Godzilla Minus Zero Officially Hailed as Best Picture in Franchise in First Reactions

The first reactions to Godzilla Minus Zero are here. The movie, which is a sequel to Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One, had its world premiere at the 64th New York Film Festival on September 26. Following the press screening, the movie earned rave reviews from critics, some of whom are calling it the best sequel ever in the Godzilla franchise.

Godzilla Minus Zero is the first R-rated film in the franchise, and it picks up in 1949, two years after the tumultuous events of Yamazaki’s 2023 movie Godzilla Minus One. The sequel follows the Shikishima family as they face an all-new calamity. The powerful, rampage-causing monster is bigger than ever in the new movie.

Following the screening, JoBlo.com called Godzilla Minus Zero the “BEST follow-up G Film to date.” Reporter Jonathan Sim has noted that the movie is “A truly epic cinematic feat.” He added, “A must-see blockbuster that truly delivers. Unmatched VFX, action, and scale. Rousing, incredible filmmaking.”

First R-Rated Godzilla Movie Is as Great as You Hoped

A Still from Godzilla Minus Zero | Credit: Toho

Film critic Marissa Hill has noted that with Godzilla Minus Zero, “Takashi Yamazaki has made a worthy successor to ‘Minus One’ with a family-centric story that’s also filled with thrilling action sequences and jaw-dropping monster battles.” She notes that this movie made the King of Monsters look and sound better than any other film in the franchise.

However, it’s not just action-packed and tense moments; the filmmaker seemed to have done a wonderful job when it comes to the emotional arc of the story. Critic Brandon Lewis noted that aside from “jaw-dropping spectacle, Takashi Yamazaki packs in an emotional wallop.“

Another critic, Amy Kim, said that Godzilla Minus Zero is a “glorious continuation” of Godzilla Minus One. She noted that more than anything, the beauty of the central found family truly stood out in the sequel. Anthony Orlando went a step further and compared the movie with Terminator 2 and The Dark Knight. The critic wrote, “Filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki’s movie joins Terminator 2 and The Dark Knight as one of the greatest sequels ever made, delivering a bigger, bolder, and more beautiful blockbuster that doesn’t sacrifice its human heart.”

Godzilla Minus Zero is the 34th film in the franchise to be produced by Japanese entertainment company Toho, which originally created the Godzilla franchise. Overall, it’s the 38th film in the entire franchise. Yamazaki’s first Godzilla movie went on to gross $116 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Japanese Godzilla film of all time. The movie also won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

Godzilla Minus Zero is set to release in the U.S. theaters on November 6. The film will begin rolling out in Japan three days earlier. What are your expectations for the sequel? Let us know in the comments.