| Godzilla Minus One | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Credits | |
| Title: | Godzilla Minus One |
| Director: | Takashi Yamazaki |
| Writers: | Takashi Yamazaki |
| Producers: | Hisashi Usui; Minami Ichikawa; Shûji Abe; Kazuaki Kishida; Gô Abe; Keiichiro Moriya; Kenji Yamada |
| Composer: | Naoki Satô |
| Cinematography: | Kôzô Shibasaki |
| Editors: | Ryûji Miyajima |
| Production | |
| Production company: | Toho Company, Ltd. Robot Communications |
| Distributed by: | Toho Company |
| Released: | November 1st, 2023 |
| Rating: | PG-13 |
| Running time: | 124 min. |
| Country: | Japan |
| Language: | Japanese |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | Shin Godzilla |
| Next: | Untitled Godzilla Sequel |
Godzilla Minus One is a Japanese feature film of the action, giant monster, sci-fi and war genres. It is the thirty-seventh film in the overall Godzilla film series and the thirty-third film produced by Toho Company. It is the fifth film produced during the Reiwa era. The movie was written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. It was produced by Toho Studios and Robot Communications. It premiered at the Tokyo International Film Festival on November 1st, 2023. It opened internationally on December 1st, 2023. The movie stars Ryûnosuke Kamiki as Kôichi Shikishima - a former kamikaze pilot during World War II, who fails to take action when a giant reptilian monster attacks the staff of a mechanical outpost on Odo Island. As Kōichi is the only survivor of the attack, he must now return to post-war mainland Japan where he carries the burden of guilt for his seeming act of cowardice. He attempts to forge a meager life for himself with a woman named Noriko Ōishi and an orphaned baby named Akiko. The Second World War may be over, but Shikishima's war continues onward until he is forced to take action when the monster now known as Godzilla returns, and is many times larger than when Shikishima first encountered him on Odo Island.
Plot[]
Kôichi Shikishima
In 1945, near the end of World War II, kamikaze pilot Kôichi Shikishima lands his Mitsubishi A6M Zero for repairs at the Japanese base on Odo Island. Lead mechanic Sōsaku Tachibana deduces that Shikishima is feigning technical issues to flee from his duty. That night, Godzilla, a large dinosaur-like creature, attacks the garrison. Tachibana tells Shikishima to fire at the monster from his plane, but he panics, fails to shoot, and is knocked unconscious. When he awakes the following day, he finds Tachibana is the only other survivor, who is furious at him for failing to act.
Noriko Ôishi
Shikishima returns home to find his parents were killed in the bombing of Tokyo. Plagued by survivor's guilt, he begins supporting a woman, Noriko Ôishi, whose parents also died in the bombing, and an orphaned baby, Akiko, whom Noriko rescued. He finds employment aboard a minesweeper tasked with disposing of naval mines from World War II. Meanwhile, Godzilla is mutated and empowered by the United States' nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll; it sinks the USS Redfish and destroys several other ships en route to Japan. Owing to tensions with the Soviet Union, the U.S. offers no help save for a few decommissioned Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) vessels approved by General Douglas MacArthur. The Japanese government, concerned about inducing panic, does not notify the public about the danger.
I think we're gonna need a bigger boat.
In May 1947, Shikishima and his minesweeper crew travel to the Ogasawara Islands and are tasked with stalling Godzilla's approach to Japan. They release a mine into Godzilla's mouth and detonate it, causing significant damage, but it quickly regenerates. The heavy cruiser Takao then engages Godzilla, but is destroyed when the monster unleashes its heat ray. After returning to Tokyo, Shikishima opens up to Noriko about his encounters with Godzilla. Days later, Godzilla makes landfall in Japan and attacks Ginza, where Noriko works. She narrowly survives the initial attack and reunites with Shikishima. Enraged by tank fire, Godzilla obliterates much of the district with its heat ray, killing tens of thousands. Noriko pushes Shikishima to safety, but is caught in the blast and presumed dead. Devastated by the loss, Shikishima vows revenge.
Admit it. Kenji Noda's hair deserves an above the title credit.
Former naval engineer Kenji Noda, one of the minesweeper's crew, becomes frustrated by the government's inaction. He devises a plan to destroy Godzilla by luring it out to Sagami Bay before surrounding it with Freon tanks and rupturing them, sinking the monster, and letting the resultant water pressure crush it. Should the plan fail, balloons will be inflated under Godzilla to force it back up, killing it through explosive decompression. To enact his plan, Noda has recruited navy veterans to crew disarmed IJN destroyers. Shikishima recruits Tachibana to repair a broken-down Kyushu J7W Shinden fighter. He plans to kill Godzilla in a suicide attack by flying into its mouth and detonating explosive charges on board. He leaves Akiko in the care of his neighbor Sumiko before Godzilla resurfaces.
Nom Noms!
As Shikishima lures Godzilla to the trap set by two destroyers, Sumiko receives a telegram intended for Shikishima. Godzilla survives the initial plunge and then breaks free before being forced back up, sustaining serious injuries from the resultant decompression-induced barotrauma. With the help of a fleet of tugboats organized by Mizushima, another crewmate from the minesweeper, the ships haul Godzilla to the surface. Enraged, Godzilla prepares to destroy all the vessels with its heat ray, but Shikishima crashes the plane into Godzilla's mouth and destroys its head, causing the energy of the heat ray to tear its body apart. The crew celebrates as Shikishima ejects before the explosion and parachutes to safety, using an ejection seat that Tachibana installed in the Shinden, imploring him to let go of his guilt and continue living.
"Is your war finally over?"
Upon returning home, Sumiko gives Shikishima the telegram. He brings Akiko with him to the hospital where he finds Noriko, injured and suffering from an unknown type of radiation sickness, but alive, having survived the attack on Ginza. She asks him if his war is finally over, to which he nods in reply as he breaks down from joy and embraces her, revealing a marking on her neck in the shape of Godzilla’s dorsal plates. Meanwhile, a piece of Godzilla’s flesh is seen sinking to the bottom of the ocean, convulsing and expanding as it begins to regenerate.
Cast[]
Note: This database is only listing the first 25 cast members. See this film's entry on Godzilla Minus One for the full cast.
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Minami Hamabe | Noriko Oishi |
| Ryûnosuke Kamiki | Koichi Shikishima |
| Sakura Andô | Sumiko Ôta |
| Munetaka Aoki | Sôsaku Tachibana |
| Yûki Yamada | Shiro Mizushima |
| Hidetaka Yoshioka | Kenji Noda |
| Kuranosuke Sasaki | Seiji Akitsu |
| Miou Tanaka | Captain Tatsuo Hotta |
| Yûya Endô | Tadamasa Saitô |
| Kenji Mizhuhashi | Unknown |
| Sae Nagatani | Akiko |
| Saori | Voice |
| Orio Nakamura | Unknown |
| Seiji Okuda | Unknown |
| Makoto Araki | Unknown |
| Kisuke Lida | Akio Itagaki |
| Eisuke Shinoi | Voice |
| Yoshiyo Naka | Voice |
| Ryô Ônishi | Unknown |
| Ippei Sasaki | Unknown |
| Shôhei Abe | Tachibana's assistant |
| Tetsu Hirahara | Unknown |
| Yuki Takao | Unknown |
| Sugisaki Schumpeter | Unknown |
| Kodai Yamamoto | Unknown |
Notes[]
General Notes[]
- The Japanese title for this film is ''Gojira Mainsasu Wan (ゴジラ-1.0), which redirects to this page. The title has also been stylized as Godzilla -1.0, which also redirects to this page.
- The tagline for this film is "Postwar Japan. From zero to minus", which is translated in Japanese as "Sengo, Nihon. Zero kara mainasue".
- There are a total of ninety-eight credited cast members in this film, including voice work actors.
- In terms of release order, Godzilla Minus One came out seven years after Toho's previous Godzilla project, Shin Godzilla and two years after the Legendary Pictures film Godzilla vs. Kong.
- Godzilla Minus One won the Oscar for the category of Best Achievement in Visual Effects at the 2024 Academy Awards ceremony. This is the first time that a Godzilla movie has ever been nominated for and won an Oscar. Yes... a GODZILLA movie won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Let that sink in for a second.
- Odo Island is taken from the original Gojira and is the island where the monster made his first appearance, which is similar to this film.
Production & Release[]
- Principal filming on Godzilla Minus One began on March 13th, 2022. Filming concluded on June 20th, 2022. The movie was shot on-location in Tokyo, Japan. [1]
- Godzilla Minus One grossed $11,419,975 during its domestic opening. It earned $57,144,669 over its entire domestic run, netting 50.3% of total revenue. It earned another %56,531,653 internationally, making up 49.7% of grosses for a total worldwide box office of $113,676,322 for its entire theatrical run. [2]
- Godzilla Minus One came in at number 2 at the U.S. box office with screenings in 2,308 theaters during its December 1st international premiere. It was beat out by Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, which was screened in 2,539 theaters and earned $11,619,984. Godzilla beat out Animal, which came in at #4, The Shift, which came in at #6 and Silent Night, which came in at #9. [3] The movie made a significantly more impressive US box office showing over its predecessor, Shin Godzilla, which had a much more limited theatrical release, showing in only 490 movie theaters and earning $478,463 during its premiere on October 11th, 2016. It came in at #10 at the box office. [4]
- Godzilla Minus One was re-released theatrically as Godzilla -1.0/C in black and white for a one-week special engagement beginning on January 26th, 2024.
- In commemoration of the 70th Anniversary of Godzilla, Godzilla Minus One was re-released to theaters on November 1st, 2024 with an additional thirteen minutes of extra footage incorporated back into the film.
- Godzilla Minus One was released as a two disc Blu-ray set by Toho on November 19th, 2024. [5] The film was also released as a 4K Ultra HD two-disc set. [6] All releases come with English subtitles.
- Godzilla Minus One was also released on Blu-ray and Ultra HD as a Deluxe Japan Collector's Edition exclusive through the Godzilla Store.
Review Ratings[]
- On the Internet Movie Database, Godzilla Minus One has a Starmeter score of 7.7 out of 10 based on 169,000 user votes, measuring out to 29.5% of the total voting pool in the US market. 26,000 people gave the movie a perfect score of 10, which makes up 15.1% of the overall tally. 1,600 lunatics gave the movie a score of 1, making up 0.9% of the overall score.
- On Metacritic, Godzilla Minus One has a Metascore of 81 based on 34 posted critic reviews, earning universal acclaim. 33 reviewers gave the movie a positive rating, making up 97% of the overall score, while 1 reviewer gave it mixed reviews, totaling 3% of the overall rating. Nobody gave the film a negative review. The movie has a User Score of 8.6 out of 10 based on 542 user ratings. 489 users gave the movie a positive review, making up 90% of the voting total with 15 people giving it a negative review at 3% of the total. 7% of users gave the movie mixed reviews, equaling 38 ratings.
- On Letterboxd, Godzilla Minus One has a weighted average score of 4.07 based on 703,957 user ratings.
- On The Movie Database (TMDB), Godzilla Minus One has a user score of 76% based on 2,611 ratings.
- On the movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Godzilla Minus One has a certified "fresh" Tomatometer score of 99% based on 207 posted critic reviews. It has a perfect score of 100% based on 34 Top Critic reviews. It has 204 positive reviews with 3 negative reviews, averaging 8.50 out of 10. The film has a Popcornmeter score of 95% based on more than 10,000 user ratings, averaging 4.7 out of 5. [7]
Trivia[]
- Godzilla Minus One opened worldwide on the same day that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters episode "Parallels and Interiors" premiered on Apple TV+.
Recommendations[]
See also[]
Media
The World of Godzilla
Godzilla miscellaneous
External Links[]
- Godzilla Minus One at IMDB
- Godzilla Minus One at Trakt TV
- Godzilla Minus One at Wikipedia
- Godzilla Minus One at Metacritic
- Godzilla Minus One at Box Office Mojo
- Godzilla Minus One at Letterboxd.com
- Godzilla Minus One at Themoviedb.org
- Godzilla Minus One at the Godzilla Wiki
Gallery[]
Film Posters[]
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Screenshots[]
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References[]
- ↑ IMDB; Godzilla Minus One (2023); Filming dates. Filming locations.
- ↑ Box Office Mojo; Godzilla Minus One (2023). Title Summary. All Releases.
- ↑ Box Office Mojo; Domestic Box Office for Dec 1, 2023.
- ↑ Box Office Mojo; Domestic Box Office for Oct 11, 2016.
- ↑ Blu-ray.com; Godzilla Minus One Blu-ray. Toho, 2024.
- ↑ Blu-ray.com; Godzilla Minus One 4K Blu-ray; 4K Ultra HD. Toho, 2024.
- ↑ Rotten Tomatoes; Godzilla Minus One. Tomatometer (Top Critics/All Critics). Popcornmeter (Verified Audience/All Audience).
 This article relates to the films within the Godzilla franchise. This template will categorize articles that include it into the Godzilla Films category. |