First of all, yes I really enjoyed watching this movie.
Second, yes it is probably the best Godzilla movie since the original from 1954.
Third, no it isn't a masterpiece.
The story itself is pretty straight-forward and easy to understand. A kamikaze pilot at the end of WWII is unable to kill himself for his country and lands on an island pretending to have some technical issues. The mechanics on the island aren't really buying it, but it doesn't really matter. Godzilla comes on the island and an unfortunate series of events leads all the mechanics except one to die. Now, with the shame of not dying for his country is added the shame of letting mechanics die. Our pilot comes home in Japan after the war. He is still haunted by his two recent mistakes. He finds himself a friend (girl) who carries a young girl with her. They form a small family. Our young pilot finds a job as a minesweeper. Things seem to be getting better, but our pilot still hasn't recovered from the shame. Meanwhile, Godzilla has mutated and is on its way to destroy Japan. What follows is classic Godzilla. He shows up, destroys a bunch of things, people die and he goes back in the water. Now, Japan has a massive threat, but they can't really do anything, because their army and navy don't exist anymore. So they think of plan, execute it, it doesn't go as planned and carnage ensues. They find a way to fight it and win. Simple stuff really.
But that's not where the movie shines. The characters are far more interesting than the story itself. Our pilot feels guilty for cheating death many times, while the people around him died. He feels like he was meant to die. So, when the time comes, he is ready to do whatever it takes to help his country, even die if it is necessary.
This strong sense of guilt is common for many survivors of wars or traumatic events. The movie plays with this idea and creates a strong character with a strong motivation. But our pilot isn't alone in this conflict. The whole nation is ashamed of their loss in the war, but also the way they treated lives during this war. Soldiers were killed without a second thought and so many died at the end of an unwinnable war. The Japanese army officials recognize this mistake on their part, and whish to correct it by not letting anyone die uselessly against a giant lizard. This is interesting to me, because our pilot symbolizes an entire nation: ashamed, but alive. As he slowly rebuilds his life, so is Japan rebuilding itself. He is also uncertain of his future, so he doesn't want to get too close to the people around him. The army is also quite interesting, because they recognize their mistakes and want to correct them. A lot of people don't want to help an army that mistreated them during the war, so they don't participate in the effort to kill Godzilla. Fair enough... Once again, this is certainly what a lot of people had in mind after the war ended. Godzilla acts as a way to reunite a divided and broken country. From this new threat, they will learn from their mistakes and go forward. This time, the movie doesn't want to make Godzilla a symbol of the destruction caused by Little Boy and Fat Man. Instead, it makes him a problem that needs to be solved with logic and science, not with violence and death. It may seem a bit cheesy, but I really liked this semi-historical interpretation of Godzilla. Godzilla is war, and we must learn from it.
Other than that, the movie is still pretty good, but flawed. The shots are lit with light that doesn't always match the surroundings, so the characters often feel too lit for where they are.
Also, some of the shots feel weird. Instead of having a nice storyboard that makes every shot important, the movie prefers to make the camera move uselessly and to make shots short for no good reason. It has the undesired effect of making me want to throw a chair at the editor. It absolutely hate it when shots are too short for no goddamn reason. It doesn't make the movie feel energetic or fast-paced, it just bothers me and takes me out of the film.
Another thing that bothers me is the music. The classic Godzilla theme song is amazing and used well in this film, so I'm not complaining about that. Instead, I am annoyed by the subtle music playing in the background of dramatic scenes. Sometimes, during a conversation with two characters, emotional music will randomly start playing. The scenes in question were just fine without the music, so that music only makes these scenes feel cheap and melodramatic for no reason.
Actually, the music isn't the only thing that makes this movie feel too melodramatic. The performances often feel exaggerated, so it doesn't always work with the more serious tone of the movie.
To finish on positive note, I would like to mention the incredible CGI (for a movie of this budget) and the absolutely amazing sound. The world feels alive and every sound that the boats, guns and explosions make is pure bliss. But of course, nothing comes close to the original roar from Godzilla. That roar is brutal and scary. It really helps to sell Godzilla as a serious threat and sounds AMAZING every time you hear it.
In conclusion, Godzilla -1.0 is a really solid film, but not perfect.
Second, yes it is probably the best Godzilla movie since the original from 1954.
Third, no it isn't a masterpiece.
The story itself is pretty straight-forward and easy to understand. A kamikaze pilot at the end of WWII is unable to kill himself for his country and lands on an island pretending to have some technical issues. The mechanics on the island aren't really buying it, but it doesn't really matter. Godzilla comes on the island and an unfortunate series of events leads all the mechanics except one to die. Now, with the shame of not dying for his country is added the shame of letting mechanics die. Our pilot comes home in Japan after the war. He is still haunted by his two recent mistakes. He finds himself a friend (girl) who carries a young girl with her. They form a small family. Our young pilot finds a job as a minesweeper. Things seem to be getting better, but our pilot still hasn't recovered from the shame. Meanwhile, Godzilla has mutated and is on its way to destroy Japan. What follows is classic Godzilla. He shows up, destroys a bunch of things, people die and he goes back in the water. Now, Japan has a massive threat, but they can't really do anything, because their army and navy don't exist anymore. So they think of plan, execute it, it doesn't go as planned and carnage ensues. They find a way to fight it and win. Simple stuff really.
But that's not where the movie shines. The characters are far more interesting than the story itself. Our pilot feels guilty for cheating death many times, while the people around him died. He feels like he was meant to die. So, when the time comes, he is ready to do whatever it takes to help his country, even die if it is necessary.
This strong sense of guilt is common for many survivors of wars or traumatic events. The movie plays with this idea and creates a strong character with a strong motivation. But our pilot isn't alone in this conflict. The whole nation is ashamed of their loss in the war, but also the way they treated lives during this war. Soldiers were killed without a second thought and so many died at the end of an unwinnable war. The Japanese army officials recognize this mistake on their part, and whish to correct it by not letting anyone die uselessly against a giant lizard. This is interesting to me, because our pilot symbolizes an entire nation: ashamed, but alive. As he slowly rebuilds his life, so is Japan rebuilding itself. He is also uncertain of his future, so he doesn't want to get too close to the people around him. The army is also quite interesting, because they recognize their mistakes and want to correct them. A lot of people don't want to help an army that mistreated them during the war, so they don't participate in the effort to kill Godzilla. Fair enough... Once again, this is certainly what a lot of people had in mind after the war ended. Godzilla acts as a way to reunite a divided and broken country. From this new threat, they will learn from their mistakes and go forward. This time, the movie doesn't want to make Godzilla a symbol of the destruction caused by Little Boy and Fat Man. Instead, it makes him a problem that needs to be solved with logic and science, not with violence and death. It may seem a bit cheesy, but I really liked this semi-historical interpretation of Godzilla. Godzilla is war, and we must learn from it.
Other than that, the movie is still pretty good, but flawed. The shots are lit with light that doesn't always match the surroundings, so the characters often feel too lit for where they are.
Also, some of the shots feel weird. Instead of having a nice storyboard that makes every shot important, the movie prefers to make the camera move uselessly and to make shots short for no good reason. It has the undesired effect of making me want to throw a chair at the editor. It absolutely hate it when shots are too short for no goddamn reason. It doesn't make the movie feel energetic or fast-paced, it just bothers me and takes me out of the film.
Another thing that bothers me is the music. The classic Godzilla theme song is amazing and used well in this film, so I'm not complaining about that. Instead, I am annoyed by the subtle music playing in the background of dramatic scenes. Sometimes, during a conversation with two characters, emotional music will randomly start playing. The scenes in question were just fine without the music, so that music only makes these scenes feel cheap and melodramatic for no reason.
Actually, the music isn't the only thing that makes this movie feel too melodramatic. The performances often feel exaggerated, so it doesn't always work with the more serious tone of the movie.
To finish on positive note, I would like to mention the incredible CGI (for a movie of this budget) and the absolutely amazing sound. The world feels alive and every sound that the boats, guns and explosions make is pure bliss. But of course, nothing comes close to the original roar from Godzilla. That roar is brutal and scary. It really helps to sell Godzilla as a serious threat and sounds AMAZING every time you hear it.
In conclusion, Godzilla -1.0 is a really solid film, but not perfect.