FIRST things first, 'Godzilla Minus One' has nothing to do with Japan's most iconic sea monster's sound, but a key moment in the economic powerhouse's darkest chapter of history — World War Two.
Minus One refers to the day Hiroshima and Nagasaki were nuked to the ground, and the day Japan started its gargantuan but successful journey in pulling itself up from the humiliation it received at the hands of the Allies.
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, 'Godzilla Minus One' is certainly not part of any Hollywood studio's "monsterverse", instead it is a low-budget film from the legendary monster's country of origin.
However, it's two hours prove to be a far more entertaining journey than any Hollywood iteration of Godzilla's legend has ever had.
It blasts 'everything else" out of the sea — figuratively as well as literally.
The film's CGI is terrific, and Godzilla himself is way more terrifying and monstrous than any of his Hollywood interpretations.
I love that he is grimy, ugly, and absolutely beastly to a fault, that even his gaze is menacing enough to let moviegoers know that he "means business".
As for the story, it is very Japanese and hardly contains characters that appear cliched or taken right out of a Hollywood filmmaker's formulaic notebook.
This World War Two character drama takes place in the final days of the war in the Pacific and as Japan rebuilds from the ashes of Enola Gay's double nukings.
Godzilla the monster, as the story implies, is a symbol of Japanese trauma over the atomic bombings, and since 1954, the sea beast has represented everything about horror and destruction, the ever-present uncertainty that this island nation loathes to face.
The main character, Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) was a kamikaze pilot who abandoned his duty at the end of the war and soon after encountered Godzilla on a Japanese outpost island.
His guilt and stress drag him into a cycle of misery and selfishness after the war, preventing him from connecting to his new family, comprising Noriko Oishi (Minami Hamabe), a young woman he meets in the rubble, and little Akiko (Sae Nagatani) an infant Noriko is raising.
When he takes a job as a mine hunter, scouring the sea for Japanese and American mines, he makes a new friend out of naval engineer Kenji Noda but stays aloof from everyone else.
For our young hero, the war has never ended. He lives with his shame, and true happiness and inner peace remain elusive for him until almost the very end.
The film as a period drama delves into the horrors of war, sounds out the campaign of "never again", and expresses the frustration that the Japanese masses feel with their government and its new United States allies.
It gives moviegoers a good look at Japan's less-told, pre-War and post-War history, and how ordinary Japanese cope with the aftermath of their nation's greatest humiliation in their own special ways.
The well-developed main characters, their thoughts, actions, and motivations drive and enrich the story, and while 'Godzilla Minus One' is both exciting and terrifying, it is also a story with a lot of heart.
Our hero Koichi's plan to defeat the sea monster is rather creative and original, and the script that drives it looks a lot more well-written than a Hollywood one.
There are no one-dimensional characters, everyone we meet on the silver screen has his or her own personality.
At the end of the day, 'Godzilla Minus One' shows that we do not need a star-studded story with a gigantic budget to entertain moviegoers around the world.
A small-budget one with quality written all over it is sufficient, and better still the absence of big names proves that there are many truly talented but less publicised people, both actors, and actresses, as well as producers, directors, and screenwriters, waiting to be discovered.
'Godzilla Minus One' is one of 13 films being screened at selected GSC Cinemas nationwide during the 2024 Japanese Film Festival currently running until Oct 20.
Although the Klang Valley run has ended, the films, comprising dramas, animation, romance, thriller, and science-fiction fare, will also be screened at GSC Gurney Plaza in George Town, Penang from Oct 19 to 22, GSC Paradigm Mall in Johor Baru, Johor from Sept 26 to 29, GSC CityOne Megamall in Kuching, Sarawak from Oct 10 to 13, and GSC Suria Sabah in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from Oct 17 to 20.
The festival is organised by Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur. For a complete listing of film synopsis, showtimes, and additional information, visit JFKL's social media platforms and www.gsc.com.my.