I saw the theatrical version earlier this year but I waited to see the black and white version to write a film review, so this is technically a review of both versions. Godzilla Minus One is a cinematic achievement, especially since it was made with a meager budget at just under 15 million USD, but it made at least quadruple that worldwide. Many have praised it as the best Godzilla movie since the original 1954 version and I am inclined to agree as I've seen quite a few Godzilla movies that came after both made in Japan and Hollywood, and they simply don't measure up to this movie helmed by Yamazaki Takashi.

This Godzilla goes back to its 1950's roots and is set in a war-torn Japan, centering around a dishonored kamikaze pilot suffering from PTSD. The black and white version really brings you back to that era and I found that it gave everything a more sinister look to it, making it more frightening. The story deals with the horrors of war and how nations at war throw away the lives of their people as if they're trash that needs to be disposed. It also questions the need for people to sacrifice their lives for honor and country, and why honor means you must obey orders even though it is clearly wrong. It throws shade at how the Japanese government mishandled the war and treated its people poorly. It's a story of despair but it's also about hope and starting over. I was specifically moved by how two of the characters in this movie went from hating the central character because he failed to die to save his countrymen, to urging him to live and believing that he deserves a second chance at happiness. This movie doesn't lack heroism either. The valor shown by the Japanese people who just survived a disastrous war as they fight for their futures made me tear up a bit. As the Cap said, he doesn't like doing the dirty work but somebody's got to do it.

It's an almost perfect film from the moving story and well-written and relatable characters, to a beautifully designed and terrifying Godzilla that's just a force of nature. The visual effects could've been better but considering how much money they spent on creating them, they accomplished quite a feat. I especially loved the sequence where they were being chased by Godzilla in the water. That was definitely a nod to Steven Spielberg's Jaws. Sure, there are some suspend your disbelief type of stuff in this movie, but they're forgivable because the movie as a whole is a beautifully orchestrated symphony that can move you to tears, stir up anger in you, strike fear, and make you feel that there is good in humanity still. Amidst the darkness and ugliness of war, there is beauty in life and human connections. The greatest lesson that can be gleaned from this story is that as long as there is life, there is hope.