Godzilla Minus One is a 2023 Japanese epic kaiju film directed, written, and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki. Produced by Toho Studios and Robot Communications and distributed by Toho, it is the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise, Toho's 33rd Godzilla film, and the fifth film in the franchise's Reiwa era. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Sakura Ando, and Kuranosuke Sasaki. In the film, postwar Japan deals with the emergence of Godzilla.
After the release of his previous film, The Great War of Archimedes (2019), Yamazaki was selected to make a Godzilla film. He subsequently wrote the script over the course of three years, taking influence from the original Godzilla film (1954) and Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah (2001), alongside Jaws (1975), and the filmography of Hayao Miyazaki. Yamazaki had previously depicted Godzilla in Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007) and a 2021 amusement-park ride at Seibu-en. In February 2022, Robot publicized that Yamazaki was soon to begin directing a kaiju film via a casting call on their website. Filming occurred primarily in Kantō and Chūbu from March to June 2022. Shirogumi handled the visual effects at their studio in Chōfu from April 2022 to May 2023.
The film premiered at the Shinjuku Toho Buildingon October 18, 2023, and was the closing film at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1. Toho released it theatrically in Japan on November 3, the same date as the first Godzilla film's release in 1954, to celebrate the franchise's 70th anniversary. The film has grossed $59 million worldwide against an under $15 million budget and received critical acclaim, with many considering it one of the best Godzilla films of all time. American critics praised its visual effects, direction, story, characters, musical score, and social commentary, and compared it favorably to recent Hollywood films. It received four nominations at the 48th Hochi Film Awards, with Yamazaki winning Best Director, and is a finalist for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards.
Plot[]
Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
In 1945, near the end of World War II, kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima feigns technical issues with his plane and lands on Odo Island. Lead mechanic Tachibana implies that Shikishima fled from his duty. That night, a dinosaur-like creature, Godzilla, attacks. Shikishima gets in his plane but cannot bring himself to shoot the monster and is knocked unconscious. He wakes up to learn that Tachibana is the only other survivor, who blames Shikishima for failing to act.
In 1946, Shikishima returns home to find his parents were killed in the bombing of Tokyo. Plagued by survivor's guilt, he works as a minesweeper and begins supporting a woman, Noriko Ōishi, whose parents also died in the bombing, and an orphaned baby, Akiko, whom Noriko rescued.
Later that year, Godzilla is mutated and enlarged by the United States' nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll; it destroys several U.S. warships before heading for Japan. The U.S. refuses help, owing to tensions with the Soviet Union, but General Douglas MacArthur sends decommissioned Imperial Japanese Navy vessels.
In May 1947, Shikishima and his minesweeper crew are tasked with stopping Godzilla's approach to Japan, in reality stalling for time for larger vessels to arrive. They release a mine into Godzilla's mouth and detonate it, doing significant damage, but it quickly regenerates. The heavy cruiser Takao then arrives and engages Godzilla, but is subsequently destroyed when Godzilla unleashes its atomic "heat ray."
After returning to Tokyo, Shikishima tells Noriko about the attack and his earlier encounter with Godzilla. Days later, Godzilla makes landfall in Japan, attacking Ginza, where Noriko works. Noriko narrowly avoids dying and is found by Shikishima. Type 4 Chi-To medium tanks engage Godzilla, but it fires its heat ray which causes a nuclear explosion that obliterates Ginza, killing tens of thousands. Noriko pushes Shikishima into an alley but is caught in the blast herself and presumed dead. Devastated by the loss of Noriko, Shikishima vows revenge against Godzilla.
Godzilla departs, but is expected to return; the government refuses to do more to prevent another attack. One of the minesweeper's crew, former Naval engineer Kenji Noda plans to destroy Godzilla by surrounding it with Freon tanks and rupturing them, lowering the water's buoyancy and sinking it to a depth of 1,500 meters, letting the resultant pressure crush it. Should that plan fail, balloons will be inflated under Godzilla to force it back up to the surface, killing it through explosive decompression. He has recruited private citizens, mostly former Naval members, to enact his plan. Shikishima recruits Tachibana, the mechanic he fought alongside, to repair a broken-down Kyushu J7W Shinden fighter. Shikishima plans to fly into Godzilla's mouth, then detonate an explosive charge inside the plane in an attempt to destroy the monster from the inside. He leaves Akiko in the care of his neighbor Sumiko.
Godzilla resurfaces, and Shikishima draws it into the trap. After Godzilla is tricked into destroying two unmanned destroyers with its heat ray, the two remaining ships get close and wrap it in the buoys. Godzilla is then successfully dragged down to 1,500 meters but survives. The balloons are activated, forcing Godzilla up to 800 meters, but it survives and manages to break free. Two ships try to haul Godzilla to the surface but fail. A fleet of tugboats lend their assistance and Godzilla is brought to the surface. Still alive and enraged, Godzilla prepares to destroy all the ships with its heat ray. Shikishima flies the explosive plane into Godzilla's mouth and remembers Tachibana imploring him to use the ejection seat, to let go of his survivor's guilt and choose to live. The plane explodes, destroying Godzilla's head and causing the energy of its heat ray to tear its body apart. The crew celebrates as Shikishima parachutes down, having chosen to live.
Shikishima receives a telegram and heads to the hospital with Akiko. They are reunited with Noriko, who survived the destruction, but has a black mark creeping up her neck. Meanwhile, a chunk of Godzilla's flesh sinks into the ocean and begins to regenerate.
Spoiler Warning: All spoilers have been stated and have ended here. |
Cast[]
- Ryunosuke Kamiki as Kōichi Shikishima, a former kamikaze pilot
- Minami Hamabe as Noriko Ōishi, Shikishima's girlfriend
- Yuki Yamada as Shirō Mizushima, a young crewman aboard the Shinsei Maru
- Munetaka Aoki as Sōsaku Tachibana, former Navy Air Service technician
- Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda, a former Naval weapons engineer
- Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ōta, Shikishima's neighbor
- Kuranosuke Sasaki as Yōji Akitsu, captain of the Shinsei Maru
- Sae Nagatani as Akiko, Ōishi and Shikishima's adopted daughter
- Miou Tanaka as Tatsuo Hotta, captain of the destroyer Yukikaze
- Yuya Endo as Tadamasa Saitō
- Shota Taniguchi as Taniguchi, an ex-soldier
- Michael Arias as an American operating a Geiger counter
Production[]
Development[]
After the release of Toho's 2016 reboot Shin Godzilla, co-director Shinji Higuchi stated at the American fan convention G-Fest that Toho would not be able to produce another Godzilla film until after 2020; this was due to their contract with Legendary Pictures, who were producing their own Godzilla films, that forbade Toho from releasing their potential Godzilla films in the same year as Legendary's films. In 2018, Toho executive Keiji Ota revealed that Shin Godzilla would not receive a sequel and expressed interest in a potential shared universe Godzilla series akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In 2019, following the release of his film The Great War of Archimedes, renowned filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki was appointed to make a Godzilla film. He began preparing the project and initially spent one year developing the script. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the crew to postpone filming for a few years, leading to the script being rewritten several times over the course of three years.
Godzilla Minus One is Yamazaki's third time working on a production utilizing Godzilla. His first is Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (2007), which features the monster in a dream-like opening. During preproduction on Minus One, he also directed and created the effects for Seibu-en Amusement Park's motion simulator attraction Godzilla the Ride: Giant Monsters Ultimate Battle (2021).
On February 18, 2022, Robot Communications announced the film, with the working title Blockbuster Monster Movie (超大作怪獣映画, Chōtaisaku Kaijū Eiga), via a casting call on their official website. Robot stated Yamazaki would direct and that the film would be presented by Toho. The next day, HuffPost writer Kenji Ando mentioned the conjecture from fans on social media whether the film would be a remake of the 1954 film. Ando also noted that it is a period piece set in postwar Japan between 1945 and 1947, citing Yamazaki's comments from an interview regarding his depiction of Godzilla in Always: Sunset on Third Street 2: "You can't have Godzilla unless it's the Shōwa era."
Toho declared that Yamazaki's unnamed kaiju project is a Godzilla film on November 3, 2022, at an event celebrating the franchise's 68th anniversary known as "Godzilla Day". The company also revealed that the film had completed filming and had entered post-production with a targeted release date of November 3, 2023. Yamazaki was named the film's writer and visual effects supervisor. During a press conference on December 13, 2022, Toho's head of planning Hisashi Usui implied that the new film is connected to the 1954 film. Following the announcement, Yamazaki regaled his pitch and vision for the film: "Postwar Japan has lost everything. The film depicts an existence that gives unprecedented despair. The title Godzilla Minus One was created with this in mind. In order to depict this, the staff and I have worked together to create a setting where Godzilla looks as if "fear" itself is walking toward us, and where despair is piled on top of despair. I think this is the culmination of all the films I have made to date, and one that deserves to be "experienced" rather than "watched" in the theater. I hope you will experience the most terrifying Godzilla in the best possible environment."
Writing[]
Yamazaki said that the worldwide anxiety and government unreliability during the pandemic was one of his major inspirations for the story and that he hopes these events are reflected clearly. Yamazaki later revealed that he was heavily influenced by Shusuke Kaneko's Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) — which he has cited as his favorite Godzilla film—while writing the screenplay for Godzilla Minus One. At its screening, he reflected in a discussion with Kaneko: "I had forgotten the contents of GMK for a while, but it seems like I self-consciously thought about it when writing the scenario for -1.0. Without realizing it, I was under considerable influence".
Yamazaki has stated that Godzilla Minus One was inspired by the original 1954 Godzilla film, Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975), and the filmography of Hayao Miyazaki. Godzilla (2014) director Gareth Edwards identified Spielberg's films Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Jurassic Park (1993), and Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk (2017) as other evident influences on the film.
A novelization of the film written by Yamazaki was published in Japan by Shueisha on November 8, 2023.
Design[]
The design of Godzilla in Minus One is a variation of the one in Godzilla the Ride. Inspired by the Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack design, Yamazaki initially envisioned his design having "half-moon shaped eyes", but modeling head Kosuke Taguchi gave it "almond-shaped" ones instead, with the final design having "golden, almond-shaped eyes".
Yamazaki attempted to make this Godzilla the most horrifying version yet. The crew designed Godzilla to be ferocious, violent, and dynamic, with a static, god-like aspect. Its dorsal fins were made more "spiky and ferocious" than the incarnation in Godzilla the Ride, as if its regenerative energy had become disorderly. Yamazaki stated that the team also tried to make Godzilla the "deadliest in history" adding that it is "discerning today, experiencing the freshness and fear felt by audiences at the time".
Casting[]
Producer Minami Ichikawa offered Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe the leading roles as a married couple in the film prior to them playing similar roles in the NHK drama series Ranman (2023).
Filming[]
Principal photography took place on location in the Kantō and Chūbu (in the Aichi and Nagano prefectures) regions of Honshu, starting on March 17, 2022, and wrapping circa June 11. According to Robot's website, the film would be set between 1945 and 1947, so there would be restrictions on the extras' costume sizes, hairstyles (declaring that long-haired men must have perms), and hair colors (declaring that hair dyeing would not be allowed). The film's maritime sequences were filmed at Lake Hamana and in the Enshū Sea. Between April and June 2022, several community businesses near the Tenryū River helped the crew modify and maintain boats to shoot navy scenes in Enshū. Another shooting location was Okaya, Nagano.
During production, scenes featuring the Kyushu J7W Shinden were partly realized through the construction of a 1:1 scale replica of the aircraft, of which only a single example exists and is located outside Japan in the collection of the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.. Following the completion of shooting, the replica was transported to and put on display at the Tachiarai Peace Memorial Museum in Chikuzen, Fukuoka in July 2022. Toho donated the replica under anonymity, only revealing their involvement in the construction of the model after Minus One released.
The film had a budget under 10% of that held by previous Godzilla film, Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), produced by the American film company Legendary. Multiple sources reported that the film's budget was $15 million, (roughly ¥2.2 billion), however, Yamazaki indicated at the 2023 Tokyo Comic Con that the budget was in fact less than that, saying "I wish it were that much". Beforehand, Yamazaki also denied that the budget was ¥1 billion, claiming that it cost much more.
Visual effects[]
Visual effects were handled by Shirogumi at its studio in Chōfu, under the supervision of Yamazaki and direction of Kiyoko Shibuya. The team began creating the effects for Godzilla Minus One around April 2022, per the TV Shinshu special about Yamazaki that was released the following year. Shirogumi revealed by opening a recruitment call for visual effects designers and compositors in August 2022, that post-production had begun and visual effects were taking place from that same month until January 2023; they later changed the dates to between November 2022 and February 2023. Their website named the 3D animation software Houdini and Maya for design and Nuke for compositing. Post-production concluded in late May 2023, after the visual effects were finished.
During an interview alongside Higuchi, Yamazaki noted that Godzilla's scenes of destruction in Minus One were inspired by Higuchi's effects from Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999), directed by Shusuke Kaneko.
Marketing[]
On June 12, 2023, the film's Twitter account began a daily countdown for all of Toho's live-action Godzilla films, starting with its previous live-action film, Shin Godzilla. On July 11, Toho lifted the embargo on its secret kaiju film project, which was revealed as Godzilla Minus One. The film was announced with a teaser trailer, poster (which was primarily designed by Yamazaki), and the release dates for the United States. Merchandise for the film was unveiled the next day with a full-body shot of Godzilla.
On July 13, Tamashii unveiled its Godzilla toy for its S.H. MonsterArts line; the toy was sculpted by Yuki Sakai under Yamazaki's supervision and based on 3D data from the film. A series of pre-release products and an exhibit promoting the film was at the exhibition "The Visual World-crafting of YAMAZAKI Takashi, Film Director" in Yamazaki's hometown of Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture, from July 15 to October 29. A 2-meter tall Godzilla statue was exhibited at the 2023 Summer Wonder Festival on July 30. At the request of Toho, Hiroaki Fukushi spent roughly one month creating a statue of Godzilla, dubbed "Godzilla Neputa", to promote the film at the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri from August 4 to 8.
Two days after releasing a new teaser, Toho released its official trailer alongside the theatrical release poster, central cast and staff members on September 4. On September 14, 15 shots and a visual of Godzilla from the film were released; ticket sales (via Mubichike Online) and flyers for its November 3 release were released the following day. On September 14, SciFi Japan reported that the film had remained the top trending film on social media sites in Japan and the United States, with the trailer accumulating over 9 million views on YouTube.
During a press conference on September 25, Hamamatsu, the city bordering Lake Hamana (where some scenes in the film were shot), announced that it would promote the film to make the location a tourist attraction by preparing for "location cruising" at the lake in late October. On October 7, behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the film was broadcast on Channel 4 of TV Shinshu, as part of a television special on Yamazaki, which was narrated by Hidetaka Yoshioka. Toho declared on October 16 that Godzilla Minus One would be the first Japanese film screened in the 270-degree panoramic film format ScreenX.
On October 18, Yamazaki and the film's stars attended its red carpet premiere along Godzilla Street in Kabukichō, Shinjuku; the red carpet was 50.1 meters in length, which is the fictitious height of Godzilla in the film. Television stations across Japan began airing a television special on Godzilla Minus One in late October. It features interviews with Yamazaki, Kamiki, and Hamabe, and behind-the-scenes footage. On October 23, Yamazaki, Kamiki, and Hamabe attended the red carpet at the opening of the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival.To promote the film in Japan, soft drink manufacture Cheerio released a new Chūhai drink called the "Godzilla Energy Chu-hi [sic]" on November 6.
Selected screenings[]
On August 24, it was announced that, as a prelude to the release of Godzilla Minus One, Yamazaki had selected "4 Godzilla Works" for screenings in September and October. An accompanying "talk show" took place before each screening, with Shin Godzilla and Shin Ultraman (2022) director Shinji Higuchi serving as the guest for the screening of the original 1954 Godzilla film, and suitmaker Keizō Murase serving as the guest for the screening of Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964). The third and fourth Godzilla films selected by Yamazaki for screenings are Shusuke Kaneko's Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, and a new black-and-white version of Shin Godzilla created by Hideaki Anno, Higuchi and Katsuro Onoue, respectively. Kaneko and Anno were also the guests at the talk shows for their respective films.
Release[]
Godzilla Minus One's red carpet premiere took place on October 18, 2023, at the theater of Toho Cinemas inside the Shinjuku Toho Building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. First responses praised the film as a "masterpiece". It was the closing film at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1, 2023, where it was shown with English subtitles. The film was released nationwide in Japan on November 3, to celebrate the franchise's 70th anniversary. The film was released in 500 theaters nationwide—including in IMAX, Dolby Cinema, 4DX, MX4D, and ScreenX formats—making it one of Toho's largest domestic distributions to date. An English subtitled version was released in selected Japanese theaters on November 23.
'The American red carpet premiere and screening was at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex in Los Angeles on November 10, 2023, with Yamazaki and Kamiki in attendance. It was also screened by Polygon at Santa Ana's Frida Cinema on November 27, the Japan Society in Manhattan on November 28, and in selected large screens throughout the U.S. the next day. Toho's American subsidiary Toho International released the film in over 1,000 theaters throughout North America on December 1, with English subtitles. Since December 15, the film has been extended to 2,600 American theaters.
The film was released in other Western countries on December 1. These countries included Australia and New Zealand (via local distributor Sugoi Co); Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, and Switzerland (via Peppermint Anime); and Benelux, France, Italy, the Nordics, Poland, and Spain. The New Zealand premiere was on November 22, in Queen Street, Auckland. Anime Limited released Godzilla Minus One in the United Kingdom and Ireland on December 15.
Box office[]
Godzilla Minus One debuted at number one at the Japanese box office, grossing ¥1.04 billion($7.8 million) from 648,577 tickets during its first three days. During its opening weekend, the film grossed US$1.2 million from 49 IMAX theaters, making it the largest opening for a live-action Japanese film in the format. The film remained at number one for three consecutive weekends and was overtaken by Tonde Saitama ~Biwako Yori Ai o Komete~ in its fourth weekend. The film has grossed ¥4.15 billion from 2.7 million tickets as of December 10, 2023.
In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, Silent Night, and The Shift, and was projected to gross $11–12 million from 2,308 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $4.7 million on its first day, including $2.1 million from its Wednesday and Thursday previews. It went on to debut to $11 million, finishing in third and breaking the United States opening weekend record for a live-action Japanese film. In North America, it has also become the biggest debut for foreign film in 2023, surpassing Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Swordsmith Village's opening earlier in the year, and the most successful live-action Japanese film of all time.
Per Box Office Mojo and The Numbers, Godzilla Minus One has grossed $29,377,586 in the United States and Canada; $28,655,817 in Japan; $529,336 in Australia; $204,195 in Germany; $160,618 in the Netherlands; $154,198 in Italy; $90,755 in New Zealand; and $50,011in Norway. Thus, the film grossed approximately $59,222,516 worldwide.
Reception[]
Godzilla Minus One received universal critical acclaim. According to The Hollywood Reporter, American film critics have concertedly complimented the film because of Yamazaki's impressive tiny-budgeted visuals, its touching human drama, and the usage of the kaiju metaphor for social commentary. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 98% based on 130 aggregated reviews, with an average score of 8.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "With engaging human stories anchoring the action, Godzilla Minus One is one kaiju movie that remains truly compelling between the scenes of mass destruction." Metacritic assigned the film an average score of 79 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. American audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, and polls by PostTrak gave it a 92% overall positive score, with 83% saying they would definitely recommend the film.
Hideaki Anno, co-director of Shin Godzilla, called the film "well-made" and praised the film's technical prowess, saying that Japan has improved in the field of visual effects. Godzilla (2014) director Gareth Edwards admitted to feeling "jealous", adding that "this is what a Godzilla movie should be" and that the film should be "mentioned as a candidate for the best Godzilla movie of all time". At the film's American premiere, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) director Michael Dougherty told Yamazaki and Kamiki that the film was "amazing". Seth Green said "It's a movie filled with a lot of emotions, and I was very moved by it."
Video game designer Hideo Kojima hailed the film, saying that "Godzilla, the plot, the VFX, Ifukube's music, Ms. Hamabe's appearance, and the applause afterward" were "nothing but pluses", joking that "the result was +120 points, so I would like to change the title". One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda said that the film was "great" and it inspired him to watch other entries in the series afterwards. Manga artist Aka Akasaka called the human drama "wonderful" and admitted that he cried during some scenes. Television producer Nobuyuki Sakuma said that it was "both old and new" and "the power of Godzilla gave me goosebumps many times". Yoshifumi Naoi, the bassist of alternative rock band Bump of Chicken, called it a "truly terrific movie", adding: "in many ways, my body is numb even after watching it". Comedian Shohei Osada watched the film three times, declaring it "too interesting".
American responses[]
Several American media analysts and journalists have noted how the film's critical and commercial success in the United States has outdone recent Hollywood tentpoles, particularly superhero films; and how the film delivered quality visual effects on a budget below $15 million, a low figure compared to Hollywood films. Comscore's senior analyst Paul Dergarabedian attributed the film's success to "outside-of-the-box thinking or movies that have a unique point of view, or not trying to just replicate what was successful before”. He compared the film to similarly successful 2023 films — such as Oppenheimer and Barbie — that also offered fresh and unorthodox experiences. Dergarabedian argued that audiences do not have fatigue to Godzilla or action films but fatigue to "bad movies". Saba Hamedy from NBC News said that the film proved that action films based on recycled characters can still find success.
Sam Williamson from Collider attributed the film's box office success to its low budget. He noted that Japan's labor laws incentivize studios to keep costs low at the expense of the cast and crew. Japanese actor Kanji Furutachi stated that Japan lacks unions for actors and filmmakers, which brings a "low-quality environment with long hours and low wages" and rise to exploitation.
Potential sequel[]
Yamazaki reflected on the film's ending: "I think it's more cinematic if it doesn't end neatly and properly. It's not just so a sequel can be made, it's also so the characters are kept alive in the hearts of the audience." On the film's opening day, Yamazaki had expressed interest in directing another Godzilla film, saying: "I wonder if you'll let me shoot one more picture?".
Additionally, Minami Hamabe indicated in an interview published in Mono Magazine that the film may be the start of an entirely new series of Godzilla films, noting "If there is a next series, I might be the one stepping on and crushing people".