It’s no easy feat to land an Oscar nomination, much less a first in a hotly-contested category. In the fight against Hollywood heavyweights like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning, Godzilla Minus One has made history as the first Japanese language film to ever earn an Oscar nod for Best Visual Effects.
This latest milestone comes after a string of record-breaking performances, including surpassing the biggest IMAX opening in Japan and crossing the US$50 million mark at the U.S. box office. Naturally, the announcement was met with an emotional and celebratory response from the team, with special effects supervisor Koji Matsunaga writing on X/Twitter, “I was in tears. It’s a great achievement for Japan’s VFX industry!”
The achievement is all the more impressive, considering the film’s estimated US$10 to US$15 million budget. A feature article on The Hollywood Reporter also revealed that only 35 people worked on the effects for its 610 shots, although that raises a whole other set of issues on its own.
Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus One follows post-war Japan and its dealings with a new and formidable rising threat. The film has a 98% score from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its take on post-war horrors and in-depth characterisation. In fact, it’s so popular that theatres in the U.S. will screen a special black and white version called Godzilla Minus One / Minus Color starting 26 January.
The movie’s hot streak only proves one thing — Godzilla isn’t called the King of the Monsters for nothing!
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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