“I was feeling jealous the entire time I was watching it”: Gareth Edwards Claims ‘Godzilla Minus One’ is Better Than His Bryan Cranston Starrer as Kaiju Resurgence Returns

Gareth Edwards had many great things to say about the upcoming Kaiju monster film Godzilla Minus One, which was recently released in Japan. The Japanese film was directed by noted visual effects artist and director Takashi Yamazaki.

Edwards, who recently directed the John David Washington starrer The Creator, went on to praise Godzilla Minus One’s storytelling. He compared it to his film, the 2014 reboot Godzilla starring Bryan Cranston, which kicked off Legendary Pictures’ MonsterVerse.

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Gareth Edwards’ 2014 Reboot of Godzilla

Many directors have taken a stab at the Godzilla franchise, which was first started by legendary Japanese filmmaker Ishirō Honda. Honda’s 1954 kaiju film Godzilla was the product of the fears and aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War.

Director Gareth Edwards was chosen to direct the American reboot of the popular kaiju film Godzilla in 2014 after he gained notoriety for his independent debut feature Monsters. The reboot was intended to start the MonsterVerse, an interconnected cinematic universe much like the MCU. The film starred Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, and more.

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Edwards’ Godzilla was a huge hit, earning $529 million against a $160 million budget. It was the second attempt by a Hollywood studio to make the beloved kaiju film and it worked. The success prompted Legendary Pictures to produce more sequels, while Toho Co., the original Japanese production house rebooted the franchise in 2016 with Shin Godzilla.

The film also kickstarted the MonsterVerse, which included the sequels Godzilla: King of Monsters, Kong: Skull Island, and Godzilla vs. Kong. The franchise is also set to expand with the sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. 

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Gareth Edwards Says He Felt Jealous Watching Godzilla Minus One

Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One was produced by the Japanese production house Toho Studios, which produced the 2016 film Shin Godzilla. Originally intended to be a sequel to the 2016 film, the makers opted to go for a standalone film that was developed by Yamazaki during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The film is set in post-war Japan, taking place in the year 1946 and going back to the franchise’s original World War II roots. The film was screened as part of the closing ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival and was released in Japan earlier this week.

Gareth Edwards compared Godzilla Minus One with his own 2014 film Godzilla, saying that the former did a lot of things that he wanted to do with his version of the film. He also mentioned that he is jealous of Yamazaki’s version. He said in an interview with Cinema Today,

“There were a lot of things that I thought were very new, and I was feeling jealous the whole time I was watching it…There has been repeated debate among fans over the question, ‘What is the best Godzilla movie of all time?’ I think Godzilla Minus One will definitely be named as the best Godzilla movie of all time.”

Edwards also appreciated the World War II setting of the film and the messaging of the film which deals with the global pandemic.

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