First ‘Godzilla: Minus Zero’ Reviews: More Scale, IMAX Cameras and an R Rating
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27.09.2026 19:29
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2 min read
On September 26, the world premiere of “Godzilla: Minus Zero” — a direct sequel to the Oscar-winning 2023 hit — took place at the New York Film Festival. When the first embargo lifted, the film debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a 94% score based on 12 reviews. And while that number will still shift as more reviews are published, the early press consensus is already clear: the sequel is incredibly spectacular, but slightly derivative of the original.
Critics praise director Takashi Yamazaki for not turning the film into a mindless attraction with a giant kaiju. The story still centers on human drama and a deep exploration of postwar trauma. RogerEbert.com calls the film a worthy successor to the first movie, though its critic notes that the filmmakers lean too often on dramatic devices that already worked in “Minus One.” A TheWrap reviewer agrees, noting that the sequel sometimes loses its narrative cohesion, even if it remains one of the strongest entries in the entire Japanese franchise.
The Return of Surviving Characters and New Technology
“Minus Zero” is set in 1949 — exactly two years after the events of the original film, according to the franchise’s official website. The main cast returned to their roles, including Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe. Takashi Yamazaki once again took on three key jobs at once: director, screenwriter and visual effects supervisor.
In production terms, the sequel made a notable step forward. As the organizers of the Lincoln Center screening noted, it is the first Japanese feature film ever shot on certified IMAX cameras, which should emphasize the scale of the on-screen destruction even more. The film has also become noticeably harsher: at a runtime of 135 minutes, it received a strict R rating in U.S. release for bloody scenes of violence.
It is still too early to compare the current 94% approval score with the phenomenal 99% of the original “Minus One,” since the first film’s score is based on hundreds of reviews, while the sequel is only starting to collect them. General audiences will be able to judge the film soon: it opens in Japan on November 3, and screenings begin in North America on November 6, 2026.
