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Godzilla Minus Zero
A bigger, bloodier sequel that critics mostly rate highly: the monster effects are a clear step up from Minus One, and the Ghidorah set pieces are the reason to go.
Reviews split over the human story, which several find looser and more repetitive than before, and over how little Godzilla himself appears. Worth a big screen if spectacle is why you come.
Dir. Takashi Yamazaki · 2026 · about 135 min · in cinemas
The setup
The film is set in 1949, two years after Godzilla Minus One. Reviews describe the opening as an attack on Matsumoto City by a new, dragon-like creature that scientists film and then name Ghidorah. Former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) now has a wife, Noriko (Minami Hamabe), and an adopted daughter, Akiko (Sae Nagatani), and the threat pulls him back toward a fight he has tried to leave. Takashi Yamazaki directs again, and Naoki Satō composes the score.
What works
Almost every review agrees on the effects. Critics call the monster work tactile and legible, a clear step up from the film's predecessor, and Ghidorah gets praise as a threat with real horror-film menace. The reading from Inverse singles out a lightning-based set piece as a masterclass in creature action, and several critics note that the destruction is bloodier and more graphic than this franchise usually allows. Rendy Reviews highlights an aerial dogfight and the sound mix; Dread Central likes the score and Nagatani's performance even while it marks the film down overall.
Easily one of the best films of the year.
Molly Edwards, GamesRadar+
What doesn't
The complaints are just as consistent. The human story is called thinner and less focused than in Minus One, with a bigger cast, a more diffuse theme and family melodrama that critics find repetitive. And more than one reviewer wishes for more Godzilla himself: the title monster is underused, and the film can feel like it is waiting for the next fight. Dread Central also finds the pacing slow and the sentimental tone constraining. One critic suggests it plays like the middle chapter of a longer story.
Where critics split
The early critical response is strongly positive overall, and the first-reviews round-up on Rotten Tomatoes shows a high approval rating from the festival premiere. The split is over whether it beats the original. Some call it bigger and better in every way; others, including Dread Central, call it a step down. Those who rate the effects most highly forgive the story most easily.
Is this for you?
Tap whatever sounds like you. The verdict reflects what critics say, not a prediction about your taste.
Verdict
A big, ambitious sequel that most critics rate highly for its effects and its monster, and some mark down for a looser story and too little Godzilla. If Minus One worked for you, early reviews suggest it is worth a cinema screen.
Where to watch
It opened in Japan on 3 November and is listed for UK and US cinemas on 6 November. Release dates and availability vary by country, so check your local cinema listings.