GODZILLA MINUS ZERO

 

I thought that GODZILLA MINUS ONE wasn't just one of the best films I had seen in 2023, I thought it was one of the best films I had seen in the 21st Century. Writer-Director-FX Supervisor Takashi Yamazaki's follow-up, GODZILLA MINUS ZERO, is a worthy sequel, upping the stakes with the addition of the Big G's most legendary foe. 

The main characters of GODZILLA MINUS ONE, specifically the married couple played by Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe, return in MINUS ZERO. These characters all have emotional and physical scars from the events of MINUS ONE, and just when they thought some normality was being established in 1949 Japan, a meteor from outer space lands on Earth and reveals Ghidorah, a dragon-like creature that appears to be even more destructive than the supposedly vanquished Godzilla. 

Of course the two massive Kaiju are set on track for a showdown, but before than happens Takashi Yamazaki keeps the viewer engaged with effective human character development and an ominous subplot concerning how destructive mankind can be, even when it is trying to "save" humanity. There are some jaw-dropping action sequences in MINUS ZERO, but they have even more of an impact due to the way that Yamazaki brings all the larger-than-life chaos down to an individual level. This Godzilla movie makes it very clear that there are plenty of real lives in all those smashed buildings, and all the cataclysmic events have a horrible toll. 

Yamakazi also makes us care about all those human characters he developed in MINUS ONE, so there's also an undercurrent of suspense throughout, as one wonders whether these characters will survive and how their lives will be changed. 

There's not a lot of major Kaiju action in GODZILLA MINUS ZERO, but what there is fills the screen with mammoth spectacle. There are a number of elements that bring to mind the classic 1960s Godzilla movies directed by Ishiro Honda, and there's even a reference to Hitchcock's THE BIRDS. 

One thing I have to mention about my GODZILLA MINUS ZERO experience: I saw it tonight, opening night, an evening showing....and I was the only person in the theater. (What does that say about South Bend??) I'm actually glad I had the theater all to myself. I could sit back, relax, not have to worry about any distractions, and appreciate an inventive and entertaining film that also has some food for thought. I haven't seen a lot of new movies in the theater this year, but I think I can safely say that GODZILLA MINUS ZERO is my pick for the best film of 2026.