Godzilla Minus One2023

99/100 This is a Godzilla movie, but it isn't really about Godzilla, and I think that's why people liked it so much. Very much the same as "The Dark Knight" for superhero movies. And in many ways, this is in fact The Dark Knight of Godzilla. The characters are all fantastically written, and all to serve the theme at the core of this movie. Their central character trait is their view on life and its value, and how much they deserve their life. Koichi feels he doesn't deserve to live and that he should've died for the life of others and of his country, a sentiment echoed by mechanic Tachibana and his neighbour Sumiko at first, but throughout the course of the film, all of them (at different speeds) discover the true message of this film, hidden beneath the slow yet suspenseful drama and Kaiju attacks: everything worth dying for is also worth living for. This is helped along by an excellent supporting cast in Noriko Oishi and Koichi's friends/colleagues, Cap, Kid and best character Doc. This film also has a claim to fame of being the first Godzilla movie to win an Oscar for its special effects, and honestly yeah, the effects are pretty good. A few minor hiccups, but in my opinion, this is the best a Japanese Godzilla film has ever looked. But a good Godzilla film should always have a good Godzilla, even if he isn't the main focus, and this film delivers spectacularly with one of my favourite designs and overall versions of the character. This Godzilla is a representation of survivor's guilt, attacking everything that makes Koichi's life better right as he starts healing from his trauma, and is also very cool, with his nuclear-reactor style Atomic Breath, one of the most outwardly devastating in the franchise. Overall, this film just has so much sincerity at its core. Its not one of the really high-stakes entries in the franchise, but that's really what makes it work. A masterpiece throughout.