Godzilla Minus One: is Japanese kaiju film a prequel, full list of Godzilla movies and how to watch in UK

Japanese action kaiju film Godzilla Minus One, from director Takashi Yamazaki explores the origins of the iconic movie monster. Godzilla has always been an allegory for the destructive power of nuclear weapons, ever since weapons testing inadvertently created the creature in Ishirô Honda’s 1954 original. 

There have been many sequels and spin-offs since, with the US putting their own slant on the monster, and King Kong entered the mix in 1963, when the giant ape went toe to claw with the lizard.  

Godzilla Minus One is an alternative origin story for the monster, set in US occupied Japan in the late 1940s, with the country on its knees, when an horrific monster born in the fires of nuclear devastation, rears its head. 

When is the release date of Godzilla Minus One?

Godzilla Minus One premiered in Japan at the Tokyo Film Festival on November 1, and will land in UK cinemas on Friday December 15. The film will be released in its original Japanese, with English subtitles in UK cinemas.

Is Godzilla Minus One a prequel?

Godzilla Minus One is not a sequel as it follows the genesis of the monster, just as the original and several later films, so this instalment is essentially another reboot.

It is the 37th Godzilla movie to be released, coming between two American efforts, Godzilla vs. Kong, released in 2021, and its sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, coming out next year. The story of Godzilla Minus One will stand alone and is not directly related to any of the earlier films.

Which other Godzilla films are there?

This is a full list of every Godzilla movie to date:

• Godzilla (1954)
• Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
• King Kong vs. Godzilla 
• Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
• Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
• Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965)
• Ebirah, Terror of the Deep (1966)
• Son of Godzilla (1967)
• Destroy All Monsters (1968)
• All Monsters Attack (1969)
• Godzilla vs. Hedorah (1971)
• Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972)
• Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973)
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974)
• Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975)
• Godzilla 1985 (1985)
• Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)
• Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)
• Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
• Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
• Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)
• Godzilla (1998)
• Godzilla 2000: Millennium (1999)
• Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)
• Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Attack of the Giant Monsters (2001)
• Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla 3 (2002)
• Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. (2003)
• Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
• Godzilla (2014)
• Shin Godzilla (2016)
• Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters (2017)
• Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle (2018)
• Godzilla: The Planet Eater (2018)
• Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
• Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
• Godzilla Minus One (2023)

Where can you watch the other Godzilla films?

Unfortunately, the Japanese Godzilla films are unavailable to stream in the UK. However, you can watch the American films - Godzilla (1998) is available to stream on Sky and NOW, and to rent or buy from Amazon, Apple TV+, the Sky Store, and more.

Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters are available to rent or buy from Amazon, Apple TV+, the Sky Store, and more. Godzilla vs. Kong is streaming on Netflix, or you can rent or buy the film from Amazon, Apple TV+, the Sky Store, and more.