After the Oscar-winning glory of Godzilla Minus One, Takashi Yamazaki is back with a bigger, bolder follow-up: Godzilla Minus Zero.
But is this sequel better than what is arguably one of the greatest Godzilla films ever made?
Let’s discuss…
What is ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ about?
Set in 1949, two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One, this sequel follows pilot Kôichi Shikishima and his makeshift family as they face a terrifying new threat.
Shikishima and his beloved Noriko must decide whether to put family first or help Dr Noda save Japan from the threat of kaiju destruction for good.
Is ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ as good as ‘Minus One’?
First things first, Godzilla Minus One is a masterpiece, and it’s hard for any sequel to top it.
Minus Zero, despite its best efforts, falls short of its predecessor, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good fun.
The visual effects, particularly in the kaiju-centric scenes, are stunning – and Yamazaki relishes in producing destruction at an enormous scale.
Action set pieces are wrought with tension and masterful choreography.
Moreover, what sets Godzilla Minus One apart from the spectacle-over-substance Monsterverse movies from the U.S. is the human-focused story.
Like the original Godzilla franchise, Minus One and this new sequel play heavily on post-war trauma in Japan and the fear of the atomic bomb.
Japan is the only nation to feel the wrath of nuclear destruction, and Godzilla Minus One and Zero manifest this fear and trauma superbly.
However, Minus Zero doesn’t have as compelling a narrative as its predecessor.
In Minus One, Shikishima embodies the hero’s journey in its entirety.
He starts off abandoning his duties and repeatedly rejects the call to heroism before a triumphant finale, forming a family along the way.
Minus Zero falters slightly by attempting to deconstruct what was built by Shikishima in the first film, and the methods employed to disrupt the family unit, or his newfound heroism, aren’t convincing.
The film also feels as if it is deliberately setting up a third entry, despite Yamazaki saying he’s 50/50 on returning to the franchise.
This threequel baiting left the ending of Godzilla Minus Zero feeling flatter than the previous film.
Still, this remains a very good, if not great, Godzilla film, and Minus Zero introduces some thought-provoking plot points – especially regarding post-war Japan’s relationship with America.
Despite being second best to Minus One, Godzilla Minus Zero is an enjoyable kaiju entry that is leagues ahead of the American Monsterverse offering.
Rating: 7/10
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