In 2024, one of the most legendary movie monsters returned to theaters, this time even from its own home country Japan. Not only did it become a spectacular action-film, the giant lizard received its first Oscar in over 70 years.
What movie are we talking about? In 2023, a new film featuring the legendary giant lizard, Godzilla Minus One, was released, which first destroyed cities in 1954. What made the film special was that it was the first Japanese Godzilla movie since Shin Godzilla in 2016.
It focuses on the deserted Kamikaze pilot Koichi Shikishima, who faked a broken aircraft. While stranded on an island with some engineers, he encounters Godzilla. But instead of shooting it down with an airplane, Shikishima is paralyzed with fear, and everyone except for the leader of the engineers and himself is killed by the monster.
With his remorse haunting him, Shikishima lives in a destroyed city and tries to survive together with a woman and a little girl. However, during one of his jobs, he encounters the monster again. This time, Godzilla has grown quite a bit due to the atomic tests by the USA. Together with others, he confronts the threat to Japan and his own demons.
The sci-fi film was created that not only appealed to critics and audiences but also set a new milestone for the franchise.
A giant lizards first Oscar
How did Godzilla Minus One perform? Godzilla Minus One is considered one of the best films featuring the giant lizard. Looking at the movie on Rotten Tomatoes makes this clear: With 213 reviews, Minus One achieved an impressive critics score of 99%. Fans have also been thrilled, as can be seen when looking at the over 5000 verified user ratings – the film got a score of 98%.
Financially, Godzilla’s appearance was also a success. IMDb estimates the budget to be 15 million USD. However, the film grossed over 113 million USD worldwide – a major success.
No wonder that this year a sequel, Godzilla Minus Zero, is hitting theaters.
However, the greatest honor for the movie was at the 2024 Academy Awards. The film won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects – the first Oscar in the long history of Godzilla.
You can currently stream this new Godzilla adventure on Netflix, even in a special black-and-white version.
This results in one of the few Godzilla films where the story with the humans doesn’t lack compared to the monsters. Even if you are not a fan of Godzilla, you can still enjoy the film.
Do you know the film and what other films on Netflix can you recommend? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments. There are various titles featuring Godzilla on Netflix, including an anime that showcases one of his strongest forms: A powerful version of Godzilla is so complicated that you need a doctorate to understand it
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