It’s notably epic that just as we hit the 70th anniversary of 1954’s Gojira, we’ve got an equally inventive and compelling Godzilla adventure, and under the stamp of Toho. When you’re adding the pure heart of writer, director (and VFX work) from Takashi Yamazaki and his vision for not only returning to 1947, but also celebrating and pushing the iconic King of the Monsters narrative, well you’ve got a winner – as there’s a lot of enjoy here.

I’ve gone on about how I loved Gareth Edwards’ 2014 film too many times to start again, but like all good things about the beast, you’ve got to remember the human element – and that’s what Yamazaki does but also balances it with pure, huge pure G spirit. Somehow, this is the first domestic Japanese gigantis film since the agreeable Shin Godzilla in 2016, which I review here, but this time around we dive into the deep chasms of an already devastated postwar Japan… now facing the threat of Godzilla.

In Godzilla Minus One, we’re in the final days of World War II, and in Europe it’s probably too easy to overlook that Japan was in the fallout of the war, the atomic bomb, along with huge economic and cultural upheaval. It’s interesting that Takashi Yamazak takes us here, and we’re shown there’s little faith in the government, or much more, but through every dark period of history, there’s certainly room for hope. In the film, we meet Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a surviving Kamikaze pilot who lands on Odo Island (originally seen in the Showa era) amongst a selection of war plane engineers. However, it’s not long before they’re attacked by a younger Godzilla, and Shikishima has the opportunity to save his new friends but is frozen with fear and before he reacts, they’re killed. Whilst he survives the attack, and heads home to Tokyo, he’s laden with guilt for both what happened on the island, and what he didn’t do on ‘duty’ as a pilot.

When he returns home, things don’t get much better, the city has been flattened by bombings during the war, his parents are dead and his home barely exists. Through a sequence of moments, he makes friends with Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and a baby that’s been stowed upon her, and over a couple of years they build a small home – as the city recovers from tragic times but, of course, Godzilla is still out there in the distance somewhere…

It’s difficult to know whether this Godzilla is also a symbol for the evil of Oppenheimer (so intensely reminded by Nolan this year) and nuclear testing, as he was originally, because this time around he just seems like he wants to flatten everything rebuilt. He’s absolutely no-nonsense with some truly epic power, and quite vengeful, it seems. His character is smartly visualised by Yamazaki through some literal city levelling, a shocking ship explosion, and a genuinely dramatic annihilation through his atomic pulse/breath that causes human havoc.

While there’s a slight ensemble vibe, and an entertaining boat crew you’ll meet early one, the film is mainly about our lead and big G. But there’s fine performances and good supporting roles for Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki, plus a fine score from Naoki Satô, which also includes use of the classic original theme (by Akira Ifukube) for this definitely not a hero Godzilla. Also, as a fun fact, the filmmakers use the original 1954 Godzilla roar but obviously amplified and mastered, with a few extra production tricks. Love it.

But after the beast foes this, and Shikishima survives, all it does is drives him towards a new mission, and it’s led by the people fighting for their lives. And this is the central theme of Godzilla Minus One: the power of everyday people. While it’s faintly wrapped into a double-edged sword of berating governments, but also celebrating the audacity of individuals who come together to save their own country – I loved this element. At the end of the day, beyond anything else you hear in the news, or the woes of hopeless politicians who seem to be on a conveyor belt of inadequacy, it’s the people you know, and those around us in the day-to-day that get things done. Simple really.

But, of course, will the big plan be good enough to take down the 20,000 ton+ Godzilla? Is his natural instinct to survive smarter than they realise? Or will Shikishima redeem himself for those he loves, beyond himself? While Godzilla Minus One follows the usual middle tropes of any big film *montage!* there’s more here that keeps it compelling through committed characters and huge set pieces. This is a clever Toho step forward, while keeping all those original intentions.

Godzilla Minus One is in cinemas now