Godzilla Minus One is The Perfect Setting For Zilla's Return

Godzilla Minus One revealed a first look at Japan's next entry in the lizard king on the silver screen. While the Godzilla of Legendary Pictures' Monsterverse has been rampaging quite frequently on the big screen, the Godzilla of Japan has been missing in action since 2016's Shin Godzilla. With the upcoming film hitting the East in November and the West in December of this year, the synopsis has revealed that Godzilla's next reign of destruction is perfect for a fresh spin on the king of the monsters and harkens back to its roots.

If you aren't aware of where Godzilla Minus One is taking the overgrown lizard that has become cinema's most popular monster, the film will take place one year following World War 2. As Japan attempts to rebuild following the global conflict, the giant beast appears. While it has yet to be revealed if this new film will be a remake of the first or a brand new take is still up in the air, though this setting works well for the main metaphor that surrounds the creature's creation. For those who don't know, Godzilla was originally created in the 1950s as commentary as to the creation of nuclear weapons.

Awoke by the hydrogen bomb, Godzilla was almost thought of by denizens of this fictional Japan as the screaming of those killed by the atomic bomb. This adds quite a punch to the king of the monsters' reign of destruction when you think of Godzilla as almost an after-effect of mankind's violent tendencies. The film taking the opportunity to visit the past is also a radically new take on Godzilla in general, as typically, the movies featuring 'Zilla will either take place in the present or far into the future to give him more technologically advanced threats.

By having Godzilla return to the past, it also makes his arrival that much more terrifying thanks to humanity's lack of technological weaponry to fight against the rampaging behemoth. Creating Godzilla as a force of nature rather than a monster that can be reasoned with can certainly lead to a harder-hitting scenario, with Shin Godzilla, the previous entry in Japan, being a prime example. 

Here's the official description for Godzilla Minus One, which will open in Japan on November 3rd and then in North America on December 1st of this year, "Set in a post-war Japan, Godzilla Minus One will once again show us a Godzilla that is a terrifying and overwhelming force, which you already get a sense of from the teaser trailer and poster...The concept is that Japan, which had already been devastated by the war, faces a new threat with Godzilla, bringing the country into the 'minus.'"

What do you think of the decision to take Godzilla back to the past? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of kaiju.