Ever since its first cinematic appearance in the 1950s, Godzilla has become quite the recognizable name. Bearing nearly indestructible skin, a blood-curdling wail, and a size that dwarves even the tallest of skyscrapers, its presence can be described by one word in particular: terrifying.
Now the gargantuan Kaiju returns to screens with Godzilla Minus One, a Japanese film directed by Takashi Yamazaki (Lupin III: The First, Stand by Me Doraemon 2) and released by Toho Studios. Like its original predecessor, this December-release movie displays themes of mass destruction and civil panic to deliver a devastatingly poignant postwar commentary. Set in Japan immediately after World War II, this movie has the eponymous monster mutate as a result of American nuclear testing (specifically Operation Crossroads). Want to hear a surprising fact? As of December 14th, 2023, this movie critically beats the original Godzilla, comparing Rotten Tomato scores of 97% to 93%, as well as IMDb scores of 8.5/10 to 7.5/10, respectively. Maybe that doesn’t mean much, since it just came out. But it’s still baffling to think this has, at one time, exceeded its historic source. And we’ll just say this, too: viewers were also more than happy. Here’s what some people had to say about Godzilla Minus One.
Cinema Is Back
Good Comparison
Worldwide
A Return To Form
Absolutely Incredible
That’s How It’s Done
Survivor’s Guilt
A Great Rundown
An Underrated Performance
Pick Your Superlative
