“Godzilla Minus One” was surprisingly one of my favorite movies in 2023, so I was excited about Takashi Yamazaki’s sequel when it was announced. “Godzilla Minus Zero” opens two years after the events of the first film with Japan once again facing a destructive force. At the end of “Minus One,” Godzilla was defeated and trapped at the bottom of the sea, yet the destruction reflects a Godzilla attack. However, a haunting score by Naoki Sato signals a new kaiju—Ghidorah. The massive monster comes from space, evolved with lightning-based abilities and flight.
As Ghidorah destroys town after town, the Godzilla-response task force, headed by Dr. Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka), scrambles to create a plan to stop it. Dr. Murakami (Min Tanaka) has never seen anything like it and has no answer. Noda asks Shikishima (Ryūnosuke Kamiki), the former kamikaze pilot who helped defeat Godzilla, to advise his group of pilots. Shikishima has settled down with his wife, Noriko (Minami Hamabe), and daughter, Akiko (Sae Nagatani).
The story beats of the human plot are similar to the first film’s. In the first film, each character responded differently to the traumatic events of World War II and the atomic bombs, but the common threat of Godzilla gave them an opportunity to come together. The new film replaces their past World War II experiences with PTSD and regrets from the destruction Godzilla left in his wake. At least, the story explains how Noriko survived the first attack—a plot hole left by the original film.
Noriko, Shikishima and Akiko are the heart of the film, especially when they are all together. For the most part, the human characters provide interesting moments, but only Akiko catches my attention. This little girl is so innocent of what is going on. She knows there is a monster, but every time her parents leave, she undoubtedly believes they are going to come back. The scenes with her saying “Have a safe trip” broke my heart. She is by far the best human character and single-handedly brought my rating up a star.
Unfortunately, Godzilla does not show up for most of the film. The story feels more centered on Ghidorah and the humans than on the titular character. Godzilla eventually returns from the depths of the ocean—unexplained by the film—and starts wreaking havoc as well. I do not need wall-to-wall action, but the human stories take precedence over Godzilla. Godzilla’s presence is not felt throughout the film. I never wonder what Godzilla is doing while the characters talk in a room, because the meetings never focus on him. Instead, the film uses the creature as a tool rather than an autonomous character.
The action was phenomenal, especially a flying sequence involving Ghidorah. But I would have enjoyed the action more if the final showdown had been better. The CGI for the creatures is seamless and extremely detailed. I would not be surprised if the sequel wins an Oscar for visual effects, just like the previous film. However, the final battle between Ghidorah and Godzilla is very quick and underwhelming. With the lack of screen time for Godzilla, I would have loved to see more of his abilities during the fight.
Although the review sounds negative, I enjoyed the film so much. Naturally, comparisons to the first movie come to mind, but “Minus One” is nearly a flawless film. I prefer the storyline in the first one because it felt more personal. “Godzilla Minus Zero” occasionally struggles to intertwine the action with the story. At points, the human development is happening for multiple scenes while the two kaijus are ignored. Americans are thrown in as pseudo-villains due to the history at the time, but I hope a future movie explores that more. Takashi Yamazaki keeps making some of the best films in this franchise, so I believe in any future project.
Final Verdict: Go See In Theaters (4.5/5)
Senior Ranon Travers is a Staff Writer. His email is rtravers@fandm.edu.