man, if it’s on or I’m by myself, I’m absolutely going to watch it.
When I watch it though, I get that I need to go into it with some sort of expectation. Godzilla movies are often fun, but they’re also shlocky. My personal favorite, Godzilla Final Wars, is a guaranteed good time but it’s also incredibly cornball filled with an incredible amount of scientists and generals being played by professional wrestlers with zero acting experience.
I kept all this in mind when I heard about Godzilla Minus One. When I found out that they were doing a retelling of the Godzilla origin without all the other kaiju I was worried. I thought, “is this just going to be Godzilla smashing buildings? That would be like watching a wrestling match with Ric Flair where he only does the wacky running around before the fight without any of the actual fight.
I felt like everyone knows who Godzilla is and what he’s about and they didn’t really need to start fresh here. I was worried.
But then I saw the trailer.
First off, oh wow Godzilla is gorgeous. You ever just get something and didn’t realize it was what you wanted until you got it? Because this is the Godzilla I always wanted. Just that cold komodo dragon gaze mixed with those insane back spikes and…*chefs kiss* perfect.
But not only that, the movie, no offense to past Godzilla films, looks like a real movie. Not a US remake or the guy in the rubber suit classic stuff. This looks like they just went all in on making Godzilla terrifying. The hopelessness of a creature as big as the mistakes of humanity tearing through Tokyo like a Black Friday shopper through a Best Buy is captured perfectly.
The escalation is well captured too. Just when it looks like humanity has some sort of plan, those spikes on Godzilla’s back jut out suddenly like a pop-up timer in a done turkey letting you know he’s about to fire his signature atomic blast and completely demolish both a city block and all hope. It looks devastating. As someone who has seen every film that this big boi has starred in, I’ve never been more intimidated by a version of this dude.
Looks like I’m not the only one because, at the time of this writing, Godzilla Minus One is sitting at Rotten Tomatoes at a staggering 100% based off critic reviews.
I honestly never thought I’d see the day but it makes me so hyped for next weekend when it finally opens to the general public in theaters state side. Now, if only they’d give my girl Mothra this level of love. Here’s hoping.
Are you looking forward to Godzilla Minus One? Will you be watching it in theaters?