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They also re-released the movie in black and white in Japan and limited in the U.S. . It took another 3 months to do as it is not as simple to remove the color. Shading and shadows needed reworked. This special edition is called Godzilla: Minus One: Minus Color. As others will say, watch the original..it also has an impactful story.
Hey natalie you should start watching other godzilla movies and make a reaction the American godzilla movies are better than minus one I am sure you will love it
Whenever plot armor is invoked, I can't help to think that the reason why the story is compelling is that the main character survives extraordinary circumstances. Otherwise, you're just one of the extras.
never understood the realing against plot armor. sure some movies its over the top. but like, we'd never have a movie ever if characters actually just died to anything thrown at them. people survive horrific shit all the time. look at all the stories of peopel hitting IED's and all but 1 dies. shit happens and in many movies it's their skill that makes them survive and its kinda the whole point.
@@Micah_4D right like, people talk about John Wick plot armor, which he definitely has some. but like, the entire series is about him being better than everyone else to the point they are scared of him and call him the boogeyman. if he had the same situation as the other assassins, well it would be a short movie. but even scenes where he falls from high up and stuff, they have shown that they specifically do the math to where he falls from survivable heights and all this and that.
they spent 13 million. how many movies out lately that look like garbage and cost 100's of millions. Hollywood is a money laundering scheme, no one can tell me otherwise.
The black moving mark on her neck signifies that she was infected by Godzilla’s regenerative cells, which explains how she regenerated and survived. If you watch a lot of Godzilla movies and know a bit about past movies and Godzilla lore, you might be a bit concerned about her future and what that means for her, and indeed for mankind. So in many ways it’s a subversive happy ending.
Yeah, I feel like a lot of people are gonna have a bad taste in their mouth about this ending if they end up taking the G cells to their logical conclusion in the next film. Itll be interesting to see what direction they go with it, Godzilla has a fun way of setting up heel turns for beloved characters
@@Chilipotamus You mean IF they make a direct sequel to this. Godzilla continuity is kind of hit and miss. I have no doubt that there will be more Godzilla films, but are they going to be a direct continuation of this film's version of Godzilla, or will they simply be new movies that Godzilla is in?
What I love most about this movie is, you can take Godzilla out of it and you still have a gripping drama of survivor guilt, PTSD, people trying to rebuild a life after tragedy and trying to move on. Then you add Godzilla and it's the whipped cream and cherry on top.
Its funny. alot of people seem to be commenting this exact same thing on a lot of other reactor channels XD Do you guys actually form your own opinions or do you just go around parroting whatever it is you read or heard someone say? XD
@@sugarbomb1346 The human perspective of Godzilla movies have always been criticized as being the weakest part of the movies. This movie completely nailed that aspect, so of course people are gonna bring this up.
@@rmhartman I would say it's fairly valid criticism, since this exact comment has been posted in like the last three Godzilla Minus One videos I've seen just in the last couple weeks. Word for word.
Tbh I wouldn't even put Shin Godzilla anywhere close to -1. The cinematography is just on a completely different level. I also just really hate Shin's 5th form lol, I think humanoid Godzilla is soooo lame
@@Qccordionsaying this while having hideaki anno the eva director who was one of shins director is the most wild take I've seen in a while because that man is universally known (at least in the japanese bubble) for having amazing cinematography
The brilliance of this film is in how seldom we see Godzilla. As with Jaws or Alien, the less you see the monster, the more imposing it is. Also I love how Godzilla was almost relegated to the B-plot. The real emotional core of this movie is about Japanese people struggling to recover from the trauma of the war.
The "Minus One" title refers to how at this point the Japanese are at level 0 of sorts, in that they've just been devastated by the war and have to rebuild. So when Godzilla arrives he's basically kicking them while they're down, hence he's taking them from 0 to -1. So glad you loved this movie! It's really an amazing film. Every aspect comes together beautifully. The characters, the music, the effects, the action, the drama, all of it. It might genuinely be the best Godzilla movie of all time. Although the director is confirmed to be working on a sequel, so hopefully we might get an even better follow-up!
Been rewatching the old movies in order. The first four movies (through Mothra) were fairly serious, it was the 5th one (Ghidora), which, despite being a direct sequel to the 4th and coming out the same year, started to get pretty silly.
To me the best actor/actress had to be Akiko. Gosh where the heck they even found that little girl actress? Every scene she was on she stole my heart, and when she cried it shattered to pieces.
It's amazing Godzilla Minus One wasn't considered by the Academy as one of last year's ten Best Pictures. I loved Oppenheimer and Barbie and many of the other noms but this was the best picture in 2023 for me. Putting it on Netflix gave it the audience it deserved but it's too bad it didn't get a wide enough release last year to get all the awards it deserved.
It was released in December and just didn’t have the “legs” needed to get more Oscar nods, like Best Picture and Best Director. It is my belief had it been released in early November, based on the critical and audience response the Academy would have been more compelled to honor it more. That being said, as a lifelong Godzilla fan, knowing my boy is forever now known as an Oscar winner, is utterly amazing.
There was still a bias against Godzilla among the Hollywood establishment, and among non-fans. Many were not inclined to take a Godzilla movie seriously as "cinema." I'm not convinced G-1 would have gotten multiple Oscar noms whatever its release date.
@@danieldickson8591 I don't think it's Godzilla specifically, the Academy has a general bias against "genre films", particularly horror, sci-fi and comedy, which they don't treat as "serious" films. Every so often, one of these films may go up for the big categories (I have noticed a trend in recent years where one or two big blockbusters are nominated for best picture), but they never really win, and for the most part they tend to be relegated exclusively to the "lesser" technical awards
Toho only submitted it in one category, which it won. This was a terrible mistake since I think at least 2-3 more (best foreign film, best director as obvious selections) would have been credible wins. Its not like the other films of that year were that great either.
We saw Godzilla Minus One on opening night in the limited American initial run, and I went in with only the expectation of it being a modernized version of the (let's be honest) sometimes campy or over-the-top Gojira movies of the past. I was completely blown away. A WWII period movie with characters that you actually feel compassion for, that draw you into the story, and oh... by the way... this giant radioactive symbol of mankind's obsession with war is coming to kill every character that you're becoming attached to. The visuals, the soundtrack, the acting... all just chef's kiss. This is a great example of what a singular vision from a passionate director can do when not hampered by the typical hollywood studio group-think. Having the American Kong v Godzilla come out around the same time was almost embarrassing.
Disagree.... Godzilla vs Kong is just Hollywood entertainment and really not very much, IMHO. And it cost millions more! The first original Japanese Godzilla movie in 1954 set the foundation that Godzilla minus One stands on. A representation of Nuclear bombs and war that is incredibly real and will not go away. The American version of the 1954 original subtracted the very reason and rhyme of Godzilla so as not to bring the American public to light of the horrors of nukes. If there were only 2 movies ever made about Godzilla (1954 and 2024) I would know perfectly the true meaning of his existence.
@@ps404 Sometimes, Hollywood entertainment is good. Scratch that, most of the time. I’m infinitely more thankful that I live in a world where movies like Shin Godzilla, Godzilla Minus One, and the original Godzilla exist alongside movies like All Monsters Attack, Final Wars, and the Monsterverse films.
@@tmac731 You misunderstand... I saw this opening night in the states and loved it. I'm saying that many of the entries in the Godzilla pantheon of movies have goofy moments that we have smile and shrug off to get back to the good parts. G-1 was so much better than I ever expected from any Godzilla movie in my lifetime!!!
In the scene of the Bikini Atoll atom bomb test in 1946, it shows a close-up of Godzilla's eye and his roar as his skin was burned by the blast. Radiation mutated him to his larger size and shape, and gave him his regeneration and "atomic breath." But his skin is permanently charred, and he's in constant pain. He's enraged by that, which is why he's attacking. It's possible he even blames us for what happened to him, and is deliberately killing us.
Yes, this is what everybody ignores. The likelihood is that previously, Godzilla WAS just a dinosaur species that somehow survived over the years and its DNA was unchanged until it mutated and became sentient, sadistic, and scary all at once. Becoming all three of those things BECAUSE of nuclear radiation is an interesting take on the concept of what the atomic bombs really did to the Japanese collective psyche.
@@spdcrzy He definetly had all that, he was 100% conscious of who were the ones that shot him at the beginning and chose to ignore Shikishima and Tachibana (yes, the novelization states that he did saw both of them, but since they didn't attack he left them alone), he was also conscious that humans were responsible for burning him with the bomb the moment it exploded
Every time he uses the breath weapon you can see the damage it does to him. He's charred all over again. Really interesting take on the situation that most directors would never think of.
Also side note, Godzilla doesn't have laser anything. Godzilla is a walking, living, NUCLEAR weapon. The blue-flash is a beam of nuclear energy. There's a story on the internet about a real life nuclear orb made from plutonium called the "Demon's Orb", a scientist working with it accidently released a small nuclear charge with a screwdriver. He described a fast flash of "Blue Light" going through the room where other scientists were also working, The resulting nuclear energy released had radiated the room past lethal levels, but not caused a lot of destruction (The flash and release was small comparatively to Godzilla's breath). All of the scientists exposed JUST to that small flash would die within a few days from the radiation exposure in gruesome and horrible ways, and it's a true story. Godzilla's scales act as radiation rods for a nuclear core, as they "pop-out" the stored energy is directed toward a "Release space" (His Mouth) and after releasing their energy they "pop-in" to build another charge again (like chambering a shotgun). This keeps Godzilla from reaching "critical mass" and blowing himself up. Most nuclear disasters happened from nuclear core rods malfunctioning and not being able to properly disperse their energy build-up making them go "critical mass" The energy MUST have somewhere to go. His blue breath is the nuclear energy dissipating, and then super heating the surrounding air causing the fireball effect with super-heated air gusts blowing away whatever he aims his breath at. Godzilla is a walking metaphor for the real life fear of Nuclear weapons and the destruction that is left in their wake. Which is something the Japanese were well aware of when the bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Iwojima.
Louis Slotin was the scientist using a screwdriver to prop open the upper half of the two beryllium spheres that contained the plutonium core (The Demon Core) during an experiment. The screwdriver slipped and the upper half of the beryllium sphere was dropped causing a critical reaction. The flash of blue light was the air ionizing. Immediately after the accident Slotin is quoted as saying, "Well that does it." Less than a week later he was dead. Obviously, using a screwdriver to prop open the beryllium spheres was not normal procedure.
@@JohnnyWad309 it was a fascinating yet horrifying read, especially knowing that there was NOTHING that could be done for them, they knew they were going to die.
Another aspect I liked about his breath was when you see him use it, it actually hurts him (although his high level of regeneration helps counteract it). After you see the atomic breath that destroys the decoy boat, it shows that up close shot of his face and you can see the areas around his mouth and face are scorched/burned. Kinda showing that although his atomic breath attack is utterly devastating, it does take a toll him on as well when he uses it. More realism than they needed to do, but those little touches are what made this movie so great.
The movie does an amazing job of showing how archaic Japans value of a life is and the shift because of WW2 into a new way of thinking. not to mention grief, ptsd, and much more, just a fantastic movie over all. That scene at the end when it goes quiet with godzilla about to shoot the blast and then the propeller comes in is just so beautiful gets me teared up every time
That final scene got me. I’m sittin’ in the theater crying like a baby. My love died three years ago and I can just imagine how he felt when he thought she was dead and then found out she was alive.
Fun Fact: So the title Minus One comes from the fact that this is set right after Japan lost the world war, politically economically and socially they are at their absolute lowest they have ever been. And then Godzilla shows up. And THAT’S the Minus One, because just when they thought they couldn’t get any lower, in comes Godzilla. Also, Godzilla‘s atomic breath is inspired by how nuclear reactors work. His back plates are like cooling rods, and when they are pulled out the “reactor“ inside him starts to overheat and as he’s inhaling deeply he’s stoking the fire inside of him, then when the plates drop back in it causes the chain reaction which unleashes his breath. Just like what happened at Chernobyl.
@@PROVOCATEURSKconsidering the main thing America took away was the emperors power that one action destroyed a part of their life which would be the equivalent of taking away Kim jong-un and his entire family from North Korea or taking away religion from Americans. While it is true that Japan's horrific war crimes are mostly swept under the rug and America even spared the researchers of unit 731 current japan is starting to be tiny bit more open to what they did and whats also interesting is that in japan there is a shrine/memorial for Japan's military deaths even the war criminals however one of Emperor Hirohitos descendents a few years back actually refused to go to that shrine for that reason which I imagine opened a lot of eyes to their citizens as to why one of the great emperors descendents would do something like that
@@PROVOCATEURSK Well, they lost a few million lives, and their economy was basically destroyed, so yeah, they lost. The fact that the RECOVERED from the loss (like Germany) hardly makes it less of a loss. In effect, they had to discard their entire government and completely rebuild their economy.
For me Godzilla Minus One was the best movie of 2023. Also watching her cry throughout the movie was ok, because listening to the baby cry for her mother just tears at my heart, I can’t help it, and lots of people said something similar, that they never expected to cry in a Godzilla movie. But this was just so good! It deserves every bit of praise it got. I honestly think this was a labor of love, that they truly brought us back to what movies should be. Yes it’s a monster movie, yes it has really good action and special effects, but it’s the story and the world and characters within that story that makes it work! I’ve heard some people say and I have to agree with this, you could literally take Godzilla out of this movie and just leave it as a gritty period piece about a guy just trying to pick up the pieces of his existence after WW2. There’s just a lot of layers to the story and it made me happy that the theaters gave it an extended run while it was out. It was definitely worth waiting for to come to streaming.
A monster movie that actually made me care about the human characters. That alone puts this on the list of my favourites. The fact that they made Godzilla genuinely scary also helps.
im using this movies budget as a benchmark for the hollywood bloated price tags!15 mill dollars for a movie that is great, now we got movies that costs 15 times this movie and are mediocre at best!
@@johnbernhardtsen3008Because it's a Japanese movie, VFX artists, Actors and crew earn a fraction of the pay If it was made in America, It would cost like 5× more The reason the movie looks good isn't anything to do with budget, It's because the director was also the VFX director since he started out as a VFX director himself
@@jesusramirezromo2037 The director, cast and crew poured blood and sweat into making this film, putting in very long hours without extra pay. Even if it had been made for five times the budget, that would still be a fraction of what Hollywood FX movies go for today.
@@danieldickson8591 And you just again described why it's so cheap Unpaid work and feeling obligated to your job are too normalized in japan, that's not how this should work Also, 50-70Million is a pretty standard mid-range budget for a Hollywood movie
I have been a Godzilla fan since birth as my Dad and Uncle are HUGE fans! I love the fact that we live in a time when Godzilla has become mainstream, Toho...Legendary...doesn't matter to me, more Big G makes me dayum happy. I wish my Dad had gotten to see this movie, as he was a Toho purist and the very first Godzilla movie was always his favorite. They made you CARE about the human story in this one, and the fact that they made and marketed this movie for under 25 million tells you how amazing this film was for us fans. AND THEY WON AN OSCAR FOR BEST EFFECTS!!! 70 year film history, and Godzilla finally has an Oscar...what a time to be alive!
As a screenwriter, I've got to say this movie was devastating. We always watch other people's work and ask - could I do that better? The answer here was - no. Up your writing game if you want to come close. I can't come that close yet. And since I've been a martial arts enthusiast for 42 years, I know a lot about Japanese culture for a western guy. This movie hits hard, considering there are many in Japan who literally work themselves to death at a young age (yes, I mean they literally die). The end message could be aimed at them - "live." I saw this at one of those dinner movie theater chains that show premieres. They gave me extra napkins with my soda and popcorn. I wondered why. Found out really quickly why. I guess everyone who works there had seen it and cried themselves.
as far as I'm concerned: best writing, best directing, best music score, best special visual effects, best sound effects, best actor, best supporting actor, best actress, best supporting actress, best human interest story.... come on, Hollywood, what are you doing???
So glad you reacted to this!! One major thing i want to point out is that TACHIBANA DID NOT BUILD THE EJECTION SEAT! This is a sub error from netflix. I’d recommend you rewatch in subtitles “English” not “English CC” They have a few scripting changes that definitely dampens the film for me personally. Tachibana’s decision was to tell him about the ejection seat, which he only decided when he saw Shikishimas willingness to die. Him building it kinda creates a plothole in that regard. Also, it’s written in german on the seat already that there is an ejection seat (big red label on the seat) which echos docs point that japanese planes didnt come with ejection seats. Also - to your point about the score, godzilla’s theme is actually the oldest and longest running theme of all time. It’s iconic, and hasn’t changed (other than updated renditions) since it’s original 1954 debut in the first movie. They even use the same roar from the 1954 movie. finally, the budget has been confirmed to be 10-12M and that 15M is an overestimate. Thank you for this reaction ! is the full /uncut on your patreon? Will sub if so
Had to save watching this video for lunch because I was so excited for it! One of the best reactions of the film that I've seen. The story is so strong and is completely timeless, with the primary message being one word - Live. I'm studying for animation and VFX at the moment, so the fact that this film had so much production quality on a $15 mil budget is an inspiration. The director himself is a VFX artist, so it gives a lot of hope for future working conditions and creative direction in cinema.
It’s actually called his Heat Ray. Atomic Breath is just a popular name. It’s only really atypical compared to the recent Monsterverse Movies, there’s lots of Godzilla movies with this tone and feel.
@@ZealStarMedia In this movie it's called a Heat Ray. This is the first time it's been given that name. In most films it's described as concentrated radiation. You're right, "Atomic Breath" is fan coined, but the term is universally used because it's been Godzilla's trademark ability for seventy years.
@@danieldickson8591correct, in the first few showa movies like 54 and raids again it was called an incandescent light since the atomic breath was portrayed as radioactive vapor that could melt anything. I think the only reason people call it heat ray/heat beam/atomic breath just comes down to different translations but this is the first time the term has stuck with every translation of the movie as far as I know
Was just watching all the older movies. In at least one of the earlier ones it was called atomic breath. They've known he's the result of nuclear testing and is highly radioactive from the get go so it's not a surprise to call it that.
@@ZealStarMedia In fairness, there are a lot more Japanese Godzilla movies that are outright goofy (Shōwa era), or monster-vs-monster focused (most of the Heisei era and all of the Millennium era), than there are the more serious films. That said, the Heisei era is phenomenal (and the Gamera trilogy released during that period as well was also great).
Good reaction. The unique thing about Godzilla is he can be a good guy or bad guy depending on the interpretation. Even in ones where’s he’s bad like the original 54 film or Minus One, he’s presented as a creature who never asked to be mutated & is presented more as a victim really. It’s due to humanity’s atomic testings not only mutated him but also traumatized him to now be in constant pain/anger hence why he’s slow and attacks (a reflection to people who were hit with radiation in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki according to Godzilla’s creator). However as time went on after the original 54 movie in its 37 sequels/reboots, he grew to be more of a anti-hero fighting evil monsters that threaten his home, Earth. I hope you react to the recent American films called The Monsterverse which includes Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Godzilla vs Kong, & Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. These ones make you care for the creatures more than the humans & Godzilla himself is great. Shin Godzilla is a great one but that’s a stand-alone film like Minus One. :)
The director of this movie (Takashi Yamazaki) was among the people who won the Oscar for Best VFX. This marks only the second time ever that a film's director won the Oscar in the VFX category, after Stanley Kubrick for 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968).
Ironic that I watched Godzilla Minus One winning the Oscar for it without even watching it. After seeing some time ago, it really has earned this award because from what I’ve learned that it spent less money than most movies that relies so much on CGI and VFX and yet, it felt a lot more natural. An astounding feat of cinematography.
…which is a damned shame since Neill Blomkamp exists. Every single one of his films has advanced the craft of SFX & VFX because of his direct involvement in both the art and technique of effects. (I’m not objecting to the original point, just springboarding from it into my personal axe to grind.)
I really Luv this version of Godzilla! The film really deserves the Oscar for special effects! I hope you appreciate the soundtrack of this movie! It's iconic!! Thanks for sharing Natalie ❤️💛
As the reactors are seeing this for the first time on Netflix, or whatever streaming outlet, this really can't be appreciated enough unless it's seen on a big screen.
@@PDC1987 Lol you have got to be trolling, there is a reason Apple made the Vision Pro the way it is and the Quest 3 is pretty damn close. Why pay to go to a theatre when you can have a huge screen in front of you. Have you tried Bigscreen in VR with friends, if you have not being able to watch a movie with friends in a virtual movie theater while being nice and comfortable in your own home and being able to eat and drink your not overpriced snacks is far beyond having to drive to a theater and paying to see a movie with other people you don't know (eww)
I love the foreshadowing in this film. The dead radiated deep sea fish rising to the surface too fast that their stomachs explode out of their mouths. Similarly, they attempt to do the same thing to Godzilla by using the force of nature against him with the rapid pressure changes. But Godzilla is also a force of nature born of nuclear energy. Godzilla is the unknown element. -OG
Takashi Yamazaki who was the director, writer, and VFX supervisor for this film was told by Steven Spielberg that not only did he love it, he saw this film in IMAX 3 times. He also confirmed that the black substance crawling up Noriko’s neck in the final shot was in fact Godzilla’s cells, implying that she was able to survive because she had mostly regenerated just like Godzilla. And she likely got those cells because the news voiceover said parts of Godzilla came off him when he was being shot at by the tanks.
On top of being a supervisor, he did some of the effects himself. I remember seeing an interview where he said he had to learn how to make water simulations.
Disagree, the original Gojira should be the next watch considering the symbolism was what she liked about the story. 2016 is just lizard fight bug, while human gets 96% of the screen time.
@@noneya3635 Disagree, Shin Godzilla is worth watching, to show how diverse Japanese take on Godzilla movie, and the different creativity in each movie of dealing with the bully lizard
Shin was great, but you have to warn people that it's VERY dry with tons of commentary on the uselessness of government bureaucrats. People expecting a human drama like this or a big silly monster movie like GxK will be disappointed.
I thought the effects were really cool. Honestly it was a solid plan. Any living thing other than a rapidly regenerating Godzilla would 100% have been killed many times over by the two part plan.
Even Shikishima's kamikaze run might not have been enough to kill Godzilla, if he hadn't already been badly hurt by the pressure changes. I have to give both this film and Shin Godzilla credit for devising really original, creative plans for taking down the invincible monster. And in the finest modern Japanese tradition, in both movies it was people working together as a team that beat him.
If Godzilla just got himself a blonde platted wig it would have achieved the frozen look without injuring himself. Would have destroyed the audience though 😂😂
@@ToylandChairman666 you may not think so, but it sounds like your speculating about the motives of toho. Godzilla's versatility as a character is one of his defining characteristics and has allowed him to remain relevant for an unprecedented stretch of time.
I feel like that isn't really fair given that the majority of japanese godzilla films frame godzilla like a superhero. More so juat modern japanese godzilla films
One thing I can always count on is Natalie's pure reaction to events in the movies she watches. Not to mention, this was such a stellar movie. Monster Kaiju action AND a post-war drama all in one. She totally messed up by not bringing tissues.
I think there are arguments that the original iconic 1954 Godzilla is still the King. And frankly even Shin Godzilla has a claim to the crown. But Minus One is easily top 2 or 3.
@@Lady_Vengeance I won’t argue with you about the original. However, I was not wowed by Shin Godzilla. I thought the story kind of went no where and the characters weren’t nearly as compelling as Minus One. It’s certainly not a BAD movie, I just don’t agree with all those who think it’s awesome. Just my opinion.
@@courtneywallace871 No worries it is definitely not for everyone. I loved bringing Godzilla back to a force of nature serving as allegory for the Tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster. I found the subtext about government bureaucracy and American interference in post-war Japan’s domestic affairs rendering it unable to respond to disasters properly to be biting and inspired. It was an interesting reimagining of Godzilla and his evolutionary phases in the spirit of the original. But definitely with an auteur’s flair that doesn’t land with everyone. No doubt that Minus One is a bit more of a crowd pleaser.
I remember crying in the theaters when this movie ended and the credits came on- It was like seeing an old friend again… hearing the old theme again brought back so many memories of the older movies! Favorite movie by far
If you've never seen the original 1954 Gojira (you want Gojira the sub'd version the dub vs the sub are different movies while the dub is still good the sub has deeper themes) you should check that out it's a similar vibe to this. It's the only Godzilla movie I rank over this one in terms of quality. Shin Godzilla is another with a similar vibe if you're looking for good quality. My favorite Godzilla movie though is Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla the 1974 one.
@@DocLunarwind Shin is definitely in my top 5 best Godzilla movies in terms of quality and being a good movie. I forget where I put it. 54 is #1 and I'm just not sure any will be able to top it for me because it originated all of the ideas and if you look into the details they went to with the suit and how it mirrors the skin of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And so much of what we love about the other movies is based on things that started there be it the atomic breath, the theme. Minus One has better acting I'd say the scripts are kind of on par with one another. The effects of both are stunning for their times. If anyone puts Minus One over 54 I can't fault them it really comes down to personal preference. But Shin is also really good because it desconstructs modern Japanese poor response to major events. I get that some people say it's boring but it's an interesting case study.
@@DocLunarwind It's definitely a SUPER unique design. There's a few of the later "evolutions" that I wasn't vibing with (more so the abilities less the look). But yeah I love when Godzilla movies have a message because they usually handle it well. Back when I was in college and the Showa eras came to DVD and it was the first time I got to see all the subs and a lot of them are WAY more serious in the sub than how cheesy the dubs feel (they're fully re-edited and have much stronger themes)
Amazing…from my seeing the 1954 movie and feeling almost same as you did watching minus one, that says it all for me. 1954 will always be the number 1 Godzilla for me but minus one is for sure 1A. Great reaction and score.
I had just returned from a solo trip to Japan a few weeks before this came out. During the flight home (UK) I watched a movie called "Dr Coto's Clinic"....(Japanese with subs)....Two of the main character actors in the movie are also two of the main character actors in this movie!...I was in Japan for the second time...During my first trip I visited the site of the hotel which has Godzilla on the roof in Shinjuku..And during one of my hotel transfers I stopped by the Shin Gozilla Statue not far from Hibiya Station. It is said to be the largest Godzilla Statue in Japan. (According to Toho the company who created Godzilla)...And to top it off, during my second trip, I visited a combini store in Taishido which has a large King Kong model hanging over the front of the store...Both times I was in Japan was to see my favourite band "BAND-MAID" LIVE...And finally during my first trip..I did visit Hiroshima..and went to the Peace Museum...It was surreal to stand next to the Atomic Dome after seeing it so many times over the years in documentries and books.
As a long time Godzilla fan this is the single greatest Godzilla movie ever IMO. I love that we are getting so many godzilla movies, between this movie and the monsterverse films. I can't wait for the next film!
Yes! Been hoping you would watch this! Never thought a Godzilla movie would make me tear up, let alone be in my top 10 movies! Hope you had fun in Norway and Iceland. Two of my favorite countries!
This is honestly my favorite Godzilla film, and such a wonderful palate cleanser after the circus show the Monsterverse has devolved into. This almost isn't even a monster movie, more like a gripping character drama that happens to have a monster in it. The way they anchor Godzilla to the protagonist's PTSD is wonderful and really adds to the terror when Godzilla goes out of his way to just chase one little boat. He's never been so personal with his wrath before. This Godzilla is angry af and I'm here for it.
I found the TV series "Monarch" to be the strongest entry in the Monsterverse. It has the emotional core that the related movies lacked (they were just action/adventure films, after all), and like this film, it really cares about its central characters as _people._ Of course it is more lighthearted than this film, but most things are. lol
One deliberate choice the director made was to make this Godzilla much smaller than the Monsterverse version, so he could interact with humans on a more personal level.
Much like the Hulk and Deadpool's healing, the radiation from the bomb turned Godzilla into a giant cancer cell. His regeneration has been turned to immortal mode, keeping him alive and growing but in constant pain. Godzilla's heat ray breath is like Havok of the X-Men, superheating an object and it explodes but at a Tunguska Event level (a soft rubble asteroid that wasn't solid enough to survive the heat of atmospheric entry and exploded). His fins usually glow before attacking, but updating to extend and retract is symbolic of the control rods in a nuclear reactor. I like how they used Freon and the science of compression/decompression to update the Oxygen Destroyer concept (the weapon that killed Godzilla in the original 1956 movie).
The reason it hangs around Japan, aside from allegorical reasons, is because of how radioactive areas were after the nuclear bombings, and that’s where Godzilla gets its energy.
@16:45 -- in godzilla lore, he's a victim of poisoning from radioactive waste dumps. the bikini atoll atomic explosion was in fact a secret u.s. attempt to destroy godzilla, but it only made him bigger and grumpier
It's gotten nothing but praise, won an Oscar, and is branching out to people that have never watched a Japanese Godzilla movie in their lives. How is that underrated?
@@Eidlones People just throw that word around these days , unappreciated by the Academy would be more accurate but lets face it they couldn't give Minus one more awards without hurting Hollyweirds feelings.
So a few contextual details you might appreciate: The title *_Minus One_* is in reference to how when you think that you've lost everything there is to lose, that things can still get worse. (Much of how Japan as a whole experienced events immediately post-WWII). To that end, the black rain Shikishima was covered by during the Ginza attack is the ash from the detonation mixing with the clouds created from the heat creating water vapor generating radioactive fallout. This is how a lot of the radiation poisoning was transferred to the victims of the atomic bombings where the rain soothing the burns is what would eventually kill them. The reason Godzilla attacks Japan is that he's depicted as a Tatarigami (a curse god), where his pain and anger get directed at those nearby and not necessarily those responsible, and that contact lingers. Thats why at the end, she was able to survive the attack because the same regeneration that is allowing Godzilla to survive is also keeping her alive (which creates a situation where you can't kill it without also destroying the thing you care about most, thus reinforcing the core theme of the film). Lastly, the Shinden was an experimental Japanese aircraft being developed near the end of the war, and only two were ever made. One was taken by the Americans during the occupation and the other was scrapped. This one was a replica made for the film, but before that was revealed, it was anonymously donated to a Japanese WWII museum, so you can see it as it's made to be an accurate 1:1 version.
I love how this film used Godzilla to portray the struggles of the main character. In addition, it also brings back Godzilla's origins as a creature the Japanese use to deal with nuclear trauma. Both can be observed in the story of Godzilla Minus One.
Not a coincidence, since Yamazaki is on record in a conversation with Spielberg (who loved this movie) saying Jaws was a big inspiration for many of the aquatic scenes. The boat chase where he shoots the mine in its mouth was a direct homage.
I recommend watching "Shin Godzilla" next from 2016. It's also a Japanese Toho production but it takes place in the modern day. It's a commentary on how the Japanese government dealt with the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
This is the best modern Godzilla film imo, maybe best ever, but of course the others each serve a different genre master. I appreciated how the tone and style let this one perfectly serve as a prequel to the first Godzilla film from 1954 (not the US re-edit) if you do a back to back. It's set at the time of release so a few years after the bombs, and a lot of the war trauma and self-sacrifice themes continue.
Godzilla's roar was taken straight from the 1954 movie. It's also worth a watch. Very similar in tone to this movie. There's 2 versions of it, the first is all subtitles, for the US they released an American version that had Raymond Burr in it. They are both excellent and well done.
Those are fish with inverted stomachs. When deep sea fish rise too quickly, their insides get pushed out from lack of pressure. Same with the eyes. They bulge out like crazy. 3:07 Shikishima wasn't holding in vomit, he was hiding his breath from Gojira. Thought that was pretty obvious.
And the status of the country is zero because of the atomic bombs. The Japanese consider the two bombs as a kind of reset of history setting their progress back to zero. And just when they're at zero here comes Godzilla to make it worse: Minus One
Hi after this i recommend you watch Shin Godzilla...and here's some movie suggestions that might interest you..."Maverick"(mel gibson/jodi foster/james garner)..."G.I.jane"(demi moore)..."Space Cowboys"(clint eastwood/tommy lee jones/donald sutherland/james garner)..."Basic"(john travolta/samuel jackson)..."Volcano"(tommy lee jones/anne heche)..."Hot Shots"parts1&2 (charlie sheen)..."Airforce One"(harisson ford)...have a nice day.
I definitely second checking out Shin Godzilla. A very different take on the premise, and it's crazy to think Toho made the two best films in this entire franchise (since the 1954 original) back to back!
My first thought after watching this movie was that I’ve talked my friends and family into watching so many Godzilla movies that *nobody* will ever believe me when tell them how good it is.
Regarding the cost, the budget seems to be actually less than 15 million, but on the other hand it reflects Japanese film workers being radically underpaid.
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😊😊😊
Don't feel bad about not having tissues... nobody expects to cry in a Godzilla movie. Lots of us did though
They also re-released the movie in black and white in Japan and limited in the U.S. . It took another 3 months to do as it is not as simple to remove the color. Shading and shadows needed reworked. This special edition is called Godzilla: Minus One: Minus Color.
As others will say, watch the original..it also has an impactful story.
Watch Godzilla's Revenge
Hey natalie you should start watching other godzilla movies and make a reaction the American godzilla movies are better than minus one I am sure you will love it
Plot armor is completely justified when the story is about survivor's guilt.
Exactly. This is one of the few movies where plot armor isn't entirely a great thing for the main character.
Ooooo good one
Whenever plot armor is invoked, I can't help to think that the reason why the story is compelling is that the main character survives extraordinary circumstances. Otherwise, you're just one of the extras.
never understood the realing against plot armor. sure some movies its over the top. but like, we'd never have a movie ever if characters actually just died to anything thrown at them. people survive horrific shit all the time. look at all the stories of peopel hitting IED's and all but 1 dies.
shit happens and in many movies it's their skill that makes them survive and its kinda the whole point.
@@Micah_4D right like, people talk about John Wick plot armor, which he definitely has some. but like, the entire series is about him being better than everyone else to the point they are scared of him and call him the boogeyman. if he had the same situation as the other assassins, well it would be a short movie.
but even scenes where he falls from high up and stuff, they have shown that they specifically do the math to where he falls from survivable heights and all this and that.
"It's a Godzilla movie... how could I need tissues?"
Godzilla: "and I took that personally..."
lol
The mechanic's biggest regret, is that all of things he built, it never helped save anyone. With this final act, he was finally able to.
This film won an Oscar for best visual effects. Deserved
they spent 13 million. how many movies out lately that look like garbage and cost 100's of millions. Hollywood is a money laundering scheme, no one can tell me otherwise.
It should have won a few more Oscars IMO.
@nooneofimportance2110 if the a Oscar were merit based it would have
@@crisgon9552Yep
The black moving mark on her neck signifies that she was infected by Godzilla’s regenerative cells, which explains how she regenerated and survived. If you watch a lot of Godzilla movies and know a bit about past movies and Godzilla lore, you might be a bit concerned about her future and what that means for her, and indeed for mankind. So in many ways it’s a subversive happy ending.
Yeah, I feel like a lot of people are gonna have a bad taste in their mouth about this ending if they end up taking the G cells to their logical conclusion in the next film. Itll be interesting to see what direction they go with it, Godzilla has a fun way of setting up heel turns for beloved characters
@@Chilipotamus I hope they have the courage to go through with it. But I have a feeling they’ll take a cop out route somehow.
The director recently confirmed this.
@@Chilipotamus You mean IF they make a direct sequel to this. Godzilla continuity is kind of hit and miss. I have no doubt that there will be more Godzilla films, but are they going to be a direct continuation of this film's version of Godzilla, or will they simply be new movies that Godzilla is in?
I've seen this movie twice and the neck thing never even crossed my mind. Thanks.
What I love most about this movie is, you can take Godzilla out of it and you still have a gripping drama of survivor guilt, PTSD, people trying to rebuild a life after tragedy and trying to move on. Then you add Godzilla and it's the whipped cream and cherry on top.
Its funny. alot of people seem to be commenting this exact same thing on a lot of other reactor channels XD Do you guys actually form your own opinions or do you just go around parroting whatever it is you read or heard someone say? XD
I would argue that including Godzilla is what elevates this movie from a typical war movie.
@@sugarbomb1346
It's funny that you are criticizing other people's opinions without actually expressing one of your own.
@@sugarbomb1346 The human perspective of Godzilla movies have always been criticized as being the weakest part of the movies. This movie completely nailed that aspect, so of course people are gonna bring this up.
@@rmhartman I would say it's fairly valid criticism, since this exact comment has been posted in like the last three Godzilla Minus One videos I've seen just in the last couple weeks. Word for word.
Not having tissues is understandable. Nobody expects to cry during a Godzilla movie
Godzilla Minus One and Shin Godzilla (2016) are two of the best modern kaiju films!!
Tbh I wouldn't even put Shin Godzilla anywhere close to -1. The cinematography is just on a completely different level.
I also just really hate Shin's 5th form lol, I think humanoid Godzilla is soooo lame
@@Qccordion This is the worst take ever. Do you understand what they were saying by showing what his 5th form would have been?
@@QccordionThey are both good but for completely different reasons
Shin is such an amazing film as well. I really wish they would return to the Shin universe and explore what phase 5 would be if/ when G is unfrozen.
@@Qccordionsaying this while having hideaki anno the eva director who was one of shins director is the most wild take I've seen in a while because that man is universally known (at least in the japanese bubble) for having amazing cinematography
After the war, the Japanese were so Wartorn they had pretty much been reset to 0, then Godzilla comes along and takes it down even further.
And some how giant anime titties appeared 😅
This is the title explanation that I've read. They were so low they were at '0'. Then Godzilla comes along and knocks them down to Minus One.
The brilliance of this film is in how seldom we see Godzilla. As with Jaws or Alien, the less you see the monster, the more imposing it is. Also I love how Godzilla was almost relegated to the B-plot. The real emotional core of this movie is about Japanese people struggling to recover from the trauma of the war.
Hollywood asks you to get a lobotomy in order to enjoy Godzilla movies while Japan is saying remember tissues
The "Minus One" title refers to how at this point the Japanese are at level 0 of sorts, in that they've just been devastated by the war and have to rebuild. So when Godzilla arrives he's basically kicking them while they're down, hence he's taking them from 0 to -1. So glad you loved this movie! It's really an amazing film. Every aspect comes together beautifully. The characters, the music, the effects, the action, the drama, all of it. It might genuinely be the best Godzilla movie of all time. Although the director is confirmed to be working on a sequel, so hopefully we might get an even better follow-up!
The original 54' movie was a metaphor for the dangers of Nuclear power. It alwasy come back to that no matter how goofy the character got.
Been rewatching the old movies in order. The first four movies (through Mothra) were fairly serious, it was the 5th one (Ghidora), which, despite being a direct sequel to the 4th and coming out the same year, started to get pretty silly.
To me the best actor/actress had to be Akiko. Gosh where the heck they even found that little girl actress? Every scene she was on she stole my heart, and when she cried it shattered to pieces.
It's amazing Godzilla Minus One wasn't considered by the Academy as one of last year's ten Best Pictures. I loved Oppenheimer and Barbie and many of the other noms but this was the best picture in 2023 for me. Putting it on Netflix gave it the audience it deserved but it's too bad it didn't get a wide enough release last year to get all the awards it deserved.
It was released in December and just didn’t have the “legs” needed to get more Oscar nods, like Best Picture and Best Director.
It is my belief had it been released in early November, based on the critical and audience response the Academy would have been more compelled to honor it more.
That being said, as a lifelong Godzilla fan, knowing my boy is forever now known as an Oscar winner, is utterly amazing.
There was still a bias against Godzilla among the Hollywood establishment, and among non-fans. Many were not inclined to take a Godzilla movie seriously as "cinema." I'm not convinced G-1 would have gotten multiple Oscar noms whatever its release date.
@@danieldickson8591 I don't think it's Godzilla specifically, the Academy has a general bias against "genre films", particularly horror, sci-fi and comedy, which they don't treat as "serious" films. Every so often, one of these films may go up for the big categories (I have noticed a trend in recent years where one or two big blockbusters are nominated for best picture), but they never really win, and for the most part they tend to be relegated exclusively to the "lesser" technical awards
Toho only submitted it in one category, which it won. This was a terrible mistake since I think at least 2-3 more (best foreign film, best director as obvious selections) would have been credible wins. Its not like the other films of that year were that great either.
We saw Godzilla Minus One on opening night in the limited American initial run, and I went in with only the expectation of it being a modernized version of the (let's be honest) sometimes campy or over-the-top Gojira movies of the past. I was completely blown away. A WWII period movie with characters that you actually feel compassion for, that draw you into the story, and oh... by the way... this giant radioactive symbol of mankind's obsession with war is coming to kill every character that you're becoming attached to. The visuals, the soundtrack, the acting... all just chef's kiss. This is a great example of what a singular vision from a passionate director can do when not hampered by the typical hollywood studio group-think. Having the American Kong v Godzilla come out around the same time was almost embarrassing.
2 different goji movies and it is okay to like both of them. GxK is a lot of FUN and dammit i wanted to see giant monsters fight
Disagree.... Godzilla vs Kong is just Hollywood entertainment and really not very much, IMHO. And it cost millions more! The first original Japanese Godzilla movie in 1954 set the foundation that Godzilla minus One stands on. A representation of Nuclear bombs and war that is incredibly real and will not go away. The American version of the 1954 original subtracted the very reason and rhyme of Godzilla so as not to bring the American public to light of the horrors of nukes. If there were only 2 movies ever made about Godzilla (1954 and 2024) I would know perfectly the true meaning of his existence.
@@ps404 Sometimes, Hollywood entertainment is good. Scratch that, most of the time. I’m infinitely more thankful that I live in a world where movies like Shin Godzilla, Godzilla Minus One, and the original Godzilla exist alongside movies like All Monsters Attack, Final Wars, and the Monsterverse films.
Did you see the trailer? How did you think this movie would be goofy?
@@tmac731 You misunderstand... I saw this opening night in the states and loved it. I'm saying that many of the entries in the Godzilla pantheon of movies have goofy moments that we have smile and shrug off to get back to the good parts. G-1 was so much better than I ever expected from any Godzilla movie in my lifetime!!!
In the scene of the Bikini Atoll atom bomb test in 1946, it shows a close-up of Godzilla's eye and his roar as his skin was burned by the blast. Radiation mutated him to his larger size and shape, and gave him his regeneration and "atomic breath." But his skin is permanently charred, and he's in constant pain. He's enraged by that, which is why he's attacking. It's possible he even blames us for what happened to him, and is deliberately killing us.
Yes, this is what everybody ignores. The likelihood is that previously, Godzilla WAS just a dinosaur species that somehow survived over the years and its DNA was unchanged until it mutated and became sentient, sadistic, and scary all at once. Becoming all three of those things BECAUSE of nuclear radiation is an interesting take on the concept of what the atomic bombs really did to the Japanese collective psyche.
Actually, according to the novelization, he already had his regeneration ability before the bomb, that's the reason he was able to survive
@@dkroy9978 regeneration, yes. But sentience? Anger? Emotion? I'm not so sure.
@@spdcrzy He definetly had all that, he was 100% conscious of who were the ones that shot him at the beginning and chose to ignore Shikishima and Tachibana (yes, the novelization states that he did saw both of them, but since they didn't attack he left them alone), he was also conscious that humans were responsible for burning him with the bomb the moment it exploded
Every time he uses the breath weapon you can see the damage it does to him. He's charred all over again. Really interesting take on the situation that most directors would never think of.
Also side note, Godzilla doesn't have laser anything. Godzilla is a walking, living, NUCLEAR weapon. The blue-flash is a beam of nuclear energy. There's a story on the internet about a real life nuclear orb made from plutonium called the "Demon's Orb", a scientist working with it accidently released a small nuclear charge with a screwdriver. He described a fast flash of "Blue Light" going through the room where other scientists were also working, The resulting nuclear energy released had radiated the room past lethal levels, but not caused a lot of destruction (The flash and release was small comparatively to Godzilla's breath). All of the scientists exposed JUST to that small flash would die within a few days from the radiation exposure in gruesome and horrible ways, and it's a true story. Godzilla's scales act as radiation rods for a nuclear core, as they "pop-out" the stored energy is directed toward a "Release space" (His Mouth) and after releasing their energy they "pop-in" to build another charge again (like chambering a shotgun). This keeps Godzilla from reaching "critical mass" and blowing himself up. Most nuclear disasters happened from nuclear core rods malfunctioning and not being able to properly disperse their energy build-up making them go "critical mass" The energy MUST have somewhere to go. His blue breath is the nuclear energy dissipating, and then super heating the surrounding air causing the fireball effect with super-heated air gusts blowing away whatever he aims his breath at.
Godzilla is a walking metaphor for the real life fear of Nuclear weapons and the destruction that is left in their wake. Which is something the Japanese were well aware of when the bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Iwojima.
The blue light is the radiation ionizing the air (or so Chernobyl told me).
Louis Slotin was the scientist using a screwdriver to prop open the upper half of the two beryllium spheres that contained the plutonium core (The Demon Core) during an experiment. The screwdriver slipped and the upper half of the beryllium sphere was dropped causing a critical reaction. The flash of blue light was the air ionizing. Immediately after the accident Slotin is quoted as saying, "Well that does it." Less than a week later he was dead. Obviously, using a screwdriver to prop open the beryllium spheres was not normal procedure.
@@JohnnyWad309 it was a fascinating yet horrifying read, especially knowing that there was NOTHING that could be done for them, they knew they were going to die.
Another aspect I liked about his breath was when you see him use it, it actually hurts him (although his high level of regeneration helps counteract it).
After you see the atomic breath that destroys the decoy boat, it shows that up close shot of his face and you can see the areas around his mouth and face are scorched/burned. Kinda showing that although his atomic breath attack is utterly devastating, it does take a toll him on as well when he uses it.
More realism than they needed to do, but those little touches are what made this movie so great.
The movie does an amazing job of showing how archaic Japans value of a life is and the shift because of WW2 into a new way of thinking. not to mention grief, ptsd, and much more, just a fantastic movie over all.
That scene at the end when it goes quiet with godzilla about to shoot the blast and then the propeller comes in is just so beautiful gets me teared up every time
That final scene got me. I’m sittin’ in the theater crying like a baby. My love died three years ago and I can just imagine how he felt when he thought she was dead and then found out she was alive.
Plot armor isn’t everywhere all the time. Sometimes writers just write a story and things happen.
Fun Fact: So the title Minus One comes from the fact that this is set right after Japan lost the world war, politically economically and socially they are at their absolute lowest they have ever been. And then Godzilla shows up. And THAT’S the Minus One, because just when they thought they couldn’t get any lower, in comes Godzilla.
Also, Godzilla‘s atomic breath is inspired by how nuclear reactors work. His back plates are like cooling rods, and when they are pulled out the “reactor“ inside him starts to overheat and as he’s inhaling deeply he’s stoking the fire inside of him, then when the plates drop back in it causes the chain reaction which unleashes his breath. Just like what happened at Chernobyl.
Doesn´t look like they lost the war, they are the third largest economy, they have been barely punished for war crimes.
Ah, so he cheaped out and got the graphite-tipped back plates, eh?
@@PROVOCATEURSKconsidering the main thing America took away was the emperors power that one action destroyed a part of their life which would be the equivalent of taking away Kim jong-un and his entire family from North Korea or taking away religion from Americans.
While it is true that Japan's horrific war crimes are mostly swept under the rug and America even spared the researchers of unit 731 current japan is starting to be tiny bit more open to what they did and whats also interesting is that in japan there is a shrine/memorial for Japan's military deaths even the war criminals however one of Emperor Hirohitos descendents a few years back actually refused to go to that shrine for that reason which I imagine opened a lot of eyes to their citizens as to why one of the great emperors descendents would do something like that
@@PROVOCATEURSK Well, they lost a few million lives, and their economy was basically destroyed, so yeah, they lost. The fact that the RECOVERED from the loss (like Germany) hardly makes it less of a loss. In effect, they had to discard their entire government and completely rebuild their economy.
"Man this thing is determined!" -- Nat inadvertently sums up the prevailing characteristic of Godzilla throughout all film and animated series.
For me Godzilla Minus One was the best movie of 2023. Also watching her cry throughout the movie was ok, because listening to the baby cry for her mother just tears at my heart, I can’t help it, and lots of people said something similar, that they never expected to cry in a Godzilla movie. But this was just so good! It deserves every bit of praise it got. I honestly think this was a labor of love, that they truly brought us back to what movies should be. Yes it’s a monster movie, yes it has really good action and special effects, but it’s the story and the world and characters within that story that makes it work!
I’ve heard some people say and I have to agree with this, you could literally take Godzilla out of this movie and just leave it as a gritty period piece about a guy just trying to pick up the pieces of his existence after WW2. There’s just a lot of layers to the story and it made me happy that the theaters gave it an extended run while it was out. It was definitely worth waiting for to come to streaming.
it was absolutely my favorite movie of 2023. i twisted so many peoples' arms to go see it, and they all came back and thanked me. :)
@@pebblegarden same same! :)
21:15 "Really Bro?! You're such an asshole!"
That pretty much sums up godzilla lol. He's a gargantuan scaly asshole but we love him.
Especially this one he’s just there too wreck havoc
As a lifelong godzilla fan, I love that all the reaction channels i watch are doing G-1.
A monster movie that actually made me care about the human characters. That alone puts this on the list of my favourites. The fact that they made Godzilla genuinely scary also helps.
im using this movies budget as a benchmark for the hollywood bloated price tags!15 mill dollars for a movie that is great, now we got movies that costs 15 times this movie and are mediocre at best!
@@johnbernhardtsen3008Because it's a Japanese movie, VFX artists, Actors and crew earn a fraction of the pay
If it was made in America, It would cost like 5× more
The reason the movie looks good isn't anything to do with budget, It's because the director was also the VFX director since he started out as a VFX director himself
@@jesusramirezromo2037 The director, cast and crew poured blood and sweat into making this film, putting in very long hours without extra pay. Even if it had been made for five times the budget, that would still be a fraction of what Hollywood FX movies go for today.
@@danieldickson8591 And you just again described why it's so cheap
Unpaid work and feeling obligated to your job are too normalized in japan, that's not how this should work
Also, 50-70Million is a pretty standard mid-range budget for a Hollywood movie
I have been a Godzilla fan since birth as my Dad and Uncle are HUGE fans! I love the fact that we live in a time when Godzilla has become mainstream, Toho...Legendary...doesn't matter to me, more Big G makes me dayum happy. I wish my Dad had gotten to see this movie, as he was a Toho purist and the very first Godzilla movie was always his favorite. They made you CARE about the human story in this one, and the fact that they made and marketed this movie for under 25 million tells you how amazing this film was for us fans. AND THEY WON AN OSCAR FOR BEST EFFECTS!!! 70 year film history, and Godzilla finally has an Oscar...what a time to be alive!
As a screenwriter, I've got to say this movie was devastating. We always watch other people's work and ask - could I do that better? The answer here was - no. Up your writing game if you want to come close. I can't come that close yet. And since I've been a martial arts enthusiast for 42 years, I know a lot about Japanese culture for a western guy. This movie hits hard, considering there are many in Japan who literally work themselves to death at a young age (yes, I mean they literally die). The end message could be aimed at them - "live."
I saw this at one of those dinner movie theater chains that show premieres. They gave me extra napkins with my soda and popcorn. I wondered why. Found out really quickly why. I guess everyone who works there had seen it and cried themselves.
as far as I'm concerned: best writing, best directing, best music score, best special visual effects, best sound effects, best actor, best supporting actor, best actress, best supporting actress, best human interest story.... come on, Hollywood, what are you doing???
Just dont expect the other films to be at this level. Godzilla movies are usually just fun monster flicks.
So glad you reacted to this!! One major thing i want to point out is that TACHIBANA DID NOT BUILD THE EJECTION SEAT!
This is a sub error from netflix. I’d recommend you rewatch in subtitles “English” not “English CC” They have a few scripting changes that definitely dampens the film for me personally.
Tachibana’s decision was to tell him about the ejection seat, which he only decided when he saw Shikishimas willingness to die. Him building it kinda creates a plothole in that regard.
Also, it’s written in german on the seat already that there is an ejection seat (big red label on the seat) which echos docs point that japanese planes didnt come with ejection seats.
Also - to your point about the score, godzilla’s theme is actually the oldest and longest running theme of all time. It’s iconic, and hasn’t changed (other than updated renditions) since it’s original 1954 debut in the first movie.
They even use the same roar from the 1954 movie.
finally, the budget has been confirmed to be 10-12M and that 15M is an overestimate.
Thank you for this reaction ! is the full /uncut on your patreon? Will sub if so
Your empathy for characters in these movies is absolutely contagious. You're great.
Had to save watching this video for lunch because I was so excited for it! One of the best reactions of the film that I've seen. The story is so strong and is completely timeless, with the primary message being one word - Live.
I'm studying for animation and VFX at the moment, so the fact that this film had so much production quality on a $15 mil budget is an inspiration. The director himself is a VFX artist, so it gives a lot of hope for future working conditions and creative direction in cinema.
Atomic breath is the official nomenclature for Godzilla’s power. This movie surprised me; not your typical Godzilla movie. I enjoyed it
It’s actually called his Heat Ray. Atomic Breath is just a popular name. It’s only really atypical compared to the recent Monsterverse Movies, there’s lots of Godzilla movies with this tone and feel.
@@ZealStarMedia In this movie it's called a Heat Ray. This is the first time it's been given that name. In most films it's described as concentrated radiation. You're right, "Atomic Breath" is fan coined, but the term is universally used because it's been Godzilla's trademark ability for seventy years.
@@danieldickson8591correct, in the first few showa movies like 54 and raids again it was called an incandescent light since the atomic breath was portrayed as radioactive vapor that could melt anything. I think the only reason people call it heat ray/heat beam/atomic breath just comes down to different translations but this is the first time the term has stuck with every translation of the movie as far as I know
Was just watching all the older movies. In at least one of the earlier ones it was called atomic breath. They've known he's the result of nuclear testing and is highly radioactive from the get go so it's not a surprise to call it that.
@@ZealStarMedia In fairness, there are a lot more Japanese Godzilla movies that are outright goofy (Shōwa era), or monster-vs-monster focused (most of the Heisei era and all of the Millennium era), than there are the more serious films. That said, the Heisei era is phenomenal (and the Gamera trilogy released during that period as well was also great).
Good reaction. The unique thing about Godzilla is he can be a good guy or bad guy depending on the interpretation. Even in ones where’s he’s bad like the original 54 film or Minus One, he’s presented as a creature who never asked to be mutated & is presented more as a victim really. It’s due to humanity’s atomic testings not only mutated him but also traumatized him to now be in constant pain/anger hence why he’s slow and attacks (a reflection to people who were hit with radiation in the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki according to Godzilla’s creator). However as time went on after the original 54 movie in its 37 sequels/reboots, he grew to be more of a anti-hero fighting evil monsters that threaten his home, Earth. I hope you react to the recent American films called The Monsterverse which includes Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019), Godzilla vs Kong, & Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. These ones make you care for the creatures more than the humans & Godzilla himself is great. Shin Godzilla is a great one but that’s a stand-alone film like Minus One. :)
By far the best Godzilla film! ♥
The director of this movie (Takashi Yamazaki) was among the people who won the Oscar for Best VFX. This marks only the second time ever that a film's director won the Oscar in the VFX category, after Stanley Kubrick for 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968).
Ironic that I watched Godzilla Minus One winning the Oscar for it without even watching it. After seeing some time ago, it really has earned this award because from what I’ve learned that it spent less money than most movies that relies so much on CGI and VFX and yet, it felt a lot more natural. An astounding feat of cinematography.
…which is a damned shame since Neill Blomkamp exists. Every single one of his films has advanced the craft of SFX & VFX because of his direct involvement in both the art and technique of effects.
(I’m not objecting to the original point, just springboarding from it into my personal axe to grind.)
Oh my god thank you editor!!! for including the tail slide on Megalon
I really Luv this version of Godzilla! The film really deserves the Oscar for special effects! I hope you appreciate the soundtrack of this movie! It's iconic!! Thanks for sharing Natalie ❤️💛
As the reactors are seeing this for the first time on Netflix, or whatever streaming outlet, this really can't be appreciated enough unless it's seen on a big screen.
I watched it for the first time on my quest 3 on the biggest screen I could open in the browser, it puts having to go to the theatre to shame.
@@jared6200 complete delusion lol.
@@PDC1987 until you do it it's my opinion
@@jared6200 nothing in your studio apartment can match a nice modern theater, and you know it.
@@PDC1987 Lol you have got to be trolling, there is a reason Apple made the Vision Pro the way it is and the Quest 3 is pretty damn close. Why pay to go to a theatre when you can have a huge screen in front of you. Have you tried Bigscreen in VR with friends, if you have not being able to watch a movie with friends in a virtual movie theater while being nice and comfortable in your own home and being able to eat and drink your not overpriced snacks is far beyond having to drive to a theater and paying to see a movie with other people you don't know (eww)
I love the foreshadowing in this film. The dead radiated deep sea fish rising to the surface too fast that their stomachs explode out of their mouths.
Similarly, they attempt to do the same thing to Godzilla by using the force of nature against him with the rapid pressure changes.
But Godzilla is also a force of nature born of nuclear energy. Godzilla is the unknown element. -OG
Takashi Yamazaki who was the director, writer, and VFX supervisor for this film was told by Steven Spielberg that not only did he love it, he saw this film in IMAX 3 times.
He also confirmed that the black substance crawling up Noriko’s neck in the final shot was in fact Godzilla’s cells, implying that she was able to survive because she had mostly regenerated just like Godzilla. And she likely got those cells because the news voiceover said parts of Godzilla came off him when he was being shot at by the tanks.
On top of being a supervisor, he did some of the effects himself. I remember seeing an interview where he said he had to learn how to make water simulations.
Nat calling Godzilla an asshole is the best thing to happen all weekend. 😂😂😂
2016 Shin Godzilla would be a good choice for the next Godzilla film. Another fresh new take on Godzilla that won a ton of film awards.
Disagree, the original Gojira should be the next watch considering the symbolism was what she liked about the story. 2016 is just lizard fight bug, while human gets 96% of the screen time.
@@noneya3635 Disagree, Shin Godzilla is worth watching, to show how diverse Japanese take on Godzilla movie, and the different creativity in each movie of dealing with the bully lizard
Shin was great, but you have to warn people that it's VERY dry with tons of commentary on the uselessness of government bureaucrats. People expecting a human drama like this or a big silly monster movie like GxK will be disappointed.
It's not really a Godzilla movie. It's a commentary about endless bureaucracy in a backdrop of a disaster happening.
@@noneya3635 Yeah, I'm sure she won't be bored at all... I love Godzilla, but I can't watch those old ones without laughing uncontrollably.
This is the best Godzilla film ever made. Great reaction! 👍🏿
The decompression causes tissue expansion and bubbles to form, leading to the "frozen" look Godzilla has near the end.
Oh cool! I was sure there was a reason for the look but it's cool to finally know :^)
I thought the effects were really cool. Honestly it was a solid plan. Any living thing other than a rapidly regenerating Godzilla would 100% have been killed many times over by the two part plan.
A real bad case of the bends.
Even Shikishima's kamikaze run might not have been enough to kill Godzilla, if he hadn't already been badly hurt by the pressure changes.
I have to give both this film and Shin Godzilla credit for devising really original, creative plans for taking down the invincible monster. And in the finest modern Japanese tradition, in both movies it was people working together as a team that beat him.
If Godzilla just got himself a blonde platted wig it would have achieved the frozen look without injuring himself. Would have destroyed the audience though 😂😂
American Godzilla: Oversized pitbull.
Japanese Godzilla: Giant walking nuke.
Didn't Japan make a bunch of friendly Godzilla movies?
Careful bro, the mv fans will come to you
@@ToylandChairman666 nuclear _power_ allegory, isn't he? Hence becoming friendly over time.
@@ToylandChairman666 you may not think so, but it sounds like your speculating about the motives of toho. Godzilla's versatility as a character is one of his defining characteristics and has allowed him to remain relevant for an unprecedented stretch of time.
I feel like that isn't really fair given that the majority of japanese godzilla films frame godzilla like a superhero. More so juat modern japanese godzilla films
One thing I can always count on is Natalie's pure reaction to events in the movies she watches. Not to mention, this was such a stellar movie. Monster Kaiju action AND a post-war drama all in one. She totally messed up by not bringing tissues.
I love every single actor in this, and I want to invite all of them over for eats.
No arguing about it. This is THE GREATEST Godzilla movie ever. BTW, your hair is looking the best I’ve ever seen it.
I think there are arguments that the original iconic 1954 Godzilla is still the King. And frankly even Shin Godzilla has a claim to the crown. But Minus One is easily top 2 or 3.
@@Lady_Vengeance I won’t argue with you about the original. However, I was not wowed by Shin Godzilla. I thought the story kind of went no where and the characters weren’t nearly as compelling as Minus One. It’s certainly not a BAD movie, I just don’t agree with all those who think it’s awesome. Just my opinion.
@@courtneywallace871 No worries it is definitely not for everyone. I loved bringing Godzilla back to a force of nature serving as allegory for the Tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster. I found the subtext about government bureaucracy and American interference in post-war Japan’s domestic affairs rendering it unable to respond to disasters properly to be biting and inspired. It was an interesting reimagining of Godzilla and his evolutionary phases in the spirit of the original. But definitely with an auteur’s flair that doesn’t land with everyone. No doubt that Minus One is a bit more of a crowd pleaser.
Nah
I agree on both.
I remember crying in the theaters when this movie ended and the credits came on- It was like seeing an old friend again… hearing the old theme again brought back so many memories of the older movies! Favorite movie by far
If you've never seen the original 1954 Gojira (you want Gojira the sub'd version the dub vs the sub are different movies while the dub is still good the sub has deeper themes) you should check that out it's a similar vibe to this. It's the only Godzilla movie I rank over this one in terms of quality. Shin Godzilla is another with a similar vibe if you're looking for good quality. My favorite Godzilla movie though is Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla the 1974 one.
I can not recommend Shin enough. This is a better movie, but I admit that I prefer Shin.
@@DocLunarwind Shin is definitely in my top 5 best Godzilla movies in terms of quality and being a good movie. I forget where I put it. 54 is #1 and I'm just not sure any will be able to top it for me because it originated all of the ideas and if you look into the details they went to with the suit and how it mirrors the skin of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And so much of what we love about the other movies is based on things that started there be it the atomic breath, the theme. Minus One has better acting I'd say the scripts are kind of on par with one another. The effects of both are stunning for their times. If anyone puts Minus One over 54 I can't fault them it really comes down to personal preference. But Shin is also really good because it desconstructs modern Japanese poor response to major events. I get that some people say it's boring but it's an interesting case study.
@@Grimbear13 yeah, of course 55 is better 😛 For Shin I love the govermentel Angle, but also how almost alien/godly he seems
@@DocLunarwind It's definitely a SUPER unique design. There's a few of the later "evolutions" that I wasn't vibing with (more so the abilities less the look). But yeah I love when Godzilla movies have a message because they usually handle it well. Back when I was in college and the Showa eras came to DVD and it was the first time I got to see all the subs and a lot of them are WAY more serious in the sub than how cheesy the dubs feel (they're fully re-edited and have much stronger themes)
@@Grimbear13 yeah, I dislike the concept art for the later stages.
Amazing…from my seeing the 1954 movie and feeling almost same as you did watching minus one, that says it all for me. 1954 will always be the number 1 Godzilla for me but minus one is for sure 1A. Great reaction and score.
I had just returned from a solo trip to Japan a few weeks before this came out. During the flight home (UK) I watched a movie called "Dr Coto's Clinic"....(Japanese with subs)....Two of the main character actors in the movie are also two of the main character actors in this movie!...I was in Japan for the second time...During my first trip I visited the site of the hotel which has Godzilla on the roof in Shinjuku..And during one of my hotel transfers I stopped by the Shin Gozilla Statue not far from Hibiya Station. It is said to be the largest Godzilla Statue in Japan. (According to Toho the company who created Godzilla)...And to top it off, during my second trip, I visited a combini store in Taishido which has a large King Kong model hanging over the front of the store...Both times I was in Japan was to see my favourite band "BAND-MAID" LIVE...And finally during my first trip..I did visit Hiroshima..and went to the Peace Museum...It was surreal to stand next to the Atomic Dome after seeing it so many times over the years in documentries and books.
I cried when I first watched it and cried again watching you watch it. This is one of those movies that deserves the praise it received.
Glad you enjoyed the film! Shin Godzilla is definitely worth checking out
As a long time Godzilla fan this is the single greatest Godzilla movie ever IMO. I love that we are getting so many godzilla movies, between this movie and the monsterverse films. I can't wait for the next film!
Definitely need to watch Shin Godzilla after this!
I've been waiting for this one! Really wanted to know what you'd say about the movie. I'm glad you enjoyed it, it's a truly amazing film!
Atomic breath. Godzilla is a metaphoric response to the atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Atomic destruction is a common theme in Japanese storylines.
Yes! Been hoping you would watch this! Never thought a Godzilla movie would make me tear up, let alone be in my top 10 movies!
Hope you had fun in Norway and Iceland. Two of my favorite countries!
The little girl in this movie should've gotten an Oscar. For someone so young, she really pulled off all of her scenes and lines.
This movie is so magnificent! Love the character arcs and the effects. But the story is so touching and just raises this above a mere monster movie
This is honestly my favorite Godzilla film, and such a wonderful palate cleanser after the circus show the Monsterverse has devolved into. This almost isn't even a monster movie, more like a gripping character drama that happens to have a monster in it. The way they anchor Godzilla to the protagonist's PTSD is wonderful and really adds to the terror when Godzilla goes out of his way to just chase one little boat. He's never been so personal with his wrath before. This Godzilla is angry af and I'm here for it.
I found the TV series "Monarch" to be the strongest entry in the Monsterverse. It has the emotional core that the related movies lacked (they were just action/adventure films, after all), and like this film, it really cares about its central characters as _people._ Of course it is more lighthearted than this film, but most things are. lol
One deliberate choice the director made was to make this Godzilla much smaller than the Monsterverse version, so he could interact with humans on a more personal level.
Much like the Hulk and Deadpool's healing, the radiation from the bomb turned Godzilla into a giant cancer cell. His regeneration has been turned to immortal mode, keeping him alive and growing but in constant pain.
Godzilla's heat ray breath is like Havok of the X-Men, superheating an object and it explodes but at a Tunguska Event level (a soft rubble asteroid that wasn't solid enough to survive the heat of atmospheric entry and exploded). His fins usually glow before attacking, but updating to extend and retract is symbolic of the control rods in a nuclear reactor.
I like how they used Freon and the science of compression/decompression to update the Oxygen Destroyer concept (the weapon that killed Godzilla in the original 1956 movie).
If you liked this Godzilla film, another good one is Shin Godzilla.
Another quality film with a strong story, and thought-provoking themes. The Japanese takes on Godzilla are quite distinct from the American version.
The reason it hangs around Japan, aside from allegorical reasons, is because of how radioactive areas were after the nuclear bombings, and that’s where Godzilla gets its energy.
@16:45 -- in godzilla lore, he's a victim of poisoning from radioactive waste dumps. the bikini atoll atomic explosion was in fact a secret u.s. attempt to destroy godzilla, but it only made him bigger and grumpier
I can’t wait to watch the full reaction when I get home. I have been waiting for Nat to react to a Godzilla movie for years
And the Oscar goes to. Godzilla Minus One
14:51 The best reaction in the world
Just finished watching Nat's full length reaction over on her Patreon. It was so good 😊
Godzilla's origin lore is that he's a creation made from the nuclear fallout from the war.
This movie is so underrated. The performances in this movie are incredible. So happy I got to experience this in a movie theater.
It's gotten nothing but praise, won an Oscar, and is branching out to people that have never watched a Japanese Godzilla movie in their lives. How is that underrated?
@@Eidlonesexactly
@@Eidlones People just throw that word around these days , unappreciated by the Academy would be more accurate but lets face it they couldn't give Minus one more awards without hurting Hollyweirds feelings.
Wow. What an excellent Godzilla movie to start out with!
I've watched Godzilla since the early 80s and really loved this one.
So a few contextual details you might appreciate:
The title *_Minus One_* is in reference to how when you think that you've lost everything there is to lose, that things can still get worse. (Much of how Japan as a whole experienced events immediately post-WWII).
To that end, the black rain Shikishima was covered by during the Ginza attack is the ash from the detonation mixing with the clouds created from the heat creating water vapor generating radioactive fallout. This is how a lot of the radiation poisoning was transferred to the victims of the atomic bombings where the rain soothing the burns is what would eventually kill them.
The reason Godzilla attacks Japan is that he's depicted as a Tatarigami (a curse god), where his pain and anger get directed at those nearby and not necessarily those responsible, and that contact lingers. Thats why at the end, she was able to survive the attack because the same regeneration that is allowing Godzilla to survive is also keeping her alive (which creates a situation where you can't kill it without also destroying the thing you care about most, thus reinforcing the core theme of the film).
Lastly, the Shinden was an experimental Japanese aircraft being developed near the end of the war, and only two were ever made. One was taken by the Americans during the occupation and the other was scrapped. This one was a replica made for the film, but before that was revealed, it was anonymously donated to a Japanese WWII museum, so you can see it as it's made to be an accurate 1:1 version.
Natalie, that was a very well thought out analysis of the film you gave there at the end of your video. I 100% agree. 👍 -OG
I love how this film used Godzilla to portray the struggles of the main character. In addition, it also brings back Godzilla's origins as a creature the Japanese use to deal with nuclear trauma. Both can be observed in the story of Godzilla Minus One.
Godzilla is usually a he, and he's our friend! this movie is one of few where he's the enemy
I contend that Godzilla Minus one is the best shark movie since JAWS
Not a coincidence, since Yamazaki is on record in a conversation with Spielberg (who loved this movie) saying Jaws was a big inspiration for many of the aquatic scenes. The boat chase where he shoots the mine in its mouth was a direct homage.
I recommend watching "Shin Godzilla" next from 2016. It's also a Japanese Toho production but it takes place in the modern day. It's a commentary on how the Japanese government dealt with the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.
Great movie! I can't wait for this to come out on 4k blu ray.
this movie is so especial, everything about this movie is well done.
Watching it from a WW2 veteran viewpoint was Amazing
good film , saw it in the theater , will be buying a copy for my Kaiju collection !
I'm glad you've finally watched this awesome godzilla movie😁
This is the best modern Godzilla film imo, maybe best ever, but of course the others each serve a different genre master. I appreciated how the tone and style let this one perfectly serve as a prequel to the first Godzilla film from 1954 (not the US re-edit) if you do a back to back. It's set at the time of release so a few years after the bombs, and a lot of the war trauma and self-sacrifice themes continue.
This film is simply a MASTERPIECE
Godzilla's roar was taken straight from the 1954 movie. It's also worth a watch. Very similar in tone to this movie. There's 2 versions of it, the first is all subtitles, for the US they released an American version that had Raymond Burr in it. They are both excellent and well done.
Best movie of 2023
Yessir
Those are fish with inverted stomachs. When deep sea fish rise too quickly, their insides get pushed out from lack of pressure. Same with the eyes. They bulge out like crazy.
3:07 Shikishima wasn't holding in vomit, he was hiding his breath from Gojira. Thought that was pretty obvious.
"Bro! It's a train! It's not going to taste good!"
Come on, he's teething, let him have it.
The train being chomped by Godzilla, the train conductors and the reporters on the roof all hearken back to similar themes in the original 1954 film.
And the status of the country is zero because of the atomic bombs. The Japanese consider the two bombs as a kind of reset of history setting their progress back to zero. And just when they're at zero here comes Godzilla to make it worse: Minus One
Hi after this i recommend you watch Shin Godzilla...and here's some movie suggestions that might interest you..."Maverick"(mel gibson/jodi foster/james garner)..."G.I.jane"(demi moore)..."Space Cowboys"(clint eastwood/tommy lee jones/donald sutherland/james garner)..."Basic"(john travolta/samuel jackson)..."Volcano"(tommy lee jones/anne heche)..."Hot Shots"parts1&2 (charlie sheen)..."Airforce One"(harisson ford)...have a nice day.
I definitely second checking out Shin Godzilla. A very different take on the premise, and it's crazy to think Toho made the two best films in this entire franchise (since the 1954 original) back to back!
I absolutely love the Varrick easter egg 🤣
I literally almost choked on my food
LASER EYES 🤣🤣
My first thought after watching this movie was that I’ve talked my friends and family into watching so many Godzilla movies that *nobody* will ever believe me when tell them how good it is.
Regarding the cost, the budget seems to be actually less than 15 million, but on the other hand it reflects Japanese film workers being radically underpaid.