GODZILLA MINUS ZERO First Reactions Praise a Massive, Emotional and “Jaw-Dropping” Sequel
Godzilla has stomped his way back onto the big screen, and apparently Godzilla Minus Zero is an absolute monster.
The first reactions have arrived following a New York Film Festival press screening, and Takashi Yamazaki’s follow-up to the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One is getting some seriously enthusiastic praise.
Critics are pointing to the film’s enormous monster battles, emotional family story, impressive visual effects, and R-rated action as reasons this sequel may have somehow managed to go even bigger.
Film critic Edward Douglas said he was “completely blown away” by the movie, while Brandon Lewis described it as an “overwhelming achievement of kaiju filmmaking. Aside from the jaw-dropping spectacle, Takashi Yamazaki packs in an emotional wallop.”
That combination of human drama and massive-scale destruction was a huge part of what made Godzilla Minus One work so well, and it sounds like Yamazaki hasn’t lost sight of that while expanding the scope of the sequel.
Reporter Jonathan Sim had plenty of praise for what Yamazaki has pulled off: “A truly epic cinematic feat. It takes the King of the Monsters to a whole new level while still grounding everything in human, emotional stakes. A must-see blockbuster that truly delivers. Unmatched VFX, action, and scale. Rousing, incredible filmmaking.”
Marissa Hill was similarly impressed, particularly with how the movie balances its gigantic kaiju action with its characters: “Takashi Yamazaki’s made a worthy successor to ‘Minus One’ with a family-centric story that’s also filled with thrilling action sequences and jaw-dropping monster battles.
“But it works in the quieter moments too… It’s still astonishing to me that these films, made on a fraction of the budget as current day blockbusters, look this good… the King of Monsters has never looked or sounded this grand.”
Those are some exciting reactions! Godzilla Minus Zero is the 38th movie in the Godzilla franchise and the 34th produced by Toho.
Yamazaki returns to direct after Godzilla Minus One became a worldwide hit, earning $116 million and becoming the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla movie ever. It also made franchise history by winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
The new film reunites Kamiki Ryunosuke and Hamabe Minami, and it also marks the first time a Japanese feature has been shot for IMAX screens. That should make Godzilla’s latest rampage one hell of a theatrical experience.
The story takes place in 1949, with the official description explaining that it unfolds “two years after the tumultuous events of ‘Godzilla Minus One,’ and continues the story of the Shikishima family as they face an all-new calamity.”
That calamity is, of course, Godzilla and maybe some other giant monsters, and the action expands beyond Japan as Godzilla heads for New York City, turning Godzilla Minus Zero into a global-scale monster movie. The sequel also brings the first R-rated action set pieces in the long-running kaiju franchise.
Considering how much Yamazaki accomplished with Godzilla Minus One, the prospect of seeing him work with a larger canvas is really exciting. Based on these first reactions, it sounds like he pulled it off, and I can’t wait to see it!
Godzilla Minus Zero opens in U.S. theaters on November 6, three days after its rollout begins in Japan. If these early reactions are any indication, Godzilla fans are in for something huge.
