Since Godzilla’s first cinematic appearance in 1954, the monster has served as an apt metaphor for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. The iconic creature was created to represent the Japanese people’s worst fears and anxieties surrounding nuclear weaponry and the destruction that comes with it. Godzilla Minus One, an entirely Japanese production, returns to that nearly 70-year-old concept and presents international audiences with a proper man-vs.-monster narrative very similar to the original.

Set in post-war Japan over the span of two years, Godzilla Minus One follows a disgraced kamikaze pilot who runs away from his military duties and fails to shoot Godzilla when ordered to. From then on, he repeatedly relives that encounter in his nightmares, haunted by the monster and ashamed that he survived when others perished. The only thing that keeps him going is a woman and a child, both of whom he takes in shortly after returning to a bombed Tokyo. Together, the man and woman form a family and slowly start to fall in love, helping each other rebuild along the way. At least until Godzilla resurfaces to wreak havoc.

The rest of the film forces the protagonist, who represents Japan in the aftermath of World War II, to confront his primal fear of the creature as well as his PTSD and survivor’s guilt.

Now, I haven’t seen the other 36 films in the franchise (both Japanese and American entries) nor the newly released Apple TV+ series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, so I can’t speak to their quality. However, Godzilla Minus One excels in its portrayal of human drama, even when Godzilla isn’t on-screen. Although the incredible visual effects are a unique selling point, the story really shines when the characters must confront their own vulnerability in the face of a national crisis. At times their dialogue is as compelling as the action. Their conversations make you care about them; you don’t want to see them die. The hero, for instance, is deeply flawed yet relatable as he wrestles with the existential threat terrorizing his homeland and musters the strength to face his inner demons before ultimately redeeming himself.

I wholeheartedly agree with Philip Klein’s assessment that Godzilla Minus One is both a great monster movie and a great movie, but I’d like to take it one step further. It might just be one of the best films of 2023 — more entertaining than this summer’s Barbenheimer double feature, for sure.

Even more noteworthy, it’s a foreign-language blockbuster that gives the American film industry a run for its money. The movie has a reported production budget of $15 million (which I didn’t even think was possible for an action blockbuster of this size, let alone a Godzilla movie), and it has already surpassed its break-even point by bringing in just over $40 million at the worldwide box office in the week since it has been out.

While its box-office total so far might not sound like a lot when stacked up against the global opening weekends of Barbie’s $356 million or Oppenheimer’s $174 million, Godzilla Minus One will certainly make a profit because the filmmaking creatives behind it were economical with their limited resources. With a fraction of the budget of most Hollywood movies these days, this film is visually stunning and looks way better than all the $250–$300 million superhero outings this year.

The latest Godzilla adventure is a heartfelt remake that gives audiences everything they want from a modern blockbuster — entertaining action, satisfying character development, and a great story. In short, Minus One is 100 percent worth seeing in a theater near you.