Godzilla Minus One

Joelist

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
I think everyone here knows I am a big Godzilla fan with strong preference to the Japanese (Toho) films but still okay with the Monsterverse. So when Toho returned to making Gojira films in 2016 with the superb Shin Godzilla I was quite happy. Then, however, there was no follow up for years (because they wanted to avoid too much interference with the Monsterverse) and it began to make one wonder when the next Japanese offering would be. Well, we got it this year with Godzilla Minus One.

So how is it? Pretty darned good I will say!

The story here is pretty straightforward and is a romance of sorts mixed with a character arc for the lead character where he deals with PTSD, feelings of cowardice and other elements., His background is essential - he was a Kamikaze pilot near the end of WW2 who "chickened out". The film is set right after the war more or less. What is interesting is this is a very human story with compelling characters. It is actually a smaller scale story and Godzilla is the backdrop that drives some of its elements. And it works well.

SFX wise this 15 million dollar budget film embarrasses Hollywood films with 15 or more times the budget. It looks SHARP. Watching this will REALLY make you question why on earth the Hollywood films cost so much more.

Minus One and Shin Godzilla are like two pillars showing Toho has become much better at making quality films than Hollywood. They take the same character and tell two distinctly different and quality stories using Godzilla - one is a deeply personal level story and the other a weighty and pointed commentary on the entire system of doing things (ESPECIALLY government) in Japan.
 
Last edited:
Shadow Mann

Shadow Mann

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Joelist said:
I think everyone here knows I am a big Godzilla fan with strong preference to the Japanese (Toho) films but still okay with the Monsterverse. So when Toho returned to making Gojira films in 2016 with the superb Shin Godzilla I was quite happy. Then, however, there was no follow up for years (because they wanted to avoid too much interference with the Monsterverse) and it began to make one wonder when the next Japanese offering would be. Well, we got it this year with Godzilla Minus One.

So how is it? Pretty darned good I will say!

The story here is pretty straightforward and is a romance of sorts mixed with a character arc for the lead character where he deals with PTSD, feelings of cowardice and other elements., His background is essential - he was a Kamikaze pilot near the end of WW2 who "chickened out". The film is set right after the war more or less. What is interesting is this is a very human story with compelling characters. It is actually a smaller scale story and Godzilla is the backdrop that drives some of its elements. And it works well.

SFX wise this 15 million dollar budget film embarrasses Hollywood films with 15 or more times the budget. It looks SHARP. Watching this will REALLY make you question why on earth the Hollywood films cost so much more.

Minus One and Shin Godzilla are like two pillars showing Toho has become much better at making quality films than Hollywood. They take the same character and tell two distinctly different and quality stories using Godzilla - one is a deeply personal level story and the other a weighty and pointed commentary on the entire system of doing things (ESPECIALLY government) in Japan.
Click to expand...
This is an excellent take on the movie. I am going to rewatch it this evening before I respond at length, but it was (to me) in the top five best Gojira movies ever made. It was technically a reboot, no?
 
Joelist

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
Yes, like Shin this is essentially a reboot.
 
Joelist

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
So Godzilla Minus One is at 106 million worldwide versus a production budget of about 15 million and basically no marketing spend. Even given the usual split with the theaters this is hugely profitable for Toho (roughly 53 million back to Toho against that 15 million).

In 2016 Shin Godzilla cost Toho about 12 million and brought in 78 million so in that case it was roughly 39 million back to Toho versus 12 million spent.

What makes this work so well? In my opinion it is quality writing. Shin Godzilla is a quality film that is a sharp commentary on Japanese political culture but done so the point is made without coming across as preachy. Godzilla Minus One is likewise not preachy but is a well written and acted personal story about honor, PTSD and family.

The thread is you can make superb films for smaller budgets with good acting and good writing. Films like these make one question why Hollywood has budgets of 250 million and more (much more) for films that frankly are not that good, which causes films to lose money simply because the box-office they have to do to break even has become insane.
 
Shadow Mann

Shadow Mann

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Joelist said:
So Godzilla Minus One is at 106 million worldwide versus a production budget of about 15 million and basically no marketing spend. Even given the usual split with the theaters this is hugely profitable for Toho (roughly 53 million back to Toho against that 15 million).

In 2016 Shin Godzilla cost Toho about 12 million and brought in 78 million so in that case it was roughly 39 million back to Toho versus 12 million spent.

What makes this work so well? In my opinion it is quality writing. Shin Godzilla is a quality film that is a sharp commentary on Japanese political culture but done so the point is made without coming across as preachy. Godzilla Minus One is likewise not preachy but is a well written and acted personal story about honor, PTSD and family.

The thread is you can make superb films for smaller budgets with good acting and good writing. Films like these make one question why Hollywood has budgets of 250 million and more (much more) for films that frankly are not that good, which causes films to lose money simply because the box-office they have to do to break even has become insane.
Click to expand...
I loved Godzilla Minus One a whole lot. It took me back to the monster Godzilla he was in the original movies. He was truly a MONSTER again. They gave us a new origin story, and although I liked Shin Godzilla a lot, this one edged it out for me. Those numbers are amazing!
 
Joelist

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
This is the “cinematic universe” concept in action. It’s okay but remember that it does not apply to the Toho films (the real thing so to speak). This plotline is only for the Monsterverse.
 
Joelist

Joelist

What ship is this?
Staff member
Godzilla Minus One wins the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. I'm a little surprised because this is a major embarrassment for Hollywood to have a 15 million budget film get acknowledged as having better visuals than films costing over ten times as much.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top