Movies - TV
Why You Shouldn't Watch The English Dub Of Godzilla Minus One
By VALERIE ETTENHOFER
Spoiler Warning!
This story contains spoilers for "Godzilla Minus One"
While dubbed films can be great for younger viewers and those with vision problems or processing disorders, important elements can get lost when the movie gets translated.
The "Godzilla Minus One" English dub seems to suffer from this problem, as it changes at least one key line, draining the film's climax and other key moments of emotional depth.
X user @14_kaiju pointed out that one line from Netflix's dubbed version is changed from "Is your war finally over?" to "Can this war of yours finally be done?"
The line comes as protagonist and former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima is reunited with his love Noriko — whom he believed was dead after Godzilla attacked the area.
While the change seems minor, there is a major difference tonally and in context. The original subtitled line is poetic and hopeful, while the English line seems more like a plea.
Additionally, "your war" acknowledges the personal nature of Noriko's partner's pain, while "this war of yours" seems impersonal and disconnected from the scene's emotion.
Another change @14_kaiju brought up is using English dub star Darren Barnet to record Shikishima's scream when he believes Noriko is dead after Godzilla attacks.
Barnet does an admirable job in other sequences, but some viewers think this dubbed scream turns a dark moment inadvertently funny.