Dont Tell NetflixDont Tell Netflix

As someone who wasn’t a Godzilla or kaiju fan going into Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One, I want to preface this by mentioning it was my favorite film of 2023. The core concepts explored in the film never let you turn your back once, taking these sweeping bounds through war trauma, familial struggle, and a recovering nation’s battle against the colossal evil, Godzilla. It felt like one of the best modern examples I’d seen of a narrative that wrapped up everything it promised its audience while also hinting there could be more to the story someday. Three years later to the day, Toho released Yamazaki’s highly anticipated sequel in Godzilla Minus Zero.

Admittedly, I tend to be a bit of a skeptic when it comes to sequels of films that mean so much to me. Of course I want to revisit these worlds, characters, and tie up any loose ends, but I really want each story to mean enough to warrant revisiting. However, Godzilla Minus Zero was never a film I doubted Yamazaki’s chops on once. The fact he can take an initial film so gargantuan in scope and have it appeal to outsiders like myself without compromising the integrity of what a Godzilla film should be is one thing. But this film wasn’t just something I thought good at both ends of the spectrum; Minus One fires on all cylinders unlike any film I’ve seen before or since. Maybe if Yamazaki was unassociated with Minus Zero from the start of the project, I’d lose a bit of faith, but he was attached from the second its production was even inferred. This was bound to be a hit with me, and more importantly, the audience for these kaiju films. I can confirm what I saw on Friday is another worthwhile entry in the Godzilla franchise and it excels at continuing the story from where Minus One left off.

Godzilla Minus Zero‘s main strengths in its story come from consistency in development of its characters. Naturally I felt Minus One concluded each character’s development perfectly without bloat or unanswered questions. Minus Zero comparatively almost feels like it starts these characters’ arcs from scratch—there’s a small timeskip and their lives have changed and improved (for the most part) since the first film. Not every character from the first film has a new arc to offer, but Minus Zero makes sure to follow those who do. In place of those whose stories have concluded following the first entry, their shoes are filled by some new characters who I thought highly of.

I won’t deliberate for too long on these characters and their stories (I feel it’s best to experience this one in theaters), but I do want to mention my personal stand-out in Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka), a survivor of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. This character’s narrative woven throughout the movie is deeply tragic and spares nothing to detail the graphic past he’s endured and mourns for years later. Murakami carries with him several of the most memorable and spectacular sequences in the entire movie, cinematography I went into Minus Zero praying to see more of.

It’s clear Takashi Yamazaki has a grand vision for the world depicted in his Godzilla filmography. I didn’t feel the same feeling of wanting a continuation that I did going out of Minus One here, though not for any bad reason. I didn’t feel this sequel ended on any particular loose ends that seemed would wrap themselves up with just one more film. Most characters’ conclusions felt satisfying, and I’m personally alright leaving them right where they are. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Yamazaki did mention there was something there, whether in his eyes or meant for the audience’s:

I would say it’s about fifty-fifty at this point. I’m quite satisfied and happy with the current ending we have…that being said, if Godzilla Minus Zero is my last Godzilla film, that would make me a bit sad. I have other films lined up…but at some point in my career, I would love to revisit Godzilla.

Godzilla Minus Zero has already grossed over $62 million at the box office, more than half of its predecessor’s lifetime global gross. I hope if Toho learns anything from this continuity’s repeated success, it’s to hand Yamazaki the key to the franchise one more time should he rise to the task. I’ve learned from this and the previous film that when Takashi Yamazaki is making a Godzilla film, he’s well within reason to tell the story that’s about to unfold.

Godzilla Minus Zero is now playing in theaters worldwide.