[DISCUSSION] [SPOILERS] - Godzilla Minus One - Minami Hamabe, Sakura Ando, Ryunosuke Kamiki - Dir. by Takashi Yamazaki

steeznson, 6 months ago

I saw this movie on Friday evening when it opened in the UK, and I’ve got tickets to go and see it again tonight. It was so satisfying on multiple levels.

FinishingDutch, 6 months ago

Saw it this afternoon and really enjoyed it! It was actually the first Godzilla movie I’ve ever seen. So I went into it pretty blind after I’d seen the trailer a while ago.

It had a lot of heart; actually a surprising bit of drama for what I’d usually imagine in movies like this. It has the usual pretty telegraphed punches, but overall I’d say it’s a decent movie. It’s not something that I’d outright buy a ticket for, but since I’ve got an unlimited movie pass, all it costs me was the time. And I consider it well spent.

canthidium, 6 months ago

Loved it. Maybe even more than Shin, but I think being a veteran with PTSD let me connect to this story a lot. I couldn’t help but feel for Koichi, with how he was fighting his own war internally. Hit very close to home. When he got pushed into the alley, I just felt like “how much more survivors guilt can this guy have”. And it hit me hard when he was asked if his war was finally over.

But as far as Godzilla goes, loved his design. He was so menacing in this. Not an anti-hero, nor a “good guy”. He was a monster just destroying everything. The boat chase scene, he just looked evil. The atomic breath design was a highlight and the explosions that it made were incredible.

The cinematography was so well done, especially the 3rd act. The whole movie had very much an anime feel IMO. Lots of Attack on Titan vibes, especially with how Godzilla moved. I loved the boat captain, he felt the most like an anime character to me.

If you’re a Godzilla fan at all, you’ll enjoy it.

Alter_Id, 6 months ago

Wanting to keep my post spoiler free.

I thought it was great. I like every Godzilla movie though. Overall it was a solid entry into the franchise. Closer to the top of the heap than the bottom. Curious to see the varied reactions from the rest of the fandom, since everyone inevitably has different takes depending on what they like out of a Godzilla movie.

I encourage everyone to go see it, mostly to give Toho your money so they know the international market remains eager for more of the big G.

canthidium, 6 months ago

I’m going today! I’m a huge Godzilla fan. Would you say it’s on par with Shin Godzilla?

Alter_Id, 6 months ago

It's a high quality film. I prefer Shin, but Shin is my 2nd favorite in the franchise. Depending on taste I'm sure some people will prefer Minus One over Shin. It's all up to what you like.

Ultimately though, they did a great job on Minus One. If you're a Godzilla fan you're going to love it.

canthidium, 6 months ago

Lol, I just noticed your other comment. Thanks for responding to this one as well! Good to hear!

Alter_Id, 6 months ago

Sure thing. Report back with your own take. Eager to get others' opinion on it too!

canthidium, 6 months ago

Just got back and I loved it. I put more thoughts in another comment.

scytale, 6 months ago (edited 6 months ago)

I was a bit bummed when I heard Godzilla was on screen for less than 10 minutes, but the reviews and ratings have convinced me to probably go watch it in theaters!

Edit: I just booked last minute tickets for the last show tonight (in 1.5 hours) lol. I’ll be busy tomorrow and I don’t want to go on a weekend, so might as well go now.

Edit 2: Just got back from the theater. The two best things about this film are:

• Atomic breath / heat ray. Even the latest hollywood godzilla’s version of atomic breath is nothing compared to this one. Amazing.
• The score. The eerie orchestral swells fit so well with the circumstances of the time period when the film takes place. I’ll definitely listen to the score again if they release it officially.

I’d say it’s worth it to watch in theaters. It’s not perfect, but all scenes with godzilla more than make up for whatever flaws the rest of the film has.

Undeltog, 6 months ago

I saw it last night, absolutely worth it. Fantastic film.

ALostInquirer, 6 months ago

Have you watched Shin Godzilla as well? If so, how’s it compare with that? That was the last Godzilla movie I saw and I really dug it.

Alter_Id, 6 months ago

Not as good as Shin, but I consider Shin the 2nd best in the franchise, only after '54. Minus One is solid though. If you're at all interested you should check it out.

ALostInquirer, 6 months ago

Nice, I’ll have to see if I can find a time to go see it!

Undeltog, 6 months ago

I really enjoyed Shin Godzilla. They are very different movies, and I’ll need to rewatch minus one a few times before I cement my opinion, but I think I’d give Shin the edge.

steeznson, 6 months ago

I’ll offer a dissenting voice here and say that I thought it was better than Shin Godzilla (even though that movie is excellent). It’s the first time they nailed the human storylines since maybe the original 54 film. The depiction of Godzilla is more god-like, for lack of a better word, and less anime like the Shin depiction.

No1, 6 months ago (edited 6 months ago)

Agree.

Godzilla is terrifying, and the story is solid. The score is amazing too!

Definitely worth a watch on the big screen, and I’m looking forward to watching it again.

As others have said, hard for me to separate between Shin and Minus One. Both great, but different. Need to rewatch Minus One a few (hundred) more times first.

Edit: Just rewatched the original 1954 Japanese version. Minus one has a number of nods to this epic original. Quite a few more parallels than I remembered! For anyone interested, the original is available at the Internet Archive