Whether they’re from the US-based Legendary Pictures or Japan’s Toho Studios, Godzilla movies come out with a reliable frequency. The newest Japan-made film starring the giant dinosaur is Godzilla Minus One, the country’s first live-action Godzilla flick since 2016’s Shin Godzilla and the fifth in the Reiwa era that first started with Shin.
Unlike the more modern Shin or the Legendary Monsterverse, Godzilla Minus One is a period piece set during the tail end and immediate aftermath of World War II. After surviving a fateful encounter with the titular monster, kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryonuske Kamiki) returns home to Tokyo wracked with survivor’s guilt, which only worsens as he and his friends keep encountering Godzilla and barely surviving his destruction.
Before hitting the west this past weekend, Minus One released in Japan in early November to celebrate the larger franchise’s 70th anniversary. Both in the States and Japan, critics have really taken a shine to it, praising director/writer Takashi Yamazaki for its effective human drama and what Godzilla is meant to represent, along with the visuals used to bring him to life. Even Godzilla veterans like Shin director Hideaki Anno, Mike Doherty (Godzilla: King of the Monsters) and Godzilla 2014’s Gareth Edwards gave their props to the film in the weeks before the movie’s release.
At the same time Godzilla Minus One is in theaters, Legendary will be releasing a trailer for Kong x Godzilla: The New Empire later today, and we’ve got a new episode of Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. For this week’s Open Channe, let us know some of your favorite Godzilla stories down in the comments below.
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