The time has come: Godzilla Minus One will be released in German cinemas in a week’s time. After more than 60 years of Godzilla history, the monster movie is taking a different path
Between Marvel, DC and other franchises, the giant sometimes almost gets lost. But hardly any other movie hero has been as popular for as long as the atomic giant lizard Godzilla. Despite its disastrous slip-ups. In the USA, he is flattening cities in his own universe and recently even became a US series hero. In his home country of Japan, his popularity remains unbroken.
After leading one of the most radical and best monster films in a long time with Shin Godzilla in 2016, the king of the kaiju returned this year with Godzilla Minus One. He has been ruling the Japanese cinema charts for three weeks and next week he will be tackling the domestic box office. Another German trailer was recently released to mark the occasion
Watch the German trailer for Godzilla Minus One:
Godzilla Minus One has an unusual concept
The trailer shows city ruins that, for once, Godzilla is not responsible for. Minus One is set in the years following the end of the Second World War, when numerous major Japanese cities lie in ruins. This makes the new entry the first prequel in the series, which takes place before Godzilla from 1954. The historical background gives the whole thing a new twist. Japan is on the ground and then a giant lizard appears to follow up.
With this unusual story and some gigantic monster action interludes, Godzilla Minus One received mostly positive reviews. In the Variety review, the film is even celebrated as one of the “highlights of the series”. It follows in big footsteps. The last Japanese Godzilla film, Shin Godzilla, gave the series a ruthless makeover. At the same time, co-director and writer Hideaki Anno struck a successful balance between spectacular orgies of destruction and references to recent Japanese history, especially the aftermath of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake.
His successor in the director’s chair is Takashi Yamazaki and he brings the necessary experience with him. One of his most famous films is the kamikaze story Eternal Zero – Flight of No Return and the main character of Godzilla Minus One is also a former kamikaze pilot who suffers from his behavior during the war.
