Godzilla Minus One Takes Place In Postwar Japan, Technically Making Oppenheimer A Godzilla Prequel
It's a good day to be a fan of gigantic kaiju monsters that double as metaphors for the dangers of atomic power because we've finally gotten our first look at "Godzilla Minus One," the latest film in the sprawling franchise of Godzilla movies. Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki ("Lupin III: The First," "The Eternal Zero"), "Godzilla Minus One" is the 37th film in the "Godzilla" franchise and the 33rd "Godzilla" film produced by Toho. This is the first Japanese-produced Godzilla film since 2016's "Shin Godzilla," a movie that rules unquestionably hard. Oh, and here's your reminder that this Godzilla film will have no connection to the current American MonsterVerse featuring the likes of Godzilla, King Kong, and other assorted kaiju from Legendary.
Instead, "Godzilla Minus One" is set in post-war Japan following the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. Godzilla has always served as a metaphor for those horrific tragedies, so this feels like a full-circle bit of storytelling. It also, in the wildest bit of cinematic coincidences imaginable, means that Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" can now be viewed as a technical prequel to "Godzilla Minus One." After all, it was J. Robert Oppenheimer's bomb that was dropped in Japan, thereby also making him responsible for causing the nuclear waste that would birth Godzilla.
All jokes aside, "Godzilla Minus One" looks and sounds like an absolute killer of a Godzilla movie and one that reclaims the vital, real-life Japanese history that is often whitewashed by the American-made films. The new trailer is just a short teaser, but even in under a minute, there's already plenty to be excited about.
Check out Godzilla Minus One trailer here
"Set in a post-war Japan, 'Godzilla Minus One' will once again show us a Godzilla that is a terrifying and overwhelming force, which you already get a sense of from the teaser trailer and poster," said Koji Ueda, President of Toho International, in a statement. "The concept is that Japan, which had already been devastated by the war, faces a new threat with Godzilla, bringing the country into the 'minus.'"
Lest we forget, the effects of the atomic bombings killed somewhere between 90,000 and 146,000 people in Hiroshima and 60,000 and 80,000 people in Nagasaki, and that's not counting the injuries or mass-disabling event of the nuclear fallout. Japan is in a devastating spot, so to throw Godzilla into the mix is just adding King of the Monsters insult to injury. As awesome as it is to see Godzilla crush buildings and shoot out atomic breath, this has all the makings to be an all-time great (and important) entry in the Godzilla franchise.
The teaser trailer only shows a brief glimpse of the monster going through a busy city, but the final shot shows Godzilla screeching and attacking a train. The animation looks really fantastic and indicates we'll be getting some quality Godzilla expressions. He looks more than just cool, he looks legitimately terrifying, which is exactly how he should be.
The film is scheduled to be theatrically released in Japan on November 3, 2023, to commemorate the franchise's 69th anniversary, and on December 1, 2023, in the United States. If you're looking to catch up on the franchise, Pluto TV recently introduced a 24/7 Godzilla Channel for the summer, including many of the Toho films that aren't available on other platforms. The MonsterVerse films are available on Max, and Adam Wingard's "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" is due out sometime in 2024.