Godzilla Minus Zero has become the first film in the Godzilla universe to receive an R rating, with the classification attributed to graphic images of Hiroshima’s atomic devastation rather than the monster battles.
The film, directed by Takashi Yamazaki, includes scenes showing the aftermath of the Second World War bombing, including bloodied survivors in hospitals and burned bodies at the site of the destruction.
Why Godzilla Minus Zero received an R rating
The Motion Picture Association classified the film R for “some violent content/bloody images”. The rating does not relate to the violence between Godzilla and Ghidorrah.
Yamazaki said some of the scenes were essential to the film and could not be censored or removed, despite the potential impact of an R rating on its audience.
“Logically, as a studio — and even as a director — you want as many people from the general public to be able to see your film,” he said. “So, an R-rating might seem like a barrier to entry, and conversations about, ‘Hey, could we have not gotten this down to PG-13?’ of course are going to happen.”
He added: “In spite of that, though, there were certain scenes that, for me as a director, were so essential to the film. Censoring it or cutting it was just not an option for me.”
Yamazaki said the classification could also create anticipation among modern audiences who expect R-rated films to retain the director and cast’s unfiltered work.
Godzilla Minus Zero has opened with the biggest-ever debut for distributor GKIDS and the largest domestic opening for a live-action foreign-language film. Opening-night audiences awarded it an A CinemaScore, matching the grade given to its predecessor.
The film’s story is set in a Japan reduced to “zero” by war before Godzilla plunges the country further into crisis. Two years later, as the country attempts to rebuild and recover a sense of normality, a new threat destroys its fragile peace.
Godzilla Minus Zero is also the first Japanese production to be filmed for IMAX.
