‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Is a Rare Sequel Better Than the Original | Review

Published Oct 22, 2026, 11:14 AM EDT

Even in a winter film season featuring a new Avengers movie and the conclusion of the Dune franchise, Godzilla Minus Zero is a title that sticks out in the calendar of many cinema fans. 2023’s Godzilla Minus One took the long-running Japanese series back to its roots, setting the film in post-World War II Japan and centering its human stories around the traumas experienced in combat. It became the most successful entry in the franchise’s history, winning an Oscar for its special effects (the first Godzilla movie to do so) and reigniting fascination around the iconic monster. As director Takashi Yamazaki returns with his highly anticipated sequel, can he repeat his kaiju-sized success?

‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Sees a New Threat Emerge

Set in 1949, two years after Godzilla was defeated, Godzilla Minus Zero begins as the famous creature remains underwater. Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Noriko (Yuki Yamada), the protagonists of the previous film, are now married, living a quiet life and raising their adopted daughter Akiko (Sae Nagatani). Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka), who masterminded the previous fight against the monster, now leads the government’s Large-Scale Disaster Response Bureau, which receives word of a new monster that has decimated Matsumoto City. Desperate to avoid more loss of life, Kenji works with his team, including an expert in weather patterns (Masami Nagasawa), to find a way to lure the beast to them. After witnessing its power, and bringing Kōichi back to help fight it, they conclude there is only one solution: to resurrect Godzilla and let the two titans fight.

Publicity for the film has implied this would be the last installment of the Minus continuity, and if that is the case, then it couldn’t have picked a better finale. While undoubtedly larger in scale than the previous film, the same amount of care has been put into every aspect of the storytelling, making for a movie that will thrill franchise devotees as well as leave newcomers in awe.

‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ Improves On Its Mind-Blowing Predecessor

Image via Toho

From the very beginning, Godzilla Minus Zero delivers on its visual legacy. Opening with a Steadicam-style sequence following scientists trying to survive the Matsumoto City attack, every camera choice is aimed at convincing you that these beasts are undefeatable. Taking the action to the air as Kōichi and a ragtag group of pilots look on in terror at the new threat, Yamazaki’s strength in these sequences is putting you at human level, rather than having a meaningless maelstrom of CGI. In every civilian attack, we see the cost, making every appearance more terrifying.

Once Godzilla is brought in to face a new foe, however, the design of the monsters really shines. We won’t spoil the fun of discovering who the new beast is, but needless to say, it’s a face that fans of the franchise may recognize, realized stunningly with effects that are intricate without feeling overdone. As the third act face-off commences, both feel at home in the dust and rubble of a wrecked city. The movie is the first filmed specifically for IMAX, an honor that these moments live up to. The idea of watching this on a phone feels like sacrilege.

Takashi Yamazaki Keeps Humans and History At the Heart of the Story

Image via Takashi Yamazaki

The one thing that the Hollywood remakes of Godzilla have struggled with is the idea that the story isn’t really about the monster. With Minus One, Yamazaki brought back the principal idea that the beast was a symbol, a metaphor for grief and tragedy. That is maintained in the sequel, as every character we find has emotional scars. From Kōichi feeling torn between his family and his duty, to biologist Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka), who carries personal family trauma, the haunted cast are horrified to learn that the events of the last movie are not the end of their suffering.

In many ways, the biggest emotional blow of the film is the question of how much a person can go through. How many times can you endure this kind of suffering? Weighing both the shock of the first film and the guilt around their actions in the war, we watch each character find that resolve, in a way that few action movies have done before. Yamazaki’s script recognizes that character development doesn’t distract from the spectacle; it makes you more invested when the battle scenes come along. The execution is flawless, once again aided by a tremendous cast.

‘Godzilla Minus Zero’s Cast Deliver Once Again

Anyone who enjoyed Godzilla Minus One will come into this not only keen to see the new monster, but anxious to know what has happened to the characters from the last film – are Kōichi and Noriko still together? Is little Akiko alright? The answer, as always, is more complicated than you might have hoped, but it’s in that complication that the actors build on their previous performances. Kamiki and Hamabe have a gentle but passionate chemistry that gives so much weight to their decisions in the movie, while young actor Nagatani portrays Akiko as someone who, even at a tender age, recognizes “something scary” could always be returning.

Of the supporting cast, it’s Min Tanaka’s biologist who has the most emotionally devastating scenes. Revealing the details would be difficult without spoilers, but his performance personifies the tone of the film, where each person moves forward almost physically encumbered by the weight of the past. Masami Nagasawa is also impressive as the weather forecaster whose methods are first dismissed before becoming indispensable. Seeing her move from hypothetical theories on a chart to the front line is another example of the growth each of the characters is forced to undergo.

Taking everything that made Godzilla Minus One work and giving us more, both in terms of spectacle and emotion, Godzilla Minus Zero is a near-perfect sequel. Director Yamazaki has not let success compromise his vision, ensuring that the monster’s connection to national identity and the trauma of the characters never gets left behind. This is a sequel that lives up to the hype, and is made to be seen on the biggest screen you can find.

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  Ryunosuke Kamiki

  Koichi Shikishima

• Minami Hamabe

  Noriko Oishi

Pros & Cons

• Epic action scenes eclipse the previous films.
• The story is filled with human characters who feel compelling.
• The film expands the franchise's historical subtext.