The first full trailer for Godzilla Minus One has elicited praise from fans for taking the venerable kaiju franchise back to its roots, with many comparing the visual style of the upcoming Toho release to the 1954 original film.
Toho has unleashed a full-length trailer for Godzilla Minus One that offers a better look at the new terror that will rise when the King of Monsters stomps back onto the big screen this December. The latest footage sees post-war Japan plunge from "zero to minus" as Godzilla sets out on a roaring rampage of destruction and devastation.
The movie is written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who also worked on the visual effects for the project. It is the 37th film in the Godzilla franchise and Toho's 33rd Godzilla film, but fans are pleased to see an entry reminiscent of the original 1954 Japanese epic, with many taking to X to praise its similar style and themes.
The first trailer for Godzilla Minus One, the first Japanese live-action Godzilla film since Anno Hideaki's acclaimed Shin Godzilla back in 2016, has just dropped. The early post-war setting harkens back to the original 1954 film.https://t.co/vBr5gs0X3b
— Unseen Japan (@UnseenJapanSite) September 4, 2023
Godzilla Minus One looks like a spiritual remake of the original 1954 movie. Godzilla by himself and the human suffering it would cause, similar to the bombs dropped. Even the trailer's scenes of the buildings destroyed by GZ's shockwaves just from his movement are bomb-like.
— Demise Avalon (EN Vtuber) (@DemiseAvalon) September 4, 2023
Minus One wont look like its going to subtle when it comes to human casualties and suffering. Its going to be one of the most personal and intimate Godzilla films since, maybe the original. Minus One wont shy away from Death and Im interested to see Yamazakis Vision here play out pic.twitter.com/Kn4mX86tee
— MoonZilla (@MoonZilla4) September 4, 2023
Alright, I’m calling it now. Godzilla Minus One will be the Godzilla movie darkest in tone next to the Japanese original
— Jord (@thekidjordan00) September 4, 2023
This scene with the projector is straight out of 1954, when Doctor Yamane is explaining his theory about Godzilla, and I believe Minus One will have an equivalent to that character. They will probably be explaining Godzilla's origin, or even a plan to kill him. pic.twitter.com/L5qcwz7S7L
— Ed_rick (@Edrick1954) September 4, 2023
One thing I really appreciate about the Shin and Minus One Godzilla designs is how they convey a sense of physical pain. There's a real sense of bodily trauma and mutilation - qualities that have, arguably, not been seen in a Godzilla design since the 1950s. pic.twitter.com/mz890ScKVV
— Toby Forshaw (@KaiserKnightMax) September 4, 2023
Saw the Godzilla minus one trailer and HOLY SHIT DUDE!!!!
— ?Grarrl Brown? (T-rex Vtuber ) revamp arc (@GrarrlDinoKing) September 4, 2023
So it looks like the movie is taking Godzilla back to his roots (the 50s) judging by the attire and buildings.
The thing that I am LOVING is that it looks like they're gonna make Godzilla scary again. pic.twitter.com/G9BHTgfash
Godzilla Minus One marks the first domestic Japanese film since 2016's Shin Godzilla. The new movie, written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, will premiere in Japan on November 3, 2023 — exactly one year from when Toho first announced the feature — and will get a theatrical release in the United States on December 1, 2023.
In addition to Toho's romp-and-stop Godzilla movie, Apple's Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is on the way, presumably this year, and Warner Bros. and Legendary's Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is due sometime in 2024, following up the explosive showdown of Godzilla vs. Kong with an-all new cinematic adventure.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.
