The CGI Godzilla often comes directly at the camera, staring at us with a giant open jaw and devilish yellow eyes. Yamazaki's sophisticated characterisation fits easily into the immersive action. When Godzilla attacks the island, and Kōichi freezes rather than launching a missile at him, almost everyone else on the island dies, and he carries a double burden of guilt through the next few years – when Godzilla re-emerges and attacks mainland Japan itself. That's one of Yamazaki's shrewdest choices: Kōichi's decision to live makes him sympathetic to a contemporary audience, but he himself feels like a coward. The story begins at the end of World War Two when kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) realises that Japan is about to lose the war and refuses to kill himself, instead landing his plane on an island where aircraft are repaired. In a review that reflects the consensus, the Daily Beast praised the way it balanced its "human-and-titan-sized concerns", calling it "just about everything fans could want". Few monster movies, or action blockbusters in general, have received similar acclaim, with a score of 96% from critics and 98% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Worldwide the film has already more than doubled its budget, having made $23m in Japan, with the release in the UK and Ireland still to come, on 15 December.Īs Godzilla movies go, it is a terrific mix of action and character. Exhibitor Relations, a company tracking box office receipts, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) "Godzilla Minus One delivered a mighty box office blow". That may not sound like a blockbuster number, but it's huge for a subtitled film. Written, directed and with visual effects by the veteran Japanese director Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla opened in wide release in the US on 1 December and made $11m over its opening weekend, ranking number three behind Beyoncé's Renaissance and the latest Hunger Games instalment. – 10 of the best films to watch in December Reportedly made for a mere $15m, with a simple plot and a surprisingly complicated, humane hero, its back-to-basics approach has made the film a hit at the very moment that bloated Hollywood superhero franchises are flailing. The new, Japanese-made Godzilla Minus One is being acclaimed as among the best ever, and it is that rare thing, both a critical and box office success. Godzilla, the lumbering father of future action movies, has been a staple of cinema for nearly 70 years, the giant lizard stomping on cities around the world and tangling with other monsters in dozens of spinoffs.
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