Skreeeonk!
Godzilla Minus One officially roars into Japanese theaters tomorrow, and a handful of first reactions from the movie's recent premiere have now been shared online (via SFFGazette.com).
Based on these initial reactions, it sounds like Toho have another monster hit on their hands, with more than one social media post from Japanese outlets hailing the movie as a "masterpiece." The full reviews will likely be a little more measured, of course, but this is certainly a positive sign.
Check out some X (formerly Twitter) posts below (you may need to click the button for English translation).
Of course, early screenings also open the door to potential spoilers, and we have a pretty juicy one here!
According to one report, the King of the Monsters will face-off against one of his oldest foes, Anguirus, the Ankylosaurus kaiju who first appeared in the 1955 Toho Godzilla film Godzilla Raids Again. There might well be other kaiju in the movie, and we're not sure if Anguirus will be Big G's main enemy, but this is the only one we've heard about so far.
Check out a new teaser for Minus One below.
This will be Toho's first Godzilla movie since 2016's Shin Godzilla. Information beyond the title is sparse, but we do know that Takashi Yamazaki - the filmmaker who worked on visual effects for Shin Godzilla - will direct the film.
Yamazaki recently outlined his original pitch for the project, while explaining that unusual title.
"Postwar Japan has lost everything. The film depicts an existence that gives unprecedented despair. The title Godzilla Minus One was created with this in mind. In order to depict this, the staff and I have worked together to create a setting where Godzilla looks as if "fear" itself is walking toward us, and where despair is piled on top of despair. I think this is the culmination of all the films I have made to date, and one that deserves to be "experienced" rather than "watched" in the theater. I hope you will experience the most terrifying Godzilla in the best possible environment."
Specific plot details are also still under wraps, but a (very) brief synopsis tells us that Godzilla: Minus One "sees an already devastated postwar Japan facing a new threat in the form of Godzilla."
The movie is set to debut in Japan on November 3, 2023 and in theaters in the US nationwide on December 1, 2023.