December 5, 2023 – In the middle of the last century, there was this cheesy science fiction movie, “Caltiki, The Immortal Monster,” which looked kind of like a pile of oily rags battling toy tanks. Well, there really is an immortal monster, at least in terms of an unending number of movie remakes (nearly 40 so far) and that is good old Godzilla, who dates back to 1954, making him even older than Caltiki. This latest remake is the best one.

“Godzilla Minus One” is the 33rd Godzilla film released by Toho Company. It is a Japanese language film with English subtitles that puts a very human face on the story, in terms of failed Kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima (played by Ryunosuke Kamiki). Koichi regards himself as a coward for refusing to kill himself in combat, and for not firing on the monster during his first encounter with it in 1945 on a remote island. He and an aircraft mechanic, Tachibana (played by Munetaka Aoki) are the only survivors of the encounter.

When Koichi sees the monster again after World War II, it has grown much larger. It has gained the power of a heat ray, due to its exposure to atomic radiation released by nuclear bomb tests. Through a series of unlikely circumstances, Koichi gets another chance to kill the monster, and gain a measure of atonement for his failure to act on the island, which led to the deaths of several countrymen.

When Koichi returns to Japan after the war, he is reviled as a coward by the few survivors of his Tokyo neighborhood. Most in the old neighborhood were killed by devastating United States fire bombing raids during the war. He ends up in a shack with a woman, Noriko Oishi (Minami Hamabe) and an orphaned baby, Akiko, who was rescued by Noriko.

Desperate for a job, he takes the dangerous job of clearing mines on a minesweeper, where he puts his heavy machine gun training to good use, blowing up floating mines. Despite his checkered background, he earns the respect of his minesweeping crewmates, including a former naval engineer, Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka).

Godzilla returns and the minesweeper is tasked with delaying the creature until a destroyer can arrive to help kill the beast. The crew is afraid this is a suicide mission. The crew picks up a couple of mines to use against the monster. Koichi manages to detonate one of the mines in Godzilla's mouth, using the ship's heavy machine gun, but still, the monster is not killed. The minesweeper is nearly destroyed in the encounter, and the responding destroyer is wiped out by Godzilla.

Due to various circumstances, it is up to the citizens of Tokyo to defend themselves against Godzilla, who is headed towards Tokyo. Koichi volunteers to use a plane to draw the monster into a trap designed by his crewmate Kenji Noda. In secret, he plans to crash the plane into the monster to make up for his past acts of cowardice. He recruits a man from his shameful past, Tachibana to arm the plane for his planned Kamikaze attack on the monster.

I had my doubts about this movie being anything more than the usual Godzilla remake, despite the glowing reviews, but this really is a fine movie in its own right, thanks to a solid script, good special effects, and most of all fine acting performances by Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe and a solid supporting cast. The director, Takashi Yamazaki, also directed “The Fighter Pilot” and “Always: Sunset on Third Street.”

This movie has an interesting take on World War II, particularly in its depiction of the attitudes of the soldiers and sailors towards the Japanese government. The idea is that the Japanese rulers asked for extreme sacrifices from its soldiers and sailors, but did not supply them with the equipment needed for success. This movie rates a B+.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff (no extra charges apply). I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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