The hype is monstrous, and this sequel is gonna sequel.

Godzilla has been destroyed. But now, only two years later, Japan finds itself at war once again with unnatural forces.

Toho Studios and returning director Takashi Yamazaki brings us Godzilla Minus Zero, a sequel to Godzilla Minus One. At first blush, it is a strange naming convention. Isn’t minus zero technically better than minus one? Anyway, the cast is also returning: Minami Hamabe, Ryûnosuke Kamiki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, among others.
Godzilla Minus One, from 2023, shook the cinema scene with its incredible storytelling, respect to the titular monster, and its slim budget of 15 million. The sequel is said to have a budget increase to around 18 million. So we are still frugal. But is it still good?

The story follows our characters from the previous film, wartime pilot Koichi Shikishima (Ryûnosuke Kamiki) now living happily with his found family. Noriko (Minami Hamabe) one of the sole survivors of Godzilla’s attacks on the Ginza province, may sport an eyepatch now, but looks after young Akiko. The three of them have survived together both the war and Godzilla.

But the team of scientists, led by Mr Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka) just received word that a monster of terrible destructive power has emerged…

Now, I am treading on eggshells here. The trailer is very minimal, so this review will contain spoilers. So to summarize: this is an excellent follow-up to the 2023 movie. The performances and effects and pacing are all, largely, unchanged. If you enjoyed Minus One, you will enjoy Minus Zero. Personally, however, I preferred the first film by quite a significant margin. But this is like saying one perfect juicy strawberry is slightly better than another from the same perfect batch.

Anyway.

The part of the Godzilla creature mythos that is so captivating, is its allegory for nuclear destruction. Godzilla isn’t an ally, Godzilla is destruction. As much as the monster’s popularity in media over the decades has made us fond of them. Like any movie monster, really.
Japan’s history affects a great deal of its modern media. Minus One was powerfully character-driven as Shikishima not only flees “honorable” sacrifice in a war already ended, but he survives a Godzilla encounter. Then he has to face Godzilla once more. The country is in total dissolution. Godzilla being further destruction. The film’s setting of the late-1940s is emotional and compelling.

Godzilla Minus Zero is set two years later. We have a new character, Professor Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka). He is also haunted by death and destruction. Having survived Hiroshima, but his entire family being killed. Then, he also survives an encounter with… Ghidorah. That’s right. Ghidorah is here. But more than that… The Americans are here.
Kanji’s story is one of desperate revenge on those who destroyed his entire life. It is a comparable allegory to what the previous film achieved. The Godzilla myth often addresses the escalation of weapons, and weaponized tools. It is easily the most captivating element in this new movie, and affects all of the characters nicely.

The effects are exceptional, once again. Except maybe one or two composite shots that look a bit ropey. Ghidorah looks fantastic. There’s an appealing grain over everything; the world is often washed out of colour, and the monsters are similarly so. This makes the more magical, supernatural elements pop wonderfully with bold, bright colours. The inclusion of another monster is quite a step from the previous film… But they still manage to make our struggling heroes’ efforts reasonably grounded. It is still wildly science fiction, but it looks the part.

The performances are all still very good. The characters have realistic motivations and reactions to the chaos around them. Minami Hamabe has more to do in this movie as Noriko, which is very welcome. Her story along with Murakami’s gives a good allegory for the holocaust survivors from Hiroshima. With Shikishima’s storyline mostly concluded in the previous film, she can step up into frame with renewed agency. Hidetaka Yoshioka is still great as Mr Noda, giving everything to the dichotomy of human ingenuity.

All of this is wonderful. It is an emotional ride, too. I can only say now that my negativity is minor and very subjective. I cannot stress this enough. The Godzilla franchise is as massive as the monster itself. I’ve not engaged with it very much at all. I have watched: the original 1954 movie, the American release in 1956, the 2014 American remake, Minus One, and yes… the 1997 movie. Generally, what do these have in common? They are largely only about Godzilla.

When we start getting big dragons and robots and moths… I don’t really engage with it. There are two or more monsters, one of them is Godzilla, I guess they will fight at some point. This is very subjective as the whole monster fight is why a lot of people watch these films. Also, it should be said now, the monster fight in Minus Zero? Pretty awesome. Definitely worth the wait (it does take a while for the film to pop that cherry.

But when the human characters start to sympathise with Godzilla. When the monster becomes a sort of hero… despite being the representation of absolute nuclear destruction? The allegory falls apart. The only other negative I have is the film’s ending is needlessly emotional. Baffling.

All of this said, it is still a very good movie. I’m glad I went to see it and my negativity is purely subjective. The Japanese know how to do Godzilla, and I feel the urge to rewatch Minus One again.