Godzilla Minus Zero (2026)

Godzilla Minus Zero is the follow up to Godzilla Minus One, once again written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. While this entry is more exciting than its predecessor, it still carries some of the same flaws, particularly the overacting from one of its leads, Ryûnosuke Kamiki. The film continues to lean heavily into the human side of the story, taking time to establish what needs to happen for a Godzilla movie to make sense, including why the monsters fight and how everything eventually comes together. I understand the need for that setup, but I think most people in the theater were simply waiting for Godzilla to show up.

Minami Hamabe was great as Noriko in the previous film, and her presence remains welcome here. Masami Nagasawa also makes a strong impression as the new character Makoto Aoyama, stepping into the story with a performance that gives the film another interesting human element. Hidetaka Yoshioka is another noteworthy presence, reprising his role as Noda and helping maintain some continuity with the previous movie.

Of course, the real attraction is seeing Godzilla back on the big screen. The audience reaction made that pretty clear, with people cheering when he appeared. I won't spoil who the opponent is or how the movie ends, but there are enough surprises to make the experience worthwhile. And while watching Godzilla Minus One beforehand certainly helps, I don't think newcomers will be completely lost if they haven't seen it.

Godzilla Minus Zero is a more exciting follow up that delivers the spectacle audiences came to see, even if the human drama still occasionally gets in its own way. The overacting remains an issue, and there are stretches where the movie feels more interested in explaining itself than getting to the monster action. Still, when Godzilla finally takes center stage, it's hard not to enjoy the experience. Result: A-

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