38
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‘Godzilla Minus One’ is now top grossing live-action Japanese film in North America after stomping-good opening
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- Authors
- Jill Goldsmith
- Published
- Dec 7 2023
- Word count
- 347 words
I said it before on here, and I'll say it again.
You have to see this movie on the biggest screen you can.
The story, the characters, all of it are so insanely good.
Damn ok
Saw it Tuesday at IMAX at the invitation of a friend. Can second the big screen recommendation.
I saw it yesterday (though unfortunately dubbed, even though the german dub is decent) and it is a really good film. I didn't expect how serious it was going to be. It deals with war, the Japanese way to wage it and survivor trauma. It's a good movie. Very good effects.
I went into this movie completely blind, didn't even know it was Japanese language with English subtitles, and I absolutely loved it. I'm not a Godzilla person in the slightest, never watched any of the Godzilla movies from the 2010s because they looked so goofy to me. This movie however, was much more serious in tone and it had my attention from minute one. I struggle to pay attention to modern movies because of how long they are but this felt just right to me. It had its ups and downs and the CGI/sound design did a great job of making Godzilla the ugly monster it really is, not just a goofy dinosaur. Highly recommend people watch this!
Saw this movie on a whim on Monday night and I was blown away by just how good it is, I've been thinking about it all week.
This film is a direct answer to my main complaint about the modern Hollywod Godzilla movies, which is that their human protagonists are about as interesting as wet cardboard. Take note Warner Bros, the destruction sequences carry a lot more weight when the audience actually cares about the humans on the ground rather than secretly hoping they all get stepped on.
My impression of these kind of films has been shaped by pacific rim to expect it to be an action film. The other kong/godzilla movies further reinforce that.
So when a serious film come out like this one I don’t get excited.
The allegory? of godzilla as a super natural force to show the horror of war just doesn’t hit the same when I’ve seen him team up with King Kong to fight RoBo Godzilla.
For better or worse, I’ll get my serious movies elsewhere.
So because you've seen bad Godzilla movies, you don't think you can enjoy a good Godzilla movie?
As a franchise, Godzilla has always had an interesting split between its wackier elements and the more dramatic releases, so I'm not surprised that some people aren't interested in "the good movies." What's more interesting to me is how the American movies seem to be taking over the wackier side of the franchise and leaving the serious stuff to Toho. For me, this just lets me have my cake and eat it too.
Saw this last night. It’s a good movie and I love seeing a good film export from Japan that’s not anime (I’m a big fan of Kurosawa and Thesigahara’s movies). That said I clearly didn’t enjoy this as much as some of the commenters and reviewers in this thread. It’s a weak 7/10. No need to ever rewatch but worth seeing.
There were a few moments that substantially cheapened the movie.
Spoilers
Cutting away from the storyline to show us a shot of the engineer explaining the ejection seat to the protagonist was unnecessary. Not only was the “oh and one more thing…” cutaway sufficient, we also had already seen him use the ejection seat seconds before and the engineer’s positive reaction. I also didn’t like that the “not wife” wife survived a lethal force nearly unscathed. I think a little bit of bitter-sweetness would have made the ending feel more substantial and less saccharine.I wanted to see this movie... But I read this review first, which has colored my opinion of it:
https://unseen-japan.com/review-godzilla-minus-one-is-a-monster-disappointment/
Granted, friends of mine who are movie buffs say it's worth watching, but when it apparently suffers the same problem that Godzilla 2012 did... Kinda dampens my enthusiasm
That entire review radically misses the mark, almost everyone universally loves the movie, the story is hard hitting, fresh, and the characterization are some of the best I've seen in a very long time.
Seriously, go see it, it's phenomenal.
Do you value other reviews of this writer and have found them to be in line with your opinions on films you've watched?
I would suggest you go watch it and decide for yourself, especially if you're getting recommendations from friends you know.
I had forgotten that sometimes reviews for any piece of media can fall into this category: you end up wondering if they watched (in this case) the same thing you did.
I'm going to check my local theater here in Japan, and see if it's still running. Successful movies do stay for a long time, but other movies get two weeks and then are gone.
Stopped reading the review there. Having seen the movie, part of the reason the movie didn't have more time with Godzilla was to develop the human characters. Namely the lead and his new family. In fact, one of the things I commented to a friend was how it didn't make the entire movie a nonstop action reel, which is what would have happened if it had Godzilla in every scene. It took its time to show the sheer devastation Godzilla could cause, and how they had to think up a more creative plan to fight back because weapons alone wouldn't cut it.
I'd say it did a pretty good job at balancing out Godzilla and having an actual plot beyond an action reel. I enjoyed it a lot. Don't let a single review color your impression of a movie, everyone's tastes are different and it sounds like it just didn't fit this guy's personal tastes.
Assuming you mean 2014 which was the first modern American G movie, I also felt it had too little Godzilla. I did not feel that way about Minus One, for what it's worth.