Godzilla Minus Zero First Reviews: Bigger, Bolder, and Somehow More Visually Impressive than Minus One
Critics at the film's New York Film Festival premiere praise Takashi Yamazaki’s ambitious sequel as a spectacular, surprisingly emotional monster movie with jaw-dropping effects and some truly unexpected turns.
The highly anticipated Godzilla Minus Zero doesn’t open until November 6, but the first reviews are now online after its world premiere at the New York Film Festival. A sequel to the 2023 hit Godzilla Minus One, this new movie is set two years later and again follows the Shikishima family as the titular monster returns to face another enormous creature. While there is disagreement on whether it’s even better than the previous installment, Godzilla Minus Zero is said to be bigger and more surprising, with spectacle and storytelling greater than anything out of Hollywood, and visual effects that somehow top the predecessor’s Oscar-winning work.
95%
0%
Here’s what critics are saying about Godzilla Minus Zero:
Does it live up to expectations?
You’ll be happy to hear that it absolutely does.
– Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior
Godzilla Minus Zero is everything I could have wanted from a follow-up to Godzilla Minus One.
– Lexi Amoriello, Movie Recs by Lex
I walked in wondering how Yamazaki could possibly follow Minus One and walked out having laughed, cheered, and, somehow, cried during a Godzilla movie.
– David Gonzalez, The Cinematic Reel
This is the right kind of doubling down.
– Jake Kleinman, Polygon
Easily one of the best films of the year.
– Molly Edwards, GamesRadar+
Godzilla Minus Zero is a worthy follow-up.
– Katie Rife, Inverse
With great expectations sometimes come considerable letdowns, and that’s certainly the case with Takashi Yamazaki’s sequel.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Will it impress fans of the previous movie?
This opening sequence… offers a succinct reminder of everything that Godzilla Minus One did so well: phenomenal visual effects and creature design, jaw-dropping action filmmaking, and a genuine sense of awe.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
Minus Zero starts off with a literal bang.
– Alfred Castaneda, Shade Studios
Godzilla Minus Zero begins with a bang — or, more accurately, a rumble.
– Katie Rife, Inverse
Those hoping for more than a fleeting glimpse of Godzilla will have to wait, and wait, and wait for the real-deal goods.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
How does it compare to Godzilla Minus One?
Even better than Godzilla Minus One in every way.
– Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior
This time the stakes are higher, the action is bigger, and the story is even more meaningful.
– Lexi Amoriello, Movie Recs by Lex
Yamazaki and his team have doubled down on the spectacle of their last film, pushing the tension to new heights.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
The film’s multiple sequences of mass destruction thoroughly eclipse those of Godzilla Minus One in terms of complexity, creativity, and VFX fidelity.
– Eli Friedberg, Slant Magazine
Godzilla Minus Zero, a fine film full of excitement and grandeur, is noticeably sillier than Godzilla Minus One.
– William Bibbiani, TheWrap
Godzilla Minus Zero lacks the clarity of purpose of Minus One… The human elements aren’t as cohesive.
– Katie Rife, Inverse
Die-hards will have to content themselves with the knowledge that, should they crave truly peak Godzilla madness, they can always revisit its precursor.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Is it one of the best Godzilla movies ever?
Yamazaki’s winning combination of shattering human drama and breathtaking kaiju action [propels] the film into the upper echelon of Godzilla movies.
– Molly Edwards, GamesRadar+
In terms of pure aesthetic power, the film is as deliriously deafening as any in franchise history.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
It’s one of the most immersive Godzilla films I’ve ever seen.
– Lexi Amoriello, Movie Recs by Lex
It’s a great Godzilla sequel, maybe even one of the best, but it’s not one of the great Godzilla movies.
– William Bibbiani, TheWrap
Minus Zero still ranks among the better franchise installments — even if this King can’t quite take the crown.
– Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
Does it have a lot to say?
There’s still plenty to say about the national mood of the time and the difference between honor and duty to oneself and to a larger collective, like one’s family or country, as well as complicity in defense plans that fail and responsibility to the next generation. That’s an ambitious amount of topics for one monster movie to take on.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
Godzilla Minus Zero is a bewildering dance between morbid gravitas and childish abandon, Godzilla the historical symbol and Godzilla the action figure, the grueling emotional burden that the Japanese subject must both endure and enact through spectacles of massive, traumatic, and super-cool violence.
– Eli Friedberg, Slant Magazine
Thematically, this movie is all over the place: Responsibility and accountability are recurring motifs, but neither of them really ever comes into focus, despite Yamazaki telegraphing them every chance he gets.
– Katie Rife, Inverse
What if we’re just here for the monster mayhem?
The clash… is sure to have most fans of the Godzilla franchise springing from their seats in excitement.
– Eli Friedberg, Slant Magazine
Godzilla and Ghidorah’s screen time together delivers eye-popping spectacle never seen in any Godzilla movie before, period.
– Andrew J. Salazar, Discussing Film
[It] features some of the most thrilling kaiju fights ever.
– David Ehrlich, IndieWire
The movie’s extended climax features some of the most majestic CG monster action put to film.
– Jesse Hassenger, Guardian
One particular moment of kaiju violence perfectly bridges the gap between gross and awesome just enough that you find yourself feeling for a surprising character.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
Unfortunately, skyscraper-grade skirmishes are few and far between in Godzilla Minus Zero… [and the] inevitable battle with Ghidorah is shockingly underwhelming.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
How are the visual effects this time?
The Oscar-winning visual effects on Godzilla look even better this time around.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
The effects are even better. So much detail has gone into the visuals to make the monsters feel believable.
– Lexi Amoriello, Movie Recs by Lex
Special effects that exponentially improve upon the resourceful but weightless CGI from Minus One.
– David Ehrlich, IndieWire
The visual effects in Minus Zero are astonishing and a clear upgrade over its predecessor… [and] deserve another Oscar nomination.
– Alfred Castaneda, Shade Studios
When the kaiju action does come, the VFX is spectacular. The Best Visual Effects Academy Award is surely locked in once again.
– Molly Edwards, GamesRadar+
Like its predecessor, the movie favors quality of visual effects over quantity.
– Jesse Hassenger, Guardian
The visual effects employed by Yamazaki remain top-notch.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
How does it look in general?
Kōzō Shibasaki’s cinematography is equally stunning.
– Lexi Amoriello, Movie Recs by Lex
It’s fascinating that a movie like this, which is made with a fraction of the budget of modern blockbusters, can look this good.
– Alfred Castaneda, Shade Studios
Even the Hollow-Earth silliness of the recent MonsterVerse movies pales in comparison to the eye-popping visuals conjured by Takashi Yamazaki.
– Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
Are there any other technical achievements worth mentioning?
The aspect of the film that truly blew me away was the sound design — and I mean that literally… You don’t just see and hear Godzilla; you can actually feel his presence looming over you.
– Lexi Amoriello, Movie Recs by Lex
If you thought Christopher Nolan’s sound design couldn’t be outdone, wait till you see Minus Zero.
– Alfred Castaneda, Shade Studios
Yamazaki keeps Naoki Sato’s score to a minimum, especially in dialogue scenes. More big action films would do well to follow his lead, as it lets the audience connect with the characters more organically.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
Will this movie surprise longtime Godzilla fans?
Without revealing too much, Godzilla Minus Zero introduces a new element to the Godzilla lore that I’ve never seen explored before, adding another layer of symbolism and subtext to the story.
– Lexi Amoriello, Movie Recs by Lex
This vision of King Ghidorah and where it leads just absolutely blew me away — I mean, some seriously “Holy s–t!” moments.
– Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior
Minus Zero plays with our typical expectations of a Godzilla movie.
– Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
Some viewers might be surprised by how far Yamazaki goes into science fiction here.
– Andrew J. Salazar, Discussing Film
Is Takashi Yamazaki still one of the best blockbuster directors working today?
Yamazaki confirms his status as a great blocker… a modern master of the art form.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
There’s so much brilliance in every one of Yamazaki’s decisions that makes his movies different from others.
– Edward Douglas, The Weekend Warrior
Yamazaki generates awe with an anxiously roving camera and human-level perspective borrowed… studiously from the Steven Spielberg and James Cameron wheelhouses of cinematic destruction.
– Eli Friedberg, Slant Magazine
Godzilla Minus Zero fees like a sophisticated blockbuster Hollywood could never produce, at least not at this point in time.
– Andrew J. Salazar, Discussing Film
This is blockbuster filmmaking done right.
– Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
He might just be the best director to ever do it.
– Jake Kleinman, Polygon
Are there any problems with this sequel?
If anything, it’s overly similar to its predecessor in both structure and tone.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
There aren’t many weak moments, aside from the scenes with the U.S. military. Given their importance to the broader storyline, there’s not much substance to them and they’re played by seemingly NPC actors.
– Alfred Castaneda, Shade Studios
It’s also light on Godzilla, but to be fair, a lot of Godzilla movies have this problem.
– Katie Rife, Inverse
The film makes the classic mistake of prioritizing its ho-hum human players over its main attraction.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
It falls into the same trap that every sequel to a solemn Godzilla movie fell into before… Despite those evident difficulties, Godzilla Minus Zero is one of the most ambitious and satisfying Godzilla sequels so far.
– William Bibbiani, TheWrap
Should we see it on the big screen?
[It’s] a jaw-dropping spectacle that demands to be seen on the biggest, loudest screen possible.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
It’s also the first Japanese production filmed for IMAX, and it’s the perfect film for the format.
– Lexi Amoriello, Movie Recs by Lex
Godzilla Minus Zero is designed to be experienced on the largest possible canvas. The film frequently makes full use of the screen throughout its biggest moments, living up to all the IMAX-sized hype as Japan’s first production filmed in the format.
– Jeremy Mathai, Slashfilm
The fact that audiences get to experience this on the biggest screens around… makes this stunning achievement even more special.
– Andrew J. Salazar, Discussing Film
Will it leave us wanting more Yamazaki-helmed Godzilla movies?
With two of the best Godzilla movies ever made under his belt, here’s hoping Takashi Yamazaki finds inspiration for a third.
– Molly Edwards, GamesRadar+
Hopefully, there’s a trilogy in the works — just don’t ask me what comes after Minus One and Minus Zero.
– Jake Kleinman, Polygon
Considering that Godzilla Minus Zero concludes on an open-ended note, it’s not inconceivable that Yamazaki will rebound with a threequel that gets back to bruising, blistering business.
– Nick Schager, The Daily Beast
Long may he and his Godzilla dominate our multiplexes.
– Dan Bayer, Next Best Picture
Godzilla Minus Zero opens in theaters on November 6, 2026. Get your tickets here.
