On Thursday, September 24th, 2026, I was invited along with other journalists to check out a secret screening of Godzilla Minus Zero in Los Angeles before it premiered at the New York Film Festival on Saturday, September 26th, 2026. Only 23 journalists were allowed, and it was held in a screening room at the Directors Guild of America, which is where the Hollywood premiere of Godzilla Minus One took place in November 2023.
Below is a short and, at times, purposely vague review of the film. With the film still so far out from release, I am amazed that Toho is allowing spoiler-free reviews/screenings so early. What I hope to do here is to give enough information from my own thoughts and impressions but to also give just enough so the excitement to see the film will last until release date. While this review, as it were, is to be spoiler-free, for some, ANYTHING new about the film is a spoiler. For that, I’d say go dark on Godzilla news/info until then. This is definitely a film you want to go into with little to no information.
Mild spoilers follow!
Photo courtesy of Toho
The film begins by going straight into the action in 1949 in Matsumoto with Ghidorah attacking, and he’s presented here as far more destructive and deadly than he’s ever been in the franchise. After the attack, Ghidorah flies off to rest in the mountains (forgive me, I forget the location as of this writing). Kenji Noda is now the head of the Special Disaster Response Bureau, and with the help of new recruit Makoto Aoyama, who is a brilliant forecaster who specializes in meteorology, a counterattack is staged. The sequence is brilliantly executed, and Ghidorah is truly menacing here. It’s also in this sequence where the sound design really comes into play. Every explosion and crack of Ghidorah’s beam is expertly created.
The human drama is here and deeper than in the first film because there are more characters to explore. It does get slightly muddled at times, but it doesn’t detract from the film. To go deeper in description would be to give plot points away, and that’s not the goal of this review.
Music-wise, Godzilla’s theme does appear, and it sounds as brilliant as ever. Ghidorah has his own theme, which is very string-heavy and, for lack of a better term, “shrill” at times. It’s tough to put into words, but it’s a real standout and is really cool.
Photo courtesy of Toho
Visually, Godzilla and Ghidorah look beautiful, but there are some blemishes, such as whenever Shikishima is on his motorcycle where the green screen effect is really obvious. Godzilla and Ghidorah get some really beautiful shots in close-ups and in wide shots in the film. Beautiful work by the VFX team!
For the fight between Godzilla and Ghidorah, it’s more on the brutal and animalistic side. Lots of close-up biting and ripping of skin/scales. There are awesome fight moves, one of which was pulled off by Godzilla, which really surprised me. While the fight itself is awesome, it’s the buildup to the fight when it is about to go down which really ramped up the tension. When Godzilla is walking into battle, he looks so menacing and powerful – it’s really a sight to behold. Think of Godzilla’s entrance in the first battle with Titanosaurus in Terror of MechaGodzilla. I think for fans that same feeling of “Here we go!” will be present here.
Small “spoilers” ahead here, so skip over this next part. Again, I want to be as vague as possible, but for this section, I feel it best to give a warning.
Photo courtesy of Toho
Since the news broke of an R rating, I wondered if the fights were overly brutal or how much human suffering was going to be shown. The fights are brutal, yes, but it’s more fantasy violence. In the film, the aftermath of the Ginza attack is shown here reminiscent of the hospital aftermath scene in Godzilla (1954). There’s a lot of blood here, but nothing I feel would push it into that R rating. Elsewhere in the film, though, there are charred human remains from a nuclear blast and also humans being hit by a blast in slow motion. While frightening imagery for sure, it seems like it could have been a PG-13 film. My own theory as to why this is has to do with how long the camera lingered on the shots, thus pushing it into an R rating. An R rating for a Godzilla film is unheard of in the franchise, and because of that limitation, it will cut into the box office. Toho obviously knows this, and it seems that letting Yamazaki tell the story he wants to tell won out over ticket sales. For parents taking their kids anyway, use your discretion.
The film’s ending very much gives the impression that this is part two of a trilogy and on a grander scale than Minus One.
Photo courtesy of Toho
So, to wrap up, while the film is more somber in tone than Godzilla Minus One, the spectacle and themes here are ramped up. It’s a sequel to one of the best Godzilla films of all time yet has its own voice and things to say.
I’m not going to give it a rating because I don’t want to give a solidified stamp, so to speak, this far out from release because I feel it’s best for whoever reads this review to be able to make up their own mind. I’d want anyone reading this to EXPERIENCE the film and not just WATCH the film. However, it is a film that I cannot wait to watch again!
Photo courtesy of Toho
