Godzilla Minus One actor reveals insane scene didn’t use VFX

Godzilla Minus One’s Kamiki Ryunosuke just confirmed that one of the kaiju blockbuster’s most memorable scenes is surprisingly light on VFX.

Godzilla Minus One is Toho Studios’ 33rd entry in the Godzilla canon. Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, it is equal parts reboot and remake and doubles as an early celebration of the franchise’s 70th anniversary.

Predictably, trailers for Godzilla Minus One circulated ahead of its international release in December have largely focused on the film’s CGI-fueled action set pieces. This includes sequences where Godzilla wreaks havoc in postwar Tokyo, as well as shots of the giant lizard running amok out at sea.

It’s clear from this preview footage that Godzilla Minus One’s visuals are lightyears beyond anything in the original 1954 movie. That said, according to Ryunosuke, the cast and crew achieved a sizeable chunk of at least one major scene in-camera.

Godzilla Minus One actor reveals insane scene didn’t use VFX

At a Q&A post-Godzilla Minus One’s US premiere (via Popverse), Ryunosuke insisted that the flick’s ocean scenes were all for real (aside from the shots featuring Godzilla himself, presumably).

“[People in Japan would say to me] ‘Oh wow. The scenes in the ocean. That was so amazing. They look so real. Very amazing VFX!’ No! It is real!” he said. “We were in the ocean in the scene where we were fighting against Godzilla! It is real!”

Ryunosuke added that Godzilla Minus One’s scenes on the water were the hardest to shoot, which no doubt explains his eagerness to set the record straight. The Japanese star didn’t reveal exactly how much of principal photography he spent on a boat, though.

Critics and filmmakers alike praise Godzilla Minus One

Ryunosuke’s ocean ordeal was ultimately worth it, if the critical response to Godzilla Minus One is anything to go by. The film currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (although this is based on only seven reviews).

Other filmmakers are likewise impressed by the reboot, including Gareth Edwards, who directed 2014’s Godzilla. Edwards hailed Godzilla Minus One as “what a Godzilla movie should be” in a recent interview.

He also declared Minus One “a candidate for the best Godzilla movie of all time” thanks to its innovative approach to the established franchise formula. “There were a lot of things that I felt were very new for Godzilla [in Godzilla Minus One],” Edwards explained. “And I felt jealous the whole time I was watching the movie.”

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