The Drinker Recommends... Godzilla Minus One

Wow, this one surprised me. Just when I'd given up on 2023, along comes a low budget Japanese monster movie to change my mind.

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[Rembreiker_lychec]

They made us care about human characters in a monster movie. That's a feat in of itself! This movie 100% delivers. Even though Godzilla is actually much smaller, he is considerably more fearsome. That heat ray gave me chills!

[banananer]

I live in Japan and saw this a few days ago. People here don't normally react much in theaters, since laughing, cheering, and other noise are seen as disruptive to the viewing experience. This was the first time I've ever seen or heard people cry in a Japanese theater; the ending had surreptitious sniffles coming from all directions and the businessman in front of me was dabbing his eyes with a handkerchief. And the audience was mainly men, too! This film was good enough to get people to break their code on theater etiquette.

[frizen]

The atomic breath in this movie isn't just the strongest but also the coolest with how its implemented. It is so strong that he actively injures himself using it and the reason he can't spam it is because he has to heal first. Metal as hell.

[prplprince]

The first atomic breath against the ship was a "woah cool" moment but then the atomic breath on land made the entire movie theater go silent and the rumble rolled through. It was the first time in a while most of the audience was speechless and actually fearful for the characters on screen.

[danielplainview]

I loved that this Godzilla was more of a villain rather than some likeable menace.

[JubeiSenpai]

Funny that a Godzilla move was more historically accurate than a Napoleon movie 😂

[seanyoung]

This isn't just a great creature feature. This is an all time great movie.

[Aldinonexilus]

The speech from the scientist about Japan having treated life cheaply was extremely moving. It brought me to tears.

[loganmatthews]

I absolutely love that the design team didn’t chicken out from designing Godzilla reminiscent of the original. We all know what Godzilla looks like, so don’t try and recreate him.

[hammfield]

I did not expect a Godzilla movie to hit me right in the feels with its portrayal of PTSD and survivor's guilt. As a veteran who doesn't feel he had any business surviving the war that he did, this movie really resonated with me.

[MrMclaren]

In my mind, this is a love letter to the original movie from 1954.

In 1954 “Gojira” gave us, if I’m not mistaken, the longest running film franchise in existence and one of the most enduring characters in cinema.

This is the big guy’s magnum opus.

I’m just tickled to see it getting the praise it deserves.

[permadeathwithjeff]

Turns out the budget wasn't 15 million, but 11 million per the director, which makes this even more impressive. When the director heard that everyone was saying it was 15M, he responded by saying "I wish it were that much."

[rainyriderr]

I told my friends that, " Godzilla minus one would have been my favorite movie of the year even if Godzilla hadn't been in it."

[misugita]

My wife and I both speak fluent Japanese, and we were impressed with how very well the English subtitles were done. We have seen the movie twice so far in the the theater. Both times we were moved to tears. This is the finest filmmaking I have seen all year. So glad that _Godzilla Minus One_ is getting the praise and respect it deserves. I wholeheartedly agree with The Drinker, I can't recommend it enough.

[Ghostviking]

I left the theater thinking they don't make movies like this anymore. A very solid film and hey, I didn't see me anyone representing me in it either.

[KaijuAlert]

The scene where the former navy servicemen agree to band together to fight Godzilla, because nobody else will and they have not lost their sense of duty was amazing. In a monster movie with some incredible moments, I thought this was the best scene. It would bring a tear to a glass eye.

[masterofpuppets]

The fact that they made such a good-looking film is mind-blowing given the budget. Hollywood needs to take notes, they made something that looks better than any M-She-U project with characters you actually care about for a fraction of the cost.

[ExemplarKyle]

The sound design on this movie reigned supreme. Every gunshot, every earth-shaking footstep, every atomic breath that caused dead silence, followed by bass-booming explosions just felt powerful. The fact that this movie was done on a $15 million budget is INSANE.

[hothotheat]

Godzilla is genuinely terrifying from his first appearance. I felt such grief for the human characters when he attacked, and pride when they banded together to stop him.

[CurtisCummings-uh]

Only the Japanese can leave you in tears from a monster movie. Beyond outstanding.