MANEATERS UNITED FFS
Godzilla minus zero (15)
Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Screenplay: Takashi Yamazaki
Starring: Minami Hamabe, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Masami Nagasawa
Running time: 135 minutes
Cinema
Review: David Stephens
Hard to believe that it’s been 72 years since Toho released the very first Godzilla film on an unsuspecting public. A culmination of a creature feature and the Japanese existential dread of atomic destruction, it has spawned 39 films of varying quality in that time, including the much-hated 1998 TriStar version and the Monsterverse-creating 2014 film. But it was Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One that really threw the cat among the Kaiju. A VFX expert and anime lover, his realistic take on an alternate timeline where the Big G terrorises Japan in the post-war aftermath drew industry awards, acclaim and much moolah for its nuanced take on the Kaiju genre. Not least for the fact that you cared as much about the human characters as you did about the impressive scenes of city smashing. So, here’s the follow-up… and try not to think too much about the nonsensical title… except for the fact that if you Tippex over the “Minus” and substitute it with “Vs Monster”, you practically get a G-Fan’s nerdy synopsis of the whole film! (*cough*refer to 1965 Japanese science fiction kaiju film*cough*). This direct sequel includes all the surviving cast of the previous film and introduces some new (and bigger) members to the timeline. To say it's been eagerly awaited is a huge understatement, with teaser trailers (the Statue of Liberty and a familiar monster cry!) making people dribble with anticipation. It’s now in cinemas in the UK and US, most notably on IMAX screens, with around 75 minutes of the running time shot in that format (the first Japanese production to do so). It is also, somewhat intriguingly (and controversially), the first modern Godzilla film to get an R-rating in the States. So, is it Kaiju-poo or Monster-fun?
As soon as the footage starts, the viewer is dropped right into pure creature carnage. It’s 1949, two years after the battle at Sagami Bay, and it’s all kicking off again! The city of Matsumoto is being destroyed by something that is massive, pissed off, and starts with the letter ‘G’. Nope. Not who you are expecting. (We’ll take it easy on the details and potential spoilers, but everybody who’s looked at reviews, seen the latest trailers, or logged on to any film site in the last few days MUST know what that refers to…). Luckily, Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka) has been promoted to the director of the ‘Large-Scale Disaster Response Bureau’ after the events of the previous film, in order to deal with such threats. This new danger comes from left-field (outer space, actually) and has evolutionary abilities that make it practically indestructible. As Noda attempts to destroy the creature, plans fail, and casualties skyrocket (as do buildings in some of the more surreal scenes). He finds himself reluctantly turning to his old ally and former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) for advice. Koichi has settled into peacetime life and married Noriko (Minami Hamabe), who miraculously survived the Godzilla attack on Ginza, but not without scars. They’ve officially adopted Akiko (Sae Nagatani) as their daughter and are wary of emotionally hurting the girl in any way. But as something else rises from the depths, Hiroshima bombing survivor Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka) hatches a cunning plan that needs the unwitting couple to make sacrifices to restore peace to Japan once again.
That title. Will a follow-up be called Godzilla Plus One? Sounds like a wedding invite. Will he take Mothra? Anyway, first things first. Is this as good as Godzilla Minus One? Straight answer… no. At least, in our humble opinion. Is it an awesome, crashy-bashy, human-caring monster movie that is another technical triumph deserving of huge box-office takings? Undoubtedly, yes. We’ll just cover the (slightly) negative points to validate that first answer. Firstly, that Statue of Liberty shot from the teaser? Hugely misleading, although it does allow for a harrowing scene and a disturbing plot twist to be included. Next, all that guff in the promotions and trailers about ‘…being no third time. It all ends here!’ Absolute cobblers! Without spoilers, the final moments are as open-ended as all hell with several plot strands being deliberately left hanging. It’ll be a travesty if this doesn’t culminate in at least one more sequel. And (perhaps) most importantly, there are a lot of Godzilla-less moments in the running time. Like a lot. He doesn’t even appear until a third of the way through, and then it’s extremely sporadic until the finale (with one scene being literally a fragment of someone’s imagination). This is markedly less than the first film and seems like a bit of a tease. Truth be told, it does seem like part of a strategy to make the big guy turn into an anti-hero, similar to the Monsterverse version, which feels like a mistake for this incarnation. Just as well that everything else here is so bloody brilliant then!
It still boggles the mind just how good the audio and visuals are for this film, which is as true an observation as it was for its predecessor. Even with a significantly increased budget (rumoured to be no more than an absolute high of $50m), this knocks all other comparable films, such as the Monsterverse, Marvel, and DC offerings, into oblivion. The final confrontation is an absolute jaw-dropper with stunning visuals and tension, along with some shots that emulate classic Kaiju images. Godzilla’s foe (you-know-who) has invariably looked goofy and odd in earlier incarnations, but is transformed into a definable menace here, even with the weird abilities. The big set pieces (limited in number, it has to be acknowledged) are fantastic. An airborne fight scene plays out like a mix of The Dam-Busters and Game of Thrones and is nail-biting in its choreography. They’re all shot from the perspective of puny humans with a true sense of scale and the frailty of existence when confronted with higher powers. It’s these moments that ‘sell’ the film and provide the things you’ll be talking about when you leave the screening. However, it’s small of the other elements that really underline these powerhouse sequences.
The key thing with Minus Zero is (like the original), the importance of the characters is never forgotten. Unlike the paper-thin leads of the Monsterverse movies, you want these individuals to survive and give meaning to all the madness. Time is spent in understanding and developing these people. It’s nice that all the cast from Minus One are back and that their past experiences have genuine impact on the present narrative. The throwaway detail in the first film, that Noriko had bizarrely survived and reunited with Koichi somehow, has been greatly expanded into the narrative and become a lynchpin to the events in the climax. It’s a nice touch and a shame that the character feels driven to hide her ‘Godzilla-Eye’… because it looks so goddamned cool! Other character details are nicely woven into the events as well. Noda deliberately tries to avoid involving Koichi in the fight because of his actions in the first film. Koichi is torn between returning to the fray and enabling Noriko as a ‘weapon of war’. There’s a lovely and unexpected character arc for an embittered war survivor, and a supporting character becomes a leader, making a tough decision after a tragic loss. Hell, a couple of climactic scenes could leave you in pieces without a hint of an atomic breath. Kamiki and Hamabe act their socks off in one scene, where you would swear they were in a harrowing drama rather than a creature feature. And you would have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the significance of the phrase “Have a safe trip” and its importance in the very final minutes. sniff. Okay, it might feel a little hammy in comparison with the US versions, but you can’t argue with the earnestness of it.
Some attention has been given to the fact that this has a mature rating in the US (15 in the UK), which is unusual for this sub-genre. It is absolutely valid and earned for the subject matter, though. Along with a distressing ‘what-if’ scene where citizens are graphically melted by atomic breath, the ‘real world’ effects of a monsterised country are not ignored. Deaths in the thousands are quoted and acknowledged in the plot, and we sometimes get subjected to this up close. A post-attack scene is distressing as it shows hundreds of people maimed and injured in a crammed hospital, with graphic wounding and gore being shown. Then there’s the quietly devastating scene of a house being lifted into the air as a pilot flies by, where he sees a crying woman holding onto a baby, just before it plunges to earth and kills them both. Jeez! It’s those sort of ‘minor’ and personal touches with reality that makes the bombastic Kaiju fights that little bit more edgy. One final salute also goes to the magnificent soundtrack from Naoki Satō, which perfectly complements the action onscreen and includes the iconic ‘March’ theme.
Due to Minus One becoming so much of a zeitgeist and some of the issues we’ve covered here, it’s almost inevitable that Minus Zero does not hit as hard as the previous offering. There are some other minor niggles as well. What is the logistical meaning (apart from a heightened sense of morality) for an act of mercy being shown at the end? Should you really site your command centre on the roof of the only remaining skyscraper in a monster-fight zone?! Happily, the critical, public, and financial reaction to the film appears to be majorly positive. For his part, Yamazaki is already working on a US Kaiju movie entitled Grandgear, so there’s no current news on another Godzilla follow-up. As said earlier, it’s a great film, but just not up to the superlative levels of Minus One. However, if you find the biggest screen possible to watch it on, give yourself over to the epic scale and emotional framework of this film, you’ll be guaranteed two hours and 15 minutes of the finest creature feature sequel that you could wish for. Just be sure to reach under your seat and reclaim your jaw after that final battle…
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