New Sci-Fi Blockbuster Gets 100% On Rotten Tomatoes

Reviews from various media outlets have nothing but praise for Godzilla Minus One. Variety says it “delivers everything you could want from a monster movie.” IGN calls it “a rousing, spectacle-filled blockbuster.” Screen International hails the movie for using the titular beast as “a metaphor for Japan’s postwar anxiety and grief.”

Godzilla Minus One is a Japanese kaiju film written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. The story is set in the aftermath of World War II, depicting a Japan ravaged by the war’s devastating consequences.

The monster’s return adds to the country’s plight, making it challenging to resist the renewed rule of the King of the Monsters. As such, the film depicts an existence of unprecedented despair.

Produced by Toho Studios and Robot, Godzilla Minus One features a talented cast, including Ryunosuke Kamiki as former kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima and Minami Hamabe as his partner Noriko Oishi.

Yuki Yamada stars as Shiro Mizushima, with Munetaka Aoki as Sosaku Tachibana, Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda, Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ota, and Kuranosuke Sasaki as Yoji Akitsu.

Principal photography for Godzilla Minus One took place on location in the Kanto and Chubu in March 2022. The movie wrapped in June that same year.

The maritime sequences were recorded at Lake Hamana and in the Enshu Sea. From April to June 2022, several local businesses close to the Tenryu River collaborated with the crew to adapt boats for filming navy scenes in Enshu.

Okaya, Nagano also served as a notable site for shooting Godzilla Minus One. The overall production was executed with a projected budget of US$15 million.

That represents less than 10 percent of the financial resources allocated to the preceding installment in the franchise, 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong, produced by the American film company Legendary.

Godzilla, also known as Gojira in Japan, is a giant, prehistoric monster that first appeared in the 1954 Japanese film Godzilla, directed by Ishiro Honda. As depicted in Godzilla Minus One, the character was created as a metaphor for the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Various creatures, including dinosaurs and marine reptiles, inspired Godzilla’s design and characteristics.

Much like Godzilla Minus One, the original Godzilla film depicted the monster as a force of nature, awakened and empowered by nuclear testing.

The success of the original film spawned a long-running series of Godzilla films, often referred to as the “Showa” era (1954-1975), the “Heisei” era (1984-1995), and the “Millennium” era (1999-2004).

Godzilla’s character evolved over time, sometimes portrayed as a destructive force, other times as a defender of Earth against other monstrous threats. The character has also appeared in crossover films with other iconic monsters, such as Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah.

The franchise expanded beyond movies into various forms of media, including television shows, comics, video games, and merchandise.

In addition to the Japanese films, Hollywood has also produced the movies, including the 1998 film Godzilla and the more recent MonsterVerse series, which began with the 2014 film Godzilla.

It also includes titles like 2017’s Kong: Skull Island and 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong. However, none of these movies earned a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score like Godzilla Minus One.