- "Godzilla Minus One" is the latest Japanese movie about the giant monster.
- It's made by Toho, the company that has been making "Godzilla" movies since 1954.
The monstrous lizard known as Godzilla is getting ready to stomp his way back onto the big screen in Japanese studio Toho's latest movie: "Godzilla Minus One."
Toho has been making "Godzilla" movies since 1954, and yes, some of them do look a little kitsch because the titular monster has often been played by a man in a rubber suit.
But over the years, the franchise has also been seen as an allegory for the development of nuclear weapons, climate change, and politics.
2023's "Godzilla Minus One" is directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who also wrote the movie, and takes place during the late 1940s in postwar Japan.
The first trailer for the film sees Godzilla wreak havoc on the country as he crushes civilians, destroys numerous buildings, and attacks military ships before hurling the wreckage out of the ocean.
The movie seems to be closer in tone to 2016's "Shin Godzilla," Toho's previous take on the character, which had an intense, horrific streak to it.
"Godzilla Minus One" opened in Japan last week and has already been a huge hit, grossing over 1 billion yen (around $6.6 million) in just a few days, reports Deadline.
'Godzilla Minus One' will be released in US theaters in December
"Godzilla Minus One" roars into theaters across the US from December 1. The film will be available in over 1,000 theaters, reports Deadline.
Gareth Edwards, the director of 2014's Hollywood adaptation of "Godzilla," recently praised Yamazaki's 2023 movie in an interview with Cinema Today.
"There were a lot of things that I felt were very new for Godzilla, and I felt jealous the whole time I was watching the movie. This is what a Godzilla movie should be," he said.
'Godzilla Minus One' isn't part of Warner Bros.' MonsterVerse
It's worth clarifying that "Godzilla Minus One" is completely separate from the recent Hollywood movies co-produced by Legendary Entertainment and Warner Bros., and doesn't take place in the shared continuity of the MonsterVerse.
Legendary and Warner Bros. have developed the MonsterVerse as part of a deal with Toho that started with 2014's "Godzilla."
The universe has since expanded with 2017's "Kong: Skull Island," 2019's "Godzilla: King of the Monsters," and 2021's "Godzilla vs. Kong."
The Hollywood franchise is also getting its first TV series in the form of Apple TV+'s upcoming "Monarch: Legacy of Monsters."
The series focuses on the titular organization, Monarch, which is dedicated to finding giant monsters like Godzilla.
"Monarch: Legacy of Monsters" premieres on Apple TV+ on November 17.