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King of the streamers: how Godzilla Minus One became a monster hit for Netflix
https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jun/05/godzilla-minus-one-movie-franchiseKing of the streamers: how Godzilla Minus One became a monster hit for Netflix
One of 2023’s blockbusters lands on the streamer, with Oscar in hand and more thrills than most Hollywood summer offerings
Jesse Hassenger
Wed 5 Jun 2024 04.01 EDT
At a divisive time of much uncertainty and strife, a constant has emerged from the ocean to serve as a great uniter: Godzilla. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, from Warner’s MonsterVerse franchise, is the rare fifth movie to approach a series high; just ask its studio stablemate Furiosa, an acclaimed fifth installment that’s become one of many entertaining 2024 movies to struggle at the box office, how difficult that is. On either side of the Godzilla x Kong triumph sit several more wins for the big G, courtesy of Godzilla Minus One, the most recent entry from the Japanese company Toho. That movie did great business at the box office last December, won an Oscar for visual effects in March, and currently sits atop the Netflix charts in its long-awaited streaming debut, attracting plenty of the viewers who have opted to stay home this summer. Typically, US releases of Japanese Godzilla movies are niche, nerdy events; how is it, exactly, that the new one managed to outperform recent movies from Jennifer Lawrence, Matt Damon, Beyoncé and M Night Shyamalan, among others?
It would be a little churlish, not to mention disrespectful of Godzilla, to say that it comes down to the quality of Godzilla Minus One. It’s also tempting to do so anyway, because the movie, written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, is terrific – more stirring than a number of last year’s best picture nominees. There have been plenty of delightful Godzilla sequels over the years, but the series’ current approach, combined with negotiated limits based on the concurrent US-based movies, seems particularly conducive to making something special.
The main Godzilla franchise tends to operate via sub-series lasting anywhere from five to 20 years, and the current phase, known as the Reiwa era, has avoided direct follow-ups in favor of fresh starts. The first live-action installment, 2016’s Shin Godzilla, essentially reintroduces Godzilla in a contemporary context, with a satirical edge that doesn’t skimp on awesome (and sometimes gross) monster mayhem.
[...]
One of 2023’s blockbusters lands on the streamer, with Oscar in hand and more thrills than most Hollywood summer offerings
Jesse Hassenger
Wed 5 Jun 2024 04.01 EDT
At a divisive time of much uncertainty and strife, a constant has emerged from the ocean to serve as a great uniter: Godzilla. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, from Warner’s MonsterVerse franchise, is the rare fifth movie to approach a series high; just ask its studio stablemate Furiosa, an acclaimed fifth installment that’s become one of many entertaining 2024 movies to struggle at the box office, how difficult that is. On either side of the Godzilla x Kong triumph sit several more wins for the big G, courtesy of Godzilla Minus One, the most recent entry from the Japanese company Toho. That movie did great business at the box office last December, won an Oscar for visual effects in March, and currently sits atop the Netflix charts in its long-awaited streaming debut, attracting plenty of the viewers who have opted to stay home this summer. Typically, US releases of Japanese Godzilla movies are niche, nerdy events; how is it, exactly, that the new one managed to outperform recent movies from Jennifer Lawrence, Matt Damon, Beyoncé and M Night Shyamalan, among others?
It would be a little churlish, not to mention disrespectful of Godzilla, to say that it comes down to the quality of Godzilla Minus One. It’s also tempting to do so anyway, because the movie, written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, is terrific – more stirring than a number of last year’s best picture nominees. There have been plenty of delightful Godzilla sequels over the years, but the series’ current approach, combined with negotiated limits based on the concurrent US-based movies, seems particularly conducive to making something special.
The main Godzilla franchise tends to operate via sub-series lasting anywhere from five to 20 years, and the current phase, known as the Reiwa era, has avoided direct follow-ups in favor of fresh starts. The first live-action installment, 2016’s Shin Godzilla, essentially reintroduces Godzilla in a contemporary context, with a satirical edge that doesn’t skimp on awesome (and sometimes gross) monster mayhem.
[...]
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