Godzilla is a franchise that punches me in my heart. My oldest son loved Godzilla, he was so excited about Godzilla vs Kong. He was killed in a workplace accident a couple of years before it was released. Every time a new movie comes out I am hit by overwhelming sadness. Still, I will go see it and I know I will feel his presence strongly.
I am so sorry for your loss, and I can relate to feeling that sense of loss and sadness when a Godzilla movie is released. My grandma introduced me to Godzilla, as well as a plethora of other great sci-fi, and she passed away from lung cancer several years ago. I always think how great it would be to catch one of these new movies in the theater like we used to, and how much she would have enjoyed Godzilla Minus One specifically.
I think the lead in this movie deserves award consideration. His performance felt so real, even though some of it came off as goofy. The dude had me in tears on several occasions. I thought he was incredible.
This wasn't just a good Godzilla movie but just a great film overall where you actually care about these characters and where they go unlike other films that have spent over 200 million dollars. The fact that this filmed actually pulled that off on a 15 million budget is absolutely mind-blowing.
@@Cegeto10 While that may be true that still doesn’t take away the fact that this film was better then 75 percent of the movies in Hollywood this year.
It's 5 out 10 max. If people were being honest instead of trying to be trendy everybody would be talking about how ridiculous it is nobody is speaking American. I'm not sure if this was made in foreign to save money or the film makers jumped on the same train as Netflix and tried to make it 'cool' and different by making it foreign. To me I found it very distracting and made it very hard to follow, I've got no idea if Godzilla time traveled, if he was angry because everybody was chatting gibber gabber, or how this fits in with the other movies in the franchise. I also think is a bit cheap to show the orange monkey in ALL the trailers only to find out the orange monkey isn't even in this one! I just don't get it!
I wasnt expecting this at all but wow. This was far and away the most impressive movie of 2023. How the budget was only 15 millions makes zero sense. This isn't just the best Godzilla movie ever made, it's a top 3 movie of 2023.
I'm glad you enjoyed the film. It's my favorite film of the year and I didn't expect it to be. Hopefully more Godzilla movies in the future are more like this.
This movie blew me away as someone who’s grown up loving these movies (both the Monster-verse and the TOHO classics). I was so surprised that about the human element because that often is not interesting in this movies outside of the original film from 1954. I was so invested in the characters and the design of Godzilla himself is terrifying. And I ended up tearing up at the end even if it felt predicable. I’m one who loves my Godzilla in any form whether he’s campy or a serious threat. This surprisingly became my favorite film of the year. I was hoping to like it. I wasn’t expecting to love it.
10/10. Really the only recent movie that 1. made me sawy "wow" out loud, 2. made me cry, and 3. scared me. I have a few nitpicks but the rest of the movie is so amazing it doesn't matter.
As soon as I saw that preview of G’s atomic breath in the trailer it shot to the top of my list and didn’t disappoint. Such a breath of fresh air after a somewhat rough year for movies
I actually started tearing up at the end which was a shocking to happen in a Godzilla movie. I felt this movie actually delivered what all those other Godzilla films promised from the trailers and managed to hit me in the feels as well. Music was great as well. I can't believe I'm saying this, but this one of the most fun experiences I had in a theatre in a long time. Still have yet to see Shin Godzilla or Godzilla 2000, but this easily beats the 2013 version for the best Godzilla film I've seen so far.
I’ve always enjoyed the Godzilla movies for what they are, even though I didn’t watch them until last year. This film has the strongest narrative since the original film from 1954, the best since that film, and it might be in competition of being the best Godzilla movie ever. I can’t wait for further rewatches of it.
I'm a couple hours removed from seeing this and I have to say that this movie has stayed with me... I didn't expect that. I hope this one e grows some legs. It deserves it
Now that you've seen your first Japanese kaiju film, there's a few I highly recommend you check out now: Gojira (1954, the grandfather of the genre) Heisei Gamera Trilogy (1995, 1996, 1999) Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964) Shin Gojira (2016) GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) Most of the Heisei Godzilla series (1984-1995)
Not going to lie, this movie wasn't on my radar at all...but wow, i thoroughly highly enjoyed this movie. What an absolute delight of a film. You could remove godzilla and this film is still pretty good. The entire time i was getting parallels of Jaws. Just an incredibly done film for the budget they had to work with. 👍 👍. Great review.
This film went back to Godzilla’s roots as an allegorical film. The best Godzilla films focus on the people and Godzilla, with no kaiju on kaiju fights. This film could stand on its own legs even if you tweaked the story to remove the monster, because above all he represents the monster that is the characters guilt and inability to move on. I am a Godzilla fan and love all the films but my favorites have always been the more serious ones. I recommend Godzilla 1954 and Shin Godzilla with this film as the trifecta of best films. They all only feature Godzilla (he is the tragic villain of each) and all focus on deeper themes. The 1954 original of course started it all and focuses on mans never ending trek of self destruction, Shin Godzilla is a satire which takes a critical look at Japan’s ineffective bureaucracy when dealing with disasters and each form Godzilla takes is a reference to different aspects of the Fukushima disaster. It’s got a lot of exposition so it can be a lot to follow but even that was done intentionally to represent the never ending talking and debating that went on when action was needed.
Japan has been absolutely KILLING it in the entertainment sector lately. Their Metal scene is leagues better than anything in America these days, and now you've got movies with Minus One quality emerging, its a great time to be a fan of foreign entertainment.
Great review. I just saw the movie today. As a 70's kid growing up we were all about Godzilla. Unfortunately, most of those movies, for ME at least, haven't aged well. The only two classic Godzilla's I can honestly say I still like and watch are the original '54 Japanese version and Godzilla vs Astro Monster (Kind Geedorah). To have a modern retelling of the original, done by the original studio, I was on-board from the very start. Well, I saw it today and it was everything I could have hoped for and then some. Great film across the board. Of course Godzilla was the main reason I was there and he did not disappoint. He looked and SOUNDED incredible. What I didn't expect was for it to be built around such a great story. There was more than a few sniffles in the theater towards the end. I do agree on the over-acting but like you said it is more of a Japanese thing. It doesn't go unnoticed but it's not something we haven't seen before. All in all, so glad I dragged myself to the theater to see this because I definitely would've regretted it.
@Cody have been a huge Kaiju fan since I was little. The fact that YOU who as you said is not a huge fan of the genre and you liked it as much as you did makes me smile. I also love this film was made for 15 million dollars and looks better then 75% of what the western studio's are doing I hope shakes things up. Thank as always for calling it as YOU saw it
I’m truly baffled this film cost $15M & looked as great as it did in all the action sequences when you have CGI-fest in these 150M+ films. This film surpassed my expectations and I thought it was a fantastic monster film!
Really hyped to see this. My brothers and I plan on seeing it soon. Just from the trailer alone I can tell it's good. Great review Cody. Now, to U.S. film studios, take notes. Mabey give your effects team more than 6 months to finish VFX. From what I hear, they worked on the effects for a year minimum I believe and it shows. Bravo. Just from the trailer I can see it looks unbelievably real.
I've been hearing nothing but good about this movie. Many are saying this is the best Godzilla film ever. That's good to hear. I always thought most Godzilla films weren't nearly as scary as they should have been. I look forward to it.
This movie stands out for the following reasons: 1. The setting of the film from just after World War II was nothing short of _brilliant_ . It makes if surprisingly believable, especially the main character and how he dealt with the circumstances of his survival at the end of the war. 2. Surprisingly good special effects given the movie's US$15 million production budget. As such, by 2023 standards, the movie is just flat-out excellent considering the awful _dreck_ (a phrase many agree with!) from most of the movie releases in 2023. The number of films that we consider a real success can be counted in just little more than five fingers, a *HUGE* warning sign for Hollywood. (It really applies to Disney, who really had one movie that was considered a reasonable success with _Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3_ .)
As a lifelong Godzilla and kaiju fan, I'm glad you found one that worked for you. I really enjoyed the movie myself as well and was really glad they FINALLY gave us human characters worth caring about. As others here have said, I would strongly recommend the original Godzilla from 1954 (I know you're likely not going to ever watch that, and I'm not going to try to twist your arm, unlike that guy who keeps bringing up Train to Busan, but I figured I'd just make the recommendation).
Honestly what makes me enjoy the Japanese films are that there are variety in tone and each resemble the time period that they’re released in. The legendary (American) films are fine in their own right, with Godzilla vs Kong fun to watch from time to time I’ve always been a fan, I know they’re not for everyone though, and that’s ok. Godzilla minus one might be my favorite with the original being better and my 3rd favorite of all time being Godzilla vs destroyah
I have seen it twice in the theater. The early release with my wife who is not a Godzilla fan like me but she wanted to see this after I showed her trailer and then again on release day with my Godzilla friends. My wife thought it was a really good film despite being a Godzilla film. I think it's the best Godzilla film to date (yes even better than Shin). IMHO it is the best film of 2023 so far.
Would recommend Shin Godzilla, another great one that people didn't expect Minus One to Surpass, I know you werent a fan of 2014 but imo the gold standard for Godzilla is The Original, Godzilla 2014, Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus one
In the realm where titans clash and cities quake, A skeptic's heart, in Kaiju's grip, did wake. Cody Leach, with doubts entrenched and strong, Entered Godzilla's world, where he'd been so long. "Godzilla Minus One," a cinematic feat, A departure from the ordinary, a seismic seat. For Leach, a critic with a skeptic's view, This Kaiju tale, a surprise anew. The silver screen, a canvas vast, Where monsters roared, their shadows cast. No stranger to the Americanized lore, Yet this rendition left him wanting more. As Godzilla loomed, minus one to fight, Leach found joy in this unexpected night. A departure from the usual Kaiju score, A departure that left him wanting more. A synoptic dance of monsters grand, Leaving skepticism in shifting sand. For Cody Leach, a revelation spun, In "Godzilla Minus One," newfound fun. A Kaiju world, where doubts dissolve, In every roar, a mystery to solve. Marking the first time, an unexpected twist, A critic embraced, in Kaiju's midst. So, let it be known in cinematic lore, "Godzilla Minus One," Leach did adore. A skeptic's heart, in Kaiju's grace, Found joy in monsters, in a different space.
Grave of the Fireflies is a good companion movie for this film, it goes into greater depth about how desperate wartime/post-war Japan was for its citizens.
Cody, I suggest you watch Gojira, the original version of Godzilla. The movies are completely different with Gojira being in the same tone as Godzilla Minus One.
Being born in 1960, I grew up watching and loving Godzilla. Unfortunately for me, as an expat living in the Philippines, none of the theaters here have the film. Guess I have to wait for it to hit a streaming service.
OMG, that's why I love you dude. With u on some the acting and acting style . . it's just goofy, I can't get used to it. Good film though. Zilla swimming behind boat w/head above water in 3rd act was bad ass. Great Godzilla scenes.
I saw it today, loved it. I don’t usually see subtitled movies and have never seen a Toho Godzilla movie. The characters, story, setting, acting, special effects, practical sets. All great
I'm a massive fan of the Kaiju Genre. My favorite Kaiju Movie is Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), while my least favorite Kaiju Movie is the 1998 Roland Emmerich Remake.
It looks this good for 15 million becuz Japan has been doing this since 1954. I've been hearing so many good things about this film that I'm going to have to see this ASAP! The American Gojira is cool but the OG Gojira MONSTER is awesome. Glad you reviewed this Cody.
This didn’t even feel like a “Godzilla” movie it could’ve been any monster with any name and this movie would’ve been just as good. Godzilla takes a back seat to the real life grounded aspects of the movie and I was pleasantly surprised how good this movie was.
Saw this with my father, my brother, and one of my closest friends. I’ve been a Godzilla fan for a while but this was one of the first pictures in that franchise that I think is close to a masterpiece. I thought it was really fantastic and it pleases me that Cody liked it.
You can find great performances that are subtle and restrained throughout Japanese film history, especially when you look at arthouse releases, but yeah, the melodramatic style is also very common there and in other Asian movies. I even read that Japanese audiences criticized this movie for some overacting. Not knowing the language, I thought the performances were overall still very good.
Loved your perspective. I grew up with my mom bringing home Godzilla and Kaiju movie VHS tapes and us watching together. Took her to Godzilla Minus One and she cried. This film transcends the genre in my opinion.
Well, dude as others have said, I grew up in the 70s and love the original Godzilla movie as a kid and to your point they really got silly and over-the-top and created Godzilla some sort of antihero. This movie did a great job with the characters you cared about them, and if I had to say anything negative about it, it was the animated walking of Godzilla. I’m not sure what they were trying to go for here but it seemed very distracting to me but overall this film was awesome and thank you for your great review.
I very much enjoyed it, with me being a watched of Godzilla since I was little. This film gave us the great action sequences and characters. It did things that haven’t been done in a long time for Godzilla. On that same note, in majority of Monster movies as well. The critic side of my brain is mostly on the third act. It was great and satisfying, but as you mention things were telegraphed. A specific character at the end, should’ve remained gone. At the same time, you get that they just want to make it a happy ending. I agree that the tone and style was great for the film.
Thing is, someone pointed out, and I slightly noticed it myself... that character now has a strange growth on their neck, possibly cancer or something else Godzilla related. 😮
I think your review is fair. I recommend watching DaiMajin and War of the Gargantuas. Both late 60s kaiju films that are very serious. Treated well. From Daie Studios (not Toho).
Some of my oldest memories in general are watching the oldddd Godzilla movies and this year was the first time I got to see one of the Japanese ones in theater, I damn near cried at how happy I was 😂
Different strokes for different folks. Glad you gave this movie a chance. Even though it's not your style of film. It's a new experience for everyone to try something different. 👍
I have seen many Godzilla movies, including some of the old ones when I was a child. I loved this movie. This is one of the best Godzilla movies right up there with the recent Shin Godzilla movie which is also Japanese. That movie went directly to Blu-ray. This movie was in theaters and it was one of the best theatrical experiences for me.
Godzilla 1985 was the first Godzilla film I saw on TV. I remember "Mr. Martin" having nightmares about Godzilla. Siskel & Ebert put the film in the "Worst of 1985" category.
I didn't think you was going to watch it. Even tho it's a Kaiju , it's more of a horror movie but I'm glad you check it out. But I would mind if they do it like this, you got the monsterverse Godzilla and this version of Godzilla. I'm cool with that
Greatest godzilla film ever. Went back to its roots. He even moves like the old school black and white film the music. The TERROR. Hes terrifying none of that bs he's a monster
Always liked Godzilla, I was a 80's kid so we had all the goofy 60's & 70's G movies on vhs. But as an adult I really learned about the serious tone of the orignal Gojira and bieng a methephore for the A-bomb and mans folley. I really enjoy Return Of Godzilla aka G-1984, and more recently Shin Godzilla ( I wish they would have made a sequal ). I never liked the current American mosterverse movies, just cheesy and dumb to me, have absoultly no resblence to what Toho envisioned in 54. Agree with you Cody that the charters in Minus felt real and authentic, had their deep personal issues and problems, very real post war devistation to Japan itself, inventive way to defeat Godzilla, action scenes looked very real. I would give Minus One 9/10 for a G movie and a 8/10 any movie raiting. My only complaint is this wasent my favote G design, I prefer 84 or Shin in that aspect.
i LOVED THIS..could not believe and am so glad TOHO decided to et back to making these movies, what comes next i hope is more of the same. with this movie it was just a better RE-BOOT of the original movie but done way better and set in an earlier time, the "OXYGEN DESTROTER" is shown but not called this exactly.
I loved this movie it’s in my top 3 Godzilla films behind the original 1954 film and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack (god I love that title 😂😂). I find the best Godzilla films actually have got some deep compelling themes like this film and the two I mentioned above
Ive been watching Godzilla ever since I was a little kid, and as awesome as the movie looked in trailers, I was still surprised by how much I liked it. If this is the bar that Toho is setting for themselves in the future, we're in for some amazing serious Godzilla films from them and the fun but dumb popcorn flicks we are making in america. And its cool that Godzilla can span both flavors of movie.
About To See It In Tuesday. Maybe Like A Early Birthday Present For Me As A Godzilla Fan. Love Your Channel And Review. Sending ❤ To The Goat Channel Lol
Great review! I'm having to wait another seven days to see it here in the UK. The wait is killing me. If you liked this then check out 'Shin Godzilla', which is a very unconventional Godzilla movie and probably my favourite one so far. It really leans heavily into satire and allegory as regards the government reaction to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and Japan's shock as regards to it. The Godzilla sequences are pretty great too and he is one menacing incomprehensible force of something. If I were to title the movie? Godzilla vs. Bureaucracy.
technically godzilla didn't grow up. Godzilla is basically the causation of nuclear war he has mutated and evolved at an extreamly rapid rate. Godzilla is almost like "mother nature" in a way.
As someone who has been watching godzilla films since i was 5 (20) years. Im a massive fan of this series and this film. So well done. Very reminisent of the orignal gojira from 1954. 4.5/5 cant praise it enough
Huge fan Cody. How come you haven’t done reviews for the night of the demon series’s. The first two were pretty good. For horror slop lol. I’m a lil biased because I grew up with these
You hit the nail on the head. The human segments usually ruin these films. This film is an instant timeless classic. Absolutely loved it from start to finish.
Cody I would highly recommend you watch the original 1954 Godzilla titled "Gojira." It's a horror film and Godzilla is the bad guy just like in this one. It's often considered the best although I do have a few doubts as to whether you'll enjoy it I'm sure it will be worth the watch if you have an hour and a half to kill (and for anyone wondering what other goods ones are, "Ghidorah the three-headed monster" and 1964's "Godzilla vs. the thing")
So far the best Godzilla content I’ve seen from these Hollywood movies is the show monarch on apple tv…because they bring in so much mystery and intrigue, and you care about the human characters. Now I have to make it a point to watch this.
Been watching Godzilla since I was a kid on Creature double feature in the 1970’s (channel 56 Boston) and this by far is the best Godzilla movie I’ve ever seen
I agree that the special effects were absolutely fantastic, but you can see where the difference is between 15 mil and 180 mil. I'm super curious on which characters were over the top
He’s probably talking mostly about the main character pilot guy. He has a ptsd episode half way thru and it comes off over the top but it’s just an Asian acting thing. Koreans do it too. Just cultural differences and it takes some getting used to.
$15M... I've heard Disney lost $750M this year on movies alone.That's just losses, not total budgets. That's 50 films of this caliber, one per week for a year. I know burnout for crews/cgi guys means 50 of these in a year isn't possible, but 4, one per quarter, is. Accounting for heavier Disney marketing, they could make 4 films of this quality for $100M. If, say, just 2 of those 4 were only modest hits, you're still probably making $100M pure profit. Better than losing almost a billion dollars.
The first one (1954) and Shin Godzilla (2016) are god tier too, see them if you want more! They all have great characters, monster action and are indeed very well made and thoughtful
Sounds like it kinda goes back to the original '54 version (i think thats the yr it came out) the Japanese version specifically. Give it a watch, you'd probably like it
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Godzilla is a franchise that punches me in my heart. My oldest son loved Godzilla, he was so excited about Godzilla vs Kong. He was killed in a workplace accident a couple of years before it was released. Every time a new movie comes out I am hit by overwhelming sadness. Still, I will go see it and I know I will feel his presence strongly.
Terribly sorry for your loss. Much love to you.
@@alexpinet3503 thank you
OMG…sorry for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
So sorry...
I am so sorry for your loss, and I can relate to feeling that sense of loss and sadness when a Godzilla movie is released. My grandma introduced me to Godzilla, as well as a plethora of other great sci-fi, and she passed away from lung cancer several years ago. I always think how great it would be to catch one of these new movies in the theater like we used to, and how much she would have enjoyed Godzilla Minus One specifically.
I think the lead in this movie deserves award consideration. His performance felt so real, even though some of it came off as goofy. The dude had me in tears on several occasions. I thought he was incredible.
That actor is the voice actor for the main character in "Your Name."
@@new_handoru Ohhhh thank you for the info I love "Your Name"
@new_handoru, what really? I loved his performance it was gripping. He never fails!
I second that
Spoilers: his scream after losing Noriko from Godzilla's Ginza rampage sent chills down my spine. What a haunting performance
I’m not a Kaiju fan whatsoever, but this was fucking awesome.
I love, absolutely LOVE, how this movie is making people who haven't cared for the genre into G fans!!!! Major respect for the minus one producers!!!
This wasn't just a good Godzilla movie but just a great film overall where you actually care about these characters and where they go unlike other films that have spent over 200 million dollars. The fact that this filmed actually pulled that off on a 15 million budget is absolutely mind-blowing.
Japanese pay their artists low, & work them like slaves. The yen is also worth a lot less than a dollar.
@@Cegeto10 While that may be true that still doesn’t take away the fact that this film was better then 75 percent of the movies in Hollywood this year.
@echos9396 well also 75% of films in Japan and other locations too then. If you believe 75% lol crazy
@@jpgcneyou probably haven't even seen this movie
It's 5 out 10 max. If people were being honest instead of trying to be trendy everybody would be talking about how ridiculous it is nobody is speaking American. I'm not sure if this was made in foreign to save money or the film makers jumped on the same train as Netflix and tried to make it 'cool' and different by making it foreign. To me I found it very distracting and made it very hard to follow, I've got no idea if Godzilla time traveled, if he was angry because everybody was chatting gibber gabber, or how this fits in with the other movies in the franchise. I also think is a bit cheap to show the orange monkey in ALL the trailers only to find out the orange monkey isn't even in this one!
I just don't get it!
It blows my mind this movie only cost 15 million dollars mean while Hollywood burns hundreds of millions of dollars on garbage disposal products
Come on The Marvels was an achievement in film!!!
Hollywood seriously should becompletely ashamed and embarrassed.
Burns it like day old barbecue.
@@Expo-🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣pause...........🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣hehhhhh.
Now that's making your money work
This isn't just the best Godzilla movie ever it's a great movie period.
I wasnt expecting this at all but wow. This was far and away the most impressive movie of 2023. How the budget was only 15 millions makes zero sense. This isn't just the best Godzilla movie ever made, it's a top 3 movie of 2023.
I'm glad you enjoyed the film. It's my favorite film of the year and I didn't expect it to be. Hopefully more Godzilla movies in the future are more like this.
This movie blew me away as someone who’s grown up loving these movies (both the Monster-verse and the TOHO classics). I was so surprised that about the human element because that often is not interesting in this movies outside of the original film from 1954. I was so invested in the characters and the design of Godzilla himself is terrifying.
And I ended up tearing up at the end even if it felt predicable.
I’m one who loves my Godzilla in any form whether he’s campy or a serious threat.
This surprisingly became my favorite film of the year. I was hoping to like it. I wasn’t expecting to love it.
10/10. Really the only recent movie that 1. made me sawy "wow" out loud, 2. made me cry, and 3. scared me. I have a few nitpicks but the rest of the movie is so amazing it doesn't matter.
As soon as I saw that preview of G’s atomic breath in the trailer it shot to the top of my list and didn’t disappoint. Such a breath of fresh air after a somewhat rough year for movies
I actually started tearing up at the end which was a shocking to happen in a Godzilla movie. I felt this movie actually delivered what all those other Godzilla films promised from the trailers and managed to hit me in the feels as well. Music was great as well. I can't believe I'm saying this, but this one of the most fun experiences I had in a theatre in a long time. Still have yet to see Shin Godzilla or Godzilla 2000, but this easily beats the 2013 version for the best Godzilla film I've seen so far.
I’ve always enjoyed the Godzilla movies for what they are, even though I didn’t watch them until last year. This film has the strongest narrative since the original film from 1954, the best since that film, and it might be in competition of being the best Godzilla movie ever. I can’t wait for further rewatches of it.
I'm a couple hours removed from seeing this and I have to say that this movie has stayed with me... I didn't expect that. I hope this one e grows some legs. It deserves it
Now that you've seen your first Japanese kaiju film, there's a few I highly recommend you check out now:
Gojira (1954, the grandfather of the genre)
Heisei Gamera Trilogy (1995, 1996, 1999)
Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
Shin Gojira (2016)
GMK: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
Most of the Heisei Godzilla series (1984-1995)
Finally your starting to see why I'm a Godzilla fan
Not going to lie, this movie wasn't on my radar at all...but wow, i thoroughly highly enjoyed this movie. What an absolute delight of a film. You could remove godzilla and this film is still pretty good. The entire time i was getting parallels of Jaws. Just an incredibly done film for the budget they had to work with. 👍 👍. Great review.
His atomic Breath was SICK! Leave it to Toho to make Godzilla scary again. Even if you take Godzilla out of the movie, the story was still great.
This film went back to Godzilla’s roots as an allegorical film. The best Godzilla films focus on the people and Godzilla, with no kaiju on kaiju fights. This film could stand on its own legs even if you tweaked the story to remove the monster, because above all he represents the monster that is the characters guilt and inability to move on. I am a Godzilla fan and love all the films but my favorites have always been the more serious ones.
I recommend Godzilla 1954 and Shin Godzilla with this film as the trifecta of best films. They all only feature Godzilla (he is the tragic villain of each) and all focus on deeper themes. The 1954 original of course started it all and focuses on mans never ending trek of self destruction, Shin Godzilla is a satire which takes a critical look at Japan’s ineffective bureaucracy when dealing with disasters and each form Godzilla takes is a reference to different aspects of the Fukushima disaster. It’s got a lot of exposition so it can be a lot to follow but even that was done intentionally to represent the never ending talking and debating that went on when action was needed.
Japan has been absolutely KILLING it in the entertainment sector lately. Their Metal scene is leagues better than anything in America these days, and now you've got movies with Minus One quality emerging, its a great time to be a fan of foreign entertainment.
That atomic breath scene was epic. Especially in IMAX I think the sound blew my hair back lol
Great review. I just saw the movie today. As a 70's kid growing up we were all about Godzilla. Unfortunately, most of those movies, for ME at least, haven't aged well. The only two classic Godzilla's I can honestly say I still like and watch are the original '54 Japanese version and Godzilla vs Astro Monster (Kind Geedorah). To have a modern retelling of the original, done by the original studio, I was on-board from the very start. Well, I saw it today and it was everything I could have hoped for and then some. Great film across the board. Of course Godzilla was the main reason I was there and he did not disappoint. He looked and SOUNDED incredible. What I didn't expect was for it to be built around such a great story. There was more than a few sniffles in the theater towards the end. I do agree on the over-acting but like you said it is more of a Japanese thing. It doesn't go unnoticed but it's not something we haven't seen before. All in all, so glad I dragged myself to the theater to see this because I definitely would've regretted it.
Occasional overacting in Japanese movies is a cultural thing, kind of like dance scenes in Bollywood or other Indian movies. I just go with it.
@Cody have been a huge Kaiju fan since I was little. The fact that YOU who as you said is not a huge fan of the genre and you liked it as much as you did makes me smile. I also love this film was made for 15 million dollars and looks better then 75% of what the western studio's are doing I hope shakes things up. Thank as always for calling it as YOU saw it
Godzilla was not young, he was mutated by a nuke test and became that huge, his atomic breath was definitely overpowered.
I’m truly baffled this film cost $15M & looked as great as it did in all the action sequences when you have CGI-fest in these 150M+ films. This film surpassed my expectations and I thought it was a fantastic monster film!
Really hyped to see this. My brothers and I plan on seeing it soon. Just from the trailer alone I can tell it's good. Great review Cody.
Now, to U.S. film studios, take notes. Mabey give your effects team more than 6 months to finish VFX. From what I hear, they worked on the effects for a year minimum I believe and it shows. Bravo. Just from the trailer I can see it looks unbelievably real.
I've been hearing nothing but good about this movie. Many are saying this is the best Godzilla film ever. That's good to hear. I always thought most Godzilla films weren't nearly as scary as they should have been. I look forward to it.
*THANK YOU, CODY!!!!* in the words of a great Jedi, "you've taken your first steps into a larger world."
15 Million >3 to 500 Million in today's movies. In the words of Tony Stark, "The math is blowing my mind."
This movie stands out for the following reasons:
1. The setting of the film from just after World War II was nothing short of _brilliant_ . It makes if surprisingly believable, especially the main character and how he dealt with the circumstances of his survival at the end of the war.
2. Surprisingly good special effects given the movie's US$15 million production budget.
As such, by 2023 standards, the movie is just flat-out excellent considering the awful _dreck_ (a phrase many agree with!) from most of the movie releases in 2023. The number of films that we consider a real success can be counted in just little more than five fingers, a *HUGE* warning sign for Hollywood. (It really applies to Disney, who really had one movie that was considered a reasonable success with _Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3_ .)
As a lifelong Godzilla and kaiju fan, I'm glad you found one that worked for you. I really enjoyed the movie myself as well and was really glad they FINALLY gave us human characters worth caring about. As others here have said, I would strongly recommend the original Godzilla from 1954 (I know you're likely not going to ever watch that, and I'm not going to try to twist your arm, unlike that guy who keeps bringing up Train to Busan, but I figured I'd just make the recommendation).
The Japanese one.
Honestly what makes me enjoy the Japanese films are that there are variety in tone and each resemble the time period that they’re released in.
The legendary (American) films are fine in their own right, with Godzilla vs Kong fun to watch from time to time
I’ve always been a fan, I know they’re not for everyone though, and that’s ok. Godzilla minus one might be my favorite with the original being better and my 3rd favorite of all time being Godzilla vs destroyah
I have seen it twice in the theater. The early release with my wife who is not a Godzilla fan like me but she wanted to see this after I showed her trailer and then again on release day with my Godzilla friends. My wife thought it was a really good film despite being a Godzilla film. I think it's the best Godzilla film to date (yes even better than Shin). IMHO it is the best film of 2023 so far.
If you liked this, you should definitely at least give 1954 and Shin Godzilla a good shot. They hit on the same levels as Minus One.
The original does. The characters in shin are exceedingly weak.
Would recommend Shin Godzilla, another great one that people didn't expect Minus One to Surpass, I know you werent a fan of 2014 but imo the gold standard for Godzilla is The Original, Godzilla 2014, Shin Godzilla and Godzilla Minus one
As someone who's also 33 and has been watching Godzilla since I could remember, I agree with Shin Godzilla, 2014, The Original and this film.
@paulerxx would we throw Godzilla 1985 and GMK in the mix? Even though I prefer Godzilla vs Biollante and Godzilla vs Destroyah to them
@@miguelgcgamer9878 GMK for sure needs to be in the list it's amazing.
Cody are you planning to go see the Minus Color version!? It's only going to be in theaters for a week starting next week!
In the realm where titans clash and cities quake,
A skeptic's heart, in Kaiju's grip, did wake.
Cody Leach, with doubts entrenched and strong,
Entered Godzilla's world, where he'd been so long.
"Godzilla Minus One," a cinematic feat,
A departure from the ordinary, a seismic seat.
For Leach, a critic with a skeptic's view,
This Kaiju tale, a surprise anew.
The silver screen, a canvas vast,
Where monsters roared, their shadows cast.
No stranger to the Americanized lore,
Yet this rendition left him wanting more.
As Godzilla loomed, minus one to fight,
Leach found joy in this unexpected night.
A departure from the usual Kaiju score,
A departure that left him wanting more.
A synoptic dance of monsters grand,
Leaving skepticism in shifting sand.
For Cody Leach, a revelation spun,
In "Godzilla Minus One," newfound fun.
A Kaiju world, where doubts dissolve,
In every roar, a mystery to solve.
Marking the first time, an unexpected twist,
A critic embraced, in Kaiju's midst.
So, let it be known in cinematic lore,
"Godzilla Minus One," Leach did adore.
A skeptic's heart, in Kaiju's grace,
Found joy in monsters, in a different space.
Grave of the Fireflies is a good companion movie for this film, it goes into greater depth about how desperate wartime/post-war Japan was for its citizens.
His atomic Breath was SICK! Leave it to Toho to make Godzilla scary again.
Cody, I suggest you watch Gojira, the original version of Godzilla. The movies are completely different with Gojira being in the same tone as Godzilla Minus One.
"We're gonna need a bigger boat" ran thru my head a few times! Great movie!
Being born in 1960, I grew up watching and loving Godzilla. Unfortunately for me, as an expat living in the Philippines, none of the theaters here have the film. Guess I have to wait for it to hit a streaming service.
OMG, that's why I love you dude. With u on some the acting and acting style . . it's just goofy, I can't get used to it. Good film though. Zilla swimming behind boat w/head above water in 3rd act was bad ass. Great Godzilla scenes.
I saw it today, loved it. I don’t usually see subtitled movies and have never seen a Toho Godzilla movie. The characters, story, setting, acting, special effects, practical sets. All great
I'm a massive fan of the Kaiju Genre. My favorite Kaiju Movie is Godzilla: Final Wars (2004), while my least favorite Kaiju Movie is the 1998 Roland Emmerich Remake.
It’s one of the best films of 2023 in my opinion.
It looks this good for 15 million becuz Japan has been doing this since 1954. I've been hearing so many good things about this film that I'm going to have to see this ASAP! The American Gojira is cool but the OG Gojira MONSTER is awesome. Glad you reviewed this Cody.
Other movies have made him feel like the horror villain that you should fear
Unfortanaly i havent seen it yet becuase i came down wth covid, but as a lifelong Goji fanaic its nice to finally see Cody like a Godzilla film.
This didn’t even feel like a “Godzilla” movie it could’ve been any monster with any name and this movie would’ve been just as good. Godzilla takes a back seat to the real life grounded aspects of the movie and I was pleasantly surprised how good this movie was.
Saw this with my father, my brother, and one of my closest friends. I’ve been a Godzilla fan for a while but this was one of the first pictures in that franchise that I think is close to a masterpiece. I thought it was really fantastic and it pleases me that Cody liked it.
You can find great performances that are subtle and restrained throughout Japanese film history, especially when you look at arthouse releases, but yeah, the melodramatic style is also very common there and in other Asian movies. I even read that Japanese audiences criticized this movie for some overacting. Not knowing the language, I thought the performances were overall still very good.
It's not just a good Godzilla movie, it's a good MOVIE
Loved your perspective. I grew up with my mom bringing home Godzilla and Kaiju movie VHS tapes and us watching together. Took her to Godzilla Minus One and she cried. This film transcends the genre in my opinion.
I just got out seeing it and it was great. It really came down to the audience caring about the characters
Great review pal!!! Im a superfan of the PURE HONESTY and knowledge of movie making
Just left the theater. Wow what a movie
Well, dude as others have said, I grew up in the 70s and love the original Godzilla movie as a kid and to your point they really got silly and over-the-top and created Godzilla some sort of antihero. This movie did a great job with the characters you cared about them, and if I had to say anything negative about it, it was the animated walking of Godzilla. I’m not sure what they were trying to go for here but it seemed very distracting to me but overall this film was awesome and thank you for your great review.
I very much enjoyed it, with me being a watched of Godzilla since I was little. This film gave us the great action sequences and characters. It did things that haven’t been done in a long time for Godzilla. On that same note, in majority of Monster movies as well. The critic side of my brain is mostly on the third act. It was great and satisfying, but as you mention things were telegraphed. A specific character at the end, should’ve remained gone. At the same time, you get that they just want to make it a happy ending. I agree that the tone and style was great for the film.
Thing is, someone pointed out, and I slightly noticed it myself... that character now has a strange growth on their neck, possibly cancer or something else Godzilla related. 😮
This movie was incredible!
I’ve heard really good things about this one. Gonna check it out!
Check it out now!!! If it's in imax in ur area go to it!!!
Nice review, man. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I think your review is fair. I recommend watching DaiMajin and War of the Gargantuas. Both late 60s kaiju films that are very serious. Treated well. From Daie Studios (not Toho).
Some of my oldest memories in general are watching the oldddd Godzilla movies and this year was the first time I got to see one of the Japanese ones in theater, I damn near cried at how happy I was 😂
Yeah this movie rules. Didn’t expect the best summer blockbuster type movie to be a Japanese movie that dropped in December, but here we are.
Different strokes for different folks. Glad you gave this movie a chance. Even though it's not your style of film. It's a new experience for everyone to try something different. 👍
I have seen many Godzilla movies, including some of the old ones when I was a child. I loved this movie. This is one of the best Godzilla movies right up there with the recent Shin Godzilla movie which is also Japanese. That movie went directly to Blu-ray. This movie was in theaters and it was one of the best theatrical experiences for me.
Godzilla 1985 was the first Godzilla film I saw on TV. I remember "Mr. Martin" having nightmares about Godzilla. Siskel & Ebert put the film in the "Worst of 1985" category.
Shin Godzilla is great too. Worth checking out if you want another one.
Great review Cody. Im dying to see this movie.
I didn't think you was going to watch it. Even tho it's a Kaiju , it's more of a horror movie but I'm glad you check it out. But I would mind if they do it like this, you got the monsterverse Godzilla and this version of Godzilla. I'm cool with that
Greatest godzilla film ever. Went back to its roots. He even moves like the old school black and white film the music. The TERROR. Hes terrifying none of that bs he's a monster
Always liked Godzilla, I was a 80's kid so we had all the goofy 60's & 70's G movies on vhs. But as an adult I really learned about the serious tone of the orignal Gojira and bieng a methephore for the A-bomb and mans folley. I really enjoy Return Of Godzilla aka G-1984, and more recently Shin Godzilla ( I wish they would have made a sequal ). I never liked the current American mosterverse movies, just cheesy and dumb to me, have absoultly no resblence to what Toho envisioned in 54. Agree with you Cody that the charters in Minus felt real and authentic, had their deep personal issues and problems, very real post war devistation to Japan itself, inventive way to defeat Godzilla, action scenes looked very real. I would give Minus One 9/10 for a G movie and a 8/10 any movie raiting. My only complaint is this wasent my favote G design, I prefer 84 or Shin in that aspect.
I wasn’t planning to see this film but due to how positively it’s been received, I’m making this a must-watch.
as a Godzilla fan since i was 3… Y’all are seeing the light 😩😩😩😩😩😩🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 goat
i LOVED THIS..could not believe and am so glad TOHO decided to et back to making these movies, what comes next i hope is more of the same. with this movie it was just a better RE-BOOT of the original movie but done way better and set in an earlier time, the "OXYGEN DESTROTER" is shown but not called this exactly.
I loved this movie it’s in my top 3 Godzilla films behind the original 1954 film and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All Out Attack (god I love that title 😂😂). I find the best Godzilla films actually have got some deep compelling themes like this film and the two I mentioned above
This movie was perfect
Ive been watching Godzilla ever since I was a little kid, and as awesome as the movie looked in trailers, I was still surprised by how much I liked it.
If this is the bar that Toho is setting for themselves in the future, we're in for some amazing serious Godzilla films from them and the fun but dumb popcorn flicks we are making in america. And its cool that Godzilla can span both flavors of movie.
About To See It In Tuesday. Maybe Like A Early Birthday Present For Me As A Godzilla Fan. Love Your Channel And Review. Sending ❤ To The Goat Channel Lol
Great review! I'm having to wait another seven days to see it here in the UK. The wait is killing me. If you liked this then check out 'Shin Godzilla', which is a very unconventional Godzilla movie and probably my favourite one so far. It really leans heavily into satire and allegory as regards the government reaction to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and Japan's shock as regards to it. The Godzilla sequences are pretty great too and he is one menacing incomprehensible force of something. If I were to title the movie? Godzilla vs. Bureaucracy.
technically godzilla didn't grow up. Godzilla is basically the causation of nuclear war he has mutated and evolved at an extreamly rapid rate. Godzilla is almost like "mother nature" in a way.
I love the Godzilla movies. The original suitmation, the American versions, and I’m hoping this will be a big sucess!
Lmaoo but your spot on with the characters usually sucking
As someone who has been watching godzilla films since i was 5 (20) years. Im a massive fan of this series and this film. So well done. Very reminisent of the orignal gojira from 1954. 4.5/5 cant praise it enough
Huge fan Cody. How come you haven’t done reviews for the night of the demon series’s. The first two were pretty good. For horror slop lol. I’m a lil biased because I grew up with these
You hit the nail on the head. The human segments usually ruin these films. This film is an instant timeless classic. Absolutely loved it from start to finish.
Cody I would highly recommend you watch the original 1954 Godzilla titled "Gojira." It's a horror film and Godzilla is the bad guy just like in this one. It's often considered the best although I do have a few doubts as to whether you'll enjoy it I'm sure it will be worth the watch if you have an hour and a half to kill (and for anyone wondering what other goods ones are, "Ghidorah the three-headed monster" and 1964's "Godzilla vs. the thing")
So far the best Godzilla content I’ve seen from these Hollywood movies is the show monarch on apple tv…because they bring in so much mystery and intrigue, and you care about the human characters.
Now I have to make it a point to watch this.
Been watching Godzilla since I was a kid on Creature double feature in the 1970’s (channel 56 Boston) and this by far is the best Godzilla movie I’ve ever seen
Soooo glad it’s awesome!
I walked in expecting it to be entertaining, walked out blown away. Job well done to all.
I agree that the special effects were absolutely fantastic, but you can see where the difference is between 15 mil and 180 mil. I'm super curious on which characters were over the top
He’s probably talking mostly about the main character pilot guy. He has a ptsd episode half way thru and it comes off over the top but it’s just an Asian acting thing. Koreans do it too. Just cultural differences and it takes some getting used to.
$15M... I've heard Disney lost $750M this year on movies alone.That's just losses, not total budgets. That's 50 films of this caliber, one per week for a year.
I know burnout for crews/cgi guys means 50 of these in a year isn't possible, but 4, one per quarter, is. Accounting for heavier Disney marketing, they could make 4 films of this quality for $100M. If, say, just 2 of those 4 were only modest hits, you're still probably making $100M pure profit. Better than losing almost a billion dollars.
Best of 2023.
I said I would check out your channel again. This was another good and thoughtful review. I will check back again later.
The first one (1954) and Shin Godzilla (2016) are god tier too, see them if you want more! They all have great characters, monster action and are indeed very well made and thoughtful
Hi Cody, where is your review for Godzilla vs Kong? I can’t find it when searching TH-cam.
Sounds like it kinda goes back to the original '54 version (i think thats the yr it came out) the Japanese version specifically. Give it a watch, you'd probably like it