Godzilla Minus One Director Addresses Oppenheimer Similarities

Godzilla is all over the headlines right now, and we have the monster’s most recent film to thank. If you did not realize, Godzilla Minus One is about to leave U.S. theaters, and its exit comes shortly after a historic Oscars nomination. With all eyes on the kaiju, Godzilla fans are sending thanks to director Takashi Yamazaki for making such a great film, and he is doing the same for Oppenheimer‘s team.

Recently, Yamazaki spoke with Movie Maker all about his latest faves, and it was their film came up. The director-writer confessed he was as impressed with Oppenheimer as he expected, so it was worth leaving Japan to watch. The film’s delayed release in Japan prompted Yamazaki to fly to Taiwan to see the movie whether he could read the subtitles or not.

Of course, Yamazaki’s talk of Oppenheimer led the director to talk about their comparisons. In the past year, netizens have been quick to compare how the films approach nuclear disaster and fallout. As for Yamazaki, the director says Godzilla Minus One is not a response to Oppenheimer, but the two films feed into one another.

“I don’t think Godzilla Minus One is necessarily a direct response to it, although they point at similar themes,” Yamazaki shared. So if you haven’t seen both blockbusters yet, we cannot recommend you binge them enough.

Clearly, Oppenheimer explores mankind’s self-destructive exploration of nuclear power while Godzilla Minus One focuses on the aftermath. In a world impacted by the horrors of nuclear warfare, Godzilla acts as conduit for humanity to explore its sin and overcome them. Yamazaki handled this story beautifully, and director Christopher Nolan did much the same with Oppenheimer.

If you have not checked out Godzilla Minus One, you have until February 1 to watch it in theaters stateside. For more info on the hit movie, you can read up on its official synopsis below: “Japan has barely recovered from the Second World War when a gigantic peril emerges off the coast of Tokyo. Koichi, a deserter traumatised by his first confrontation with Godzilla, sees this as an opportunity to redeem his conduct during the war.”

What do you think about this Godzilla update? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!