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Godzilla is back and better than ever as Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus Zero” is earning rave first reactions after its New York Film Festival press screening. The director’s sequel to 2023’s blockbuster “Godzilla Minus One”
wowed journalists with epic thrills and the first R-rated action set pieces in the long-running kaiju franchise. First reactions out of the festival are calling “Godzilla Minus One” a “jaw-dropping spectacle” and a “glorious continuation of the first film.”
“A truly epic cinematic feat,” writes reporter Jonathan Sim. “It takes the King of the Monsters to a whole new level while still grounding everything in human, emotional stakes. A must-see blockbuster that truly delivers. Unmatched VFX, action, and scale. Rousing, incredible filmmaking.”
“Takashi Yamazaki’s 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,” adds Marissa Hill. “But it works in the quieter moments too… It’s still astonishing to me that these films, made on a fraction of the budget as current day blockbusters, look this good… the King of Monsters has never looked or sounded this grand.”
Film critic Edward Douglas was “completely blown away” by the sequel, while fellow critic Brandon Lewis called the movie an “overwhelming achievement of kaiju filmmaking. Aside from the jaw-dropping spectacle, Takashi Yamazaki packs in an emotional wallop.”
“Godzilla Minus Zero” is the 38th film in the “Godzilla” franchise and the 34th produced by Toho, the Japanese entertainment company that originally created the franchise. Yamazaki returns to the director’s chair after the immense success of “Godzilla Minus One,” which earned $116 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Japanese “Godzilla” film of all time. “Minus One” also won the Oscar for best visual effects. The sequel stars Kamiki Ryunosuke and Hamabe Minami and marks the first time a Japanese feature has been shot for Imax screens.
Per the official description, “Godzilla Minus Zero” picks up in 1949, “two years after the tumultuous events of ‘Godzilla Minus One,’ and continues the story of the Shikishima family as they face an all-new calamity.” The rampage-causing Godzilla is bigger than ever this time and heads to New York City for a global action epic.
“Godzilla Minus Zero” opens in U.S. theaters Nov. 6, three days after it begins rolling out in Japan. Check out more first reactions in the posts below.
