Godzilla Minus One (2023), Dir. Takashi Yamazaki, 124 mins, Netflix
Brilliant. Utterly brilliant.
I’m lost for words, really. Okay, it may not have been absolutely perfect but it was as near as damn it. I’m loathe to bring the budget into this – a film should be great regardless of how much it did or didn’t cost – but at a purported equivalent of $15 million (you can’t make a House of the Dragon episode -or most Disney Star Wars tv episodes- for that) this film compares so favourably with most Hollywood blockbusters that cost upwards of $200 million its a huge, cautionary lesson for those creatives Stateside. Indeed, I’d be suggesting some of those Hollywood producers start looking for some other line of work, because if I was on the board of one of the major studios I’d be getting some accountants involved to look at where all the money is going. Hollywood couldn’t SELL one of its blockbusters for $15 million; you could make several films equivalent of Godzilla Minus One for the marketing budget of one Hollywood movie (and possibly a streaming series on Netflix or Amazon etc). I’m reminded of Gareth Edward’s The Creator, another film with a lot of bang for its buck (and the one film I thought was unlucky not to win the visual effects Oscar that Godzilla Minus One took away).
Regardless of its sense of scale and genuine ambition, I’d definitely commend Godzilla Minus One most of all for its excellent script. Its got a great story, great characterisation, real drama, some actual twists, its a complete package – the kind of blockbuster summer movie we used to see quite often before Hollywood lost its way, somewhat. Even my wife, no great fan of these giant monster movies, was swept away by it.
Just genuinely great fun. Bravo.
Can we have more?
the ghost of 82 
That was my favorite movie of last year; and possibly the last five years.
https://musingsofamiddleagedgeek.blog/2023/12/03/godzilla-minus-one-2023-is-a-huge-plus/
I went to see this at Christmas. I thought it was OK.
Not bad by any measure, but I can’t quite get excited about what just seems like an above-average blockbuster. And it had some pretty pro writing in places: that scene where the lead has learned that GZ is about to attack Tokyo[?] but gets home to his female companion and they spend about 5 minutes of screen time having a domestic, and he really doesn’t seem especially anxious to tell her to get out of town quick. Eh…?
And to be honest I a] don’t believe it cost just $15m, and b] if it did the cast and crew were working for slave wages, especially the VFX folks. Seriously – the post production industry runs off of slave labour at the best of times, so this would be a really exploitative job.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate it: I just wasn’t as impressed as I’d hoped to be.
You really need your head slammed into a wall. Repeatedly. Your existence on earth annoys me so much I want to hunt you and find you.
Since I’m using my real name that would be pretty easy to do.
But since you’re just a loudmouth on the internet, it seems unlikely.
Go watch Event Horizon again to calm your nerves.
*’Pretty poor writing
Ironic typo there.