Three years later, and Toho’s Big G is finally back on the silver screen. Godzilla Minus Zero, the follow-up to Takashi Yamakazi's pathbreaking Godzilla Minus One, is finally here, bigger, badder, and higher octane than before. It’s hard to find ways to make cinema’s greatest kaiju, sure, but Toho found a way via a truly worthy antagonist. It's one of the coolest, boldest films of the year.
Godzilla Minus Zero was a gigantic phenomenon, even relative to Godzilla's other characteristically sizable appearances. The film premiered December 1st, 2023, netting over $113 million globally on a ~$10 million budget. The film went on to be the first Oscar nomination and win for the franchise, netting Best Visual Effects at the 96th Academy Awards.
Since the original 1954 film, the franchise has been a lot of fun, with city-destroying monster battles and rogue alien species galore. It's spanned a wide range of genres, including the horrors of the original or the excellent Shin Godzilla. Godzilla Minus One returned the franchise to that wheelhouse with a scary yet emotional tale.
Godzilla Minus Zero evolves that excellent tale, both expanding it and deepening its characters. It boasts incredible filmmaking, many killer kaiju moments and emotional beats that land, and a satisfying final battle. Every element doesn't quite land as concretely as Minus One, but it's still a satisfying, fist-pumping display of franchise excellence.
A Well-Evolved World Serves The Action and Stakes
Godzilla Minus Zero takes place two years after the events of Minus One, once again following the Shikishima family: Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), Noriko Shikishima (Minami Hamabe), and the adorable Akiko (Sae Nagatani). A new monster comes to plague Japan after falling from space (we'll avoid spoilers in this review, but find them here), catching the attention of the Large-Scale Disaster Response Bureau.
The Bureau is staffed by returning scientist Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka), and joined by new brilliant meteorologist Makoto Aoyama (Masami Nagasawa) and the war-traumatized Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka). The team attempts to thwart the ever-more-dangerous kaiju, as a familiar atomic-breathed foe emerges from the depths of the ocean. Humanity’s only hope may be to attempt to pit the creatures against each other.
Godzilla is clearly evolved, massive and powerful with a new scale we haven’t seen yet. His monstrous antagonist is well-matched, with powerful evolutionary abilities that challenge and frequently look cool—it’s exceptional and looks fantastic (including in IMAX). The combat is nicely staged and choreographed, and the beasts look terrifying. The humans find ways to provide relevant opposition… There are a lot of moving parts in Minus Zero, which all build to a satisfying conclusion.
The narrative doesn't quite hit the same heights as Minus One. That first film simply has more time to spend on characters' interiority, building character development. Additionally, Zero feels less final than One, both in the fate of its kaiju antagonists and regarding some key parts of the political decision-making within the world. All that said, there's great character work and awe-inspiring action sequences here that create a great film.
Stellar Character Work Grounds An Excellent Kaiju Outing
The characters in Zero have really evolved from the events of the prior film, which adds a pleasantly grounding realism. The Shikishimas are a full family now, disrupted when Kenji Noda desperately brings Kōichi into the fight against the new beast. He’s braver this time around, moving from trainer to combat pilot because the situation needs a world-class aerial monster hunter.
That bravery persists, while Noriko is given much more to do in this iteration. It’s hard to discuss her arc without spoilers, but it carries over well from Minus One and cements her as one of the franchise’s coolest, most interesting human protagonists. Her relationship with Akiko adds a lot as well beyond its cuteness, giving the characters strong stakes and a motivation to return home.
Ryunosuke Kamiki gives a solid, often bold performance as the ace pilot who laps super-powered gods. There are moments of melodrama that don’t match the level of the world around him. While some characters simple are extra, and every culture and era have their own norms of expression, there are occasions that feel out of place. Minami Hamabe positively kills it with her escalated new role. From bright, happy mother to brave soldier in the fight against unstoppable beasts, it’s a cool evolution that she plays adeptly.
Hidetaka Yoshioka again gives a memorable performance as the positive yet dedicated mastermind of Japan’s kaiju war efforts, while Masami Nagasawi has limited character development but a strong role in the team’s leadership. The best new addition, however, is Min Tanaka as Kanji Murakami. It’s another factor that can’t be fully discussed sans spoilers, but his arc adds complexity and reckons with the psychological aftermath of Hiroshima in surprising ways backed by powerful imagery. His performance is equal to the task, with full commitment and a lot of charisma.
Altogether, Toho has another can't-miss kaiju outing with Godzilla Minus Zero. It doesn't have the same emotional depth as its predecessor, but it does explore exciting new terrain on that front with Kanji Murakami and its development of other characters. The new kaiju looks incredible and is a powerful and worthy challenger to Godzilla, and the fight sequences are excellent. Slight comparative issues aside (inviting any comparison to Godzilla Minus One is an unenviable task, after all), the film is a satisfying can't-miss spectacle that works brilliantly on the largest screen you can find.
Final Rating: 8/10
Godzilla Minus Zero stomps into theaters November 6th.
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