He’s back, and he’s angrier than ever! Godzilla Minus Zero had a series of screenings this week for press and the first reactions have been flooding social media. The verdict? We have another kaiju-sized hit on our hands.
Despite having its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on Sept. 26, legendary Japanese studio Toho held more press screenings this week for Godzilla Minus Zero ahead of the film’s Centerpiece gala screening at the Tokyo International Film Festival on Nov. 1. The film is released in theaters in Japan on Nov. 3 and North America on Nov. 6.
Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, Godzilla Minus Zero is a direct sequel to the Japanese filmmaker’s 2023 epic Godzilla Minus One, that scored over $100 million at the global box office from a $15 million budget and won an Oscar for best visual effects in 2024.
A synopsis from Toho of Godzilla Minus Zero reads: “War reduced Japan to zero, and Godzilla plunged it into minus. Two years have passed since then, and the country has faced agonizing struggles to achieve recovery and finally reclaim its daily life. Just as humanity managed to cling to a hard-won peace, a new threat strikes, crushing hope in an instant. There is no third time. Everything ends here.”
Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Hidetaka Yoshioka and Kuranosuke Sasaki are among the cast returning for the sequel. Newcomers include Min Tanaka and Masami Nagasawa.
Shot entirely in Japan, notably, Godzilla Minus Zero is the first-ever Japanese production to be filmed for Imax.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s David Rooney reviewed Godzilla Minus Zero after seeing it NYFF, and described the film as a “radioactive blast.” In a rave review, Rooney praised Yamazaki for topping the spectacle of his first film. “The resulting clash of the legendary kaiju is a rip-roaring smackdown in a movie that keeps awing the audience with exhilarating action and then continually one-upping itself in the dustups that follow,” Rooney writes. “I’m fairly sure I stopped breathing during a tense scene in which Godzilla bears down on a seaplane attempting a hurried liftoff.”
Godzilla Minus Zero currently holds a score of 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from 50 reviews. On Metacritic it holds a score of 78 and on Letterboxd it is rated at 4 stars.
See a selection of social media reaction to Godzilla Minus Zero below.
