“Godzilla Minus Zero” returns Japan’s monster in a story framed as an allegory about nuclear war and its human fallout.
The Story
In “Godzilla Minus Zero,” Japan’s most famous monster is back in a new film that delivers its trademark anti-war message, the director said.
Director, writer and head of special effects Takashi Yamazaki said Godzilla is “a metaphor for war and nuclear weapons,” and that portraying it matters even though it destroys a city.
The film, which moves forward in time from 1947 to 1949, has returned some of the same human characters, including pilot Ryunosuke Kamiki and his sweetheart Minami Hamabe, who suffers from a mutative sickness linked to Godzilla’s earlier attack on Tokyo.
The cast also includes Hidetaka Yoshioka as a well-meaning but hapless official trying to save Japan, along with new characters including a Hiroshima bombing survivor portrayed by Min Tanaka.
Yamazaki said the franchise’s appeal comes down to what makes a Godzilla, adding that “as long as it has those spikes on its back,” the story stays true to the original.
The director said the new movie is built to deliver the moment audiences wait for when Godzilla appears with dorsal spikes glowing fluorescent blue, and that the storyline is scripted to get viewers cheering for Godzilla as it fights the golden winged dragon Ghidorah.
The film is the first in the Godzilla franchise shot using IMAX technology, which Yamazaki said helps deliver sound quality and an immersive viewing experience, with the picture framed to emphasize giant-monster scenes.
“Godzilla Minus Zero” topped $31.6 million over its opening weekend in North America, setting a record debut for a foreign-language live-action film there.
Yamazaki also said the movie’s score by Naoki Sato keeps the original Godzilla theme by Akira Ifukube in key scenes, including what he described as the iconic Godzilla scream.
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