Godzilla Minus One’s 4K Box Set Is Appropriately Huge
Prepare for Godzilla Minus Zero by revisiting its absolutely enormous predecessor.
Like its titular monster, Godzilla Minus One is an unstoppable juggernaut ready to take over the world. Originally released in Japan on November 3, 2023, Takashi Yamazaki’s epic monster movie continued to build momentum as it expanded overseas into different markets, earning raves from critics and fans as it went.
Inverse’s Eric Francisco was among the chorus, writing that “it is not hyperbole to say Godzilla Minus One is perhaps one of the finest movies of the kaiju genre ever put to screen since Ishiro Honda’s Gojira kicked off the franchise in 1954.” That was almost three years ago now. And while the hype may have shifted towards anticipation for the upcoming Godzilla Minus Zero, Godzilla Minus One is still a fan favorite and a modern-day kaiju classic.
How Was Godzilla Minus One received upon its release?
Godzilla takes the Oscars.
Minus One was a huge breakthrough not only for the Godzilla series, but for the Japanese film industry in general. Unlike Japanese films that are a hit with critics but only play in a handful of theaters in the U.S., once it arrived on American shores Godzilla Minus One proved that it had the commercial might to back up the kaiju-sized hype. After a record-setting opening weekend, it eventually became the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film in history at the U.S. box office, grossing $113 million worldwide on a budget somewhere around $10 million USD.
It all culminated at the 96th Academy Awards in 2024, where Yamazaki and his VFX colleagues Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima collectively won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Godzilla Minus One was the first non-English language film to win that particular award, which is a real achievement, but nothing next to the custom Godzilla-heeled footwear the team wore on the red carpet.
Why Is Godzilla Minus One important to see now?
Because the furor around it never really died out. Godzilla’s takeover of America continued last month as Godzilla Minus Zero premiered for the cinephile crowd at the New York Film Festival, where it was honored with a splashy gala and great reviews. Some critics even said that Godzilla Minus Zero was better than Minus One — this writer slightly preferred Yamazaki’s previous effort, but still praised the movie, writing:
Godzilla Minus Zero is a triumph of special effects. Clear, extended looks at the film’s monsters begin early and continue throughout, with an emphasis on tactile texture and animalistic movement. Even when these scaly titans are tangled up in combat, the action is still legible, and the kaijus’ abilities are expanded up here in exciting and awe-inspiring ways ... Combined with Naoki Sato’s excellent, evocative score, as well as some creative camerawork that puts viewers in the middle of the action, Minus Zero lives up to its predecessor as a world-class blockbuster spectacle.
And what’s the best way to form your own opinion and join the conversation on whether Minus One or Minus Zero is better? To see them both, of course!
What special features does Toho’s new Limited Edition 4k steelbook have?
This may be the most complete Blu-ray collection for Minus One.
If you’re looking for the most complete 4K/UHD combo pack available, Toho’s new Limited Edition Steelbook release of Godzilla Minus One — available this month through the official Godzilla website, as well as your usual web retailers — probably isn’t your best bet: The four-disc limited-edition box set released in 2024 has more bonus content, including the black-and-white Godzilla Minus One Minus Color version of the movie.
The only problem there is that you’ll have to open your wallet to get one: Both the Japanese and North American versions of the set are sold out, so you’ll have to look on the secondary collector’s market to get one. (A UK version of the set is coming up in November, and while Blu-rays are region-coded, 4K UHD discs are not.)
The three-disc Steelbook set, meanwhile, is readily available, and has nearly as many special features. (Those are listed below.) One advantage this new set has over previous Minus One releases is in its packaging: The slipcover comes with a special “Charging Up” effect that makes the spiky plates on Godzilla’s back glow in the dark, which is admittedly pretty cool.
Product Details
- Format: 4K UHD + Blu-ray
- Aspect Ratio: 2.40
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD, Japanese Dolby Atmos
- Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
- Number of Discs: 3 (1 4K UHD disc and 2 Blu-ray discs)
- Run Time: 125 minutes
- Original Release Year: 2023
- Studio: Toho Co., LTD
- MPA Rating: PG-13
- Region free
Bonus Features
- Behind the Scenes: Godzilla Minus One - No.30
- Visual Effects Behind The Scenes
- 11 Featurettes
- Trailers
- TV Spots
- 11 Event Videos
Packaging
- Glow in the dark slipcover
- SteelBook, inner print
- Exclusive mini poster
