Summary
AnotherGodzillamovie will be streaming on Netflix starting next month. The newest addition does not necessarily offer a new plot but will deliver a new experience because it’s the black and white version ofGodzilla Minus One.
Netflix is home to multiple movies and shows from theGodzillafranchise, includingGodzilla vs. Kong(2021),Godzilla Singular Point,Godzilla: King of the Monsters(2019), GODZILLA City on the Edge of Battle (2018),GODZILLA Planet of the Monsters(2017),Godzilla(2014) and more. Last monthGodzilla Minus Onejoined Netflix and became the latest project from the franchise to stream on the subscription-based streaming service. However,its black and white version — theGodzilla Minus One/Minus Color— will soon join it on the same platform.
Netflix just announced thatGodzilla Minus One/Minus Colorwill soon stream on its platform, according toGeek Tyrant. This version doesn’t just enhance the film’s sense of hyper-realism; the lighting makes it a definitiveGodzillaexperience.Godzilla Minus Onetakes place in the days after World War II when Japan is rebuilding from the devastating effects of warfare. Japan is at its lowest point, and the black and white version effectively takes the audience back in time and gives them a bolder and more frightening version ofGodzilla. The monochrome version changes the feel of the entire film because it makes it more convincing to understand that it happened a long time ago because it mirrors the 1950s feel of the originalGodzillamovie. According toDirector Takashi Yamazaki, turning the film into a black-and-white version was like creating a new film. Hesaid, “Rather than just making it monochrome, it is a cut-by-cut. I had them make adjustments while making full use of various mattes as if they were creating a new movie.”
Godzilla Minus Onemade its streaming debut on Netflix on June 1 and it became an instant hit due to its compelling storyline and visual effects. The quality of the film is also superb, and it even won the Best Visual Effects Oscar at the 2024 Academy Awards in March. In an interview with theLos Angeles Times, Yamazaki said he did the initial drawings and sculpture models of the monster, but it was refined by artist Kosuke Taguchi. The director said they wanted to make the beast “very cool” for the film and incorporated a dinosaur origin in its skin texture. As for itsability to regeneratewhen wounded, the team brought in new layers to make it unique. He added, “We wanted to go back to the original reason forGodzilla’sexistence. The creature is a metaphor for nuclear weapons, so we mimicked the way a weapon would work inside of his body. Each element would come together and create an implosion, and that’s when the blue rays would come out.”
Godzilla Minus Oneis brilliant as it is. The full-color version makes the ocean and the mountains in every scene vivid, and the noticeable blue glow in Godzilla’s dorsal plates before it releases ablue-colored beam of atomic energyfrom its mouth serves as a warning that something big is about to happen. This is visibly missing in the monochrome version. However,Minus Coloroffers something special – it is the version in the franchise that can take the audience closest to the original 1954 film. Also, the black and white version makes it character-driven, bringing a fiercer, bolder, and more dangerous version ofGodzilla.Minus Colormakes the film an ultimateGodzillaexperience. For several viewers who had already seen both, the black and white re-release madeMinus Oneall the more superior. Whether one agrees or not,Godzilla Minus One/Minus Coloroffers a different level of fun and thrill, making it a must-watch.
