Movie Review: Godzilla Minus One

I'll say one thing for ゴジラ(Godzilla)-1.0（マイナスワン, it is loud. Even at a moderate volume, your subwoofer will get a workout and your neighbours will start banging the walls. Let them. Godzilla rules!

Got neighbours on both sides? Good! Your rears speakers will also be thoroughly abused by Godzilla's roar and the terrifyingly loud explosions.

There's almost zero buildup. No backstory. No exposition. At exactly 4 minutes and 30 seconds into the film BAM! Godzilla starts fucking shit up. Absolutely no messing around.

The story isn't exactly subtle. You don't have to do much close reading to see that an alien invader devastating Japanese cities with mushroom-clouds might just be an allegory for something! It isn't a biting satire like シン・ゴジラ (Shin Godzilla) - but the story is serviceable enough.

The pacing is just right - slowing down to normality and then CRASH! Godzilla shows up and smashes the state. It's wonderful to see the total carnage wrought by the monster. And it is also wonderful to see the emotional carnage his presence brings.

Despite winning the Oscar®©™ for special effects, I thought some of the visuals were decidedly ropey. The monster is incredible, but the ships and people occasionally look... well, like cheap CGI. Godzilla looks like the fearsome predator that it is and, I guess, that's what we're here for.

Sadly, the film is only available as a Japanese import and without English subtitles. Personally, I think Godzilla should stomp on all the IP lawyers delaying its official release over here!