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I am curious where they are going with that. Potential sequel or just felt the need for a final frame gotcha?
I did enjoy the absolute MINIMUM surgical dressing they use. Just some white gauze and a cloth sling. They really really made great use of simple sets. Masterclass in shoestring set design.
SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Apparently this has been doing much better than expected and has filled a bit of a vaccun in the theatrical release schedule, so the run is being extended indefinitely and expanded to more theaters. If you couldn't find it near you before, check again.
It's officially the highest grossing live action Japanese film of all time, beating out the dog/kitten mass murder documentary Milo and Otis. It's also on track to gross more in American than in Japan, which is very unexpected.
Shin was nakedly political, the whole thing was a pointed critique of Japanese bureaucracy, and their bungling of the Fukushima disaster.
Minus One is less political, or at least less concerned with present day politics, but it's still allegorical. But I think Godzilla is meant to represent Japan's collective war trauma, moreso even than WMD or nuclear weapons.
It's officially the highest grossing live action Japanese film of all time, beating out the dog/kitten mass murder documentary Milo and Otis. It's also on track to gross more in American than in Japan, which is very unexpected.
It was political enough that they had to heavily censor that message out of the film in order to make it palatable to the American audience. The world may have caught up to the politics of the movie over the next seven decades, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a political statement at the time.
Shin was nakedly political, the whole thing was a pointed critique of Japanese bureaucracy, and their bungling of the Fukushima disaster.
Minus One is less political, or at least less concerned with present day politics, but it's still allegorical. But I think Godzilla is meant to represent Japan's collective war trauma, moreso even than WMD or nuclear weapons.
pel1300
Member
I've never heard this, I've only heard people liken it to an allegory of post WWII Japan. I don't think that would be propping it up as something it isn't.
Labolas
Member
^Mostly twitter weirdoes.
I meant Minus One.
Unknown Soldier
Member
‘Godzilla Minus One’ Is Now Top Grossing Live-Action Japanese Film In North America After Stomping-Good Opening
Godzilla Minus One, now at $14.36 million at the box office, has stomped into a record — it’s now the highest grossing live-action Japanese film in North America. This follows an openin…
deadline.com
They are adding screens in North America too, so hopefully people who wanted to see it but couldn't will be giving it legs in it's second weekend.
No greater condemnation of the state of American cinema exists.
The Sum of Zero
Member
squeakywheel
Member
Just came back from the theatre, damn. LOVED IT! I hope more people believe the hype and go watch it. Way better than any Marvel movie since Avengers End Game imo. Can't believe they were able to make this for $15 million. Did the VFX folks volunteer their time and computers or something? I saw Sqare Enix in the credits, I wonder what part they played.
FullMetalx117
Member
Just watched last night and loved it! A heavy CGI movie with an actual good plot…a rarity in this day in age! I think it’s the best Godzilla movie ever, better than all the recent ones. There are some parts in the movies that a typical viewer might find cringe, but as someone who watched a lot of anime I thought it was nice Japanese charm that sets the movie apart.
I watched it in imax and do have some complaints. Watched it on a screen that flawlessly played Oppenheimer 70mm but this movie did not even take up the full screen edge to edge (there were black bars all around). Not the movies fault, it’s prob the theatre. I wanted to watch this on the largest screen, but the black bars were annoying enough (especially the ones on the side!) that maybe a regular screen would’ve been fine. Looking forward to watching at home setup
I watched it in imax and do have some complaints. Watched it on a screen that flawlessly played Oppenheimer 70mm but this movie did not even take up the full screen edge to edge (there were black bars all around). Not the movies fault, it’s prob the theatre. I wanted to watch this on the largest screen, but the black bars were annoying enough (especially the ones on the side!) that maybe a regular screen would’ve been fine. Looking forward to watching at home setup
Roll Fizzlebeef
Member
Was lucky enough that the expanding release had it showing nearby.
i think this is at the top of my list as a favorite Godzilla movie. Absolutely incredible film.
i think this is at the top of my list as a favorite Godzilla movie. Absolutely incredible film.
SkylineRKR
Member
Best movie I've seen this year, fight me. And yes I do have to speak about its budget. Like 18 million ish. MCU should be fucking ashamed lol.
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SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Apparently closer to $13 million according to the director. It's apples and oranges though, labor costs for VFX are vastly different there and American films have backend deals and the like factored in to their budgets.
SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Looks like this is coming very close to replicating it's opening week performance. If you remove the Wednesday and Thursday previews from last Friday's numbers, it's shaping up to be a less than 10% drop. And probably about even in terms of ticket sales (just less IMAX because of screens going to The Boy and the Heron)
A lot of analysts were predicting a 50-70% drop for this because it's a foreign film and a genre film, but it seems to have really strong legs.
A lot of analysts were predicting a 50-70% drop for this because it's a foreign film and a genre film, but it seems to have really strong legs.
While it's nice to see it having a good showing, I'm not sure I would extrapolate its second week performance to the typical high screen count front loaded Hollywood production. If 'Zilla had 3500 screens opening week and 100 mill BO it would have a large drop as well because the total audience for this kind of stuff is fairly limited. That's why the 15mill budget is so critical, the ROI is gonna be MASSIVE because they recognized the niche audience and budgeted accordingly. Another 150 mill in SFX and marketing likely wouldn't boost the BO much
Unknown Soldier
Member
It's getting some crazy word of mouth, it has a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's more than doubled it's number of screens being played on between weeks 1 and 2.
I wouldn't be surprised if Toho International decides to just let it keep playing indefinitely in North America. Hard to believe it was originally scheduled to run for just 1 week on around 1,000 screens. It's clear that Toho was trying to be conservative and didn't really know how the movie would play to American audiences, especially without an English dub in a country which is not accustomed to reading subtitles. This has to be a wild runaway success in their eyes and hopefully they have already talked with Takashi Yamazaki about making the sequel.
SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
It went from 2300 screens to 2500. Not really double. But still expanding and already wide release.
I actually don't think they were that worried about the dub or they would have done one. They had a dub for Shin Godzilla which was a very limited release. But they made a choice based on what was best for this film, which is a lot more dramatic in tone and it seems to have paid off when you look at reviews.
I think it's a surprise to a lot of the industry analysts too. This is a movie that was, before its release, tracking to a 7-8 million run total. It's now at $25 million after 10 days and could easily leg out to $40-50 million if it can stay in theaters through the rest of December.
Toho doesn't really make movies with the American market in mind. So for one of their movies to make more in the US than in Japan is quite the plot twist.
Interestingly this is not doing as well in Japan as Shin Godzilla did. Shin was a massive hit in Japan, so that's not a huge indictment or anything, but I am surprised given that Minus One just seems like the more "mass market" film.
Pejo
Member
Finally saw the film tonight. Legitimately my favorite movie I saw in the theaters in 2023. Ironically, the one it knocked down a peg was Suzune, another JP subtitled movie, but animated. It's incredibly how much mileage you can get out of classic themes, earnest and likeable characters, and a simple but effective story. Nothing in the film struck any new ground, but it was just so nice to see characters living in the moment instead of laughing at danger in the face while eating a McDonald™ McDouble™ and making quips about "UGH, men".
Usually I hate the human storylines in monster movies, but this time I was invested in both sides of the plot. Really well done and I hope it continues gaining praise and viewers.
Unrelated, but man Hollywood has sunk so damn far.
Usually I hate the human storylines in monster movies, but this time I was invested in both sides of the plot. Really well done and I hope it continues gaining praise and viewers.
Unrelated, but man Hollywood has sunk so damn far.
Porcile
Member
Saw it the other week. Not a big action or superhero fan so I have little to compare it to but I do watch a lot of Japanese movies and TV. Maybe a few story beats went over my head because my Japanese isn't 100% perfect but I thought it was terrible. What did people like about the story and writing? I felt like it was just typical Japanese TV drama trash with typically bad TV-level Japanese acting. CG of Gojira was good but the rest looked pretty bad except for a few cool shots of the destroyed Tokyo. Really surprised this is getting such a positive response.
pel1300
Member
Finally, the very first negative impression I've seen so far and I browse a lot of forums.
Before this, the worst impressions I read were basically "I thought it was good, but nowhere near the masterpiece people are making it out to be"
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Big Baller
Al Pachinko, Konami President
Porcile
Member
Minami Hamabe alone makes it moty
If this wasn't a Japanese movie then people would be tearing this movie to shreds. There is absolutely no way the acting and that ending scene get a free pass in any other film.
pel1300
Member
How do you explain Japanese audiences liking the movie? And Hideo Kojima, who prefers Western style entertainment over Japanese, loved the movie.
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Hang on, ALL Japanese people don't act like this????
/s
Of course it is stylized and overly dramatic, but that feels like a honage to the older films, but also tied to a fairly compelling post war survival story.
But yeah, this is being graded on a curve. For a GODZILLA film it's pretty damn great, but I'm not comparing it to Die Hard or something. As a monster film though, it sets a nice high bar
/s
Of course it is stylized and overly dramatic, but that feels like a honage to the older films, but also tied to a fairly compelling post war survival story.
But yeah, this is being graded on a curve. For a GODZILLA film it's pretty damn great, but I'm not comparing it to Die Hard or something. As a monster film though, it sets a nice high bar
Majmun
Member
I watched this yesterday and I'm SHOCKED at the reviews. Did I watch the same movie as the rest?
The only good parts were the ones with Godzilla in it. The effects were nice. The scenes with the family and crew were atrocious. The acting is so fuking bad. The kid was cringe and annoying, too. Her timed crying for dramatic effect was cheap and cringe.
And what's up with the loud acting and stupid faces that end up with a gaping mouth? This only looks and sound good in anime. Horrible movie.
The only good parts were the ones with Godzilla in it. The effects were nice. The scenes with the family and crew were atrocious. The acting is so fuking bad. The kid was cringe and annoying, too. Her timed crying for dramatic effect was cheap and cringe.
And what's up with the loud acting and stupid faces that end up with a gaping mouth? This only looks and sound good in anime. Horrible movie.
SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
I would say it's my favorite action film since Fury Road. Like that film, it's a genre movie in a classic mold that just sticks the landing in the execution so well that even people who don't normally like this sort of thing take notice.
I would put it in that league with movies like Jurassic Park or Dark Knight or Terminator 2, as just a perfect popcorn flick that nails what it sets to do, a movie I could easily watch multiple times and have fun every time.
It isn't like wildly original or anything, and it isn't some haunting drama, it's not gonna win best picture. But if the goal was to make the 100th movie about a big radioactive lizard that steps on Tokyo, they did just about the best job I could imagine.
pel1300
Member
So Godzilla Minus One is considered a big hit at the box office, but I checked Shin Godzilla and that movie made over 75 million in Japan...that's 3X the amount of Minus One.
I wonder...was Shin Godzilla much better received in Japan compared to Minus One? The reception to Minus One in the US is much more positive than I remember for Shin in 2016/2017.
I wonder...was Shin Godzilla much better received in Japan compared to Minus One? The reception to Minus One in the US is much more positive than I remember for Shin in 2016/2017.
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Shouta
Member
Well, there's the difference in Yen to USD rates from now compared to back then but Shin just straight up sold more tickets over time according to the data. So yeah, it did better in the same timeframe. It's probably a combination of the things like it being pre-pandemic, inflation and yen value going down not hitting yet, as well as how much more recent the subject of that film was. As someone that lived in Japan and Fukushima during the Tohoku Earthquake, Shin Godzilla hits different when you witnessed the government's incompetency first hand.
That said, I think Minus One is more appealing to Western audiences anyway. It's very character-focused where a lot of Japanese films tend to be focused around the situation, IMO.
SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Minus One released just a few weeks earlier in Japan, so it's still running and making money. Comparing the amount Minus One has made in 4 weeks to the amount Shin made over 14 weeks is not exactly fair.
That said, Shin did make more by week 4 than Minus One in Japan; around 45 million to Minus One's $26 million.
But even that is misleading, because the exchange rate for the Yen has fallen about 25% since 2016. If we express the totals as JPY, Minus One is tracking maybe 25% behind Shin.
Another thing to remember is that Shin released in July when a lot more people go to movies, compared to the generally slower colder months. So it's a little bit expected.
So like I said, I think Minus One is performing a lot closer to Shin than it might look like using current USD figures, BUT Shin was MUCH better received in Japan than the US for some pretty obvious reasons.
In Japan the reviews for Minus One and Shin from both critics and fans are very close, and both are considered excellent films.
Shin is steeped in Japanese politics and satirizing the government's response to Fukushima, one of its leads is an American portrayed by an actress who can in no way speak fluent English... It's an extremely Japanese film that has some barriers for the US audience.
They're both pretty much S-tier successes as far as Toho would be concerned.
I kinda put big monster films into their own category, like I do with James Bond films. So I'm grading Minus One with King Kong, other Godzilla flicks, and stuff like Pacific Rim and Cloverfield. In that arena Minus One stands very tall. But if I were to watch it again I'm very likely to skip to the monster bits and jump over the family drama and all the hair pulling about getting one specific mechanic back to do this OMG TIME SENSITIVE GODZILLA MIGHT SHOW UP AT ANY TIME task of hotwiring a plane. I appreciate the visual look Minus One has to recapture that rubber suit stomping on train models (not sure if that WAS model work or what) but the connective tissue, while miles better than the typical monster film, isn't likely to draw me in as much on repeat viewing.
Overall I think 2023 was a pretty shit year for films, not taking away from the film directly, but it doesn't have a lot of competition IMHO. Maybe Rebel Moon or Aquaman will change my mind but seems unlikely. M:I 8 was great but overly complex narratively between stunts, Oppenheimer was a one and done for me, and The Flash ultimately didn't do enough with Keaton. I think the DnD movie was still the most entertaining cinema experience I've had this year with Minus One right behind it.
Represent.
Banned
what was with that ending, don tknow much about godzilla lore,
movie was great - loved it as did my date who doesnt give a shit about action movies.
the kamehameha blasts out his mouth were fucking epic
what was on her neck?
movie was great - loved it as did my date who doesnt give a shit about action movies.
the kamehameha blasts out his mouth were fucking epic
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I think the theory is that
she got infected or contaminated with a bit of godzilla tissue and thus presumably shares some link to it now
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Pejo
Member
I assumed that they used it both as a potential setup for a sequel and a way to explain how she just had a minor head injury and broken arm after getting blown away into all sorts of dangerous debris by a nuclear blast, via Godzilla-type regeneration. But now she's "infected" or maybe just evolved a bit?
Unknown Soldier
Member
The current theory is that they are Godzilla Cells™ and she is infected, there's no other way she could have survived literally being caught in a nuclear explosion. (Technically Koichi shouldn't have survived either, either the heat or the shockwave or the radiation poisoning should have killed him too, but it's like that infamous scene in Independence Day where the dog survives by jumping right before an explosion shockwave passes by again.) The way the camera zooms in on her neck and the black spot starts pulsing and then the shot immediately cuts to the Godzilla Fragment™ starting to regenerate in the ocean supports this theory.
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Unknown Soldier
Member
It's a bit weird to realize that this movie is kind of like Takashi Yamazaki's magnum opus, many elements in G-1 are referential or derived from films he previously made.
This is not his first movie to involve the story of a kamikaze pilot. The Eternal Zero, based on a manga of the same name, also features a kamikaze pilot who ultimately decides to carry out his mission. G-1 actually subverts the message of Yamazaki's previous film: in The Eternal Zero, the pilot goes through with it because he wished to save the people of Japan, but in G-1, the pilot refuses to carry his mission out because he understands the war is already lost and his sacrifice would be pointless and not help the people of Japan even a tiny bit.
In terms of the J-drama/K-drama style of the human story, it's very similar to Always: Sunset on Third Street which is also based on a manga and which is a period drama set in, you guessed it, post-war Japan. Although Sunset on Third Street occurs more than a decade later than G-1, after Japan was already rebuilt from the war, it's still a period piece and much like G-1 represents a much different Japan from the modern era of the country. I've watched enough K-drama in my life that I didn't find the human story arc to be particularly noteworthy, it's your average K-drama styled melodrama and that's pretty much it.
Some people have complained about how the actors were very hammy and really overacted like it was an anime, so you shouldn't be surprised that Yamazaki also directed multiple live action adaptations of previous animes including Parasyte, Lupin III, Space Battleship Yamamoto, and even a movie for Dragon Quest. So yeah, there's a lot of anime influences in G-1 and it's not hard to see why. Again, the whole thing felt like your average K-drama and I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't know how Americans who've never watched TV dramas from the East would react to it but so far critical reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
This is not his first movie to involve the story of a kamikaze pilot. The Eternal Zero, based on a manga of the same name, also features a kamikaze pilot who ultimately decides to carry out his mission. G-1 actually subverts the message of Yamazaki's previous film: in The Eternal Zero, the pilot goes through with it because he wished to save the people of Japan, but in G-1, the pilot refuses to carry his mission out because he understands the war is already lost and his sacrifice would be pointless and not help the people of Japan even a tiny bit.
In terms of the J-drama/K-drama style of the human story, it's very similar to Always: Sunset on Third Street which is also based on a manga and which is a period drama set in, you guessed it, post-war Japan. Although Sunset on Third Street occurs more than a decade later than G-1, after Japan was already rebuilt from the war, it's still a period piece and much like G-1 represents a much different Japan from the modern era of the country. I've watched enough K-drama in my life that I didn't find the human story arc to be particularly noteworthy, it's your average K-drama styled melodrama and that's pretty much it.
Some people have complained about how the actors were very hammy and really overacted like it was an anime, so you shouldn't be surprised that Yamazaki also directed multiple live action adaptations of previous animes including Parasyte, Lupin III, Space Battleship Yamamoto, and even a movie for Dragon Quest. So yeah, there's a lot of anime influences in G-1 and it's not hard to see why. Again, the whole thing felt like your average K-drama and I didn't think it was a big deal. I didn't know how Americans who've never watched TV dramas from the East would react to it but so far critical reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.
pel1300
Member
Lol. I immediately thought of that independence Day seen as I was watching it. It totally took me out of the movie. I thought it was so silly
0neAnd0nly
Member
I’m going to see it again, next week since it was extended again.
Really a must experience in theater film, for any hold outs here that haven’t seen it. Go!
Really a must experience in theater film, for any hold outs here that haven’t seen it. Go!
MaestroMike
Gold Member
saw it again a couple days ago with my brother wonder when its coming to streaming services probably going to purchase the shin godzilla movie since I never caught it its $5 on the apple store right now
SF Kosmo
Al Jazeera Special Reporter
Shin is also on Crunchyroll I think.
Alcibiades
Member
Did a a rewatch on 4DX and it blew me away yet again. The effects were great and perfectly balanced. Subtle when needed, and almost uncomfortablely rough during the couple of scenes during Godzilla's attacks.
The flashing lights, swaying, rumble, wind, etc... everything was perfect. It's by far the best 4DX experience and I've seen about a couple dozen movies that way.
The flashing lights, swaying, rumble, wind, etc... everything was perfect. It's by far the best 4DX experience and I've seen about a couple dozen movies that way.
Pejo
Member
Man I wish there was a 4DX theater playing this near me. That sounds legitimately amazing. I bet the laser nukes were really something. Just regular ass Dolby Atmos was already pretty thrilling for those moments.
Unknown Soldier
Member
I saw it at one of the IMAX theaters in California and the sound was literally shaking my chest when Godzilla was smashing stuff. The sound design of G-1 is incredible, easily matching up with the soundtrack of 10x bigger budgeted KOTM 2019 in terms of Godzilla being very loud. And if it's been awhile since you've watched KOTM 2019, that's inarguably one of the loudest movies ever made, the soundtrack is absolutely thunderous in that one when the kaijus are fighting.
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Dr.Morris79
Gold Member
Holy shit, that was good! Thoroughly enjoyed that!
I'd easily watch that again
That sound too!
Fucking awsome.
I'd easily watch that again
That sound too!
Fucking awsome.
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