Godzilla has thrown down with King Kong, King Ghidorah, Mothra, and Rodan, among others, yet the King of the Monsters flies solo in “Godzilla Minus One.” As much as we love seeing the Titans tangle, we don’t miss the other residents of Monster Island (though we’d love to see them in a sequel). Some would argue that “Godzilla Minus One” boasts the most exciting SFX of the entire “Godzilla” series, (yes, even the much bigger budgeted Monsterverse movies), and frankly some of the most impressive action scenes of any blockbuster, period, in years.
Godzilla’s de facto mano y mano with the military feels fresh, Godzilla’s nuclear breath will leave you breathless, and the scene of Godzilla stalking the minesweeper (in a clear homage to “Jaws”) is one of the most memorable moments from any “Godzilla” movie — or from any movie last year. While we’ve seen Godzilla stomp cities into submission countless times, “Godzilla Minus One” manages to make these familiar scenes feel like the first time, with a ground-level POV that conveys the true horror of seeing a skyscraper-sized reptile burn your home to the ground.
Credit writer, director and SFX director Takashi Yamazaki, pulling triple duty, who makes the movie’s approximately $15 million budget (close to what catering costs on a Hollywood production) look like $150 million. Yet, ironically, Yamazaki’s limited resources may have been to the movie’s benefit. He couldn’t just throw cash at any problem; he had to use creativity. Pardon the pun, but the results are simply smashing.
