Godzilla Minus One: Hollywood Put to Shame

Since Godzilla’s first cinematic appearance in 1954, the monster has served as an apt metaphor for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. The iconic creature was created to represent the Japanese people’s worst fears and anxieties surrounding nuclear weaponry and the destruction that comes with it. Godzilla Minus One, an entirely Japanese production, returns to that nearly 70-year-old concept and presents international audiences with a proper man-vs.-monster narrative very similar to the original.

Set in post-war Japan over the span of two years, Godzilla Minus One follows a disgraced kamikaze pilot who runs away from his military duties and fails to shoot Godzilla when ordered to. From then on, he repeatedly relives that encounter in his nightmares, haunted by the monster and ashamed that he survived when others perished. The only thing that keeps him going is a woman and a child, both of whom he takes in shortly after returning to a bombed Tokyo. Together, the man and woman form a family and slowly start to fall in love, helping each other rebuild along the way. At least until Godzilla resurfaces to wreak havoc.

About the Author

David Zimmermann

David Zimmermann was a news writer for National Review.

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Since Godzilla’s first cinematic appearance in 1954, the monster has served as an apt metaphor for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. The iconic creature was created to represent the Japanese people’s worst fears and anxieties surrounding nuclear weaponry and the destruction that comes with it. Godzilla Minus One, an entirely Japanese production, returns to that nearly 70-year-old concept and presents international audiences with a proper man-vs.-monster narrative very similar to the original.

Set in post-war Japan over the span of two years, Godzilla Minus One follows a disgraced kamikaze pilot who runs away from his military duties and fails to shoot Godzilla when ordered to. From then on, he repeatedly relives that encounter in his nightmares, haunted by the monster and ashamed that he survived when others perished. The only thing that keeps him going is a woman and a child, both of whom he takes in shortly after returning to a bombed Tokyo. Together, the man and woman form a family and slowly start to fall in love, helping each other rebuild along the way. At least until Godzilla resurfaces to wreak havoc.