GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023) MOVIE REACTION - SURPASSED OUR EXPECTATIONS - FIRST TIME WATCHING - REVIEW

Welcome to our first-time watching as we react to Godzilla Minus One (2023).

Godzilla Minus One is a 2023 Japanese epic/kaiju film written, directed, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki. It is also produced by Toho Studios and ever since we saw what they did with Shin Godzilla we've been more than excited to see what else they could come up with.

In this film, Japan has barely recovered from the Second World War when a gigantic peril emerges off the coast of Tokyo. Koichi, a deserter traumatized by his first confrontation with Godzilla, sees this as an opportunity to redeem his conduct during the war.

The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando and Kuranosuke Sasaki. Set in postwar Japan, it follows a former kamikaze pilot suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after encountering a giant monster known as "Godzilla".

Godzilla Minus One gave us everything we ever wanted from a Godzilla film packed into one. The human element is phenomenal, the themes of redemption and fighting to live instead of to die are incredibly layered and are apparent throughout the entirety of the film. Godzilla the main star itself is probably the scariest, most destructive, meanest iteration we've seen yet. I mean c'mon...Have you seen that atomic breath sequence!?

We hope that you enjoy our reactions, commentary and discussions as we delve into the film's potential impact on Kaiju movies, its nods to Godzilla's storied legacy From the earth-shaking clashes to the awe-inspiring roars there is a lot of elements in this movie that work and they work well. Stay until the end for our review!

#GodzillaMinusOne #Reaction #TheMediaKnights

[batmanvsjoker]

Fun fact: Steven Spielberg cited Godzilla as an inspiration for Jaws. The director of this movie, as you can see, was clearly inspired by Jaws. It all comes full circle.

[azathoth]

If you ask me, only one oscar nomination (though they won) was less than what this movie deserved.. the screenplay is fantastic, the sound, the score and the editing were just beyond my expectations

[SuperGodzilla]

This is hands down one of if not the greatest Godzilla movie

[mandelharvey]

It got like no advertising in the USA. I remember seeing it announced getting excited years ago. Then hearing it was on its way out of theaters whenever I was at my sisters for the holidays. I expected to catch it as a rental.

[KeifersIsAwesome]

Objectively speaking this is the best Godzilla movie ever. Subjectively i like a different one more. But man do i love Godzilla, no matter what.

[TheComicNerd]

YOOO Godzilla x Kong comes out on digital May 14th!!

[JakkFrost]

5:00 ironically, "nigero" does literally mean "run away", I think the translator just changed it based on the fact that they actually did take cover in the next shots.

[The_Godzillafan]

Bro that same part in the beginning was one of the best Godzilla jump scares in my opinion

[Ultra_Fine_Point]

As a Veteran of the GWoT, I can tell you, Shikishima's ordeal with PTSD and survivor's guilt hit HARD for me. God Bless ALL Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Guardsmen, Guardians, and Merchant Marines of our Military and the JSDF. 😇😇😇

[バーバーズボン]

Tachibana was a mechanic for the Kamikaze Suicide Squad. He had been maintaining the flying coffins of his friends who took off and never returned. Although it is not depicted in the movie, I think he must have been very sad. Shikishima was also a member of the suicide squad, but he did not take off. Shikishima tried to detonate himself with Godzilla as atonement for the war, but Tachibana gave him a way to live. Tachibana was finally able to make arrangements for his friends to survive.

[quiett]

31:02 The way the actor delivered that scream, damn. How Kiochi starts just starts incoherently yelling with absolute fury and killing rage at Godzilla, then shifts into soul crushing anguish and pain. Perfect, just absolutely perfect. He deserved a best actor nom for his work in this film.

[gth]

Fun fact: Ginza scene in which Noriko met Koichi was based on his true story. According to Takashi Yamazaki, he found out for his wife in Shibuya, and happened to spot her like Koichi after Great East Japan Earthquake happened ! He said, “I know there are some negative comments that it’s impossible for them to meet in the chaos situation. But you know there’s every chance that they meet!”

[seregrian]

I am a die-hard fan of the original 1954 Godzilla - but Ari said it for me: THIS is the Godzilla we've been waiting for: the monster of 1947 with 21st-Century technology.
The ACTING - the STORY - the WRITING - I was immersed from the first scene.
Media Knights, thank you for sharing this amazing motion picture with us!

[BruGaleen]

I loved the message in the speech where he said basically, "In the war, they asked you to fight and die. This time, we're going to fight and LIVE." That's where I first started to tear up. Loved your reaction, keep them coming! \m/

[PierceArner]

Some contextual info that you might appreciate:

4:03 – This is one of my favourite bits of foreshadowing in the film. All of the fish have their organs ballooning out through their mouths which occurs as a result of them undergoing rapid depressurization from surfacing because they're escaping Godzilla (and later potentially dying to radiation) coming up from the deep. This is the exact same principle that eventually gets used in their final attack and is likely the inspiration for how he came up with the plan since it affected other life that lived in the deep with Godzilla. Another mention is at 6:30 the reason Godzilla is tossing them is because Toho explicitly has a rule that Godzilla doesn't eat people, so that's why the attack taking place at a smaller scale explicitly makes sure to show him attacking rather than predating on the humans.

31:03 – The heat from the blast turning everything to ash and then also causing rapid condensation of water vapor to create cumulonimbus clouds that gets seeded with the ash falls back down as black rain. In the atomic bombings, this also brought down fallout and meant that the survivors of the blast & heat were being drenched in radiation that would kill them several years later. There's a film titled *_Black Rain_* (released in 1989 but NOT the one of the same name in the same year by Ridley Scott) that is en excellent look at post-war Japan in this same time setting that's a really excellent watch if you're ever curious more about the time & tone of the setting here, especially with regards to the immediately post-war era survivor's guilt & PTSD that was experienced on a national level as well as on individual ones at that time.

37:47 – The Shinden was an incomplete fighter that never saw action, and one was taken by the Americans during the occupation and the other was dismantled. The one that was built for this film was also made to be incredibly accurate as it was anonymously set up as a museum piece before it was revealed to have been used in the film. As such there's a LOT of thematic association with the plane as part of an unrealized dream of a chance to save Japan from disaster that never came. Additionally, at 48:41 the fishing ships all coming to assist is also exceptionally poignant given that the Lucky Dragon 5 incident that inspired the original *_Godzilla_* in 1954 was because of the crew of a fishing boat dying to radiation contributing to overcoming that threat.

51:16 – The salute is because Godzilla is portrayed like a cursed spirit (tatarigami) where the hatred, pain, & rage is more of a reflection of what they're all experiencing that is inherited through contact rather than in a simple antagonistic way. This is why Godzilla is attacking Japan rather than being focused on the Americans who dropped the bomb, and it's a core part of both thematically why Japanese stories like this have a very specific way of focusing on the survivor's struggle with PTSD but especially in the emotional reflection of the creature (even *_Shin Godzilla_* had this in the lyrics to "Who Will Know" which played during the Tokyo attack). This also carries through into the ending where, like in *_Princess Mononoke, _* the curse of a Tatarigami isn't something that is easily broken even when it can be defeated and is a mark that grows on all it touches, spreading that pain even as it keeps them alive. She survived the physical and radiation damage from the attack on Ginza for the same reason that Godzilla is regenerating, while the earlier scene of the attack also implies that the black rain meant that he's invisibly being killed by radiation poisoning that won't be visible for a number of years despite everything he's done to constantly fight to survive. It's intended to be an ending that's deeply conflicting as neither fully tragic nor happy, but just a different turn of that core underlying struggle of what loss & survival look like that's why the film is called "Minus One" because it's all about thinking you've gone through the worst only to find out that it's possible to go through even more hardship and still keep going.

Ever since the director's film *_Returner_* (which is a very Japanese scifi action flick that's a fun time), I've really loved how well he tells a human story within the framework of a fantastical setting, and Godzilla Minus One is fan and away his best, as well as easily being my favourite Godzilla film (and I've been watching them since I was 2). Your reactions and observations about the elements of film are always a delight, so hopefully this does a bit in giving some back to ya on this.

[kcewing]

That German ejector seat call was epic - I've seen this four times in the theater, had no idea. Regarding that thing on her neck at the end, the director has implied that she was imbued with Godzilla DNA which helped her survive the blast. And yes, it did move. The black and white version, a nod to the '54 film, is amazing as well.

[Honeyiggy]

What’s on Noriko’s neck was Godzilla cell(G cell).
after Godzilla did atomic breath at Ginza radio news anchor said They found Godzilla cells everywhere in Ginza that came from Godzilla.
so When Noriko got shock wave She infected G cell That made Noriko recovered.
Nobody can survive in that terrible shock wave normally.
G cells give you regenerate ability but also G cells can change you to Kaiju and When Godzilla die that infected person dies also, but not sure those two for this time.
That’s me and many Japanese people thinking about what was black thing on her neck.
I enjoyed you guys reaction Thank you!

[Wash]

Without a doubt the best Godzilla film in a long time.

[christiansabotta]

A super fan did a breakdown and Godzilla was on screen just over 12 minutes out of a just over 120 minute long movie, so about 10% and yet it's an amazing film! It was a human story with some Godzilla sprinkled in.

[tmediumplayer]

That atomic breath...it was insane in the cinema.