Mamma mia, here we go again, they sang: Godzilla is back, scarier, bigger and more spectacular than ever. Godzilla Minus Zero, which from November 12 is in cinemas across Italy (and also in IMAX) thanks to Plaion Pictures, is the 39th film in the saga of this nuclear lizard born in 1954 with the first film directed by Ishiro Honda. It is also the 34th produced by Toho, the historic Japanese studio that owns the rights, the sixth film of the so-called Reiwa era of the franchise. This era is considered to have begun in 2016 with Shin Godzilla by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, a film that in some ways marked the start of a Japanese reboot of the entire series, arriving right as Hollywood had just inaugurated the so-called by Legendary Pictures, which represents the American branch of the saga.
After Shin Godzilla, in Japan three anime were produced directed by Kobun Shizuno and Hiroyuki Seshita, but above all in 2023 arrived Godzilla Minus One, another new beginning of the series that brought the story of the film back to the past, in a very near past and indeed even earlier than the moment when everything began. Minus One, entrusted for screenplay, directing and special effects to Takashi Yamazaki, was set in postwar Japan in 1947, and Godzilla Minus Zero, which is a direct sequel to it, takes place only two years later. But here are the plot and official trailers of the film, for which presales are already open: you can buy your ticket right away at https://godzillaminuszero.alcinema.app/
Set in 1949 and, with World War II now behind it, Japan still tries to pick itself up from the wounds left by the conflict and by Godzilla’s last appearance. But when the monster re-emerges even more terrifying, the threat sweeps through the country once again. The former pilot Kōichi and Noriko will find themselves once again at the center of a desperate struggle for survival, as the king of monsters sows destruction on a scale never seen before.
As you could see from these images, as well as and even more than Minus One, this new Godzilla Minus Zero is a film that, alongside the grandeur and spectacle of the visuals and situations, once again blends the personal and psychological arcs of a number of characters, tightly tying themselves to Japan’s history, to the disorientation of the postwar period, to the still-living and present trauma of the two atomic bombs dropped by the United States on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The credit goes largely to Takashi Yamazaki, born in 1964, who debuted at the turn of the millennium with two science fiction films (Juvenile and Returner) that earned him the label of the “Japanese James Cameron”, and who then continued his career, mainly focusing on both animation and live-action films adapting popular manga, books and anime from his country. Among these, the live-action version of Space Battleship Yamato, but also animated films about characters extremely popular here as well, such as Lupin III: The First and Doraemon – The Movie.
Where it has already been presented — such as at the New York Film Festival, the London Film Festival, obviously in Japan at the Tokyo festival and in Italy in preview at Lucca Comics & Games — Godzilla Minus One has gathered enthusiasm and praise. Among all, perhaps the film’s definitive stamp was given by a figure who holds a very special and exalted status among cinema and video game enthusiasts worldwide, namely Hideo Kojima, the visionary creator of Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, a cinephile who has stated that he is made up of 70% by the films he has seen and, to name but one, a dear friend of Nicolas Winding Refn.
Well, after the Japanese preview of the film, Kojima — who is a fan of Godzilla but also of Minami Hamabe, the actress who plays the central character Noriko — spoke of surprises, of expectations surpassed, of gifts for the most ardent fans, but also of scenes that moved him to tears. And this, probably, is because the Master had the chance to see on screen sequences he had always dreamed of seeing, but also because the emotional part of the film has nothing to envy to the spectacular one.
For those wondering: the title Godzilla Minus One was meant to signify that the devastating and destructive arrival of Godzilla in war-torn Japan, and the bomb, pushed the country to actually drop below this zero; Godzilla Minus Zero, Yamazaki explained, is meant to signify that the characters in his film, and all of Japan, are trying to return at least to the previous level, to reclaim something of what has been lost, even if that “minus” indicates we are still in a negative zone, and that the disaster that left such a deep scar has not yet entirely ended.
Godzilla Minus Zero is in our cinemas from November 12, and here you can find the complete list of theaters: https://godzillaminuszero.alcinema.app/
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