Godzilla Minus One took the world by storm in 2023. It was a new start for the long-running film franchise and was easily one of the best movies in the entire series. It was even the first Godzilla movie to win an Academy Award. Now, a direct sequel has stomped its way into theaters, titled Godzilla Minus Zero. Let’s take a careful look to see if this new film reaches the heights of its predecessor, or if it’s dead in the water.
Gigantic spoilers for Godzilla Minus Zero are ahead.
The Good
Godzilla Minus One won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, so Godzilla Minus Zero had a lot to live up to. Thankfully, the visuals are just as top-notch. The monsters look completely lifelike and terrifying. The same can be said for the explosions, plane dogfights, and crumbling buildings. The CGI is extraordinarily impressive, and the incredible set design adds to it all.
The tone of the film is filled with a brilliant blend of horror and sadness. Every life feels important, including the nameless victims in the city-wide destruction. This gives more weight to every death and even every injury. Whenever a monster is wreaking havoc, it’s genuinely terrifying to think what’s about to happen to all those people, and what does happen feels tragic.
It’s nice to see certain themes from the first film still present this time around. The anti-war messages are handled well. Dealing with the morality of using people as weapons and of taking life for the greater good is extremely powerful. It all makes you care about the world and its future. It’s an emotional story that will tug on your heartstrings.
The action is phenomenal. Every time a kaiju attacks is extremely suspenseful, and even terrifying at times. The big showdown between Godzilla and King Ghidora is wildly exciting. Limbs are torn off, chunks of flesh are eaten, and energy beams destroy everything in their paths. The action gets creative, and it will absolutely make your heart race.
The Bad
Some of the pacing could be improved throughout the movie. There were times when things were starting to feel a little too slow. What’s happening in these slower moments is still good and all adds to the story, but can feel a little jarring when there’s long instances of this slow pacing in between kaiju combat and destruction. There just needed to be another action sequence or two just to break it up a bit more.
Somewhat related to the pacing issue, the final fight between Godzilla and King Ghidora is a little too short. A lot of the movie builds up to the battle, and it is a great one, but it doesn’t last that long for being built up to the way that it was. It’s an epic showdown, but could have been even more satisfying if it lasted a few more minutes.
If something were to happen to Akiko, it would be devastating for the two protagonists. Their pain would be felt. The actual loss of Akiko, though, would not be. She’s obnoxious. Most of her screen time is dedicated to crying and screaming. It’s genuinely enough to take away from the emotional aspect of certain scenes.
Conclusion
The first movie may overall be stronger, but only by a tiny bit. Godzilla Minus Zero is smart, emotional, somber, scary, and hopeful. It uses the kaiju as a clever backdrop for deeper meaning and a powerful story. Plus, the action and suspense is also a lot of fun. Godzilla Minus Zero is another gigantic win for the folks over at Toho.
Rating: 9.5/10
Read Next: ‘Godzilla Minus One’ Review
