Godzilla Minus One Chatter (No Spoilers)
Dec. 30th, 2023 02:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kristenskA few weeks ago, I managed to catch an IMAX showing of "Godzilla Minus One". It immediately took the spot as the best Godzilla movie I've seen and the best movie I saw all year. It's magnificent.
I've always felt that the human storylines in kaiju movies are necessary and not just filler because, without people to care about, there's no story. But, "Minus One" is the first time the human story became the best part of the movie to me. I was never waiting for the movie to get back to the good stuff with Godzilla. Not that Godzilla's scenes are in any way lacking. In fact, for the first time, I found him genuinely frightening. Mainly because Toho finally abandoned their oneupsmanship game with Legendary and, rather than making an ever larger Godzilla, made him smaller again. At a size that's terrifyingly huge but not so huge he's a walking mountain, unaware of the tiny lives skittering away from him. He is very, very aware, and that's what makes him terrifying.
It wasn't the most fun-for-my-inner-child Godzilla entry and certainly not an easy watch for me. It was by turns tense and gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, but, by the end, I was ready to stand and cheer. Ultimately, it was a triumphant, uplifting story, and I can't wait to see it again.
I've always felt that the human storylines in kaiju movies are necessary and not just filler because, without people to care about, there's no story. But, "Minus One" is the first time the human story became the best part of the movie to me. I was never waiting for the movie to get back to the good stuff with Godzilla. Not that Godzilla's scenes are in any way lacking. In fact, for the first time, I found him genuinely frightening. Mainly because Toho finally abandoned their oneupsmanship game with Legendary and, rather than making an ever larger Godzilla, made him smaller again. At a size that's terrifyingly huge but not so huge he's a walking mountain, unaware of the tiny lives skittering away from him. He is very, very aware, and that's what makes him terrifying.
It wasn't the most fun-for-my-inner-child Godzilla entry and certainly not an easy watch for me. It was by turns tense and gut-wrenching and heartbreaking, but, by the end, I was ready to stand and cheer. Ultimately, it was a triumphant, uplifting story, and I can't wait to see it again.
