Godzilla Minus One

I was on the fence about seeing Godzilla Minus One because I am not a huge fan of this franchise and I have a lot going on this week so I didn't think I had time.  After someone with whom I share a similar taste in movies raved about it, I decided to squeeze it in yesterday afternoon.  I am so glad that I did because it now ranks among my favorite movies this year!  In the final days of World War II, a Japanese kamikaze pilot, Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), feigns engine trouble and lands at a military base on Odo Island in order to stay alive.  When a giant lizard-like creature known by the locals as Godzilla attacks, everyone on the island is killed except Koichi and a mechanic, Sosaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki), who blames him for the deaths because he didn't shoot when he had the chance.  When he returns to Tokyo, Koichi encounters Noriko Oishi (Minami Hamabe), a woman who has rescued an orphaned child named Akiko (Sae Nagatani).  He allows them to live with him and they form a family of sorts.  He eventually begins work aboard a minesweeper and when he and his crew encounter Godzilla, who has now mutated after exposure to U.S. nuclear tests, they are ordered to stop its approach to Japan but they fail leaving more casualties.  After another devastating attack on land leaves thousands dead, including Noriko, Koichi is tormented by survivor's guilt and, even though a group of naval veterans devise a plot to stop Godzilla, he forms another plan to kill it himself.  The visual effects are some of the best I've seen in a long time, especially when Godzilla's dorsal fins light up before an attack and when its atomic breath is used.  There are some spectacular set pieces, particularly a rampage through Ginza involving a train derailment, and they are made all the more ominous by an epic score (the use of silence is also very effective).  However, as thrilling as the action scenes are, it is the human drama that makes this iteration so compelling and moving.  This has some very powerful messages about the consequences of war, including survivor's guilt and making the choice to live in the face of adversity, and the performances are very affecting.  I had tears in my eyes during several poignant moments (and I wasn't expecting that).  I loved this movie and I highly recommend it!

Note:  Thanks for recommending it, Larry!