“Have a safe trip!”
Story: It’s 1949, and things seem to have settled down after Godzilla’s rampage. The Shikishimas – Kōichi, Norkio, and little Akiko – have settled into a comfortable life in their home. Dr. Noda and his magnificent hair is still keeping an eye on things, just in case. Ginza is still a wreck after the Kaiju attack, but around the city, people are healing. But when there’s an attack on Matsumoto City from an huge beast? The gang must get back together to figure out what’s going on. And, of course, to try to stop it. At least they’ve got the Americans on their side this time, right? Right?
Genre I’d put it in: Spectacular Sequels
Release Date: 2026
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Part of the overall Godzilla franchise. Sequel to 2023’s Godzilla Minus One.
Animals okay?: Outside of the Kaiju? With the destruction of entire cities, probably not. But nothing’s overtly shown on screen.
Special Shout-out: Munetaka Aoki as Tachibana, the grumpy but hopeful (don’t tell anybody dammit) engineer. It’s good to see his grouchy ol’ self back for this film, and while he doesn’t have much to say here? His friendship with Shikishima feels like comfort food for the soul.
Gotta say: I tried to keep my expectations low for Zero. How could they possibly manage to follow up the sheer perfection of One? Well’p. They did just that. In terms of sequels, Zero ranks up there with Godfather II and The Empire Strikes Back. The story continues while still being strong enough to be compelling on it’s own. The performances and creation of the film is exactly as epic as the first film. (And I’d even agree with it being even more so, in these three examples.) If you haven’t seen the trailers – or just saw a tidbit awhile ago – run, do not walk, to the theater. Go in as blind as possible, so you can let all the incredible moments wash over you in a blaze of wonderous glory. Then, and only then, come back to this review. I’ll be here.
Back already? Cool. Because damn if Zero isn’t a feast. We get all the emotions, all the action, all the grisly battles, and even some political and social commentary. C’mon, it wouldn’t be a modern TOHO Godzilla joint without that last bit. Writer/director Takashi Yamazaki effortlessly picks up where he left of in One. It’s so seamless, this film could be watched immediately after the first film, and it’d feel like one huge film. Getting the entire cast back together helps with that, but it’s the overall feeling the story imparts that provides a consistency to the goings-on.
Every character in this film is suffering not only from the destruction the Kaiju are causing, but from post-war PTSD. Each tries to deal with that in their own way, from throwing themselves into work to plotting revenge, or simply trying to carve out new lives in this new world. Yamazaki uses flashbacks to the war, the attacks in One, and scenes in-between the time jump to help viewers understand the sheer horror that these characters have been living through, and trying to overcome. One particularly heartbreaking scene is a flashback to Hiroshima immediately after the bomb had been dropped. scientist Kanji Murakami – who was saved by a purely happenstance trip outside the city that day – wanders through a devastated city, and the realistic structural and human wreckage is a gut-punch. This not only helps flesh out Murakami, but shows us exactly why going nuclear against Kaiju is such a horrifying option.
Another hard look at history is the Americans in this film. Yes, there’s a hilarious scene where an American soldier chews gum so obviously he looks like a caricature (a welcome bit of hilarity inserted in an otherwise somber moment), but let’s face it; hasn’t our policies often been over-the-top? Plus, it gives anime and 50s TOHO vibes, which I love. This moment is but a taste of the political commentary in Zero. Japanese characters call out their government for being too obsessed with appearances, American forces plot to try to gain any advances the Japanese scientists discover for themselves, and how when it comes down to it? It’s the individuals that suffer when governments are, shall we say, lackluster. It’s shown with painful beauty in a scene where houses are lifted into the air by electromagnetic pulses, complete with people crying out for help that pilots in the air can’t hope to provide. It’s horrifying, yet I couldn’t help but admire the incredible visual FX used to create it. So yeah, expect another Godzilla nomination at this year’s Oscars.
Zero could easily be the second film of a trilogy, as the ending could be used to tell us more about the survivors of this new attack. I wouldn’t mind a bit, though I’ll continue to keep expectations low, just like I did for this one. Hey, that mindset lead me to this incredible film. So I’ll go with that. And I’ll be going back to see Zero again, while it’s still on a huge screen. This is exactly the powerhouse storytelling I’ve been yearning for all year. The Kaiju are just a welcome bonus.
#Protip: Apparently the knock-down drag-out climax was based on Yamazaki’s cats. *looks over at my two furry little Kaiju* That’s fair.
