GODZILLA: MINUS ZERO (2026)
After a few years (and a minor increase in budget) the big guy himself is back after apparently being obliterated in the previous movie. Which shouldn't be a big surprise given the sequel bait in Godzilla: Minus One. However, it is unusual that a sequel like this actually got the green light; the Toho franchise hasn't had one movie connect to another since 2003. It seemed that despite suggestions of what might come next (particularly Shin Godzilla) the studio was firmly set on one and done stories. But beyond delivering more monster madness can a follow up actually deliver on the characterisation that hooked audiences last time around?
The story certainly delivers on the sort of eyeball searing blockbuster spectacle people will be expecting. In an opening blast of action a duo of characters (in familiar yellow raincoats) barely escape a new creature as it destroys yet another urban landscape. It's here that the film quickly establishes that it's structure will be a repeat of what came last time around. There will be a quick and shocking prologue, before a monster seems to be dormant but mutates, and then there will be various sci-fi schemes to kill the beast and save Japan from annihilation. But while the formula is certainly successful in many respects there are also some issues along the way that diminish the impact of the story.
The set pieces involving pilot Koichi (Ryunosuke Kamiki) are excellent as are the moments that return to the ruins of Ginza. Unfortunately the film doesn't recapture the simplicity of Minus One as it struggles to give depth to a larger cast. Scenes where people discuss a plan, then tail off so the action is a surprise, repeat the clunky ending of that prior film. Some moments end awkwardly and fade to black, others use flashbacks and revelations that might have been much stronger had they been presented chronologically. Elsewhere survivor Noriko (Minami Hamabe) decides to make her own path without her family but then later has to struggle over the same decision again for some reason.
The result is a film that really feels its length during the third act and yet at the same time seems rushed or inconclusive. It's as though the film makers wanted to recreate the previous story but have more ideas crammed in; editing haphazardly rather than adding them naturally. Crying children are sometimes given more screen time than giant creatures which can be odd and grating. Of course thematically this makes sense in a story that revolves around people trying to move on from trauma while facing tough decisions. Though a larger ensemble it would have made sense to cut certain moments and develop others; whether they're in the final showdown or during the quieter moments.
The new introductions are yet more troubled patriots; meteorologist Makoto (Masami Nagasawa) and Kanji (Min Tanaka) the animal biology expert. As well as a strong spectacle filled first and second act these characters are the best inclusions. One is full of regret from a typhoon incident some time earlier, and the other is filled with anger after surviving both the A-bomb and a Godzilla attack. Neither has much depth (the latter in particular acts like a cartoonish mad professor more than once) but there are some introspective moments that are engaging, despite the melodrama. The underdog team isn't as strong as the last film but it's compelling (and sometimes incredibly dark).
Of course (in spoiler territory) this is also a film that references other blockbusters and its own franchise legacy. The bleakest moments include nods to Terminator 2 but there are other familiar elements like the often used 'G-cells' plot device and even the 'Godzilla can be guided around like a bird' idea from his 1984 revival. Directly linking the scarred survivors of his attacks to victims of radiation sickness is a harrowing new inclusion, but other scenes are remakes of lighter Showa era films. In a lot of ways this is simply a re-imagined version of Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster. But there are dozens of call-backs throughout.
Outside the gold-plated brute having his old meteorite origin included here (though the Venus backstory can only be guessed at) there are also some brutal anti-gravity scenes that seem like a nod to The Battle in Outer-Space. Even certain movie posters from the series are recalled which is fascinating as well as spectacular. There also actor cameos from familiar faces along the way. Any real Godzilla versus King Ghidorah brawling is kept to a minimum while Director Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka) tries to come up with yet more electricity pylon traps. But their battle is mostly satisfying in a surprisingly violent way.
It's just a shame that it wasn't focused on the continued plight of the Shikishima family or even the boat crew from Minus One. It often looks and sounds incredible but there's a sense that the wheels are started to come off during the last half hour. Ghidorah's theme (sounding like a pared down version of Ifikube's original by way of The Bourne Identity) is intense as are the visions of hell... remembered and imagined. For some the general plot of people having to carry on and band together in the face of extreme despair might be enough but it's all a bit thin and underwhelming. As sequels go it's a good companion piece but overall it's a weaker story... or perhaps middle chapter. A fine but unwieldy second mutation.
3/5
