Although “Godzilla Minus Zero” is the first Japanese film made specifically for IMAX, my first viewing was at the DGA and I didn’t get an invite for IMAX, but tonight, I’m going for the 4D effects. Even without IMAX, this first R-rated Godzilla film is worth seeing and the rating is for violence and bloody images.
The gore is tasteful and not excessively gruesome, especially compared to films like the World War II flick “Mosquito Bowl” or the World War I film “Coward.”
The last film, the 2023 “Godzilla Minus One,” ended in 1947 with our hero Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) blowing up Godzilla in Sagami Bay using a plan formulated by the scientist Kenji Noda. Shikishima is a former kamikaze pilot but you won’t hear the word “kamikaze.” Instead you might hear: Shinpū Tokubetsu Kōgekitai (神風特別攻撃隊). Remember that Shikishima was not committed to committing suicidal runs and as a result, he ended up on the fictional Odo Island (大戸島) for “repairs.’ It’s there he has his first encounter with Godzilla and yet he freezes and doesn’t fire on Godzilla. He and the mechanic, Sōsaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki), are the only survivors. They both end up in Tokyo after the war has ended.
At the end of “Godzilla Minus One,” Shikishima had redeemed himself in the eyes of Tachibana, but while there’s celebration over the defeat of Godzilla, we last see parts of the kaiju regenerating.
In the two years since that the events of “Godzilla Minus One,” he has married Noriko Ōishi (Minami Namabe), a survivor on a Godzilla attack with lingering effects. Shikishima and Noriko form a family with the orphan Akiko (Sae Nagatani). The black bruise on the back of her neck and shoulder and injured eye still require bandages, even after all this time.
There are other familiar faces, including their neighbor, Sumiko Ōta (Sakura Ando) now runs an orphanage.
Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka) is now the director of the Large-Scale Disaster Response Bureau with an expanded team that includes meteorologist Makoto Aoyama (Masami Nagasawa).
Yet there’s another scientist that comes into this mix. Biologist Kanji Murakami (村上寛治), a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing, who bitterly plots to direct Godzilla to the North America. What would happen if Godzilla turned up in New York? Murakami has developed a Resonance Wave technology which he believes can help lure Godzilla into a confrontation.
Although Japan is still under the control of the American Occupation (2 September 1945 to 28 April 1952), the US Armed Forces are reluctant to get overtly involved, fearing that such official military actions might trigger a military confrontation with the Soviet Union.
I’ve watched the two official trailers and won’t reveal more than they do here.
“Godzilla Minus Zero” is only ten minutes longer than “Godzilla Minus One.” It could have been tightened up, mostly in some of the more intimate scenes, but I appreciate that the screenplay by Takashi Yamazaki reminds us why Godzilla was originally created: To protest the use of nuclear war weapons. I don’t think the tone is overtly political. Murakami is angry in the sense of a victim not someone who has an ideological loyalty to the emperor and the imperial cause. We see that children are left orphaned and the Japan of 1949 is a long way from the prosperous modernized Japan of today.
If you’ve looking for Godzilla, he appears, but he’s not really the central character here in terms of time on screen. Godzilla fans will be used to that. That happens in the Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla movie series as well and the TV series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.” The quality of monsters here remains high. The advancement of technology and the increased budget bring better visual effects, all under the assured vision of writer/director Yamazaki.
No one here is intrinsically evil. There are no villains. Even Godzilla isn’t necessarily villainous, however, there is a question of whether the authorities will always have the best interests of humanity in mind. That’s timely enough.
“Godzilla Minus Zero” premiered at the 2026 New York Film Festival in September. It was released in Japan by Toho on 3 November 2026. The film is already available for early screenings in the US.
