New version of Godzilla Minus One gets US release date

Prepare to rediscover Godzilla Minus One, as a brand-new version of the movie has finally got a US release date.

The 33rd Godzilla movie in Toho’s kaiju history hit cinemas late last year, unleashing cinema’s most iconic monster born anew in one of the most spectacular movies of 2023.

The film, directed and written by Takashi Yamazaki (who also led its visual effects team), unfolds during Japan’s post-WWII years, with cities turned to rubble and its people trying to bury their trauma and start a new life. However, America’s nuclear tests have caused a catastrophic evolution of a sea-faring monster many believed to be a myth – but he’s real, and he’s coming ashore whether they like it or not.

So far, it’s grossed more than $95 million worldwide, surpassing Shin Godzilla as Japan’s biggest movie of the franchise to date. Amid that success, a new edit will soon stomp into theaters.

Godzilla Minus One black and white version gets US release date

The black and white version of Godzilla Minus One will arrive in US cinemas on January 26.

Officially titled Godzilla Minus One: Minus Color, it’ll do what it says on the tin: it’s the same movie you loved rendered in monochrome, hued closer to the aesthetic of the original 1954 movie.

It’s clearly a move to capitalize on the movie’s astonishing success in overseas markets as well as North America, one that could help push its global haul over the $100 million mark.

While some commentators have aired skepticism over its value and oomph-factor without its original palette, other films have also indulged in a black and white edit, though they’ve generally been Blu-ray accompaniments rather than a re-release, such as Mad Max: Fury Road, “Logan Noir”, and Parasite.

In a statement, Yamazaki said: “Rather than just making it monochrome, it is a cut-by-cut [edit]… I had them make adjustments while making full use of various mattes, as if they were creating a new movie.

“What I was aiming for was a style that looked like it was taken by masters of monochrome photography. We were able to unearth the texture of the skin and the details of the scenery that were hidden in the photographed data. Then, a frightening Godzilla, just like the one in the documentary, appeared. By eliminating color, a new sense of reality emerges. Please live and resist further fear at the theater.”