The number one film on Netflix right now has achieved a unique record – with fans across the board lapping it up.
When a film is added to the streamer and shoots straight to number one, it can mean a bunch of things.
Sometimes it’s a banger we should all be rushing to see, and sometimes it’s a romcom so poorly written it’s accused of being AI.
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In the case of Netflix’s top dog right now though – it is an undeniable banger with an Oscar, a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes film, and some of the best visual effects ever.
The flick is Godzilla Minus One, a Japanese take on the character that the country originated after years of American versions.
Winning an Oscar for Best Visual Effects at last year’s Academy Awards, the film is an unreal achievement – beating out a Marvel and Mission Impossible film despite a budget of under $10 million.
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While it received 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and was a hit at the box office, Godzilla: Minus One has found a second life this week on Netflix, rocketing to the top of the list and leaving fans raving.
One fan posted on X a scene of Godzilla chasing a boat through the water and said: “This scene right here encapulsates so much of what makes Godzilla Minus One great. Stunning effects. Heart-pounding tension. Godzilla’s terrifying power.
“Koichi’s fear in the face of his trauma and his struggle for redemption. Just incredible filmmaking”.
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Another posted: “I was prepared for GodzillaMinus One to be a more cerebral Godzilla movie. I was absolutely not prepared for the emotional rollercoaster of this film.
“100% WEPT through this sequence. The depiction of family devastation and reconnection in the postwar environment is MOVING.”
Fans are not only rushing to the film on Netflix though, as the Godzilla thriller is the first to ever top Netflix and the iTunes store at the same time.
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Add that to a box office of over $100 million and an Oscar of a comparatively tiny budget for this kind of film, and you’d have to call it one of the biggest success stories in Japanese film history.
Director Takashi Yamazaki has stated what he’d want to do for a sequel, and we all couldn’t agree more.
He told Empire: “I don’t know if anyone has achieved a more serious tone of kaiju vs kaiju with human drama, that challenge, is something I would like to explore.
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“When you have movies that feature [kaiju battles], I think it's very easy to put the spotlight and the camera on this massive spectacle, and it detaches itself from the human drama component.”
Topics: Netflix, Film and TV
Michael Slavin