Godzilla Minus One ended its theatrical run with some major accomplishments in North America, Japan, and the world. Pulling in some big numbers at the box office and nominated for an Academy Award at this year’s Oscars, director Takashi Yamazaki has been making the rounds in preparation for the ceremony. At one big event, not only did Yamazaki meet with legendary director Steven Spielberg, but the kaiju director brought a special friend to say hello to the director of E.T. The Extraterrestrial, Jaws, and Jurassic Park.
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Takashi was able to create a movie that not only pulled on viewers’ heartstrings, but it was able to capture the true terror of the lizard king. Shockingly enough, Godzilla Minus One’s production budget, reportedly, ranges from $10 to $15 million USD. The visual effects were so effective, that the movie was nominated for an Academy Award and while it does have some big competition, making it this far is a testament to the work put into the latest from Toho.
Takashi Yamazaki x Steven Spielberg
While Steven Spielberg has never directed a Godzilla film, the creator did have the opportunity to take control of one of the biggest foes to the king of the monsters in a recent film. Ready Player One was directed by Spielberg and featured a mish-mash of characters from across the spectrum of pop culture, including Mechagodzilla.
In 2023, we here at ComicBook.com had the opportunity to talk with director Takashi Yamazaki about the creation of Godzilla Minus One. In dissecting the kaiju movie, Yamazaki broke down how the characters were made and their reaction to the king of the monsters, “For myself, it was really important for me to portray how these characters, these civilians, really rise to the occasion and that they, as a massive monster, and so that’s why I needed Shikishima and all the characters really start at the very, very bottom of the barrel. And sometimes there’s a glimmer of hope and then he gets slapped back down again. Right? So I wanted to really show bravery and hope that people really starting from the bottom, like emotionally and even post World War II materialistically to then, “Oh yes, and there’s a Godzilla in your face too.” And so for them to have collect all that bravery and to overcome their biggest challenge.”
What do you think of this monumental crossover? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of kaiju.
