Depending on which camp you believe, Godzilla was originally perceived as the awakened monster of the United States, a metaphor for the nuclear weapons used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or the beast of rising guilt, shame and loss experienced by the Japanese people post surrender. Whichever it is, Godzilla has come a long way since Ishirō Honda’s initial cinematic conception in 1954. We’ve had 15 Showa era films, 7 in the Heisei era, 6 in the Millennium era and 3 in the Reiwa era (the latter including Godzilla Minus One and Zero). We’ve also had 3 animated Godzillas, a Gareth Edwards Godzilla (2014), Godzilla pitted against King Kong (twice), and even that annoying little nephew of his, Godzooky, curtesy of Hanna-Barbera. That’s a lot of Godzilla.
Takashi Yamazaki’s excellent 2023 Godzilla Minus One took the dynasty back closer to the original Japanese mythology rather than carrying on with the mostly dull CGI fight-fests of recent Hollywood outings. Minus Zero (and yes, it does exist – look up bit representation in IEEE 754 floating point standards!) takes up the story two years after the events of the first film. Former kamikaze pilot and eventual vanquisher of Godzilla, Kōichi Shikishima (Ryūnosuke Kamiki) has since married his love – and Godzilla attack survivor – Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and has had a daughter Akiko (Sae Nagatani). When scientists Kanji (Min Tanaka) and his assistant arrive at the Disaster Response Bureau with video footage of a new attack on Matsumoto by a particularly violent flying three headed creature, the team must work out how to deal with the new threat.
Yamazaki does struggle to keep the sentiment of cultural integrity which was so prominent in the first film. That will happen when you introduce a hydra who can levitate entire villages with its mouth while evolving like a 60-foot-tall flying killer Pikachu. But that’s not necessarily to the detriment of the film. The director has namechecked James Cameron when approaching the sequel, taking Aliens and Terminator 2 as inspirations, the Aliens reference being especially apt. As Aliens was the fast action follow up to its much more personal and set design led original, Minus Zero feels way more energetic and dynamic than the more sombre and reflective Minus One.
The action set pieces are incredible. The complete destruction of Matsumoto experienced as part of the fleeing populus is one of the best opening action sequences of the year. An aerial battle 30 minutes later is pure vertigo inducing insanity, and the final 45 minutes is popcorn munching cinematic bliss. Yet, unlike more recent Hollywood Godzilla movies, it never overplays the CGI. Yamazaki makes sure for every digital Hydra scene, there is a live action human one right behind, giving a rare level of balance for what is – for the most part – an action monster flick.
There are elements that don’t work here though. Kanji lost his entire family in the Hiroshima bombing but his revenge plan seems a bit half cock, and the American’s supposed nefarious actions don’t make any sense at all. Long scenes of sweeping melodrama are a misstep too. It seems Yamazaki is still trying to include some element of thoughtful solemnity from the first film which the sequel doesn’t need, and feels misplaced. There are also histrionic family scenes which fall flat, clumsily attempting to manipulate emotions through Akiko’s sobs and almost unbearable cuteness.
Godzilla Minus Zero won’t disappoint, especially if you manage to see it on a big screen (this review was from the IMAX in Waterloo). It’s fun, the VFX is fantastic and the fight scenes are pure joy. It just feels that a 20 minute shorter – and therefore much leaner – cut would have worked wonders here.
Godzilla Minus Zero is out now at cinemas.
Review by Colin Lomas
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