Godzilla Minus One: where Tokyo real estate gets even worse? (monster movie trailer)
Godzilla is back. For the uninitiated, Godzilla is the apex realtor of Tokyo—every time he shows up, property values plummet, freeing up real estate like no urban planner can. This time he’s appearing in Godzilla Minus One, the 37th installment of the franchise, a number that’s certainly fitting for a creature who’s been both villain and hero, king and outcast, sometimes in the same film.
Directed, written, and visual-effected by Takashi Yamazaki, the movie delves deep into Japan’s post-war economic downfall—except, of course, we aren’t just talking about fiscal recession. Godzilla, the ever-eco-conscious monster, thinks that zero economic activity isn’t low enough. He’d prefer if we’d go negative—just for that extra layer of despair. The name “Godzilla Minus One” is almost a cheeky nod to those who thought 36 Godzilla movies were enough. It implies subtraction, that rare mathematical operation that Hollywood and movie franchises are usually allergic to. Subtract a sequel? Unheard of! But, perhaps, the name is trying to tell us that we’re about to get a Godzilla film like no other—one that’s willing to take away rather than pile on the cliches. The monsters might be larger than life, but the issues they represent are startlingly human and raw.
The cast list reads like a menu for a star-studded human buffet, should Godzilla turn peckish. There’s Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, and others playing characters with such resolutely Japanese names they may as well be walking sake labels. Here’s hoping the characters do more than scream and point to the sky, a common occupational hazard in the Godzilla-verse.
A massive shoutout to visual effects company Shirogumi, which revealed that the effects for the film would be so realistic, you’d think “fear itself is walking toward us.” Given that the CGI Godzilla has to evoke fear while essentially being a collection of pixels and voice-over roars, the challenge is Herculean. It’s like trying to make a soufflé rise in a kid’s Easy-Bake Oven.
In a partnership with the Yomiuri Giants, a 3.6-meter statue of Godzilla will make an appearance during a baseball match against the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. Because nothing says “play ball” like the threat of imminent monster-induced destruction. Godzilla Minus One is gearing up to be not just another franchise film, but a reflection of societal despair, despair so potent it requires an enormous radioactive lizard to properly express its scale. Slated for a November 3rd 2023 release in Japan and December 1st 2023 in the United States, it’s sure to be a film that is “experienced” more than “watched,” to quote Yamazaki.
