Godzilla Minus Zero

A few years ago, I saw a movie called Godzilla Minus One which was about a monster (Godzilla) that terrorized Japan in the wake of Hiroshima. Not only was it a giant lizard that could crush people and structures beneath its feet, it also had a radioactive beam with nuclear fallout. With the help of former kamikaze pilot Koichi, the Japanese were able to defeat Godzilla. Temporarily at least. Now in this new movie, Godzilla rises again, bigger and stronger than ever while on land the Japanese are desperately trying to defeat King Ghidorah, a three headed flying monster that emits lightning rays. Eventually, the Japanese decide the only way to kill these monsters, which are impervious to even atomic bombs, is to pit them against each other. 

Acting: A+ This movie contained many of the characters from the previous  movie. There is Noriko, Koichi’s wife who was injured in the previous movie by Godzilla. It is revealed now in this movie that her body is mutating with spikes on her shoulder and a discolored golden eye. She emerges as one of the heroes of the movie when she allows the government to use her as bait for Godzilla. I would love to see Koichi and Norko in more movies. Their daughter, Akiko, is probably the cutest little girl I have ever seen on screen. And her range of emotion is amazing! One  minute she is giggling over getting a puppy the next she is wailing because her parents abandoned her at the orphanage. She is really dedicated to her character and it breaks your heart when she cries “Have a safe trip” after her parents try to leave because her parents once told her that if you say “Have a safe trip” then they will come back. She performed the hell out of that line.

Characters: A Besides Noriko, Koichi and their daughter, Koichi’s friends return from the first movie including a harried looking Mr. Nuba. A new character is introduced, a meteorologist Makoto Aoyama who tries to track King Ghidorah through storms since he seems to be attracted to lightning. It is important to note that in this movie two women (Noriko and Makoto) were instrumental in helping defeat the monsters. Professor Murakami also returns from the first movie. He builds a frequency resonance machine to lure Godzilla to certain locations. He plans on using this against the Americans who play a brief and unfavorable role in this movie. Murakami lost his entire family in Hiroshami (which we are shown in flashbacks that are very hard to watch) and his loss and quest for revenge has driven him slightly insane.

Monsters: A- While it is estimated that Godzilla is the product of biological warfare and that he had been dormant in the sea until World War 2, it seems that King Ghidorah is from another planet. Still, the monsters seem easily matched and several of their powers like regeneration overlap. I personally thought King Ghidorah looked like something from Greek mythology but nobody mentioned that. 

Themes: A One of the overarching themes is free will. In the first movie, Kiochi ran away from his duties as a kamikaze pilot and felt a deep sense of shame. But after the war things changed in Japan and unwilling individuals were no longer pressed into service in deadly missions. However, that does not mean pilots won’t be unhappy or reluctant about the service they feel they must give. Several pilots die in the first attempt to kill King Ghidorah. One of them  had a small child who had just learned to walk. Learning this is what makes Kiochi realize he must fly again even though, one could argue,  you could say he had already done his duty for his country. He is furious when the men he trusted use Noriko as bait. But she too wants to do her duty to her country. As this movie shows, you don’t have to be a man to do it.