GODZILLA MINUS ZERO (2026)

Three years ago, filmgoers around the world—myself included—were blown away by Toho Studios’ latest entry in its long-running kaiju franchise, Godzilla Minus One (2023). It wasn’t the announcement of another Godzilla film that caught everyone off guard, but how ridiculously good it turned out to be. Beautifully shot, brilliantly directed and surprisingly emotional, the film became a genuine box-office success, taking an impressive $116M against a modest $10M budget.

The monster hit (pun absolutely intended) wasn’t just a favourite with audiences and critics; it also earned glowing praise from Hollywood heavyweights Steven Spielberg and Guillermo del Toro before making history by winning the Academy Award for ‘Best Visual Effects’. So, naturally, a sequel was always on the cards. But here’s the thing about follow-ups: they’re rarely as good as the original.

I’m happy to report that, while Godzilla Minus Zero / ゴジラ-0.0 doesn’t quite reach the dizzying heights of its predecessor, it’s certainly not the disappointment some might have feared. In fact, it’s a surprisingly strong sequel that comes close to matching the original—and is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.

Set two years after the events of the first film, the story finds pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) trying to settle into a quieter life with his wife, Noriko (Minami Hamabe), and their young adopted daughter, Akiko (Sae Nagatani). Unfortunately, peace and quiet don’t last long when giant monsters are involved. This time, the threat comes in the form of a dragon-like creature whose devastating attack on the city of Matsumoto sets the stage for another desperate fight for survival.

The attack on Matsumoto comes in the film’s first few minutes and makes for a powerful opening. Biologist Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka) emerges from the rubble and destruction. He may have escaped physically unscathed, but as a survivor of the Hiroshima bombing—whose horrific events we glimpse in occasional flashbacks—the ordeal brings back painful memories. Despite being clearly traumatised, he’s soon recruited by Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka), director of the Large-Scale Disaster Response Bureau. As we later discover, Murakami becomes a key player in the ensuing creature-led chaos.

Noda and the response team work out that the monster came from a meteorite. It first formed as a strange gelatinous organism before transforming into its current form. They name it Ghidorah by combining the names of the Greek mythological monsters Chimera and Hydra. When an attempt to kill it fails, the beast grows even larger, sprouting three heads for good measure.

The newly formed kaiju is now called King Ghidorah. Along with its increased size, it can fire a gravity-defying ray that hurls entire buildings—and people—high into the air before dropping them to the ground. Just when the disaster bureau thinks things can’t get any worse, Godzilla somehow regenerates and rises spectacularly from the sea.

At this point, you might start to wonder: is this all getting a bit too ridiculous? But the strong script, superb acting and smart direction keep the film on track and give it a coherent story.

The team hatches a new plan: lure Godzilla into fighting the new beast, in the hope that whichever creature survives will be weakened and easier to kill. Things don’t go exactly to plan, of course, but the ensuing carnage makes for some seriously great kaiju action.

As before, but with a bigger budget, director and visual-effects supervisor Takashi Yamazaki delivers breathtaking sequences that would put most Hollywood films to shame. One scene plays out like something from The Dam Busters (1955), except that King Ghidorah is the target.

And then there’s the star of the show. Godzilla looks and sounds every bit as amazing as before. Thanks again to Yamazaki, his action sequences are stunningly realised and great fun to watch. One of my few criticisms is that the legendary monster doesn’t get much screen time. But when he does appear, he makes a lasting impression. The climactic fight with Gojira has to rank among the best monster-versus-monster scenes in cinematic history. The VFX artistry is so accomplished that I still can’t comprehend how it was achieved on such a relatively small budget.

For all the smashy-crashy action, the human element never takes a back seat. In fact—and this is something Hollywood should do more often—the well-written characters provide the film’s real substance and drive. The script and acting are so good that my attention was firmly held within the first ten minutes.

Writer-director Yamazaki clearly cares about the people in this film: they’re always convincing and compelling to watch. Of all the colourful characters, one of the highlights for me was seeing the newly formed family of Kōichi, Noriko and their daughter Akiko back on screen. Knowing what they’ve been through—especially Noriko’s near-death—gives the film much-needed emotional depth.

More importantly, the sequel gives Noriko considerably more to do. Rather than simply remaining on the sidelines, she becomes a driving force in much of the plot. Better still, the film finally sheds some light on how she survived the events of the first instalment. As you might expect, her mysterious connection to Godzilla proves significant.

Aside from the occasional Godzilla action sequence, my main issue is that parts of the film feel slow. As much as I enjoy the character-led drama, I think a few scenes could have been trimmed or tightened. Unlike the first film, where nothing felt forced or drawn out, this one occasionally does. Others may not notice, but at least twice I found myself getting ever so slightly bored.

That said, if you loved the first film, I can strongly recommend a speedy visit to your nearest cinema to enjoy this superbly crafted piece of monster-sized entertainment. It may not be a perfect follow-up, but it’s certainly a worthy one.

JAPAN | 2026 | 135 MINUTES | 2.39:1 • 1.90:1 | COLOUR | JAPANESE ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

writer & director: Takashi Yamazaki.
starring: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Min Tanaka, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Masami Nagasawa, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Sakura Ando, Miou Tanaka.