GODZILLA MINUS ZERO REVIEW

It might just seem like the next entry in a series of many recent Godzilla movies at first, but to this seasoned veteran, I recognize Godzilla Minus Zero as something particularly special and risky. Writer/Director/VFX designer Takashi Yamazaki helmed the previous Toho-produced reboot Godzilla Minus One, and this is his much-anticipated sequel in what may end up being known as the “minus” duology. These Japanese movies have no connection to the American Legendary Pictures “MonsterVerse” Godzilla series, which crosses that version over with King Kong. Last time we saw Godzilla on the big screen was over two years ago in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. It was a fun but silly monster romp that defied all logic and reason, but Yamazaki’s sequel is the total opposite. If you’ve been waiting for the return of the serious Godzilla, buckle up, because I think this is about as deadly serious as the king of the monsters can get when he’s sharing the screen with another monster.

I’m going to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible, because Toho, being a respectable, non-Hollywood production company, actually kept the Godzilla Minus Zero trailers pretty sparse with spoilery footage (though did eventually cave and spoil what other monster was going to show up), so in case you care enough that you want to go in not knowing, I won’t name drop it until a small spoiler section at the end. Godzilla himself, though, is obviously back, and I’ll start with this aspect of the sequel because it may be controversial for some fans who are mainly hoping to see more of Yamazaki’s “minus” version of Big G: a new favourite for many, including myself. Minus Zero does have one thing in common with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire: this isn’t exactly Godzilla’s movie.

Godzilla Minus One presented a nightmarish depiction of the king of the monsters that not only contrasted with the much larger in size and more action-motivated American version, but represented an antagonistic force that directly connected to the main human characters in new and exciting ways which made the human drama feel more meaningful than in any other Godzilla movie in decades. It was the careful handling of these endearing characters in a very well-written screenplay that helped audiences connect with Godzilla Minus One to a degree far exceeding anyone’s expectations. It was a hit not just in Japan but in North America, too, with more and more screenings added throughout December 2023 and great word of mouth increasing its success to the point that it became the highest-grossing Godzilla film of all-time and even went on to win the first Oscar for the franchise. Accolades and box office numbers aside, Godzilla Minus One is, quite simply, one of the best Godzilla movies ever made, and that meant the sequel had to live up to it. There’s been far more anticipation for this sequel, and Yamazaki made a lot of unexpected, bold choices, many of which pay off.

Before I get too far into the plot, characters, and other technical details, I will make this bold statement: Godzilla Minus Zero is perhaps the best Godzilla sequel ever made. When Godzilla Minus One came out, I praised it to no end, but it didn’t automatically become my new favourite Godzilla movie. In 2024 I did a tier list of Godzilla movies up to Minus One, and placed Minus One in the top tier, beside only one other: the 1954 original. Other A tier movies just below them include Godzilla 2000 (a personal fave), Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, and Shin Godzilla, the previous Toho reboot. While Godzilla x Kong would probably land somewhere in the C tier, Godzilla Minus Zero is definitely at least in the A tier, and may even join Minus One in the S tier after I watch it again and think on it some more. At this point, I just can’t say it’s better than Minus One overall, if only for the fact that it is a sequel to an already near-perfect movie. Minus One is just too good. Minus Zero is similar in ways, despite being a very different narrative, and it’s even better in certain regards, but that comment I made earlier about it not really being Godzilla’s movie is not a reason I’m saying it isn’t better overall.  

The movie begins with the introduction of a new monster. When [spoiler name redacted] shows up to cause some destruction, it immediately sets the brutal tone of the film, and I think brutal is a word that’s going to be used a lot to describe this sequel. Godzilla Minus Zero is definitely one of the most hardcore Godzilla movies ever made, and it carries with it the first-ever R-rating in the US. In a similar way to how Godzilla Minus One compared so much to the 1954 original with its overt scenes of horror and true sense of despair, Minus Zero goes for the jugular, and this is one of Yamazaki’s bold choices I want to highlight. I think what he did most effectively with this sequel was continue the themes of inescapable consequence and hopeful resilience from Minus One, taking them a step further by connecting back to Godzilla’s real-life origins in a way no other sequel has done before in such a deliberate fashion.

Godzilla Minus Zero serves as a blatant reminder that the idea for Godzilla was inextricably linked to nuclear testing in the Pacific in the actual post-war era following World War II, with one of the most notable final chapters of that war being the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki: still the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict. The new character Dr. Murakami (Min Tanaka) is a Hiroshima bomb survivor, and we see an absolutely horrifying flashback to him weeping over his entire family’s charred remains. Uncompromising scenes like these really make Minus Zero a potent gut punch of a film, and that scene isn’t even the most shocking. The violence isn’t too gratuitous in any other scenes with humans (save for one other I’ll mention in the spoiler section), but the monster violence certainly is—again, won’t spoil specifics here, but knowing that is important. I have never seen monster-on-monster action like this before. It’s a bit unusual to have any first film rated PG-13 and the sequel rated R, but I think the rating is justifiable, and it should be noted that the rating certificate in Japan is G, while here in Canada it’s 14-A, which is typical for something with multiple moments of extreme violence but no coarse language or sexual content.   

One of my very few criticisms of Godzilla Minus One was the pacing in the third act and the somewhat drawn-out lead-up from hatching the plan of how they’ll bring down Godzilla to the actual plan being executed. Even on rewatch, I still find this part of the film is a bit more tedious than it needed to be, and pales in comparison to the same act from the 1954 original (for reference, 1954 film = 96 minutes, Minus One = 125 minutes, Minus Zero = 135 minutes). The pacing of Godzilla Minus Zero is not very comparable to the previous film, mainly because the story is quite different. Minus One dealt with Godzilla’s (new) origins and tied them directly to main character Shikishima, which worked incredibly well. This time, the movie begins with the appearance of the new monster, and Yamazaki’s first bold choice is to focus more on the supporting character Dr. Kenji “Doc” Noda early on, making him more of a protagonist this time. But, Shikishima is also still the protagonist, and it takes a little longer to get to him, but I loved the character of Doc so much in the previous film that I was happy he had a bigger role and a bit more character development this time.

As the story got underway, I realized many scenes had gone by, and there was still no sign of Godzilla yet, but I wasn’t missing him or feeling like his absence was a hindrance to the story—in fact, I appreciate that Godzilla was not needlessly forced into the movie too early, and [redacted] had more of a chance to be positioned as the primary threat. Yes, the monsters eventually clash, but Yamazaki delivers the story in such a way that it creates this building sense of dread as it steadily works toward the inevitable, yet takes its time in a way that does not feel frustrating or boring, but rather unnerving, yet in a different way than the unnerving, suspenseful buildup in Minus One. Godzilla was destroyed, remember, and even though we know he has to return at some point, the human drama is so central that I found myself deeply invested in their attempts to survive and bring down [redacted] to the point where I didn’t feel like there was a lack of Godzilla, and knew when he would eventually enter the fold it was going to be worth the wait.

Even though Minus Zero feels more drawn out and more liberal in its buildup than Minus One, I had no problem with it, but general audiences might. What I didn’t love was the lack of refinement in the character progression for the family unit of Shikishima, Noriko, and their adopted daughter Akiko. I found the development and importance of Noriko to the story the most interesting, but was also a bit let down with the lack of resolution for her. Shikishima doesn’t go through the same kind of compelling character arc this time around, and Akiko cries a lot more, which might annoy some people, but I actually found her connection to the orphanage that her aunt now runs interesting and meaningful. I think that’s a key word for the human drama in this sequel: pretty much all of it is meaningful, and the monsters are only important because of the danger they pose to these specific people, but also to the rest of Japan, which we process through the characters themselves.

Yamazaki had many of the same collaborators return for the production of his sequel, including composer Naoki Sato, who gives [redacted] a chillingly simple theme of shrieking strings, which was the most notable new music for me. While the soundtrack is epic and affecting throughout, many of the queues are similar or the same from Minus One. It’s disingenuous to simply say they are repeated; “Divine” for example is made somehow even more ear exploding and emotionally resonant. I was hoping for a few more completely new memorable tracks (the classic “Godzilla March” does make a welcome return, though), but in terms of overall sound design, this one matches the excellence of the previous movie and may even surpass it. Visually, it is also even more refined, more detailed, and more realistic, with greater consistency achieved in the effects compared to before, though still with notable flaws. There are some shots of actors in planes or on motorcycles that look very much like they were filmed in front of green screens, and there’s one particular scene with a flock of crows that looks unfinished. While these boil down to a handful of distracting moments at worst, the creature effects, destruction, and post-war environment recreations are impeccably well done.

One of the most visually arresting sequences is a plan involving tactical precision in several airplanes to bring down the new monster, and it’s made all the more thrilling having been shot largely for the IMAX format. This is the first Japanese film (and therefore first true Godzilla film) to be shot with IMAX in mind, and I honestly can’t believe it’s taken this long. I saw an early screening on “Godzilla Day” (Nov. 3) in my local IMAX (not a true IMAX screen unfortunately but still with a very crisp picture and incredibly loud sound system) and was surprised by how much of the film was shot that way; approximately 75 minutes of the runtime is in the IMAX aspect ratio. It helps not only the shots of the monsters look even more huge and terrifying, but makes it feel more immersive as the characters try to survive the destruction. For all its seriousness, dark imagery, and weighty themes, Godzilla Minus Zero is still a thrilling spectacle and incredibly entertaining from beginning to end. In terms of visual effects, Yamazaki has now outclassed most modern Hollywood VFX creators, and he deserves a second Oscar without question.

As far as the characters’ plans go for how to bring down [redacted] and then how to get both monsters together to destroy one another, I enjoyed the ingenuity and overall realistic creativity that went into the planning and execution, even if certain parts were maybe a little more fantastical this time. Another new character is Makoto Aoyama (Masami Nagasawa), a skilled meteorologist joining Noda’s team, who now specializes in helping Japan recover from monster attacks and aids in neutralizing the threats. I wouldn’t say there are too many characters in Minus Zero, as most of them play important roles throughout the story, but the greater number of characters plus the focus on them does draw attention away from the monsters at times, and in the end, the final conflict between Godzilla and [redacted] perhaps leaves a little more to be desired despite being a satisfying and devastating payoff to all that buildup.  

Ultimately, my biggest criticisms come in the last ten minutes, so I’ll wrap up my review here and save them for the spoiler section. Godzilla Minus Zero is, without a doubt, a masterclass in modern monster movie filmmaking, a top tier Godzilla film, and in terms of direct continuations featuring the same human cast (of which there are surprisingly few, with only one other Toho-produced example from this century), the best of them all. Considering Yamazaki was trying to follow his homerun that was Godzilla Minus One, with the bar set way too high, he avoided making a conventional follow-up and delivered one that surprised me, captivated me, and didn’t let me down in the least. I don’t think it will have quite the same universal appeal as its predecessor, but it will definitely do even bigger business, thanks to a wide release here in North America.

 ***

Alright, a few spoilers, for anyone who has already seen the movie or doesn’t mind knowing some details around Godzilla’s rival and how the movie concludes. If you’re a super fan like me, you heard that bell-like roar in the second trailer and knew immediately the long-speculated rival monster was indeed going to be King Ghidorah—and some, like me, let out a sigh of disappointment. To be clear, I love King Ghidorah and completely understand why he has become recognized as Godzilla’s arch nemesis, but I also felt like I had seen many Godzilla filmmakers go back to that well in the films of this century and was hoping Yamazaki would bring back a different monster that fans hadn’t seen in a while. Ghidorah showed up twice in the Millennium Era (1999-2004), once in this Reiwa era already (the third anime film, Godzilla: The Planet Eater), and in the second Godzilla MonsterVerse entry. I thought the MonsterVerse Ghidorah was the greatest version of the monster ever put on screen…emphasis on was…

I instantly forgot about longing for Anguirus or Hedorah the second Yamazaki’s Ghidorah picked up that scientist and slammed him down into the ground in the very first scene. This Ghidorah bears some similarities to the MonsterVerse version, sure, like his regenerating head and hunger for electrical power, but no other version has ever dealt so much damage to Godzilla or posed such a personal threat to human characters. His extraterrestrial origin was retained in a new and interesting way that fit in well with this post-war era, and his mutative force at the end was jaw-dropping—in fact, my jaw dropped several times, especially when Ghidorah ripped Godzilla’s arm right off! It was a bloody battle that felt like it had real weight, real stakes, and real brutality…until the very end, when Godzilla shoots Ghidorah just a little quicker with his atomic breath, and the three-headed monster is blasted backwards right out of the film. I wish there had been one final shot, even if it had been a cliffhanger-type teaser for his seemingly inevitable regenerative return like what was done with Godzilla at the end of Minus One, but Godzilla just turning around and immediately getting blasted by the military felt a little jarring and a bit unsatisfying.      

Godzilla himself does not return fully regenerated until it feels like the movie is already half over. In one of the trailers, Godzilla is shown walking behind the statue of liberty, but this shot ended up being a bit misleading, because it’s from a dream Dr. Murakami has of bringing Godzilla to New York so he can exact revenge on America for the atomic bombings. Despite being a dream sequence, it’s still an interesting idea, because the motivation completely makes sense for his character, and the imagery of American citizens burning up from the detonation of Godzilla’s nuclear energy beam in slow motion is utterly horrific. The imagery recalls footage of 9/11 combined with footage of survivors from the actual atomic bombings, and I can only imagine how some people may react to these shots. Every shot of Godzilla is, once again, impactful and intimidating, but the monster doesn’t carry quite the same evil menace as he did in Minus One, though I don’t think it’s just because he isn’t the only monster this time or because he doesn’t show up earlier.

Ghidorah fills the role of the more personal monster threat this time, and Yamazaki has said many times in interviews that he’s a huge Ghidorah fan, so it makes sense why the monster was chosen, given so much care and attention, and positioned as the primary villain. This is really Ghidorah’s movie, sort of like how The Dark Knight is The Joker’s movie, but it doesn’t feel as frustrating in Minus Zero compared to when the MonsterVerse Godzilla doesn’t get enough screentime, because he’s too important to those stories for how little we see of him. When this Godzilla becomes important, he shows up, he throws down with Ghidorah in brutal fashion, and then he leaves when the battle is over. It’s the bloated scene at the end with Shikishima and Noriko saying goodbye to Akikio, again, only for real this time, just for them to take her with them as they flee that I found excessive and unnecessary. I don’t mind that they decided to bring her, it’s just…did there need to be so much crying?

I was initially mixed on the punctuating moment in the climax of Godzilla Minus One when Shikishima flew his plane into Godzilla’s jaws and killed him, seeming for a moment to have finally fulfilled his role as a kamikaze pilot, only to have escaped, and then later reunited with Akiko and Noriko. Obviously that creative decision set the course for this sequel, but upon a rewatch, I felt the optimistic ending of Minus One was earned, even if the potential to go extremely dark with a nearly equally satisfying conclusion was relinquished. I feel less mixed on the ending of Minus Zero upon first watch and more assured that the creative decision to preserve Godzilla and have Noriko and Shikishima escape together with Akiko was earned, if a bit predictable. It’s a similar case of Yamazaki making the more hopeful creative choice in the final moments, and this time, there’s no teaser for how it might continue in a third film, yet it does feel like the story isn’t over just yet. 

Godzilla Minus Zero is not necessarily as original as a sequel compared to what Godzilla Minus One was as a straightforward Godzilla-only reboot. There are elements borrowed from Godzilla 2000 with the G-cells, Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster (Yamazaki’s personal favourite), Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah from the Heisei Era, and plenty more, but all of the ideas blend together well and make for a sequel that doesn’t feel conventional at all, because there are also plenty of fresh ideas mixed in. Since Yamazaki lied about talks of a sequel back when Godzilla Minus One first came out, I’m not trusting the trailers that said there would be no third time; I’d be happy to see him make one more sequel and turn it into a “minus” trilogy. I knew Minus One wasn’t just a fluke, and after the paces he put me through in Minus Zero, I fully trust whatever ideas he has for a third film, and I trust this movie will make even more money overseas than the previous one!

How Many Godzillas Are There?

For most of my life, being a Godzilla fan meant something different than it does now. In the last ten years, Hollywood and Toho have brought the world’s most famous giant monster into a new modern era with greater mainstream appeal and unprecedented global success. One question that still gets asked a lot, though, and it’s a valid one, is just how many Godzillas, exactly, there are. In this case I don’t mean movies (39, currently), I mean different individual monsters named Godzilla. You might know him, you may even love him like I do, but although, to quote Shinoda from Godzilla 2000, “Godzilla is inside all of us!” where one Godzilla ends and the next begins is rather unclear. 

I remember posting about seeing Shin Godzilla on social media ten years ago and a friend commented with a surprised reaction, because he thought I was talking about a sequel to the new American Godzilla that had come out two years earlier. With how fast some sequels are produced and released these days, that wasn’t unreasonable to think. Something similar happened when Toho put out Godzilla 2000 in the US just two years after Tristar’s failed 1998 Godzilla, and something similar has been taking place recently yet again, as there are currently two unconnected Godzilla franchises happening at once. I’ve covered many aspects of Godzilla on my blog for a long time, but in the lead up to this year’s Godzilla Minus Zero, I’m going to (pardon the pun) now zero in on what differentiates one Godzilla from another, because while he’s generally always recognizable, not every movie connects, and many versions carry with them different tones, messages, and metaphors.

Speaking of Shin Godzilla once again, I was originally planning to do a ten-year-anniversary retrospective on that film since I never published my review for it on my blog back when it came out, as it remains the only Godzilla movie released since I started my blog that I haven’t reviewed (though I have written about it at several other points since). I’m not sure I have too much new to add about it right now, but one thing that still confuses people who are not as entrenched in Godzilla movies is how that one relates to any of the other movies released in this more recent era. I’ve already gone over the different eras of Godzilla movies (Showa, Heisei, Millennium, Reiwa), I’ve explored Godzilla’s time spent in Hollywood, and now, I’m going to lay out the whole continuity of the monster himself, because for the average viewer, it is extremely hard these days to make sense of it all. If you think the Marvel Cinematic Universe is convoluted, just wait until you see how many different versions of Godzilla have come and gone!

 

THE ORIGINAL

The Godzilla in the 1954 original Gojira is, believe it or not, one of the versions of Godzilla with the fewest appearances. Even diehard fans (including yours truly) don’t always recall that the monster in the original is technically not the same one that appears in all subsequent films. Godzilla is killed by the Oxygen Destroyer at the end, and Dr. Yamane makes a foreboding comment that if nuclear testing continues, another Godzilla could appear one day. At the time, audiences might have suspected a different but similar giant monster could appear in a future film, but the Godzilla that first terrorized Tokyo was reduced to bones (which also then disintegrated), and that is how it remains when the credits roll. This Godzilla never truly lived again.

 

THE SECOND GODZILLA, AKA “GIGANTIS”

The very first sequel, Godzilla Raids Again, not only gave audiences a new giant monster who resembled Godzilla—the spiky, ankylosaur-like Anguirus—but also introduced a new Godzilla monster that, despite some aesthetic differences, is, for all intents and purposes, meant to be a copy of the same creature. I don’t mean that this Godzilla is a clone, it’s just a different individual that has all the same attributes and is given the same name.

This second Godzilla shows up in the midst of a battle with Anguirus, and thus a Godzilla tradition began: pairing him with other monsters, often as a rival. Godzilla defeats Anguirus, but he is not subsequently destroyed like the original. Instead, he’s buried in ice at the end of Raids Again, and that’s where he remained until the next film, a sequel that cemented the “versus” trend which would continue throughout the Showa era and brought him up to the same fame status as the world’s previously most popular giant monster (who, sadly, I think is actually now one step below Godzilla in terms of modern popularity), the Eighth Wonder of the World, King Kong.

For the American release of Godzilla Raids Again, the title was changed to Gigantis the Fire Monster, a title which always seemed dumb to me, but actually, I get what they might have been going for. Godzilla is thought of as this totally unique horror movie monster in the original, but what’s often overlooked is that…he isn’t. He’s the first iteration of the same thing that comes about again later, sort of like The Bride of Frankenstein to the original Frankenstein’s Monster. I think they were trying to distinguish this monster as its (sort of) own thing. Name changes and originality aside, Gigantis is Godzilla, and as he came back for sequel after sequel, he just got sillier and sillier.

 

HANNA-BARBERA’S GODZILLA

This first animated iteration of Big G was also technically America’s first on-screen version of the character, too, though it was relatively short-lived, airing on NBC from 1978 to 1981. Godzilla looks more dinosaur-like and was definitely softened to appeal to young kids, plus the show included the often-maligned “cowardly nephew” of Godzilla, the goofy Godzooky. The less said about this Godzilla for now, the better…

 

 

THE HEISEI GODZILLA

After 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, the Showa Era filmmakers cracked the code for their monster cinematic universe, and that second Godzilla monster remained the same one, continuity-wise, over the course of a whopping fourteen films in total, with the continuity of other monster movies like Mothra and Rodan woven in as well. After Terror of Mechagodzilla in 1975, Toho put Godzilla film productions on hold, but original creator and producer Tomoyuki Tanaka wanted to bring him back in a serious new film, and worked hard to get The Return of Godzilla into production, though it wouldn’t come out in Japan until 1984. This Godzilla is not part of the continuity of the Showa Era sequels…but it does have a connection to the previous era, and this is where things start to get confusing.

That second Godzilla’s story doesn’t end with Terror of Mechagodzilla, it actually concludes in the ninth overall film, 1968’s Destroy All Monsters, which was set in the year 1999. The Heisei era Godzilla was the second new Godzilla introduced by Toho, the third Godzilla monster overall, but in the continuity of The Return of Godzilla, it serves as a sequel to the 1954 original only. Forget all about those silly sequels and those battles between the second Godzilla and other kaiju, this is the new, new Godzilla! Return pays respect to the original Gojira by maintaining the events of that film and going back to a darker tone. It also worked out nicely for the American re-release, which tied into the American version of Gojira, 1956’s Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Godzilla 1985 provided North American fans of the monster with a slightly-more-modern version, and one of the first mainstream reboots/legacy sequels long before those became a Hollywood trend.

The Heisei Godzilla looks similar enough to the 1954 original that there’s no question about their relation, but the effects are a bit more sophisticated despite still being created with the same traditional methods of miniatures and suitmation. This Godzilla plunges into a volcano at the end of his first film, but it’s not a fatal plunge, for he crawls back out at the start of the sequel, 1989’s Godzilla vs. Biollante, and from that point on, this same Godzilla comes back several more times, usually to fight the same rivals his Showa Era counterpart fought in the 60’s and 70’s, only the fights are even bigger and better than before.

There are plenty of parallels between Heisei Godzilla and Second Godzilla/Gigantis, such as his adoption of a son and his evolution into more of an anti-hero, but he shares something tragic in common with the original: Heisei Godzilla actually dies. In 1995’s Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, he experiences a nuclear meltdown and transfers his energy into the dead body of his son (referred to in that one as “Godzilla Junior”), who grows into a fully-fledged adult Godzilla in the final shot. You would think this is the new Godzilla who will appear in the subsequent Japanese movies, right? Well, you’d be wrong.  

 

“ZILLA”

For over forty years, Godzilla was exclusively a Japanese movie monster, and he will always be at his best in his native Japan, but Hollywood had been trying to make their own version for many years before we finally got Tristar’s 1998 Godzilla—now known by many as G.I.N.O (Godzilla in Name Only). One look at the emaciated iguana tells you all you need to know: sure, he has back spikes, two arms, two legs, a long tail, and destroys a lot of buildings, but that’s about where the similarities end between the traditional Godzilla and this thing, which isn’t even strong enough to survive the US military’s missiles. They did, indeed, take the “God” out of “Godzilla.”

Even though most fans never liked this American version, it showed up again beyond just this one movie. The sole surviving offspring from the cliffhanger ending went on to star in an animated series which gave him a form of atomic breath and a lineup of other monsters for him to fight, both of which his parent lacked. “Zilla” was reclaimed/rebranded by Toho in 2003 and included in Godzilla: Final Wars the following year for the real Godzilla to fight—a fight which lasts all of twenty seconds and ends with Zilla getting totally annihilated. Zilla has not been seen in a movie or show since, and likely never will be ever again…but, if Toho wanted to have the real Godzilla kick its ass again, I would pay top dollar to see it a second time.

GODZILLA 2000

This is my personal favourite version of the king of the monsters. This Godzilla is yet another second example, a la Gigantis and Heisei, but I don’t understand why Toho didn’t commit to making him the new mainline Godzilla monster for the whole third series. Godzilla 2000 is the first entry in the Millennium Era, which lacks overall continuity more than either previous era. The next film from the very next year, Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, uses the same suit design, but follows its own storyline, though both are continuations of the 1954 original, just like Return of Godzilla was. Neither are as overt in their continuity from the original, but it doesn’t really matter, because now we’re on to yet another new one!

 

POSSESSED GODZILLA

Filmmaker Shusuke Kaneko was given quite a lot of creative freedom with 2001’s Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, and he did something new with everyone’s favourite atomic monster. This Godzilla is the original—meaning, yes, the actual 1954 version—but there’s one caveat which makes him categorized separately beyond looking a little different: he is possessed by the souls of soldiers and civilians who were killed in the Pacific War. These souls are upset that Japan is forgetting about what happened in the past, so this resurrected Godzilla has been brought back to punish the modern-day citizens. His blank white eyes give him a zombie-like quality, and he is purely a villain, out to destroy everyone and everything, including the other monsters in the title. Despite his undead strength, he’s still destroyed by the end, which also ends this one-and-done continuity.

KIRYU-ERA GODZILLA

In 2002’s Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla, another new Godzilla shows up in 1999, and as has become a theme with most of these, this one is the second of his species, following the 1954 original. He returns a few years later and has to battle Kiryu, the new name given to this new version of Mechagodzilla, which would finally lead to a proper sequel with a definitive ending the following year, Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S. Kiryu represents something a bit different about this duology of films; for the first time ever, the lore of the original film is tweaked. Remember when I said the 1954 Godzilla’s bones disintegrated after he was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer? In this continuity, the bones remained intact, and Kiryu was built over top of those original bones, so in a way, it’s Godzilla vs. Godzilla!

 

FINAL WARS GODZILLA

I know I’m here to explain Godzilla continuity, but when it comes to Godzilla: Final Wars, please…don’t ask. There’s no making sense of it. In addition to Godzilla, we get Gigan, Hedorah, Rodan, King Caesar, Anguirus, Ebirah, Kamacuras, Kumonga, Manda, Mothra, Zilla, Baragon, Gaira, Gezora, Varan, Titanosaurus, Megaguirus, and Godzilla’s son, Minilla. Did I miss anyone? Oh yeah, Monster X doubles as a new monster and Ghidorah when he transforms in the finale. Many of those monsters have brief appearances or only show up in stock footage, but essentially, Final Wars exists in its own continuity as a tribute to Godzilla’s storied history. It’s implied that this Godzilla is yet another secondary member of the species who has fought all these monsters before, and he’s often forgotten in the discussion of the most powerful versions of Godzilla, for he takes down every enemy singlehandedly and is the last monster standing by the end of this insane intergalactic war.

MONSTERVERSE GODZILLA

Legendary Pictures were entrusted with the Godzilla rights from Toho to make a new American version that would not be a public embarrassment this time, and luckily, they understood the assignment. The Monsterverse Godzilla carries the spirit of the original while also fulfilling the Hollywood requirement of being a reptilian pro-wrestler in the monster fighting ring, able to take on new enemies and recognizable rivals. Introduced in 2014, this Godzilla has, so far, remained the same ancient titan since the reboot’s inception, having appeared in four films and two seasons of the Apple TV series Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, with more appearances slated to come. Unlike Zilla, Legendary’s Godzilla has found international success and continues to receive support from Toho.

SHIN GODZILLA

Toho’s own modern Godzilla reboot represented a departure for them, because it finally fully restarted the continuity and erased the 1954 original, along with every other sequel, to start completely fresh. Unlike the Monsterverse’s ever-growing expanded lore which continues to build up the most ancient version of Godzilla ever seen, Shin Godzilla is a self-contained story that answers the question of what it would be like if Godzilla showed up for the very first time in modern Japan. This Godzilla is a gigantic, mutating force of nature designed not to fight other monsters but to withstand military assaults and completely devastate Tokyo to a degree never before seen. Though it ends in a somewhat ambiguous fashion, it seems Toho intends for Shin Godzilla to exist as its own chilling solo reboot in this new Reiwa era—at least, for the time being…

GODZILLA EARTH

So far, the Reiwa Era has been defined by four distinctly different Godzillas, with the second being this version from a trilogy of anime films. Instead of just being his typical self hellbent on destroying Tokyo and any other monsters in his path, this version successfully destroys the entire planet and forces the surviving members of the human race to evacuate earth in a spaceship. He kills every other giant monster, turns the biosphere completely upside down, and then also spawns a copy of himself, which is destroyed at the end of the first film, 2017’s Planet of the Monsters, when the humans return to earth 20,000 years later. The true Godzilla Earth is ancient, and larger than any version before, reaching over 300 metres tall. Also, apparently, he’s mostly made of plant material…yeah, that’s all I’ve got for this one.

SINGULAR POINT GODZILLA

This version comes from the 2021 Godzilla anime TV show, Godzilla Singular Point, and seemed to take a lot of inspiration from the more recent Shin Godzilla, with multiple forms throughout the show, referred to as Godzilla Aquatilis, Godzilla Amphibia, Godzilla Terrestris, and Godzilla Ultima. The “Ultima” form is closest to what you’d expect from the classic kaiju, with a couple new features, such as extra teeth/tusks and the ability to fire atomic breath rings.  

 

YAMAZAKI’S GODZILLA

I’m naming this one after writer/director/VFX creator Takashi Yamazaki, partly because it was just so wholesome seeing him carry around a little model version of his Godzilla to all the award shows in 2024, in the lead up to Godzilla’s first-ever Oscar win. 2023’s Godzilla Minus One debuted only the second-ever fully rebooted Toho Godzilla, following Shin Godzilla. This is the newest version at the moment, even over the Monsterverse’s, which, despite some design changes between movies, has remained the same individual creature between all American films since 2014. Minus One has what I think is the greatest version of the monster since Godzilla 2000, in terms of design, writing, and performance. Technically, Yamazaki’s Godzilla was destroyed at the end of Minus One, so will the regenerated version that’s going to appear in Godzilla Minus Zero count as the same one, or a new one? I guess we’ll find out soon!

 

Looking back over all this, I count fourteen distinctly different Godzillas. To quote Wong from Avengers: Endgame, “What, you wanted more?” I didn’t include every non-Toho film cameo, parody, or TV commercial, just the main, official examples. In case you were confused or curious or simply had no clue at all about all these Godzillas, I hope this brings some clarity to one of the biggest, busiest, and messiest monster movie franchises of all time, but there’s one important takeaway from all this. Even if you don’t care which sequel follows which film, or what’s a reboot or a legacy sequel, or which monsters fight one another from one movie to the next, the one thing you need to know is that no matter which version is on screen, they are all, in their heart of hearts, the Real Godzilla.

Except for the 1998 one.

 

Related:

Godzilla Movie Tier List: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2024/03/
godzilla-tier-list.html

Godzilla in Hollywood: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2024/03/godzilla-in-hollywood-part-1.html

Shin Godzilla vs. Godzilla Minus One: https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2024/01/shin-godzilla-vs-godzilla-minus-one.html

Brief History of Cinema: Godzilla Series (Up to 2014): https://cccmovies.blogspot.com/2014/05/brief-history-of-cinema-issue-2.html