Godzilla Minus Zero First Reactions Praise It as a “Worthy Successor” to Minus One

The first reactions to Godzilla Minus Zero have dropped following the press-preview screening at the 2026 New York Film Festival.

The film is being described as a “worthy successor to Godzilla Minus One,” with a family-centric story that is also packed with thrilling action sequences and jaw-dropping monster battles.

According to reviews from those who watched the movie at NYFF and shared their reactions on social media, the film has received strong praise. On X, Dancin’ Dan (@NYFF46) wrote, “Godzilla Minus Zero opens with a blast of monster mayhem so good you’d think it impossible to top, but it keeps getting better. Just as elegantly filmed and emotional as Minus One, with even more awe-inspiring action and sociopolitical relevance. Thrilling throughout.”

According to Molly Edwards, Senior Entertainment Writer at Total Film, “Very pleased to say Godzilla Minus Zero is breathtaking. Bigger and broader than Minus One, with spectacular action that puts the human toll at the forefront and a seriously affecting exploration of post-war trauma. This is one of my new favorites of the year.”

According to Tom O’Brien (@NYFF), “As surprised as I was by the filmmaking audacity of Minus One, director Takashi Yamazaki may have outdone himself with Godzilla Minus Zero and its richer emotional story. Even its Oscar-winning VFX are kicked up by a magnificent new kaiju in town.”

According to Anthony Orlando (@NYFF), “Godzilla Minus Zero is king! Filmmaker Takashi Yamazaki’s movie joins Terminator 2 and The Dark Knight as one of the greatest sequels ever made, delivering a bigger, bolder, and more beautiful blockbuster that doesn’t sacrifice its human heart. Exploring the fear, hatred, and trauma that war leaves behind, Minus Zero delivers a spectacular, jaw-dropping epic that ends Yamazaki’s saga on an electrifying high.”

Written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki, who also handles the film’s visual effects, Godzilla Minus Zero serves as a sequel to 2023’s Godzilla Minus One. It is the 39th film in the Godzilla franchise, the 34th produced by Toho, and the sixth entry in the franchise’s Reiwa era.

The cast of Godzilla Minus Zero includes Ryunosuke Kamiki as Kōichi Shikishima, Minami Hamabe as Noriko Shikishima, Yuki Yamada as Shirō Mizushima, Kuranosuke Sasaki as Seiji Akitsu, Jun Kunimura as Dr. Ogata, Miou Tanaka as Tatsuo Hotta, Sakura Ando as Sumiko Ōta, Masami Nagasawa as Makoto Aoyama, Min Tanaka as Kanji Murakami, Hidetaka Yoshioka as Kenji Noda, and Sae Nagatani as Akiko.

Godzilla Minus Zero is set in 1949, two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One, and continues the story of the Shikishima family as they face a new calamity. Ryunosuke Kamiki returns as Koichi Shikishima, the hero who faced Godzilla in the first film, alongside Minami Hamabe as Noriko Oishi, who miraculously survived Godzilla’s first attack on Tokyo.

Toho will release Godzilla Minus Zero in Japan on November 3, 2026, and in the United States on November 6.