Godzilla Minus One feels like a legitimate love letter to the nearly seventy year old beast from the deep. Writer/Director Takashi Yamazaki knows what a Godzilla fan wants and right from the get go he delivers. Set at the end of the second World War we are introduced to Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamik) a kamikaze pilot unwilling to follow orders and give his life for a lost cause. Wasting no time in bringing Big G in on the action, an attack leaves Shikshima one of the only survivors and tortured by guilt over his inability to fire upon Godzilla. Jumping forward in time Shikshima returns to a derelict home and quickly finds himself in a makeshift family with Noriko Oishi (Minami Hamabe) and a child that she has rescued from the war torn streets of Japan. With the heart of the movie  in place, Shikshima goes to work clearing mines in the ocean, a dangerous job but a well paying one. With his likable crewmates it’s only a matter of time before once again Shikshima must come face to face with Godzilla. One of the most impressive aspects of Godzilla Minus One is the coherency of its set pieces. The demolition of Tokyo is a devastating wonder to behold as the scale and power of the beast is released upon terrified citizens fleeing for their lives. Buildings crash as Godzilla stomps and when he eventually powers up to release his breath of death upon the city you can only sit in awe and wonder how on earth he could be defeated. Its period time setting offers an extra element of danger adding to the hopelessness of the situation. Godzilla Minus One manages to do what recent Godzilla movies have not been able to by bringing up to date one of our favorite monsters, ironic then that this is set in the past. Worth catching on the big screen for the sheer spectacle. Godzilla Minus One is in select theaters across the country now.