New Godzilla Movie With First R-Rating Is One Of The Best Kaiju Sequels In Franchise History

Published Sep 26, 2026, 11:59 PM EDT

Fariba Rezwan is a Lead Editor for the Movie News team. She has been with ScreenRant for nearly five years, with roles ranging from list editor to junior news editor. 

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The first R-rated Godzilla movie is a winner.

Three years ago, Toho and Japanese director Takashi Yamazaki dropped a worldwide sensation, Godzilla Minus One. The installment became a critical darling with a near-perfect 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and was the first Godzilla movie to win an Academy Award after it nabbed Best Visual Effects. Since then, a sequel, Godzilla Minus Zero, is set to debut this November, and the first reactions are out after its New York Film Festival premiere.

With 14 reviews, Godzilla Minus Zero debuts to a strong 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. The rating is far from Godzilla Minus One and 1954's Godzilla, but it's still easily one of the best in the kaiju franchise and ties with 1964's Mothra vs Godzilla. In fact, the average of the rated reviews is 8.40 out of 10 stars, a few decimal points lower than Minus One (8.50).

Interestingly, besides one negative review, many critics called Godzilla Minus Zero one of the best kaiju sequels in the franchise's history. For instance, The Wrap's William Bibbiani says that the new movie is "a great Godzilla sequel, maybe even one of the best, but it’s not one of the great Godzilla movies." IndieWire's David Ehrlich commented that the sequel "makes rewarding sense of why the series’ numbers are starting to add up." Polygon's Jake Kleinman declared that Minus Zero "is the best Godzilla movie of all time."

Godzilla Minus Zero will release in U.S. theaters on November 6, 2026.

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  Ryunosuke Kamiki

  Koichi Shikishima

• Minami Hamabe

  Noriko Oishi

• Min Tanaka

  Kanji Murakami

• Hidetaka Yoshioka

  Kenji Noda