Kaiju monsters (also known as dinosaur sized beasts) have been a staple subgenre in the horror movie filmography all the way back to KING KONG (1933). After World War II, the Japanese giant monster movie GODZILLA (1954) appeared and started a franchise that has lasted for almost seventy years. Toho, the studio that brought us Godzilla, has released their latest in the franchise, GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023).
Kamikaze pilot Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) survives the war only to return to Tokyo and finding it in ruins. Trying to survive like the rest of post war Japan, he befriends a young woman, Noriko (Minami Hamabe), and the two along with an orphaned baby girl create a hodge-podge family. Koichi gets a job clearing sea mines. While working with his crew, Godzilla appears and endangers all of Tokyo.
The movie is written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. With a budget of $15M USD, the film has gone on to triple its profit. Some reviewers have stated this may be the best Godzilla movie ever made. Your podcast co-hosts take a look at this latest release in the classic franchise and give their thoughts.