Review: Godzilla Minus Zero

Official Synopsis: Set in 1949, the Shikishima family ( Ryûnosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe) confronts a fresh catastrophe two years after surviving their previous ordeal with the legendary monster.

Godzilla Minus One surprised a lot of people back in 2023. Maybe not serious Godzilla fans, but for more casual ones like me, the smaller budget film set in the aftermath of WWII Japan was tonally so different from what I had grown used to seeing. Now, the universe continues to expand with Godzilla Minus Zero.

I'm glad the film chose to bring back the main players from Minus One. Koichi and Noriko have tried to move on from back to back catastrophes but it's never that simple. They're both inject a lot of heart into this film, and that's one of the main things that sets it apart from it's predecessor. This one is very emotional and while it opens with a massive kaiju battle like you'd expect, it takes its time setting the stage before we get to the next one. Those moments work well for the most part, though if you're here for the monster fighting, you might struggle with the pace. Personally I think most of these moments work, but I did find something they do right before the end that was completely manipulative and unnecessary. It bothered my entire family, which makes me feel a bit better for focusing on it so much, but it's really so stupid.

This is also the first Godzilla film with an R rating, and it certainly earns that with some of the gore. I loved that they went in this direction. This film is not afraid to show you the horrors of not only war, but of these monster battles. You always know there are casualties but this film really makes you sit with them. It's a risky choice that I think paid off. And like the first film, the effects are a mix of practical and CGI. While they won't look as polished as the big budget American versions, they work really well. The faces on these creatures are so creepy. That's something that stuck with me in the first one too, and it continues here. The score also rocks. I think this is the loudest film I've been in all year. 

Given the film's title this is going to be weird to say, but I wish there was more Godzilla. I was surprised how little he actually featured. It makes sense story wise but I couldn't help but miss him. At least it's worth it when he finally does arrive.

Grade: B