FILM REVIEW: Godzilla Minus Zero (2026)

Godzilla Minus Zero - New Release Review

Director: Takashi Yamazaki

Starring: Minami Hamabe, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Min Tanaka, Hidetaka Yoshioka

Written by: Takashi Yamazaki

Produced by: Gô Abe, Minami Ichakawa, Kazuaki Kishida, Keiichiro Moriya, Taichi Ueda

Cinematography by: Kôzo Shibasaki

Original Score by: Naoki Satô

Synopsis:

Set in 1949, the Shikishima family confronts a fresh catastrophe two years after surviving their previous ordeal with the legendary monster.

Thoughts:

In 2023, 'Godzilla Minus One' was released to widespread acclaim from both critics and audiences alike. In setting the film in 1947 in the wake of World War 2 writer/director Takashi Yamazaki crafted a powerful film around the indomitable human spirit in the face of utter destruction whilst coming to terms with post war guilt and trauma. He perfectly married these themes to the visual spectacle of the titular character alongside some breathtaking set pieces throughout the film. It all made for what was not just one of the greatest Godzilla films ever made but one of the greatest blockbusters of the 2020’s to date. Now he aims to up the ante with his follow up, 'Godzilla Minus Zero'. 

Set two years after Godzilla’s destructive rampage in the Kantō region of Japan, the Shikishima family, alongside the other survivors of the previous film, are recovering from the destruction that Godzilla has wrought on their country. Life is a struggle and the journey to find and maintain a normal life is under threat when a new Kaiju emerges hell bent on destruction. 

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In interviews prior to the film's release, returning writer/director Takashi Yamazaki said that this film is very much the 'Terminator 2' to Godzilla Minus One’s 'The Terminator' and there is no better way to describe it. Not only does it pay homage to some moments of that film but it is definitely a film that feels grander in scale and stakes. It very much is taking a page from the James Cameron playbook of sequels where you take what was great about the original and amplify it. 

This has a knock on effect though on the dramatic elements of the film. Whilst 'Minus One' perfectly merged human emotion with spectacle, 'Minus Zero' feels more melodramatic and this sense of melodrama is certainly reflected in the performances and dramatic stakes. The spectre of the past looms large over the Shikishima family in their pursuit of a normal life both physically and psychologically. Kenji Noda (played by a returning Hidetaka Yoshioka) is constantly struggling with the role he played in creating weapons during World War 2 and how he can’t escape it with the emergence of Kaiju attacks. The manner in which they portray these issues aligns with the more outlandish and larger than life elements of the film and the naturalistic way in which he shoots these kinds of scenes is an attempt to make the film more grounded. Another key dramatic change between the films is how Yamazaki takes much of the subtext from 'Minus One' and makes it the text for this one. One of the main ways he does this is through the inclusion of a new character, Dr. Murakami (played by Min Tanaka). 

He is a biologist who survived both the bombing of Hiroshima, Godzilla’s attack on Ginza and the new Kaiju’s rampage through Matsumoto. Through him the themes of post war guilt and survivors trauma that pervaded 'Minus One' are overtly realised through him. We see the horrors of the atomic bomb through his eyes in a flashback and there is also a nightmarish vision borne out by his desire for revenge (which is a scene you would never get away with showing in an American blockbuster). Yamazaki does not hold back in these moments and they land with a devastating effect that is carried throughout thanks to Tanaka’s wonderful performance. It almost feels like this element of the film is a response to how 'Oppenheimer' presented the atomic bomb offering the strongest commentary on the need to break cycles of violence.

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For all of the human drama which forms the majority of this film, the film is ultimately a disaster movie that bears intense elements of horror. The new threat introduced in this film is a vindictive one of pure chaotic cruelty (exemplified perfectly through the immersive antigravity sequence that is worth the price of admission alone) whose presence is felt, even when they are off screen, to terrifying effect. Anytime it or Godzilla is onscreen the sound is intense and near deafening and unlike anything I have experienced before in a film (including the sequence with the Cyclops from 'The Odyssey' earlier this year). It was so loud that there were points that my chair was vibrating and I felt like I accidentally walked into a 4DX screening by mistake. As with 'Minus One' the special effects on display here are incredible. Visually there is a real heft and weight to the creatures due to the way they are framed on screen setting it apart from most other modern blockbusters. 

What Yamazaki does well with this aspect of the film is keeping the two Kaiju apart until the final battle. He builds a sense of anticipation before delivering a brutal final battle where the film earns its 15 certificate rating. The two foes literally tear each other apart in a gruesome way that is unlike anything you have seen in any other Godzilla film to date, making the build up well worth the wait. 

'Godzilla Minus Zero' is a more than worthy follow up sequel to 'Minus One'. Like all great Godzilla films it delivers on both the human and Kaiju front but here it is done in a bolder manner compared to its predecessor. Through this doubling down Yamazaki delivers a film that will blow audiences away (literally and figuratively) that stands as one of the best blockbusters of the year. If it is to be the last Godzilla film he makes Yamazaki certainly goes out with a bang. 

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

-Joseph McElroy

'Godzilla Minus Zero' arrives in Irish/UK cinemas on Friday November 6th