Godzilla Minus One director Takashi Yamazaki looks back on how Roland Emmerich’s Godzilla was received in Japan upon release in 1998. Released by Toho, Yamazaki’s 2023 movie saw a disgraced World War II pilot encounter the titular creature for a second time when Godzilla makes his way towards post-war Japan. It has earned widespread global acclaim. Emmerich’s 1998 movie instead reimagined Godzilla as a product of French nuclear testing who sets out on a path of destruction in New York City, leaving a US scientist to stop the crisis.
As Godzilla Minus One continues its record-breaking success, Yamazaki opened up to Hoichoi’s Movie Life about the kaiju franchise’s reputation in the late 1990s, specifically highlighting the 1998 US adaptation’s Japanese debut. While Godzilla was widely panned, Yamazaki admitted that the movie failed to make any notable impact in Japan for reasons beyond its quality. Check out Yamazaki’s full explanation below:
“Emmerich’s Godzilla did not have much impact on the Japanese market. Godzilla in Japan had already fallen into the sunset by that time. At one point, it was even shown alongside Hamtaro. It had been in decline for years.”
The Mid ’90s Was A Period Of Change For Toho’s Godzilla
Before the release of Emmerich’s movie, the last Japanese Godzilla released by Toho was Godzilla vs. Destoroyah in 1995, which closed the Heisei era of the franchise. It involved a story where the kaiju is caught between a potentially apocalyptic nuclear incident and terrifying new mutated creatures. The movie concluded the eight-film saga with Godzilla’s death, leaving his status as King of the Monsters to his child. The next Godzilla feature would launch a new era and a different approach to its continuity.
Kicking off Toho’s Millennium era, the Godzilla series shifted its focus away from a long-running story arc for an all-new rebooted continuity, with the majority of the era’s movies being standalone tales. This began with 1999’s Godzilla 2000, which arrived in the year following Emmerich’s movie. While Godzilla vs. Destroyah was a critical and financial hit, Godzilla 2000 had a mixed reception, which would not spell doom for the Millennium era, but didn’t start things off on a promising note.
Looking back at the status of Toho’s Godzilla franchise during the time of the 1998 movie’s release, it is clear that the franchise was in the midst of a transitional period following an eight-film saga’s conclusion. As such, it is understandable why Yamazaki states the series lacked an impact between 1995 and 1999, as audiences had yet to be invested in the monster’s next journey. While Godzilla was widely rejected by both US audiences and key creatives at Toho, the director’s surprising comments paint a better picture of the creature’s evolution in Japan.
Godzilla Minus One
Godzilla Minus One is the first Godzilla film released by Toho since 2016’s Shin Godzilla. Minus One is a reimagining of the original 1954 Godzilla and takes the franchise back to its roots by exploring the harsh life of post-war Japan. The story follows Koichi Shikishima, a failed kamikaze pilot, who struggles with survivor guilt as a giant monster attacks the city.
- Release Date
- December 1, 2023
- Director
- Takashi Yamazaki
- Cast
- Ryûnosuke Kamiki , Minami Hamabe , Yûki Yamada , Munetaka Aoki , Hidetaka Yoshioka , Sakura Andō , Kuranosuke Sasaki
- Runtime
- 125 Minutes
- Writers
- Takashi Yamazaki
- Studio(s)
- Toho Studios , Robot
- Distributor(s)
- Toho Studios
- Franchise(s)
- Godzilla
