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!