Godzilla Minus One challenges as the best film of the storied kaiju franchise. Writer/director Takashi Yamazaki delivers a monster attack masterpiece that transcends the genre with powerfully emotional themes. A psychologically wounded protagonist returns to a devastated Japan after the horrors of World War II. Survivors cling to life in the ruins while trying to make sense of their country's heinous actions. This reckoning of sins unleashes a new terror emboldened by the dawn of the nuclear age. Heroes rise to the occasion in thrilling defiance of seemingly insurmountable odds. They discover an embrace of community that shines a light towards a hopeful future.