Godzilla’s screen time in Minus One revealed — and it will surprise you

The Japanese epic Godzilla Minus One brings back the famous kaiju, but viewers might be surprised by exactly how much screen time he has in the movie.

As recorded by DangerVille on X/Twitter, Godzilla spends approximately 12 minutes on screen in the 2023 movie. This might come as a shock, given that the entire movie is 125 minutes long.

In DangerVille’s official YouTube video, they took the time to strategically scan through the entire movie and record each appearance of the kaiju. Godzilla Minus One follows kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima as he deals with PTSD from encountering the giant monster known as Godzilla.

The scenes where the kaiju appears range from wreaking havoc on cities and eating people to causing chaos in the sea. Other moments include Godzilla stomping his way through the streets of Japan as citizens run for cover. There’s also the thrilling scene of Shikishima crashing his plane into Godzilla’s head, forcing it to combust, with the resonating energy tearing the kaiju apart.

It seems that Godzilla’s short time on screen in the movie is nothing new. A fan commented, “If you tally up the seconds individually that Godzilla is on screen in any Godzilla movie shot-to-shot, it’s probably never coming out more than 20 minutes for any of the movies. In Terror of Mechagodzilla, he doesn’t show up until like the final 14, and he’s only in half of those.”

DangerVille admitted that the fan is correct, with a majority of Godzilla’s appearances in other movies ranging between eight to 12 minutes. But many commented that within those 12 minutes on screen, Godzilla has a major impact on the movies’ overall storylines.

“Pretty standard for most Godzilla movies. Remember, it’s not the amount of screen time that matters, it’s how effective he is when on screen. 12 minutes in Minus One, and all 12 of those minutes are peak Godzilla,” chimed in one fan.

It really isn’t about how long the kaiju is on screen, but how well the monster character is integrated into the story and used for the bigger picture.

There are a few ways to watch Godzilla Minus One after its theatrical release, but there’s a catch with it not being globally available on streaming platforms. You can also learn whether fans will get to see the kaiju in a new sequel as the director has a few ideas in mind for another storyline.