My first impression after watching Godzilla Minus One (2023) today is that it’s a surprisingly sad film despite it having a “nice” ending. The film takes place entirely in post-war Japan after WWII. It has a lot of emotional moments where the main character Koichi struggles with their cowardice from being unable to fulfill expected social contracts: failing to carry out his duty in the war as a kamikaze pilot, being unable to fire the 20mm gun at Godzilla to save the aircraft mechanics, and asking Kumiko to be his wife. However, he eventually overcomes his inner struggle and redeems himself by taking down Godzilla. This film definitely feels like a story about second chances, which is typically the kind of thing I love to see in the film. Though the film is frequently emotional, I found some emotional moments to feel a bit forced. That said, I did like the film quite a bit.

I know the film is labeled on Netflix as being science fiction and that many consider the Godzilla series to be science fiction, but I don’t personally feel like this label fits for this movie in particular. The story is primarily about Koichi’s and society’s struggle with a hostile monster that they feel they cannot overcome. But, unlike the past Godzilla films and episodes I’ve seen, I don’t feel like Godzilla strongly symbolizes anything in particular. The science fiction symbolism is weak at best. However, it’s definitely a Kaiju film since, well, Godzilla is literally a giant monster.