Everyone is talking about Godzilla Minus One now that it’s streaming on Netflix in the UK and the US, and it only take a few seconds on social media to see how much people are loving it. But there’s one aspect of the movie some are having an issue with, and that’s its dubbed English-language version.
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki, the film follows Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a kamikaze military pilot who deserted his mission during the Second World War, as he navigates his debilitating guilt in the years that follow. When the ginormous, city-flattening monster he faced way back when remerges, Shikishima vows to take down the creature as a means to redeem himself.
Spoilers below! If you’ve not watched Godzilla Minus One yet, and don’t want to know anything that happens, turn back now.
Right at the end of the kaiju flick, Shikishima gets the shock of his life when he learns that his longterm love Noriko Oishi (Minami Hamabe), who he’d believed had been killed in one of Godzilla’s attacks, is in fact still alive. He rushes to the hospital with their adoptive daughter, and the pair share an emotional moment, with Noriko asking Shikishima: “Is your war finally over?”
It’s clear in that original scene that she’s asking whether he’s finally at peace and absolved himself of guilt, and less about Godzilla’s fate, but a few seemingly subtle tweaks in the dubbed version – and Netflix’s subtitled version, too, it turns out – changes the delivery, tone and meaning of the question in a major way.
“Can this war of yours be over soon? Finally be done?” Noriko asks in the dub, which hasn’t gone down well with hardcore fans…
“I’ll never forgive the English dubbers for changing the most impactful line in Godzilla Minus One,” said one Twitter user, as another wrote: “Not only did they change one of the most impactful lines, but they changed it to make it sound like she was annoyed his ‘war’ was still going on.”
“This is so much weaker than if the line was just kept as “is your war finally over?” the way the English dub changed it just makes it feel so removed from Shikishima and the troubles he faced, and makes it seem like his trauma was just an ‘issue’ that needed to end,” claimed a third.
Already seen Godzilla Minus One and looking for some more viewing inspiration? Check out our list of the best Netflix movies.
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