Before I saw the Godzilla movie, all I really associated with the King of Monsters was a terrible 1998 Puffy Combs remix of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” and throngs of Japanese people mindlessly fleeing from utter destruction. I just wasn’t really interested. I had always been smitten with the ferocious giant squid from reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea during my childhood. But what havoc can a giant squid wreak on a major populace from the confines of the sea? I’ll certainly tell you that it’s nothing close to the cinematic carnage that unfolds around Godzilla in this memorable reboot that not only pleases the eye, but might even impress today’s self-righteous movie critics.
If you haven't seen Godzilla Plus one, check it out! The rest of my comments assume you've watched it, so be warned! This is the trailer for the upcoming movie Godzilla Minus Zero which comes out on November 6 this year.
Trailer for Godzilla Minus Zero
https://youtu.be/kw0YhiqOPFg?si=BGmav3OhyQGJ19VZ
If Godzilla Minus Zero is period authentic like its prequel, then based on the implication that he will enter New York City, he could be against the mettle that helped turn the tide of World War II: Iowa-class battleships that could land shells from over 24 miles away; the most battle-hardened class of aircraft carriers in America's history, and the same atomic weapons that shattered the Japanese empire's illusion of superiority. Besides that speculating, most of the aircraft in the trailer that I can see are a handful of postwar aircraft from Japan, atomizeatomiso not exactly a force that can take the big guy down right away.
One sticking criticism regarding Godzilla was that it didn’t place enough focus on the big guy. This is understandable as half the movie is progressive exposition. But regarding Godzilla, this is what I knew about him before the movie: Nothing. Considering that the past several Godzilla movies, including the 1998 blockbuster bust, have largely underperformed, I didn’t have much background on the franchise nor did I have high expectations. Well, this quickly changed when the man behind Breaking Bad’s beloved anti-hero, Bryan Cranston, came onscreen.
I know a little bit about Godzilla now. Now that the upcoming movie refocuses on a nuclear family bound by both the sociological and scientific definitions of "nuclear" as opposed to Hollywood's reliance on "atomized" groups that are separated by miles and motivations, we get to focus on the thing that really pulls the best of the modern Godzilla movies together: Love and sacrifice.
Cranston enters the world of science yet again as Joe Brody, a nuclear scientist who begins to notice tectonic anomalies at the plant that he works at. There’s plenty of scientific mumbo-jumbo kicked around (and it’s pretty convincing), but the point is that there be monsters that want their claws, legs, alien appendages, paws, whatever, on Japanese radiation. Naturally, everything goes wrong at Brody’s plant, plunging the tone of the movie into profound darkness. Fast forward to present day and Brody has been reduced to a rogue scientist struggling to warn his peers of the truth which has since been covered up: The Gaiju are coming. Godzilla won’t be far behind.
The Shikishima family is a band of strays in the aftermath of World War II. Over begrudging loyalty and eventual love, they coalesced into a family. We now know that Godzilla might just have as much destructive power as its contemporary Hollywood counterpart. So what happens when the threat to your family resolidifies into an even greater threat? Answer is in the cards until November 6. I hope the three of them find peace, even if the next entry into the Japanese franchise is sure to be a symphony of destruction.
Brody’s struggle throughout the beginning of the movie introduces the audience to some of the backstory behind Godzilla and can almost appear to drag. However, the wait can also be credited with building up enough apprehensive tension to make Godzilla’s first appearance bring on a heavy case of the shivers. I certainly got them. And I knew who Godzilla truly was. However, the stars of the first half of the movie aren’t colossal bringers of destruction, but a cast of humans struggling to make sense of the cataclysm that is coming their way and how to mollify the consequences. This is all meaningless without emotionally compelling characters, but Godzilla didn’t disappoint with performances from Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, and Juliette Binoche among others.
Now that all that movie critic crap is out of the way, Godzilla’s eye candy factor is outstanding. The movie’s antagonists, the two MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism), have killer legs (not the sexy pantyhose-wearing variety), and/or wings. Godzilla has Atomic Breath and a gi-fucking-gantic set of cojones. The scope of waste that the monsters lay to several major cities is spectacularly illuminated by heart-wrenchingly convincing CGI and a very liberal integration of the U.S. military to bring the boom. The tacky days of cardboard cities getting attacked by a puppet dinosaur are over!
The visuals of Godzilla Minus One - Godzilla Plus One's prequel - were incredible. Although declawed of their armaments to stay authentic to post-war concessions, the (self) defensive forces portrayed were greatly dated compared to the modernized and futuristic technologies we see out of Hollywood. But this vulnerability against the inexplicable made their fight all the more compelling. How the American military might will take on the legendary kaiju will be known in two months; what happens to the Shikishima family however, might be what anchors us most. I look forward to see the King of Monsters' next Japanese production.
Lots of people die and watching the central characters struggle with this hard fact can easily get you misty (not going to lie, I got pretty moved at points), but Godzilla doubles as a sentimental roller coaster and one hell of a viscerally shocking treat. I find myself unconsciously hearing his blood-curdling roar from time to time, but ultimately, it’s worth it.
I didn't watch it yet, so stay tuned :P