Godzilla Minus One Has United Rotten Tomatoes Critics
Godzilla may not be a welcome sight for the characters in "Godzilla Minus One," but critics couldn't be happier with the King of the Monsters' latest venture. The film, the 37th of the nearly 70-year-old franchise, marks the latest Japanese-produced entry since 2016's "Shin Godzilla" following a series of American installments under Warner Brothers and Legendary's MonsterVerse saga. Acting as a standalone narrative, "Minus One" sees the terrifying kaiju rear its ugly head in the war-torn nation of Japan in the immediate aftermath of World War II.
Thankfully, it's looking like the Takashi Yamazaki-directed film will be worth the wait. On Rotten Tomatoes, "Godzilla Minus One" holds a Fresh Tomatometer score of 100% based on 15 reviews. While the score is likely to fluctuate during the movie's international release, it nevertheless paints a promising picture for fans and newcomers to the franchise alike.
Reviewers have not only commended the film's rich production values despite being made at a significantly lower price point compared to the recent American entries but have favorably compared it to the original 1954 "Godzilla" in its horror-filled and metaphorical depiction of Godzilla, all while remaining an entertaining monster romp. In a review by Variety, critic Richard Kuipers noted that, "Much of the personal drama is serious and heartfelt but Yamazaki always remembers we're in B-movie monster land, just not too campy this time around." Similarly, IGN's Katie Rife called the film, "A rousing, spectacle-filled blockbuster," while also stating, "'Godzilla: Minus One' takes the king of the monsters back to his roots in post-WWII Japan. The story is character-driven, but the monster scenes are exciting and effective." The hearty blend of spectacle and substance present in "Minus One" also helped the film become a monster-sized hit in Japan.
Minus One has been a beast at the box office
Critics aren't the only ones loving "Godzilla Minus One." Being the first Godzilla movie from Toho in over seven years was more than enough to get fans hyped, but it doesn't hurt that the film's advertising campaign included some rip-roaring trailers. The build-up more than paid off when "Minus One" opened in Japan on November 3, the same day that 1954's "Godzilla" introduced the world to the now-iconic movie monster nearly seven decades ago.
On its opening weekend, "Godzilla Minus One" brought in over ¥1 billion, or about $6.7 million, at the box office, surpassing the ¥625 million that "Shin Godzilla" earned throughout its opening. It also broke new records for the country as Japan's biggest IMAX opening for a live-action film, pulling in $1.2 million from just under 50 IMAX locations. The movie stayed at the top spot of the Japanese box office for three weeks until being bested by the sequel "Fly to Saitama – From Lake Biwa with Love -," dropping it to second place by the end of its fourth weekend. "Godzilla Minus One" has currently grossed $19 million, which is bound to rise once the anticipated tokusatsu epic is released internationally on December 1.