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Godzilla Minus One opens in 1945, Odo Island, Japan, during the latter part of World War II, where thanks to our favourite cinema monster turning up and causing a ruckus, lots of men are killed, while the survivors including kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki – Suzume, Your Name), who’s clearly not a very good one, since by the end of the war, he’s still alive, along with the fact that those who did survive Gozilla’s attack, blame him for his apparent inaction.
By December, he returns back to his homeland in Ginza, now almost wiped out after everything that’s happened, his parents are no more, and to cap it all, he’s castigated by neighbour Sumiko (Sakura Ando), because he’s still walking and talking.
Also looking for answers is a young woman, Noriko (Minami Hamabe), with a child, Akiko (Sae Nagatani), leading to Koichi trying to man-up by taking them in and supporting them, the only job being available is on a rickety old boat clearing mines from the war. This pays well, but is understandably very dangerous.
In the coming months, there are further attempts to bump off the big beast, but just how successful these can be is something that won’t surprise you, when you check how long there is of the film left to run, and I had to check the time on a fair few occasions, because this is another example of a disaster movie where: when Godzilla’s in town, it’s fun, but inbetween, it drags. This is unlike 2021’s Godzilla Vs Kong, when it was never fun.
Eventually, we conclude in Ginza where… this time, it’s personal… and can Koichi overcome his shame of not dying when he thinks he should’ve done, and take on Mr Big? Or will the studio decide they want to spin this out into a trilogy? Only time will tell, and there’s just over two hours of it.
As for the odd title, I figure the studio would’ve though that for a film with multiple potential sequels (if this does well), instead of just adding 2, 3, 4 etc to the word ‘Godzilla’, let’s start with Godzilla Minus One, and go down from there… Maybe?
According to writer/director Takashi Yamazaki, it origins are as follows with his pitch to the studio: “Postwar Japan has lost everything. The film depicts an existence that gives unprecedented despair. The title Godzilla Minus One was created with this in mind. In order to depict this, the staff and I have worked together to create a setting where Godzilla looks as if “fear” itself is walking toward us, and where despair is piled on top of despair. I think this is the culmination of all the films I have made to date, and one that deserves to be “experienced” rather than “watched” in the theater. I hope you will experience the most terrifying Godzilla in the best possible environment.”
Well, I ‘experienced’ it in Odeon’s Dolby room, which is rather like an IMAX, except without with the ability to show an expanded aspect ratio at times. As such, it has fancy seating which is accompanied by speakers that – compared to a regular screen – are one louder.
When it comes to possible sequels, not only has this film made it to mainstream cinemas like Odeon and Cineworld, but also the budget was less than $15m! Compare that to the average 2023 superhero film from both Marvel and DC, which cost around $200m apiece and are flopping like an old man with erectile dysfunction!
While there’s no regular post-credits scene, since you do get a teaser for a potential sequel before you can leave your seat, there is something…
As an aside, there’s one particularly dumb moment which I can only describe behind a spoiler header, and I recommend you only read when you’ve seen the film.
Godzilla Minus One is in cinemas now, but is not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 124 minutes
Release date: December 15th 2023
Studio: Anime Limited
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 (X-OCN ST (6K))
Cinema: Odeon Trafford Centre
Rating: 5/10
Directors: Takashi Yamazaki
Producers: Gô Abe, Kazuaki Kishida, Keiichiro Moriya, Kenji Yamada
Screenplay: Takashi Yamazaki
Music: Naoki Satô
Cast:
Noriko Oishi: Minami Hamabe
Koichi Shikishima: Ryunosuke Kamiki
Sumiko Ota: Sakura Ando
Seiji Akitsu: Kuranosuke Sasaki
Kenji Noda: Hidetaka Yoshioka
Sosaku Tachibana: Munetaka Aoki
Shiro Mizushima: Yuki Yamada
Akiko: Sae Nagatani
Akio Itagaki: Kisuke Iida
Tatsuo Hotta, Captain of Yukikaze: Miou Tanaka
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.