Remember that Godzilla movie that made you cry? You will.

Toward the end of World War II, kamikaze pilot Kiochi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) lands on Odo Island for a mechanical problem, but only he and mechanic Sosoku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki) survive an encounter from an ocean god the locals named “Godzilla,” a gargantuan lizard bigger than a Tyrannosaurus rex that really dislikes being shot at. Kiochi returns to his devastated home town following the war, reminded of his cowardice daily by neighbor Sumiko (Sakura Ando). With so few people remaining, he permits a young woman, Noriko (Minami Hamabe), and an infant to stay with him in what’s left of his parent’s home. Finding dangerous but lucrative work removing sea mines with other displaced locals, Kiochi discovers the Sea God of Odo Island has been affected by the atomic testing on Bikini Atoll, appearing larger and more powerful than before. Occupied, war-torn, and disarmed, Japan is already hanging on by a thread, but a living disaster is about to strike a nation with no means to defend itself… and no one is coming to save it.

Following his Japanese introduction in 1954 as the first of over 30 Toho films, there isn’t a film fan alive who doesn’t know the name “Godzilla.” Following a low point in 1998 (sorry, Matthew Broderick), it wasn’t until 2014 that Godzilla appeared in the Monarch storyline films for Legendary that an American production won over fans with their Hero-zilla. To commemorate the big guy’s 70th anniversary, Toho announced Minus One — written and directed by SFX supervisor Takeshi Yamazaki — recasting Godzilla as a force of nature exacerbated by human arrogance. The new film not only hammers home that actions have consequences but tells a human story of existence in a war-torn land with an impossible apocalypse marching toward them. It’s a tall order even for the undisputed King of the Monsters to unleash something new, but with modern moviemaking effects and seven decades of stories in the history books, where will Minus One rank among all the Godzilla movies to date?

The trailer paints a disturbing and dangerous picture of Godzilla, but Kiochi’s story is the lens through which viewers experience the rise of the monster. Questioning duty, blind obedience to government politics, and what it means to be a patriot, the all-too human arc from reluctant suicide pilot ordered to die into a determined fighter by choice is organic, heartbreaking, and cheer-worthy. His fear is as visceral as his regret, unable to fight when he was told to but also unable to let it go of his guilt as a survivor. While the ladies sadly take a back seat to much of this story in a time and place where men are front and center, the actions they’re able to take are salient nonetheless. Everything else is an unholy marriage between Dunkirk and Jaws served up with a side of raw courage, making for an incredible film in addition to being a great Godzilla movie.

On land, this Godzilla appears like something from Jurassic Park by way of Cloverfield through a series of up-close POV shots; his movement only appears smooth as his temper flairs, especially in his irradiated larger form. Since the water is his natural environment, the only chance one has to avoid his piercing gaze is something else unfortunately gaining his attention. His atomic breath retains the popular blue energy glow working its way up from tail to mouth, adding an extruded dorsal fin plate like chevrons on a stargate as it powers up, retracting all at once when unleashed. What’s different is the effect upon whatever that weapon touches; remember the blast from The Iron Giant when it targeted a ship off the coast and thankfully missed? Even more incredible is the reported budget for delivering this blockbuster: $15 million, a tenth of what Legendary spent making Godzilla vs. King Kong.

It’s long been a discussion among fans — no matter how cheesy the man-in-suit effects actually were stomping through model cities in slow motion — what it would be like if Toho employed state-of-the-art VFX in a new Godzilla film? That has now been decidedly answered, and it’s everything one could hope for. In addition to an Apple TV+ “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” series, Legendary has also released a trailer for it’s next film — Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire — but after Minus One, it’s far more interesting to wonder what Toho will do next with their current success.

Godzilla Minus One is rated PG-13 for creature violence, action, and the most human story imaginable about fighting a giant atomic-power lizard.

Four skull recommendation out of four