'Godzilla Minus One' review: Prepare to jump out of your seat

By Peter Travers

Happy Birthday, Godzilla! You turn 70 this year and damn, you're looking good. Also bigger, spikier and scarier than ever. A guy in a cheap rubber suit played you in the 1954 "Godzilla" original, rampaging through the cheesy miniature sets representing Tokyo. Now, in "Godzilla Minus One," you're a monument to the wonders of digital. You'll knock everyone's eyes out.

Oscar sure thinks so! Academy voters, impressed with the miracles you performed on a bare-bones budget of $15 million, just nominated you for best visual effects, right up there with sequels to "Mission Impossible" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" that cost 20 times as much.

Don't get me wrong. My affection for the old you will never die. But your 38th appearance on screen, after a series of lesser sequels, prequels, and overstuffed Hollywood copycats, finally has a script with a depth to match your dazzle, not to mention a beating heart.

Toho Co.

This screen grab from the trailer shows a scene from the movie "Godzilla Minus One."

Re-entering theaters this week in glorious black-and-white after a full color run in December, "Godzilla Minus One" calls us back to the monochrome original from Japan's Toho Studios, minus the crude English dubbing. But this time, nuclear radiation has expanded the kaiju (monster) to gargantuan size. And weapons mean nothing since this kaiju can regenerate.

"Godzilla Minus One" refers to a war-decimated Japan sinking below zero on the world power grid with the return of Godzilla taking it down another peg. The PTSD-stricken Japanese seek renewal, but the specter of annihilation is still there, represented by Godzilla. And make no mistake, the new effects have pushed the thrill factor beyond your wildest imaginings. In a salute to the most recent "Mission Impossible," Zilla even chomps down on a commuter train.

Written and directed by the gifted Takashi Yamazaki, who also did the Oscar-saluted visual effects, the new "Godzilla," minus color, cuts deep. Can you remember a Godzilla movie where you cared about the human characters? No way, but you will now.

Start with Kōichi (the excellent Ryunosuke Kamiki), an untested kamikaze pilot who lands on a remote island to repair his plane. Or is he a coward seeking a hiding place? First Kōichi and his mechanic, Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki), must cope with Godzilla's spectacular initial attack. Even then, Kōichi freezes when his duty is to attack the monster or die trying.

After the war, Kōichi -- haunted by survivor's guilt -- seeks civilian work in Tokyo. He also meets Noriko (Minami Hamabe), a selfless young woman who is caring for an adorable orphaned girl, Akiko. Initially, there's no romance, until they become a family unit. Kudos to the film for taking time to show the rough adjustment necessary for a country facing defeat in war.

Toho Co.

This screen grab from the trailer shows a scene from the movie "Godzilla Minus One."

It's only later when Kōichi finds work on a mine-sweeping boat, led by captain Akitsu (Kuranosuke Sasaki) and an appealing crew of war vets, that Godzilla makes his inevitable reappearance. Prepare to jump out of your seat when the kaiju inevitably reawakens.

U.S. nuclear experiments in the area only serve to make Godzilla bigger and badder than ever. A plot to kill the creature for good (I don't think so) involves hot-air balloons, Freon gas, a fleet of tugboats and Kōichi back in pilot gear. No spoilers, but you should know that Godzilla gives as good as it gets. In "Godzilla Minus Zero," a star is reborn.