Takashi Yamazaki has done it again.
Following up Godzilla Minus One was never going to be an easy task. That movie took the world by storm, earned an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and gave us arguably the scariest Godzilla we’d ever seen. Somehow, Yamazaki has managed to deliver an equally incredible sequel, and in some ways, an even bigger spectacle.
Godzilla has never looked better. He’s never sounded better. And with a significantly increased budget, the visual effects are absolutely off the charts. The sound design is pitch-perfect, the creature designs are phenomenal, and the sheer scale of destruction on display is breathtaking. This is blockbuster filmmaking at its finest.
And then there’s King Ghidorah. One of the movie’s biggest surprises was keeping Ghidorah largely out of the marketing. The movie opens with an absolutely incredible sequence introducing a new creature wreaking havoc, firing electricity and destroying everything in its path. The humans attempt to stop it, only to inadvertently evolve it into the three-headed monstrosity we know as King Ghidorah. The way they handle that transformation is fantastic, and Ghidorah is genuinely terrifying. He can fly, has three heads, and possesses some ridiculously cool abilities. He’s every bit the spectacle you would hope for.
The movie also deserves enormous credit for its score, which is genuinely one of the highlights of the entire experience. The music for Godzilla and King Ghidorah is absolutely pitch-perfect, and I honestly don’t think either character has ever had better music accompanying them in a movie. The film opens with an incredible musical score alongside an equally incredible opening sequence, and from that moment on, you’re completely hooked. The music adds so much weight to the atmosphere, the monster reveals, and the action sequences. It’s one of the better film scores I’ve heard this year, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it receive some awards attention, potentially even an Oscar nomination.
In fact, there’s an argument that Ghidorah takes over the role Godzilla played in the first movie. In Minus One, Godzilla was the creature everyone feared. His first appearance on the beach was genuinely horrifying, and the sequence chasing the boat had some obvious Jaws influences. Here, Godzilla takes somewhat of a back seat, eventually returning to take on Ghidorah. He’s still incredible whenever he’s on screen, but he’s no longer the primary threat. That distinction belongs to Ghidorah.
The human story is once again a major part of what makes these movies so special. The first film focused heavily on Koichi Shikishima’s wartime trauma, his shame over surviving as a kamikaze pilot, and his evolving relationship with Noriko. It explored the makeshift family he built around himself, his daughter Akiko, and the people who helped him find a reason to live again. The sequel continues that story, with Noriko having survived Godzilla’s atomic breath attack in the first film. However, she carries Godzilla cells within her body, allowing her to regenerate while also slowly mutating. Her connection to Godzilla eventually becomes an important part of the plan to bring him back to fight Ghidorah.
There are some new additions to the human cast, including meteorologist Makoto Aoyama and Professor Kanji Murakami, a Hiroshima survivor whose family was killed in the atomic bombing. Murakami carries an enormous amount of anger and resentment, and his desire for revenge against America adds another interesting dimension to the movie. I thought both characters were great additions. However, one thing I did notice is that the larger cast sometimes takes away from the emotional investment. The first movie had a smaller group of characters to follow, and it was easier to become attached to everyone. Here, you’re splitting that investment across a much larger group. It’s not necessarily a criticism of the sequel, but I did find myself more emotionally connected to the characters in the original.
That said, the performances are excellent across the board. And Dr. Noda remains the MVP. Fantastic character, fantastic suits, fantastic hairstyle. He’s also responsible for some of the movie’s funniest moments.
Where these movies really separate themselves from a lot of modern American monster blockbusters is how seriously they take the consequences of destruction. The American MonsterVerse certainly delivers spectacular creature action, but these Japanese Godzilla movies understand that there’s more to a monster attack than watching buildings get knocked over. They show you the casualties. They show you families grieving. They show you the survivors having to live with what happened. They make you understand the human cost of these creatures.
And that’s what makes the underlying themes so effective. Much like Minus One, this movie is deeply rooted in the trauma of war, the devastation of the atomic bomb, PTSD, survivor’s guilt, and the seemingly never-ending cycle of violence. Godzilla has always been a metaphor for nuclear destruction, and Yamazaki continues to explore that idea while introducing new layers through Ghidorah and the characters surrounding him.
There’s even a fascinating sequence showing Godzilla approaching America and walking past the Statue of Liberty. It’s a daydream sequence, but it’s one of those moments that makes you wonder about the possibilities of this universe. I’d honestly love to see that concept explored further in another installment. And that’s another thing: I really hope we get at least one more movie. There’s so much more this franchise could explore, whether that’s moving further into the future or introducing even more of these iconic creatures.
My only real complaint is that I wanted a little more monster fighting. There are three major set pieces that are absolutely breathtaking, but I could have watched another twenty minutes of Godzilla and Ghidorah tearing each other apart. Their eventual showdown is everything you’d hope for. Godzilla’s atomic breath is incredible, Ghidorah’s abilities are ridiculously cool, and the entire thing is a technical achievement.
Comparing this movie to Godzilla Minus One is genuinely difficult. I think I enjoyed this one more on a spectacle level because King Ghidorah is here, and watching these two iconic monsters go at it is something special. But I also remember being more genuinely terrified of Godzilla in the first movie. I think the original was more emotionally involving, too. But I don’t necessarily think one is better than the other. They’re both phenomenal films that accomplish slightly different things.
Godzilla has always been one of those characters that’s incredibly difficult to mess up. Even in some of the weaker Godzilla movies, the big guy is usually still the best part. But when everything comes together like it does here, Godzilla becomes one of the greatest movie spectacles you can possibly experience. He’s never looked better. He’s never sounded better. And he’s never been louder. Seriously, this might be the loudest movie I’ve ever heard in a theatre.
The performances are great, the visual effects are extraordinary, the sound design is phenomenal, and underneath all the destruction is a layered, thoughtful story about war, family, trauma, and the consequences of humanity’s own violence. Takashi Yamazaki has delivered another incredible Godzilla movie.
Godzilla Minus Zero = 94/100
