Godzilla Minus One Gets Strong Response From 2014 Reboot Director

Godzilla Minus One has been praised by the director of the 2014 English-language movie Godzilla. The upcoming movie is the 33rd Japanese-language Godzilla title produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The title stems from the fact that the movie is set in post-World War II Japan when the country was “at zero,” and the arrival of the titular giant monster puts the war-torn nation at a deficit. The movie was written, directed, and had its visual effects supervised by Takashi Yamazaki.

Per ComicBook, Cinema Today recently conducted an interview with Takashi Yamazaki and Godzilla (2014) director Gareth Edwards ahead of the Godzilla Minus One release in Japan (which will be followed by a U.S. release a month later). During the conversation, Edwards was asked what he thought of Yamazaki’s movie and he said “I felt jealous the whole time.” He shared that Godzilla Minus One is “what a Godzilla movie should be.” Read Edwards’ full quote below:

There were a lot of things that I felt were very new for Godzilla, and I felt jealous the whole time I was watching the movie. This is what a Godzilla movie should be. [Godzilla Minus One] must be mentioned as a candidate for the best Godzilla movie of all time.

There is Room for Both the Japanese and American Godzilla

The release of Godzilla Minus One may seem a bit confusing in the wake of Godzilla (2014), which kicked off an English-language franchise known as the MonsterVerse. The MonsterVerse Godzilla has appeared in additional movies, namely Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong, and the upcoming Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Godzilla is also set to appear in the upcoming Apple TV+ MonsterVerse show Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

2014’s Godzilla came out in a lull for live-action Godzilla movies, as no movie in either language had been released since 2004’s Godzilla: Final Wars. However, 2016 saw Japan reintroduce the character to theaters with a reboot titled Shin Godzilla. While the movie might have caused conflict between the two branches of the franchise, it was well received, earning a Certified Fresh 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It was also a financial success, earning $78 million off its $15 million budget, yet doing so without cutting into the MonsterVerse’s growth.

One other benefit to the Japanese Godzilla movies is the fact that the recent live-action installments in the franchise don’t have major linking continuity, if any. This prevents titles like Godzilla Minus One from causing any potential confusion alongside the more complex interlocking continuity of the MonsterVerse. The movie can be approached as an exciting one-off story featuring the iconic monster without the baggage of a wider universe.