Godzilla Minus One

7.11.2023

As expected the new Godzilla movie has been announced. After anxiously holding our collective breath this morning at 7 AM, Toho told us to wait until 4 AM tomorrow in Japan (3 PM EST) to see an awesome sight. And the wait was worth it and the new trailer does not disappoint. At seven the new movie Godzilla twitter account posted a countdown through the previous 29 films as it had done in the last several weeks. But it concluded with a countdown from minus 4 to minus 1. And in that we have the title, 「ゴジラ-1.0」 GODZILLA MINUS ZERO!

「明日AM4時 解禁」”4 am tomorrow lifting of the ban”

Godzilla.com announced, GODZILLA MINUS ONE is coming to Theaters This December. “The King of the Monsters is back with a new film announcement from Toho revealing the title and teaser trailer for the next Japanese Godzilla film – GODZILLA MINUS ONE. First announced in November 2022, the film will debut in Japan on November 3, 2023 and in theaters in the U.S. nationwide on December 1, 2023.” So we will get to see Godzilla just a few weeks after its release in Japan. This almost-simultaneous release may be unprecedented in Godzilla movie history. We were not simply given the Japanese trailer but also an English trailer too announcing its 12/1 release in the U.S.

Here is the trailer description translated from Eiga.com: “The stage is Japan, which has lost everything after the war. After the war, Godzilla appeared to add a blow to Japan, which had become nothing (zero), and knocked this country down to negative (minus). In the teaser visual, a wild yet divine new Godzilla is reflected, and the slogan, “Post-war Japan. From zero to minus,” foreshadows an unimaginable crisis…In the special report, the sight of Japan being destroyed by Godzilla after the war, with no sign of recovery, is projected. “Who” and “how” will confront the attack in the most desperate situation in history.”

Takashi Yamazaki’s new Godzilla looks very much like his Godzilla the Ride. Although a new approach was desired by many fans, we anticipated this. The destruction in the trailer is shocking. The destruction of Ginza, the Wako Building and surroundings is breathtaking. The mother reaching out to her running little girl is reminiscent of the little girls hanging their mother as they prepared to be killed by an approaching Godzilla. Godzilla is ferocious and the destruction is like another atomic bomb dropped on the people of Japan. It is rare to see Godzilla destroying Japan during the day. He furls a train like a toy. People are stomped beneath his feet as depicted in the original Godzilla (1954). This is a period piece and seems to strike the perfect tone of a historical drama.

There were many surprises today as well. My Godzilla poster went viral on Twitter. And my photo of the X-Plus Yuji Sakai Gigantic Godzilla 1954 has been used prominently by Godzilla.com.

In the coming days, the fandom will have a lot to say about Godzilla Minus One. These are exciting times to be a Godzilla fan. My first review, Yamazaki’s Godzilla will be the right approach following the release of Shin Godzilla in 2016.