Godzilla-1.0, new Toho film, releasing November 2023!

[JasonPratt]

I think the love interest meets the scientist once on screen, possibly once in her life until the end of the movie -- the scientist arrives for dinner and acts like he hasn't been there before. I doubt one of them even speaks to the other. No romance between them.

[W8taminute]

I see.  I'm going to have to see the movie for myself then.  Based on everything you've revealed I kind of got the impression that this movie doesn't have a classic 1950 - 1970 vibe to it. 

[SirAndrewD]

I'm old friends with Adam Wingard's brother, and Adam said that it was the best Godzilla film ever made, even above the original and his films. 

So yeah, gonna see it Tuesday. 

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

Saw it on Tuesday.  I dunno about movie-of-the-year, but I enjoyed it.

Some of the translation was pretty spotty though.

[GDS_Starfury]

does this tie in to the Monarch series at all?

[SirAndrewD]

does this tie in to the Monarch series at all?

No.

But based on the response I imagine it's the launching point of a new era of Toho continuity.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

It's got a J7W Shinden fighter in it.  What more do you need?

(Although whoever did the translating for the subtitles kept calling it a "Shinden local jet fighter").

Tohoku actually anonymously commissioned a replica to be built for a museum in Japan with the secret proviso that they could use it in the movie.


There's a Japanese girl who does model-building videos on YouTube.  She went to check out the replica so she could compare it to her model.

[JasonPratt]

I see.  I'm going to have to see the movie for myself then.  Based on everything you've revealed I kind of got the impression that this movie doesn't have a classic 1950 - 1970 vibe to it. 

Aside from the 1954 original it does not have any Showa era vibes per se, no.

Meanwhile, it won the box office here in America that week. Which was admittedly only a 17 million haul; but then again the film only cost 15 million (in US dollar value). It stayed booked for an extra week. There are rumors that Toho will put it up for Oscar consideration!

[ArizonaTank]

I see.  I'm going to have to see the movie for myself then.  Based on everything you've revealed I kind of got the impression that this movie doesn't have a classic 1950 - 1970 vibe to it. 

Aside from the 1954 original it does not have any Showa era vibes per se, no.

Meanwhile, it won the box office here in America that week. Which was admittedly only a 17 million haul; but then again the film only cost 15 million (in US dollar value). It stayed booked for an extra week. There are rumors that Toho will put it up for Oscar consideration!

Minus One is a great monster flick. Just saw it with the wife. We both liked it. And neither of us usually likes monster movies. Some really great character development, and a story that makes you feel for the characters. Yes, I think it could win an Oscar or two.

The only real hole in the story for me was that it takes place during the Occupation, and the Americans are nowhere to be found. The movie throws out a few lines saying the Americans don't get involved with Godzilla because they are worried about provoking the Soviets... What ever happened to realism in monster movies? 

[SirAndrewD]

The only real hole in the story for me was that it takes place during the Occupation, and the Americans are nowhere to be found. The movie throws out a few lines saying the Americans don't get involved with Godzilla because they are worried about provoking the Soviets... What ever happened to realism in monster movies? 

It's understandable.  The director, Yamazaki has some nationalist leanings and they wanted a fully Japanese film showing Japan fighting without the need for American help.  There's a strong feeling among Japanese Kaiju fans that the Americans have coopted their national semi-mascot enough with the Legendary Pictures films and the Tristar abomination.

[Gusington]

^Wow. I am not into these movies nearly as much as some here (ahem Pratt) but the idea of Japanese nationalism being put into the mix is fascinating.

[SirAndrewD]

^Wow. I am not into these movies nearly as much as some here (ahem Pratt) but the idea of Japanese nationalism being put into the mix is fascinating.

Yeah, there was a bit of concern that Yamazaki would take the opportunity to take quite a few swipes at the Americans of the 40's in the film but it seems he just wanted to remove them from the equation and not make them a problem.

Yamazaki's done a few things like remove the international coalition portion from Space Battleship Yamato to show all Earth Forces in the film being entirely Japanese, and The Eternal Zero is a pretty heavily pro-WW2 Japan picture.

I suppose one could say it's not a lot different from what a lot of American filmmakers do, or anyone's really. 

Lets be real, if the film decided to be realistic, the JSDF was virtually a nucleus when the film was set, little more capable of anything beyond a police force and if a giant radioactive dinosaur had attacked in the late 40's the Americans would be doing virtually 100% of the fighting and MacArthur would've gone into full military governor mode.  That's not something that'd be entertaining for Japanese audiences to watch.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

There's an upswelling of nationalism going on in Japan these days.  My Japanese friends tell me that nostalgia for life during the economic boom of the 80's is very popular right now.  Bars, shops, restaurants, and fashion are all reflecting the trend with lots of retro themed items and services.  80s music and anime are big now too.

I suspect some of it is a reaction to the soft push by the Japanese government and media for opening up the borders and allowing mass immigration.  With the dwindling population, Japanese are worried that they're losing their culture and way of life and the idea of opening the country isn't seen as a positive.  Recent negative incidents with foreign tourists and YouTubers have gone viral and are further pushing the sentiment.

[SirAndrewD]

There's an upswelling of nationalism going on in Japan these days.  My Japanese friends tell me that nostalgia for life during the economic boom of the 80's is very popular right now.  Bars, shops, restaurants, and fashion are all reflecting the trend with lots of retro themed items and services.  80s music and anime are big now too.

Yeah, my ex-wife taught in Japan for two years before we got married.  She's got some stories.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I miss it terribly and wish I hadn't left.