Godzilla Minus Zero review: "Easily one of the best films of the year"

Godzilla is back. Three years after Godzilla Minus One rampaged onto screens and blew the world away, writer/director Takashi Yamazaki returns with a follow-up that's bigger, bolder, and more ambitious than its predecessor.

Minus Zero picks up two years after the events of the first film, in a Tokyo that is now plagued by a new threat: Ghidorah. This monster is even scarier than Godzilla, thanks to its ability to assimilate other creatures' DNA, its sizzling lightning-breath, and – most terrifying of all – its powers of flight. The Disaster Response Bureau has a far more perilous battle on its hands this time around.

Unlike Legendary's Monster-verse, though, this is no popcorn flick. Instead of leaning into gonzo action, Yamazaki has once again crafted a devastating, hard-hitting story that grapples with post-war trauma and the very human cost of going toe-to-claw with monsters.

King of the Monsters

Despite the title, Godzilla Minus Zero is more of a Ghidorah movie than a Godzilla movie. The titular kaiju begins the movie dormant after Kōichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) took him down at the end of Minus One, and instead, it's Ghidorah who claims the spotlight. The first half of the movie revolves around the struggle against this new kaiju and the mechanics of battling it, including a fascinating new element: a meteorological plan spearheaded by "forecasting prodigy" Makoto Aoyama (Masami Nagasawa), overseen by Minus One's Naval weapons engineer Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka).

A returning Kōichi is also involved in the plan, though, after the events of Minus One, his priorities are now firmly his wife Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and their adopted daughter Akiko (Sae Nagatani) – even if a sense of duty draws him back into the cockpit.

While Ghidorah is a fearsome, compelling foe, it's impossible not to miss Godzilla a little bit, especially considering all the emotional weight tied to that creature in particular when it comes to Kōichi. Widening the scope to Ghidorah also means the film is less streamlined than its predecessor, which works both to its benefit and detriment. The human story now encompasses a larger cast, rather than focusing mainly on Kōichi's own struggles, allowing for a deeper exploration of post-war trauma but putting us at slightly more of a distance from the Shikishima family – and losing the poignant intimacy of focusing on one protagonist's state of mind. Kuranosuke Sasaki's boat captain Seiji Akitsu and crewman Yuki Yamada's Shirō Mizushima, two standouts from the first film, also only appear very briefly.

That's not to say the Shikishima family is not still a huge part of the story, though. Much of the tale does revolve around them and their attempts to live a normal life as monsters roam the Earth. They also become a much bigger part of the narrative when Godzilla finally, inevitably returns midway through the film – and, with this kaiju's comeback, Minus Zero kicks into even higher gear, as the stakes double and the threat feels personal once again.

Just like in Minus One, it's impossible not to root for the Shikishima family, especially when Nagatani's youngster Akiko is so heartbreakingly innocent. All she wants is her parents, even as both Kōichi and Noriko are drawn deeper into the fight against Ghidorah and Godzilla. Their story focuses on this conflict between love and duty, in a mirror image of Kōichi's journey in Minus One; as much as he would like his war to be over this time, it's clear that peace is not yet within reach.

The wider scope gives more prominence to Noda, too, who is grappling with his own tremendous guilt for his role in the war. Newcomer Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka), a biologist on Noda's team, is also given a leading role. His story, and the way it factors into the fight against Ghidorah and Godzilla, is absolutely devastating, and it forms the thrust of the film's human conflict.

The human cost

Indeed, just like Minus One, Minus Zero isn't interested in spectacle that doesn't foreground the catastrophic human cost of such destruction. This is the first Godzilla film to earn an R-rating, and that's thanks to graphic, harrowing scenes set in hospitals or on the obliterated streets of Japan featuring maimed and brutalized victims. The desolation left by World War 2 is also foregrounded in the narrative in a way we won't spoil here, but is truly gutting, and builds to a seriously emotional catharsis.

And, of course, when the kaiju action does come, the VFX is spectacular. The Best Visual Effects Academy Award is surely locked in once again: Ghidorah and Godzilla both seem utterly real, without a hint of artifice, in a way that puts other blockbusters to shame. The action is awesome in the literal sense, especially at the climax: a ground-shaking, visceral battle.

Godzilla Minus Zero, then, is bigger than the first film in every way. While something is lost from the wider scope, much is also gained, resulting in a film that might be even more powerfully emotionally affecting than Minus One. Yamazaki's winning combination of shattering human drama and breath-taking kaiju action doesn't just propel the film into the upper echelon of Godzilla movies, but also of this year's best films.

And, even though the trailer teased the end of the story, there is certainly a hint that Godzilla might return again. With two of the best Godzilla movies ever made under his belt, here's hoping Takashi Yamazaki finds inspiration for a third.

Godzilla Minus Zero is in US theaters and UK cinemas from November 6. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the upcoming movies worth getting excited about.