The Godzilla Minus One English Dub Has Everyone Saying The Same Thing
Earlier this year, "Godzilla Minus One" made history by being the first film in the franchise to take home an Oscar. Shortly after making cinematic history, the blockbuster finally received a home video release... in Japan only. With a muted home media debut, "Godzilla Minus One" got a unfortunate honor: becoming one of the most pirated films in the world. Fans everywhere, however, rejoiced this past weekend, as "Godzilla Minus One" finally became available to watch at home in the United States. While most cinephiles will end up watching the Kaiju pic in its original Japanese recording, they shouldn't ignore the English dub, which is receiving surprisingly decent reviews.
When it comes to English dubs for Japanese films, most are criticized for featuring overacting or poor enthusiasm. "Godzilla Minus One," on the other hand, seems to have an exceptional, immersive English dub. "It is so decent, that I would go as far as to say its one of those dubs that is either a very good alternative, or could be seen as the main audio for the film if you wish," shared Reddit user u/V1va-NA-THANI3L in the fan r/Godzilla subreddit. "It surprised me very much. I bought the acting, the emotions, not once did it feel force or even fake. They made it sound like the actors were speaking in English!" they added.
Surprisingly, most fans agree that the dubbing is pretty good. "I can't really say I prefer it over the subbed, but it was very well done. I would have been perfectly fine to watch the movie like this on my first viewing," shared u/WheatleySoms.
Fans should still watch Godzilla Minus One in Japanese
The general consensus is that, against all odds, the "Godzilla Minus One" English dub is completely watchable. "I usually can't stand dubs because they never get the emotion or tone right. But this cast did great! At least compared to other dubs. If you don't like 'reading movies' [...] I this is the next best thing!" shared Reddit user u/Mysterious-Seat4175. However, while the dub is definitely okay for those who are vehemently against subtitles or don't have the ability to read translated material, almost every "Godzilla Minus One" fan agrees that the film should be watched with the original Japanese language track.
If you have the ability to watch the film in Japanese, then that's definitely the way to go, as the English dub does take creative liberties that could impact someone's viewing experience. Over on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, user @14_kaiju is just one of many fans pointing out how the English dub doesn't have the same emotional resonance as the original Japanese track. The English dub loses out on some of the nuance present in the original, drastically changing impactful dialogue from the film's finale. Ultimately, it's a small detail, but one that does change the final product.
"I don't understand why English dub needs to be changed from the beauty that is the lines from the original," shared an X user. While changing the dialogue between languages is a controversial decision, sometimes nuance and dialogue delivery can get lost in translation.
The Godzilla Minus One English dub reminds fans of the old days
In the past, before the advent of streaming, Godzilla fans in the west had no choice but to watch their favorite films with poorly recorded English dubs. While things have gotten better recently, and this dub has received plenty of praise, some fans are finding the English dub of "Godzilla Minus One" to be a nostalgic throwback, reminding them just how hilarious dubs can be. X user @14_kaiju points out how the English version of the film manages to dub the main character's scream, which transforms an emotional scene into a comedic one.
They dubbed Shikishima's scream 💀 pic.twitter.com/m1IAYHfUEV
— Kaiju No. 14 (@14_kaiju) May 31, 2024
"Look I understand and can even appreciate some of the dubbing for the classic Godzilla films, and I hate to have a hot take here but, they should never have bothered dubbing Minus One. At all," shared user @ChrisJAIK22 about the dub.
While the dub has its haters, it's important to understand that not everyone can watch the film with English subtitles. "Dubs are inherently good and a great entry point for people who either don't wish to read subtitles or can't for one reason or another. I'm just happy more people get to experience Minus One now," notes user @BoringLegalName.
Regardless of how you watch, it's just nice that everyone has the opportunity to watch one of the best films of 2023, which blew everyone away at the box office.