Godzilla Minus One - November 3rd 2023

[TangledThorns]

Just got home from seeing it. It's the first Japanese made Godzilla film that I watched in the theater in over 20 years. It was really really good, a true monster film.

 

Update that I just learned this move was made on a budget of $15 million USD. Amazing plus that kind of efficiency should put Hollywood to shame!

Edited December 5, 2023 by TangledThorns

[kajnrig]

Great overall. Effects were great, save for a handful of spotty moments. I especially loved the water simulations, which I honestly probably wouldn't have paid any attention were it not for seeing this interview with the director, Takashi Yamazaki, beforehand, where he mentioned the water alone taking some 500 TB (of... textures? simulated animations? I'm not sure, but 500TB is 500TB).

Some random observations:

Spoiler

- The human element is, as I always fear when I watch a Japanese film, sometimes comically overacted. I don't know if this is just an element of Japanese drama in general, or if it's more specific to pop culture or what, but some scenes get hammed up just a bit much for my taste. I'm watching theater acting, when I want to see film acting.

- The slow-paced boat chase was fantastic.

- I agree that the admonition of the imperial government was a major surprise. I'd almost say it's a radical statement to make... though I suspect that it's perhaps not as controversial a sentiment over there as I might think it is. It might be one of those "it's not an uncommon opinion, it's just an uncommon opinion to openly express" things. I half-expected them to bring up Japan's humanitarian crimes next.

- When the protag comes back to Japan and acquires an adopted family (who calls him "oniisan"), part of me immediately thought "oh crap we about to have ourselves a little Grave of the Fireflies in our Godzilla movie."

- The ending scenes could have been excised. I don't mind the first one so much, it's a happy ending that the movie arguably deserves but could have done without. The sudden cut to a regenerating Godzilla felt... I dunno. Cheap, kind of.

- Speaking of Goji, the smaller scale did a lot to make him seem really menacing again. The brief scenes of him plodding through rice paddies was, weirdly, very chilling to me in a way no other Godzilla movie had been.

 

[TangledThorns]

Agreed the SFX could have been better however they did very well with the budget they had.

That being said I still need to watch Monarch on Apple+. It's a wonderful time to be a Godzilla fan!

[tekering]

2 hours ago, TangledThorns said:

I still need to watch Monarch on Apple+.

You definitely do.  It's really well-written, and acted with great conviction by a largely bilingual cast... which can't be said for any Godzilla film.

[Dangard Ace]

Just watched minus one.  Definitely worth it.  Buying the Bluray when it comes out. 

[Tking22]

Looks like Minus One is getting an extended theater stay because it's been doing so well, I may go see it a third time, this was film of the year for me by far. 

[Duke Togo]

Well, this was just a good, old-fashioned Godzilla movie. Very enjoyable.

[Big s]

On 12/8/2023 at 7:00 AM, Tking22 said:

Looks like Minus One is getting an extended theater stay because it's been doing so well, I may go see it a third time, this was film of the year for me by far. 

This year’s Ben fairly forgettable movie wise, I have no doubt this will be on a lot of number one lists

[TangledThorns]

The ding dongs in Hollywood could make money if they included a "son of Godzilla" to rake in those "baby Yoda" bucks.
 

 

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

I was real glad to watch this during its last few days in the theaters.  I was always curious to see how humans could defend themselves against the big G without any tech from  maser trucks or Super X weapons.  Great effects, big sound, just an overall good watch.  Highlights for me included:

Spoiler

-This most devastating portrayal of G's "heat ray" that I can remember

-Shinden!!

-How the movie did not "treat life cheaply"

 

[sh9000]

[mechaninac]

^See!  Now that's a class act... not some prickly, dishonest and arrogant hack like Indy 5's James Mangold.

[Dangard Ace]

My theatre was clapping at the end.    It was so much fun.

[TangledThorns]

7 hours ago, mechaninac said:

^See!  Now that's a class act... not some prickly, dishonest and arrogant hack like Indy 5's James Mangold.

I expect Takashi to be in high demand, even by Hollywood studios. I just hope his art isn't corrupted by larger budgets.

[mikeszekely]

On 12/8/2023 at 10:00 AM, Tking22 said:

Looks like Minus One is getting an extended theater stay because it's been doing so well, I may go see it a third time, this was film of the year for me by far. 

So glad it did, I just barely managed to catch it.  An excellent film.  I was worried for a bit that it was going in a Grave of the Fireflies sort of direction, but then it turned a more critical eye toward the Japanese government's own failings during the war, provided genuine character growth, and wrapped up in a very satisfying way.  It's definitely up there for me as one of the best films in the franchise (my other favorites being the 1954 original, Shin Godzilla, and Godzilla vs King Ghidorah).

[Raikkonen]

Loved this movie... and also Minami Hamabe 😍

[Raikkonen]

On 12/11/2023 at 3:40 PM, TangledThorns said:

The ding dongs in Hollywood could make money if they included a "son of Godzilla" to rake in those "baby Yoda" bucks.

Baby Yoda hit a peak about half way through the first season. From there rapidly dwindled down to dusty unmovable merch. 

[TangledThorns]

2 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

Baby Yoda hit a peak about half way through the first season. From there rapidly dwindled down to dusty unmovable merch. 

Tell that to my two young kids who just ate Eggo "Mandalorian" waffles with baby Yoda faces on them this morning, lol. 

[Raikkonen]

2 hours ago, TangledThorns said:

Tell that to my two young kids who just ate Eggo "Mandalorian" waffles with baby Yoda faces on them this morning, lol. 

Only cause dad brought them 😛 

[TangledThorns]

33 minutes ago, Raikkonen said:

Only cause dad brought them 😛 

Well, yeah but don't bring your kids with you when buying groceries too 🤑

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Minus One is coming back to theaters next month...in monochrome:

At least in Japan, no word yet if this version will also be shown in the US.

Found more info:

"We are now able to announce Godzilla-1.0/C, which we have been working on for a long time. Rather than just making it monochrome, it is a cut by cut, I had them make adjustments while making full use of various mattes, as if they were creating a new movie. What I was aiming for was a style that looked like it was taken by masters of monochrome photography. We were able to unearth the texture of the skin and the details of the scenery that were hidden in the photographed data. Then, a frightening Godzilla, just like the one in the documentary, appeared. By eliminating color, a new sense of reality emerges. Please live and resist further fear at the theater." - Takashi Yamazaki

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Valkyrie Hunter D

[Bolt]

That's super cool. I would definitely show up for that, if it makes it out here. Hopefully, at least, it will get a limited theater release a la Fathom Events. 

[TangledThorns]

Oooo, artsy! Does a good job of hiding the lower budget VFX too.

[Raikkonen]

8 hours ago, TangledThorns said:

Oooo, artsy! Does a good job of hiding the lower budget VFX too.

What??? It looks better than all the shiny eccentric CGI mess of the Hollywood versions. 

[TangledThorns]

2 hours ago, Raikkonen said:

What??? It looks better than all the shiny eccentric CGI mess of the Hollywood versions. 

For its budget of $15 million USD I'd say so!

[Raikkonen]

48 minutes ago, TangledThorns said:

For its budget of $15 million USD I'd say so!

Of course, they didn't have Hollywood's mega expensive producers, expensive actors, expensive directors, several expansive offshore VFX studios each doing a single lamppost falling over, and the VFX mostly in house was done with a mix of practical and CG. So yeah, 15 million makes sense, unlike the crazy numbers Hollywood drops. 

Hopefully Hollywood learns that smaller production teams of skilled and talented people (and passionate above all), get the job done better. 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Raikkonen

[Bolt]

1 hour ago, Raikkonen said:

Hopefully Hollywood learns that smaller production teams of skilled and talented people (and passionate above all), get the job done better. 

One would hope. But I doubt it. 

[jvmacross]

Was off for the remainder of the year so figured I'd go see this...

Not particularly a Godzilla fan, but this movie definitely stood on it's own without needing any knowledge of the "lore"...really enjoyed the spectacle and the story...

Felt bad for the main character during most of the film, it just seemed like he was faced with one tragedy after another, but glad it all worked out in the end.....

And him living with his "pretend" wife for all those years, in what seemed like a platonic relationship, reminded me of that scene in DYRL where Focker and the rest of Skull Squadron find out he didn't do "anything" with Minmay during the time he was trapped with her within the bowels of the SDF-1....it was probably the most unbelievable part of the entire film and that includes Godzilla itself! LOL

[TangledThorns]

14 hours ago, jvmacross said:

And him living with his "pretend" wife for all those years, in what seemed like a platonic relationship, reminded me of that scene in DYRL where Focker and the rest of Skull Squadron find out he didn't do "anything" with Minmay during the time he was trapped with her within the bowels of the SDF-1....it was probably the most unbelievable part of the entire film and that includes Godzilla itself! LOL

 

Ehhhh... it explains Japan's low birth rate🤣

[David Hingtgen]

B&W+recut does sound like an awesome edition, would be a bit surprised if it comes to the US though.  

[Raikkonen]

On 12/23/2023 at 5:46 AM, David Hingtgen said:

B&W+recut does sound like an awesome edition, would be a bit surprised if it comes to the US though.  

The West will likely have to wait for the BR of this. 

[Spark-O-Matic]

I went to the movie theater and besides being treated like dirt and not worthy to grace there presence,  they decided to turn the movie off 20 minutes before it was done! so the person over movies could take a lunch break because someone called off work. so me and about 10 other people did not get to watch it to the end + plus no refunds other then told to contact customer service to see if they might send out a discount coupon. Thanks AMC!

I'll do what what I always have done, just wait on the torrent to come out to watch the whole movie. there's no place for me in a sick society.

[Bolt]

1 hour ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I went to the movie theater and besides being treated like dirt and not worthy to grace there presence,  they decided to turn the movie off 20 minutes before it was done! so the person over movies could take a lunch break because someone called off work. so me and about 10 other people did not get to watch it to the end + plus no refunds other then told to contact customer service to see if they might send out a discount coupon. Thanks AMC!

I'll do what what I always have done, just wait on the torrent to come out to watch the whole movie. there's no place for me in a sick society.

That's some outrageous BS.!

Heads need to roll for that affront..

[mechaninac]

2 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I went to the movie theater and besides being treated like dirt and not worthy to grace there presence,  they decided to turn the movie off 20 minutes before it was done! so the person over movies could take a lunch break because someone called off work. so me and about 10 other people did not get to watch it to the end + plus no refunds other then told to contact customer service to see if they might send out a discount coupon. Thanks AMC!

I'll do what what I always have done, just wait on the torrent to come out to watch the whole movie. there's no place for me in a sick society.

And they wonder why people decide, with zero remorse, to sail the plundering high seas...

[TangledThorns]

2 hours ago, Spark-O-Matic said:

I went to the movie theater and besides being treated like dirt and not worthy to grace there presence,  they decided to turn the movie off 20 minutes before it was done! so the person over movies could take a lunch break because someone called off work. so me and about 10 other people did not get to watch it to the end + plus no refunds other then told to contact customer service to see if they might send out a discount coupon. Thanks AMC!

I'll do what what I always have done, just wait on the torrent to come out to watch the whole movie. there's no place for me in a sick society.

WTF! I have never heard of that happening before, that is some serious mismanagement at that theater. You need to make them famous if you know what I mean.