Netflix Gets The Best Sci-Fi Blockbuster Of The Decade

Godzilla continuity can be a bit confusing, so here’s a short primer before you watch Godzilla Minus One on Netflix.

First off, there are two series of Godzilla films: the American series, commonly referred to as the MonsterVerse, and the movies produced in Japan by Toho. Godzilla Minus One is one of the Toho movies, the 33rd to be exact.

But don’t worry—this isn’t the MCU. You don’t need to have seen a single movie prior to Godzilla Minus One to enjoy the recent Netflix addition.

The movie exists in its own continuity, separate from anything that came before it. In fact, Godzilla Minus One actually has the most unique continuity out of all of Toho’s 33 films.

Godzilla Minus One is the first and, so far, only Godzilla movie to show Godzilla attacking Japan prior to 1954. In fact, it’s one of only two Toho movies not to accept the 1954 attack from Gojira as canon.

The other is Shin Godzilla, which, unlike Godzilla Minus One, is not on Netflix—or streaming anywhere for that matter.

Godzilla Minus One begins with a desperate Japan ordering Kamikaze pilots to sacrifice themselves in one last military hissy fit to try and wound the Allies in WWII. The main character, Koichi Shikishima, is too afraid to carry out his suicide mission and instead lands on Odo Island, claiming his plane needs repairs.

A giant dinosaur-like creature appears, and Shikishima, paralyzed with fear, fails to shoot it, allowing the creature to kill most of the other soldiers on the island.

Shikishima returns home only to find that his parents died during the Allied bombing of Tokyo. Feeling an overwhelming sense of survivor’s guilt, Shikishima begins supporting a woman named Noriko Oishi, also orphaned by the bombing. Together, the two co-parent a baby Akiko, who—you guessed it—is also an orphan.

If you weren’t sure about checking out Godzilla Minus One on Netflix because you were expecting a giant rubber monster throwing around another giant rubber monster, prepare to be pleasantly surprised.

The human characters are usually the worst part of a Godzilla movie, but Godzilla Minus One bucks this trend so hard you’ll think Netflix switched movies on you to some foreign drama film.

Minus One is the rare Godzilla movie where the viewer actually gets so engrossed in the human element of the film that it’s easy to forget Godzilla is even in the movie. But when he does show up, he shows up.

There are two types of Godzilla: the goofy monster that fights other goofy monsters and the scary god of destruction that usually represents nature teaching man a lesson about something or other.

The Godzilla in Godzilla Minus One on Netflix is firmly in the latter camp. If you don’t think Godzilla can be scary, think again.

Godzilla Minus One isn’t the biggest incarnation of the famous monster on Netflix—that would be Godzilla Earth from the Netflix anime trilogy—but he is the most terrifying. Director Takashi Yamazaki isn’t interested in making a movie where Godzilla smiles and does WWE movies.

Yamazaki treats Godzilla like Jaws, a mindless force of destruction annihilating anything or anyone unlucky enough to wind up in his path.

REVIEW SCORE

Godzilla Minus One is also the best-looking Godzilla you’ll find on Netflix or anywhere else. Despite having a budget equivalent to around $10 million US, the movie has better special effects than most Marvel movies. Another thing that makes Godzilla Minus One unique is that the director was also one of the main VFX artists. Yamazaki is only the second director after Stanley Kubrick to personally win an Oscar for Best Special Effects.

We could sing the movie’s praises all day, but the only way you’ll discover how good Godzilla Minus One really is is to turn on Netflix and watch it for yourself. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed; it really is “good,” good.