Have you seen “Godzilla Minus One” yet? 

The film premiered in North America on Dec. 1, 2023.

Director and writer Takashi Yamazaki’s powerful “Godzilla Minus One” showcases the giant creature returning to the big screen and to his roots, destroying cities and disrupting the Japanese people as Japan recovers from the aftermath of World War II. However, this film digs deeper into the understanding and profoundness of human psychology, survivor’s guilt and trauma.

The Kaiju genre, a science fiction subgenre involving giant monsters, started with Ishiro Honda’s 1954 “Godzilla.” This giant reptile creature appears from the depths of the sea due to atomic radiation. The creature known as Godzilla continues to make history with multiple films, even today. He has battled other gigantic creatures throughout his film history.

(Spoiler warning.)

One thing that is well done in this film — that is so powerful — is when Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) finds himself meeting Noriko (Minami Hamabe), a woman dressed in rags. Noriko moves in with Koichi after he returns from the war and finds out that his family is all gone. He also takes in an orphaned baby after her mother was killed in an air raid. Throughout the film, Koichi and Noriko raise the child. The entire time they live together, Koichi continues to have trauma and survivor’s guilt, having nightmares about his time as a soldier. This film makes you care greatly about these characters rather than just seeing humans trying to kill Godzilla. 

The musical score by Naoki Sato is bone-chilling every time it plays during the film. The orchestra sounds are rousing and can be so desperate, especially in the battle scenes. It makes you feel scared yet excited to see what’s going to happen next.

Koichi meets Godzilla later in the film, and this time lays waste to Ginza, a neighborhood in Tokyo. This is where Noriko took a desk job to help out Koichi. When Godzilla attacks the city, Koichi tries to save Noriko but she is presumed dead in all the devastation. The human relationship that Koichi and Noriko built came a long way and is very powerful in this film; almost crying if the tears are not already coming. It’s very emotional and shows that the choices we choose to make can be lived in regret, as Koichi never got the chance to tell Noriko that he loved her. This is how powerful the stories are written for these characters combined with their outstanding performances, hoping they all survive till the end.

The film does a wonderful job overall at introducing its characters in the Godzilla plot. At its core, the movie is about the people and how these characters, like Koichi, survive trying to live a normal life after the war while a giant monster is on the loose and “Godzilla Minus One” continues to tackle what a Godzilla movie should be: fun, sad and entertaining.

If you haven’t seen this film yet, it’s coming back to theaters on Jan. 26 for a limited time in black and white.