Starting in 1949, two years after Godzilla appeared to die, a new kaiju (one of “Game of Thrones” dragons), who looks like Drogon’s cousin (cuz), is in town wreaking havoc. The Shikishima family is still together and struggling to stay out of the fray, but their sense of duty and survival is too strong. With plenty of old faces and a few new, can they stop the new threat? “Godzilla Minus Zero” (2026) is the sequel to “Godzilla Minus One” (2023) and is even stronger than its predecessor thanks to thrilling action sequences, stronger supporting character arcs, new sci-fi elements, and a clear anti-war message that repents of past sins. Considering that the Godzilla franchise has existed since 1954, it is impressive that writer and director Takashi Yamazaki mixed things up in a fresh, inventive way while fixing the weaknesses of the original and retaining its strengths. Nothing but net. You do not need to see the first movie to enjoy it.
Something old? Koichi Shikishima (Ryûnosuke Kamiki) and Noriko Oishi (Minami Hamabe) are officially a family with Akiko (Sae Nagatani) as the luckiest girl in the world not stuck in an orphanage with the other kids where Noriko volunteers. Noriko is all bandaged up and still buddies with neighbor, Sumiko (Sakura Ando), who runs the orphanage and is the most normal person in “Godzilla Minus Zero.” Yamazaki feints as if Koichi is going to continue to be important and embrace old habits of being the hero (yawn) before the story sets its sights on Noriko as being more than a scream queen. Noriko’s storyline holds a lot of sci fi potential for exploration in future installments. Even Akiko gets a storyline and is a little annoying, but she is a kid so…. Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka) is officially the head of the Disaster Response Bureau, and his subordinates are not individuated.
Something new? Well, almost all of Noda’s subordinates are not individuated except for Makoto Aoyama (Masami Nagasawa), who is a meteorologist prodigy based in equal parts hard work and instinct. Yamazaki should just give her some powers because Nagasawa acted as if she was auditioning to play Storm’s distant cousin (compliment). There are a lot of “doing science” montages that are fun but could have been fleshed out like a mini “Pressure” (2026). The opening sequence introduces the latest kaiju and a couple of new characters that contribute to turning “Godzilla Minus Zero” into a hit! Cuz smiles like someone who keeps saying cheese, is highly perceptive to detail and powerful. One of Cuz’s powers is spitting out a red beam that is partially jagged like lightning. Ciz also possesses an ability to make objects as big as houses levitate then crash to the ground like a tornado’s effects. At one point, Cuz is just minding their business when people start attacking them. The people only exacerbate the situation except for biology professor Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka) and his assistant, Akira Hagiwara (Kô Maehara) who survive Cuz’s first attack and head to Noda with a plan, including film footage of Cuz, which feels like a shout out to the black and white era of the franchise. Tanaka, Yamazaki and editor Ryûji Miyajima succeed in creating a mad scientist who may slip under the radar. Tanaka chews the scenery without going overboard thanks to a powerful and relatable storyline.
Something borrowed? The Professor’s plan is to get Cuz to fight Godzilla. Press screenings are usually quiet affairs, and “Godzilla Minus Zero” turned the critics into giddy fans talking at the screen, including saying “Let them fight,” which was the best part of “Godzilla” (2014) thanks to Ken Watanabe. Even without the fighting, Cuz’s attacks are already satisfying destruction sequences. There are some epic scenes of calamity that are tragic or seem to reference classic disaster sequences from the Eighties and Nineties. While it may not be original, the production values are so perfect that it feels as if Yamazaki was able to build a time machine, enter the original filmmakers’ consciousness then (movie) magically update it to meet contemporary visual quality standards.
Something blue? When Godzilla is back on the scene, Cuz gives Godzilla the business, and the viciousness is welcomed. It felt as if Cuz had more fighting experience even though Godzilla has been on the scene longer. Good thing that Godzilla is a god otherwise he would be a goner. If the movie title was not named after him, and life was fair, Godzilla would have lost. Godzilla is still thick, but the kaiju boob situation seems to be under control, and that yell is perfect. Those blue scales are popping. The team must tackle some moral tests that they failed in the war, which includes sacrificing people in suicide missions, using weapons to hurt innocents or using Godzilla to fight their battles then planning to kill the surviving monster. These moments do not feel like sops to satisfy the audience. The story refuses to take perfunctory steps towards an anti-war message but is rooted in real stakes with the new government drafting characters into service while others reckon with the implications of these decisions. The flashback sequences really seal the deal and inject a healthy dose of realism into the sci-fi franchise. People are willing to pay a price for their ideals and to repent for the country’s past on an individual level. If “Godzilla Minus Zero” takes a misstep, it is even suggesting that these folks can kill the survivor. They already need a kaiju to fight a kaiju, and all their efforts just seem to stall, not stop, them, especially Cuz who discovers their best life after the first proactive offense.
While “Godzilla Minus Zero” is an amazing sequel, and one of the rare ones that is better than the first, it does not get every detail correct. As always in media from across the Pacific, the non-Japanese actors or Western actors are the weakest link in the ensemble. Please keep American troops as a distant, prose dump reference. Their presence was unnecessary and forcing the Japanese actors to speak English did nothing to enhance the authenticity of the story. On the other hand, a cameo from Jun Kunimura, who plays a doctor who holds the key to finding Godzilla, may be so impactful that he rights the scales singlehandedly. If Kunimura looks familiar, he is known for playing pivotal roles in “The Wailing” (2016) and “Pachinko.”
“Godzilla Minus Zero” is also impressive for exploring the theme of transition between the old guard and the new on several levels: older to younger generation, men to women, the characters from the prior movie to the sequel, etc. It is a generous story in spirit, which is why the anti-war message works better this time around. It does feel as if people are struggling with their mistakes, learning from them and shoulder the burden in a substantial way. It is not lip service. Unlike the first movie, there is not a sense of triumph, but survival and caution though in an optimistic way. The story starts with pride in past accomplishments but immediately recalibrate when they realize Godzilla is still alive. It is an absolute rejection of past glory and offers a more somber mood, which gives the movie a scrappy, high-stakes excitement that anything could happen when the actual story is incredibly familiar with elements that appeared in prior “Godzilla” movies. What a triumph!
