Godzilla Minus One (DVD)

"Godzilla Minus One," (Japanese: Gojira -1.0), is a 2023 Japanese epic kaiju film written and directed with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki, Produced by Tōhō Studios and Robot Communications and distributed by Tōhō; Tōhō's 33rd Godzilla film, and the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise; set after World War II in 1947 post-war Japan, where the "zero" represents the 'ground zero' description of the devastation from the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and "minus one" represents Godzilla's 1947 arrival, worsening the situation in the aftermath of the nuclear fallout, devastation, (said elsewhere, the "Minus One" symbolizes Japan's lowest point after World War II as the emergence of Godzilla worsens the country's already dire state, taking it below zero), and the social impact of the war, still heavily focused on rebuilding and re-establishing order; filmed on location in the Chūbu (in the Aichi and Nagano prefectures) and Kantō regions of Honshu.Starring:Kamiki Ryūnosuke 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, a former Navy Air Service mechanic;Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda, a former Naval weapons engineer;Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ōta, Shikishima's neighbor;Kuranosuke Sasaki as Seiji Akitsu, captain of the Shinsei Maru;Sae Nagatani as Akiko, Ōishi and Shikishima's adopted daughter;Miou Tanaka as Tatsuo Hotta, captain of the Yukikaze (Snowy Wind) Kagerō-class destroyer in service with the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II;Īda Kisuke as Akio Itagaki, a Tōyō Balloon employee.In 1945, near the end of World War II, a huge semiaquatic creature known only by the people of Odo Island, Godzilla emerged from the ocean and attacked an Imperial Japanese airbase on the island during the closing days of World War II, killing all personnel except for Koichi Shikishima and Sōsaku Tachibana. In July 1946, Godzilla was caught in the blast of a nuclear weapons test conducted by the U.S. military at Bikini Atoll as part of 'Operation Crossroads,' causing him to grow substantially in size and power. Over the next year, Godzilla attacked American vessels in the Pacific as he made his way toward Japan."Godzilla Minus One" premiered at the Shinjuku Tōhō Building on October 18, 2023, and was released in Japan on November 3, to celebrate the franchise's 70th anniversary. The franchise's 70th anniversary falls on November 3, 2024. However, "Godzilla Minus One" was released one year prior due to Tōhō's contract with Legendary Entertainment that forbids them from releasing their Godzilla films in the same year as Legendary's MonsterVerse films. Tōhō International later released the film in North America on December 1. Many Western critics praised it as one of the best films of 2023 and among the greatest in the Godzilla franchise. Takashi Yamazaki’s "Godzilla Minus One" has become the first entry in the venerable 70-year-old Godzilla franchise to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards ceremony on March 10, 2024, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.In most versions of Godzilla's history, Godzilla is a prehistoric amphibious reptilian transitional lifeform between a marine and a terrestrial reptile; an ancient species of dinosaur called the “Godzillasaurus”, from the Permian Period 298.9 million years ago, that survived extinction when a nuclear bomb test mutated him into Godzilla: Godzilla is capable of enhanced cellular regeneration, which according to Yamazaki has allowed him to "survive from ancient times." The cellular regenerative abilities that Godzilla has in "Godzilla Minus One" may have allowed him to survive from the beginning of time. During the Permian-Triassic extinction event, also known as the Great Dying, the most severe mass extinction in Earth's history, 251.9 million years ago, marking the end of the Permian period and the beginning of the Triassic period, Godzilla is present at the impact site of an enormous meteorite, which wiped out 90% of all life. Godzilla and other Titans enter hibernation for millions of years, only waking occasionally throughout history by regenerating his damaged areas, until 'Operation Crossroads,' a pair of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946, accelerated his regeneration and revived him. Although Godzilla is destroyed in the 2023 "Godzilla Minus One", a final shot in the film shows Godzilla's corpse faintly glowing, indicating that he has begun to regenerate; his dorsal fins show a visual representation of that charging. This explains how Godzilla appears in the 1954 "Godzilla" movie after the 1954 "Castle Bravo" nuclear test.It is evident that each version of Godzilla has a unique backstory regarding its origin. However, there is no definitive canon for its incarnations. Some sources suggest that there have been multiple generations of Godzilla, while others propose the idea of a single Godzilla with the ability to regenerate. This concept is supported by films such as Shin 2016 "Godzilla", where it is revealed that Godzilla can regenerate its body, and again in the 2023 "Godzilla Minus One". Therefore, it is possible that after each defeat, Godzilla simply regenerates into a new incarnation. This idea is not far-fetched, for even Doctor Who has the ability to regenerate. Additionally, the fact that lizards can regrow their tails suggests that Godzilla may be immortal, especially considering his numerous film appearances.Even though the Godzilla in "Godzilla Minus One" is a 'bad guy', he is wreaking havoc only because atomic bomb testing is disturbing the sanctity of Earth. It is a defense mechanism. This film is very different from other Godzilla films. In this feature film, we see a beautiful humanity among casualty of war survivors living in desolation; a heartrending depiction of courage and sacrifice, the building up of one another, in hope and new beginnings. As awesome as Godzilla is, this film is more about people, their trials and tribulations. The story is brilliant and the performances are captivating and Oscar worthy. The production is a masterpiece; it will touch your heart, mind, and soul. It should have won more Academy Awards than just Best Visual Effects.If you are interested, there is "The Record of Godzilla Minus One Book," a Japanese Edition, Godzilla Store Exclusive – Japanese Text Only, a 400 page hardcover novelization documenting the art and making of the film, authored by Takashi Yamazaki, Issued by: Toho Co., Ltd. Rights Division, Edited by: Toho Stella Co., Ltd., published by Shūeisha Orange Bunko on Wednesday, November 8,2024; the novel includes content not seen in the movie, giving further details and insight into the events depicted in the film.There is also a Download for a Free 'Godzilla Minus One Companion Booklet,' an exclusive from theTM & © TOHO CO., LTD., "Godzilla Official Website:"The free 23-page PDF comes packed with interviews, anecdotes, and stories from director, writer, and visual effects supervisor, Takashi Yamazaki – plus the film's production crew – translated into English from their original Japanese. With its extensive look behind-the-scenes, it's the perfect companion for your next Godzilla Minus One rewatch."

This movie blew me away the first time I watched it. It is about Japanese survivors in the aftermath of World War II trying to make a life for themselves. A failed kamikaze pilot with PTSD returns home to the ruins of his neighborhood in Tokyo. He meets a young woman with a baby. They move in together and form a household (found family?). He gets a job on a boat which is clearing sea mines from around Japan, of which there are thousands.Everyone's lives are complicated by our favorite giant, atomic-breath wielding lizard.The special effects were very well done and godzilla looks great. But to me the best part of the movie are the humans and their stories.

So much better than the loud, chaotic, mindless American-made Godzilla movies of the past decade or so. This one was every bit the equal of those movies visually (in fact, it was a lot better, since it didn't use CGI as an excuse to do any damn thing it felt like no matter how nonsensical, such as having King Kong float around inside the middle of the earth while carrying some kind of trident or whatever the hell that was supposed to be), while at the same time it was thoughtful, beautifully filmed, restrained, and emotionally resonant. Best Godzilla film of all time, in my opinion.

I originally saw Godzilla Minus One in the theater, which of course is always the best way. We liked it so much. We went back the next night. I went several more times. I guess I saw the movie about six times in theaters. I wasn't happy with the streaming version, but I'm VERY satisfied with the Blu-ray. It's excellent! There's another disc with extras included that I've only watched part of. A lot of the terrific backstory is on the second disc. Sometimes Toho makes their own Godzilla movies, other times they license it to American Studios. I usually prefer the Toho versions made in Japan. This movie is a Toho version made in Japan. (Trivia, when they license Godzilla, Godzilla is not allowed to eat anyone. He might step on you, but he won't eat you!)Regarding the English language version. When I saw the movie in a movie theater, it was in Japanese with English subtitles. Wasn't a problem at all. It's quite easy to keep up with the dialogue. I enjoy hearing the original actors voices and expressions. So when I received this Blu-ray, I set it to English and I was thoroughly impressed with the English dubbing. It's about the best I've ever seen/ heard. Don't confuse it with those older Godzilla movies from the 1960s. (Although I like those as well.)As best I can tell, there is no differences in the movie itself between the English and Japanese versions. People who are familiar with the 1954 Godzilla know that the English and Japanese versions were edited differently. This is not the case with Godzilla Minus One.So what makes Godzilla Minus One so special? As others have written, it is a different type of Godzilla movie. In short, it's an anti-war movie, it's a love story, it's about regular people struggling against a very powerful adversary. The movie accurately depicts the utter devastation that Japan endured during World War II. You can see how the people in Japan suffered terribly because of the very bad decisions made by a handful of Japanese leaders. Don't misunderstand the above, there is PLENTY of Godzilla being a major nuisance. Visually, he's unbelievable. You're going to get plenty of Godzilla in this movie, but the parts of the movie that do not have Godzilla in it you will enjoy equally as well. I promise.Another interesting aspect about Godzilla Minus One is how even the minor characters are interesting and well done.I also enjoyed the cultural differences between Japan and the United States. You will notice this in the relationship between the young man and the young woman who always be behaved "appropriately". The movie also features a charming little girl played by a couple of different actresses. In the United States, it's quite common for studios to use twins with very small children.I have every Godzilla movie ever made on disc. My favorites are 1954 Godzilla, the English version which is called Godzilla, King of the Monsters, 1962 King Kong versus Godzilla, Godzilla 2000, and yes I actually like Godzilla 1998, which is controversial in the Godzilla fan community.

Loved this movie. Took Godzilla back to the basics but with awesome special effects. Finally a Godzilla movie with a great plot and characters you are interested in.

This is certainly one of the best Godzilla movies ever made. Is mind blowing to consider that it was only made for 15 mil. I recently read that the writer director has been green lit to do another Godzilla film so I can't wait to see that one. Hopefully it is a sequel as I think telling the story of these characters say 10 years beyond the story would be very interesting material.