Howdy to all you doges and dogs out there!

Just went to see Godzilla Minus One after hearing many people I follow said they enjoyed it. And I must say, it STILL exceeded my expectations! In short, it was phenomenal!

I am not familiar with the recent Godzilla movies (whether made in Japan or America), but this was coming from Japan's Toho movie company who own the rights to Godzilla and distribute the movies within Japan.

The movie is set in 1940s post World War II Japan, and shows the devastation of the war without dwelling too much on the particulars, just enough to get a taste of the disillusionment and confusion after the war. Godzilla seems to have been awakened during WWII. Thankefully, the movie doesn't necessarily define exactly how Godzilla came about, but cleverly implies how he grows in strength to become a threat to Japan.

Unlike the old movies where, to this doge, the best part of the movies is the fellow in rubber suit Godzilla destroying miniature sets, perhaps to hilarity but always a joy to watch nontheless, this movie takes a much more serious tone. The old movies did have a story for the events on the ground, but Godzilla was always the star and you kinda forget what was going on in the movies except when they come across Mothra and miniature twins from that island where Mothra comes from. I'm still slowly watching the old movies, but Mothra really brings many fantastical elements to the story.

This movie in contrast stays in a much more realistic atmosphere, and that's ok; it really works to its advantage. But because of these elements in past movies, viewers probably tune out the story plot with actors and glued to the screen when Godzilla is either destroying towns or fighting other monsters.

This time, I was absolutely interested in the main plot because the characters were intriguing, you see their struggles, and how they work together to make ends meet. One theme of the movie is government and military constantly angering Godzilla to no avail, and relying on weapons with no thought-process and controlling the information so the citizenry doesn't become upset.

The everyday folks eventually realize they must do their part to secure a better future, one that treats its people much better than the government dictated orders during WWII such as sending kamikazes to their death to try to secure a future of Japanese dominance. This movie explores the heart of the people who use their ingenuity and determination for a more warming future, one where family and love can be fulfilled.

There are some very tragic moments where you feel for the main characters. For a Godzilla movie, I was truly emotionally drawn to the characters and hoped the story gave them a good ending. I will not spoil it :)

As for Godzilla himself, he is definitely menacing, and you don't want to draw the ire of his focus, because he's definitely there to destroy everything in his path. There are several times Godzilla stares at the characters, and it's scary single moment.

Some people may be turned away because the movie was made in Japan, and it uses subtitles instead of terrible dubs to tell the story. Thankfully, the dialogue is not shown too quickly or too much long text that you have to try your best to read all the subtitles, and this doge is a slow reader. It provides many moments of eye breathing from subtitles to focus on the visual story of the movie.

I haven't gone to the theatres since Ghostbusters: Afterlife came out about 2 years ago, which I also enjoyed. I'm not gonna lie, I don't know if it's be cause of that or if I was just so drawn to the movie and characters, this doge kinda got a bit teary eyed at a few moments, either because of sadness or abundance of happiness for the characters working on a plan to save the ones they loves and the best they can to secure a better future. 🥲

If you can read and old enough to not have nightmares from a few scary visuals, then I highly recommend seeing this movie. It may not be for all the ladies out there, but I still recommend it.

There's really not much I can criticize on this film except maybe the city destruction scenes could've lasted longer; but it's not quite as fun with a CGI Godzilla anyway; the rubber suit will always take the cake for me.
It hit all the great points for me, and can't way to watch it again when it's available on streaming!

5/5 space doge paws!
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