There are few movie monsters as iconic as Godzilla, despite the kaiju seeing its share of ups and downs since the original 1954 Toho film. The latest addition to the canon is Godzilla Minus One, which was announced in 2022, from Takashi Yamazaki (who pulls triple duty with the writing directing and VFX) and critics seem to think this is offering ranks among the best Godzilla movies, no matter which of the Godzilla eras you prefer. The film was released in Japan in November to coincide with the 1954 movie’s anniversary, and it’s now also in theaters in the United States.
Set before the original film — in a devastated post-WWII Japan — Godzilla Minus One follows Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a disgraced kamikaze pilot who faked a plane malfunction to escape death. His journey of shame and guilt color the destruction around him, as he and other civilians are forced to rally against the atomically charged behemoth. Let’s get to the critics, starting with Pete Hammond of Deadline, who says this project is unlike any of the many films that came before it. He writes:
