‘Godzilla Minus One’ trailer hints at the kaiju’s return to destructive roots
By Ryan General
The release of the new trailer for “Godzilla Minus One” is hinting at a return to the kaiju’s roots and Japan’s traumatic past.
About the film: Directed and written by Takashi Yamazaki, the highly anticipated Japanese Godzilla film marks Toho Studios’ 33rd entry in the franchise.
The film takes viewers back to the late 1940s during the devastating aftermath of World War II. Toho provided an ominous explanation of the film’s title: “After the war, Japan has been reduced to zero. Godzilla appears and plunges the country into a negative state.”
About the trailer: The film’s trailer, released at a press conference in Japan, paints a bleak picture of a nation already on the brink of total destruction, with haunting scenes of nuclear explosions, fallen soldiers and entire cities destroyed.
The video, which has already been viewed over 3 million times on YouTube, teases Godzilla as an unstoppable force of nature, a symbol of Japan’s helplessness in the face of devastation. It has so far garnered a positive response from viewers, with many praising Toho’s decision to revisit Godzilla’s origins and the prospect of a more terrifying Godzilla, one that harkens back to the monster’s early days.
“It’s nice to see Godzilla treated as a horror monster instead of just an action hero,” one commenter wrote.
“I like how the destruction is shown, from the perspective of humans, being crushed, falling off buildings and getting stepped on, and I’m excited to see how they’ll do the scenes with battleships! I’m unbelievably hyped for this film!” another chimed in.
Release strategy: Toho’s partnership with Legendary Pictures, responsible for the Hollywood “Monsterverse” Godzilla films, prevents the company from launching a live-action Godzilla movie in the same year as Legendary. With Legendary’s “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” set for a 2024 release, Toho aims to captivate audiences this year with a Nov. 1 premiere at the 36th Tokyo International Film Festival, a wider Japanese release on Nov. 3 and a U.S. release on Dec. 1.
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