Godzilla Minus One, produced by Toho, written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, is one of the most well-received Godzilla movies of all time. It won has won numerous for its outstanding storytelling and impressive visuals despite the insanely low budget, including the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. And now we know that it's getting a sequel: Godzilla Minus Zero.
Yamazaki's take on Godzilla is arguably only second to the original Gojira film, which was released way back in 1954. The radioactive kaiju has come a long way, stomping on Japan and other countries around the globe, beaming monsters and mechas alike, for over 70 years.
Godzilla Minus One mirrors another important Godzilla film
Godzilla Minus One resembles another iteration of the kaiju character, Shin Godzilla, directed by Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno and Gamera: Guardian of the Universe director Shinji Kaguchi. Shin Godzilla, set in modern times, returned to its roots, making the giant lizard a terrifying force of nature that was not on humanity's side. It was much closer to the dark representation of the atomic bombs that were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Shin Godzilla also examines the consequences of humanity's carelessness with nuclear energy today and how prepared we are when the technology escapes our grasp in the wake of natural disasters. Godzilla Minus One returned to this philosophy, set just after the bombing as Japan is healing. It brought back the fear from that day, but also the hope to carry on and rebuild despite staring the maw of annihilation.
I would also like to throw in that both movies had similar climaxes, where it was Japan's creative engineering and teamwork that helped defeat Godzilla. However, the kaiju was only reduced to a dormant state. Much like atomic and nuclear weapons, Godzilla can only be managed, never truly destroyed. It's unknown if we'll ever see a sequel from Hideaki Anno's version, but Godzilla Minus One was so successful that a follow-up felt inevitable.
Godzilla Minus One, as a title, represented Godzilla setting Japan back after World War II. One disaster after another. The sequel is officially titled Godzilla Minus Zero, or Godzilla 0.0 in Japan. If the motif escalates, this means something worse is coming, whether it's a more ferocious Godzilla or a new monster.
Godzilla Lives
The last teasing scene from Minus One showed a pulsing ball of flesh, Godzilla beginning to heal. This was after we were shown characters Koichi and Noriko reuniting. You might have missed it, but there were green cells pulsing on Noriko's neck, suggesting some of Godzilla's cells latched onto her.
A common critique I saw pop up was that Noriko shouldn't be alive, that her survival felt cheap. However, I'm confident her survival wasn't just to make the story feel good. She could be in Godzilla's clutches now, or worse, the genesis of a new monster. Godzilla's genetic material was mentioned in the movie, contaminating the area, so it's no wonder she miraculously survived. His super-healing, cancerous cells kept her alive. The side effects are yet to be seen, but I'm confident we'll see them explored in Minus Zero.
The other thing about atomic and nuclear weapons and technology is that it leaves behind a plague of cancer. Those who survived the bombings still lost so much more; their bodies, rotting as they were still living. I see this "Godzilla infection" as a symbol of that radioactive curse. Could this be executed as a mutagenic diesase, or perhaps a catalyst to transform Noriko into a kaiju? There are theories it could be any iconic Godzilla adversary or ally, but I'm sure it'll be just as terrifying, if not more mentally scarring than any iteration before them.
Godzilla Minus Zero is expected to release in late 2026. Fortunately, we don't have to wait much longer than a year to see the iconic kaiju stomping around again. It's been almost three years since Minus One released, so I hope Takashi Yamazaki and his team took their time to deliver film that truly evolves and mutates from their first masterpiece.