Godzilla Minus One: Japan’s Darkest Days Unveiled in New Live-Action Film
Godzilla, the iconic giant monster that emerged from the sea in Ishiro Honda’s 1954 film, has long been regarded as a representation of Japan’s postwar trauma. It’s been interpreted as an allegory for the devastating impact of nuclear weapons, particularly following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or even as a symbol of vengeance and destruction tied to the USA.
In the upcoming live-action Japanese Godzilla movie, “Godzilla Minus One,” produced by Toho and set to be released in U.S. theaters on December 1, this historical connection between Godzilla and Japan’s darkest days takes center stage. The latest trailer for the film makes this link explicit by setting the story in the late 1940s, portraying Godzilla’s attacks on a nation already reeling from its defeat in World War II. Toho explained the film’s title by stating, “After the war, Japan’s economic state has been reduced to zero. Godzilla appears and plunges the country into a negative state.”
The trailer doesn’t shy away from depicting the postwar misery, transitioning from scenes of Godzilla-induced destruction to images of nuclear explosions, the aftermath of battles, emotional confrontations, and characters expressing their guilt and fear of the monster.
While “Shin Godzilla” offered a satirical take on Japanese politics and reimagined Godzilla in the context of the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster, “Godzilla Minus One” seems focused on returning the monster to its original frame of reference and emphasizing its inherent terror.
Directed and written by Takashi Yamazaki, “Godzilla Minus One” marks Toho’s 33rd Godzilla film and the first live-action installment since “Shin Godzilla.” Toho’s agreement with Legendary Pictures, the studio behind the American “Monsterverse” Godzilla films, prevents them from releasing a live-action Godzilla film in the same year as Legendary. Thus, Toho aims to release “Minus One” swiftly in the U.S. in 2023, ahead of Legendary’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” slated for 2024.
For fans seeking even more Godzilla-related content, Apple TV Plus will debut the Monsterverse spinoff series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” in November, promising to expand the Godzilla universe further.
