The Challenge of the Sequel
Godzilla films have long grappled with a fundamental problem: how do you follow up the initial thrill of a serious, thematically rich Godzilla movie? Can filmmakers continue exploring deep thematic territory while escalating the giant monster action? How do you offer probing commentary on the world when you have skyscraper-sized lizards engaged in combat?
These are the challenges facing Godzilla -0, the sequel to the acclaimed Godzilla Minus One from three years ago—a film that dealt with survivors’ guilt, hope in the face of hopelessness, and found family. Returning writer-director Takashi Yamazaki faces the difficult task of extracting even more from characters who have already been through hell while also delivering spectacular destruction. Unfortunately, the answer to whether he succeeds is largely no.
A Family Reunited, A World Threatened
Set two years after the events of Minus One, the film brings back Ryunosuke Kamiki as Koichi and Minami Hamabe as Noriko—the former would-be kamikaze pilot who helped defeat Godzilla, now married to the woman he took in after the American air raids on Tokyo. Together, they have adopted Akiko, the orphaned baby they cared for after that same disaster. The family lives happily together, but two things threaten this idyllic picture: Godzilla has returned, and a new monster has appeared.
Godzilla -0 opens with a devastating sequence as this new creature lays waste to countless civilians. Fans will recognize this as Ghidorah—also known as King Ghidorah in Toho mythology and historically Godzilla’s arch-nemesis. The monster has also been called “Monster Zero” in the past, which partly explains the film’s title. These destruction scenes are breathtaking, with Yamazaki and his visual effects team once again ensuring their creatures feel like genuine monstrosities rather than mere CGI creations. Ghidorah distinguishes himself with scary, jerky, almost cat-like mannerisms.
Visual Spectacle Versus Human Drama
The film’s visual effects credentials are proven immediately, but it also confirms that a Godzilla sequel inevitably means more monsters. There is nothing wrong with a movie where Godzilla rips his own arm off because his foe’s teeth are sunk too deeply into it—we all love monster-on-monster action. However, the more a monster movie becomes a mashup, the more it risks losing its edge as human characters and their emotional baggage appear puny against godlike creatures.
The problems of three little people don’t amount to much in this crazy world, as Bogart said in Casablanca. If there is an issue with Minus Zero, it is that the travails of Koichi, Noriko, and little Akiko pale compared to the scope of destruction Godzilla and company can unleash. Whereas the first film framed that destruction through the lens of the trio’s trauma—not just regarding the giant monster but also their wartime experiences—that resonance is missing here.
The Most Interesting Character, Underserved
The most fascinating character in Godzilla -0 is perhaps the most underserved. Dr. Kanji Murakami, played by Min Tanaka, is a scientist whose work is key to battling the monsters. He is also somewhat warped, with Tanaka getting one particularly memorable scene that is too spoilery to describe but stands as a film highlight. Like every character, the war irrevocably changed his life, and he still struggles to cope with that reality while working to prevent living atomic bombs from causing more damage to humankind.
A much-balihood sequence first glimpsed in the trailer involving Godzilla and the Statue of Liberty is certainly something to behold. Toho asked critics not to reveal specifics of this scene, but suffice it to say it is both everything you have imagined and none of that at all. It connects back to Tanaka’s character in one of his darkest moments and is one of the film’s most memorable incidents of Godzilla-on-human action. Yet even as Godzilla sets upon what looks like a noir version of New York City, the emotional underpinning ties to Murakami—and unfortunately, the character’s true motivations and ultimate resolution play more as an afterthought than the film’s thematic core.
Themes and Missed Opportunities
If there is a core theme at work, it is the idea that no matter how hard we try, we cannot outrun our mistakes, and we will keep making them despite the efforts of the best among us. Minus One ended with a hint of what was next for Noriko. While she miraculously survived a Godzilla attack, she bore a mysterious scar on her neck. It is no surprise to learn in Minus Zero that it was no mere scar and that Noriko is now an important player in the fight against the monsters. But she, like Koichi, is also a pawn in a greater game happening on the world stage. Regular folks bear the scars of battles fought, but the powers that be do not seem to care.
By the final act, you know where this is all going, and that is fine—monsters must brawl. As with Minus One, the period setting adds luster to the visual effects and action scenes. Seeing Koichi back in the pilot’s seat, this time in 1949-era fighter planes, is thrilling. The various schemes concocted by returning character Kenji Noda, played by Hidetaka Yoshioka, now head of the large-scale disaster response bureau, are often ingenious and satisfyingly crunchy in their attempts to slow down and ultimately stop Godzilla and his friendemy.
Final Verdict
Godzilla -0 returns to the world established in Godzilla Minus One, expanding this particular version of Toho’s biggest star into the realm of multiple monsters. By bringing Ghidorah into the mix, Yamazaki ups the ante on carnage, providing plenty of satisfying and visually amazing scenes of giant monster destruction—and that is before the final battle between Godzilla and his arch-nemesis. However, the film loses a step in continuing the story of its characters from Minus One, who have somehow become more two-dimensional between films. The result is a movie that does not disappoint on the kaiju front but lacks the same level of emotional resonance that its predecessor held.