The 96th Academy Awards had its curtains drawn, with Oppenheimer walking out as the leading victor. Additionally, while the 2024 Oscars saw tight competition for the Best Picture category with a staggering jam-packed list of ten movies fighting for the top honor, this edition also had the Takashi Yamazaki directorial, Godzilla Minus One, closely following the Christopher Nolan movie in terms of canon storyline, taking place near the end of World War II in 1945.

Both movies held their footing in leaving an imprint on cinema. However, the Best Director Oscar winner had something to add of his own.

Christopher Nolan opens up on Takashi Yamazaki and Godzilla Minus One

Takashi Yamazaki holds a commendable critical repute for his flicks like Always: Sunset on Third Street and The Fighter Pilot. However, he also often takes charge as the VFX supervisor and became the only second director after Stanley Kubrick to win the Best Visual Effects Oscar for Godzilla Minus One, of which Christopher Nolan has also taken note. In a snippet posted on X by Film Updates, the Oppenheimer director pitched the latest Kaijuverse entrant as “exciting” and a “tremendous film”.

The 37th movie in the Godzilla franchise, Godzilla Minus One, had Yamakazi lead a team of VFX artists such as Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi, and Tatsuji Nojima to create awe-inspiring imagery and a sense of realism owing to the attention to details. Pointing out the same, Nolan added that “It’s beautifully made and the mechanics of it were so involving”. Moreover, after hitting US theaters about a month after its Japan debut, the movie amassed over $107 million against an estimated budget of less than $12 million.

Interestingly, each of the aforementioned two movies and its directors won a first at the Oscars.

Takashi Yamazaki makes Oscars history along with Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer became a runaway success for Christopher Nolan as it won him his first-ever BAFTA and his first Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture. Clinching seven wins out of its thirteen nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, the Cillian Murphy starrer earned the director his share of the big prize. On the other hand, Godzilla Minus One with its Best Visual Effects win not only earned the first-ever Oscar for Takashi Yamakazi but also the entire Godzilla franchise.

On the other end of the spectrum, both movies recorded dominant footfalls in theaters with the Yamakazi film also returning with a black-and-white version as Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer marked a special with a Ludwig Göransson musical special kicked off by Christopher Nolan. In actual terms, both movies earned high acclaim and honors from the global audience, serving cinema at the end.

What are your thoughts on Christopher Nolan speaking his mind on Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One?