06/11/26
Cineworld, Edinburgh
2023’s Godzilla Minus One was a bit of a triumph. In what is officially the world’s longest-running cinema franchise, writer-director Takashi Yamazaki achieved an astute reinvention simply by realising that, if he devoted as much screen time to the story’s human characters as its mythical beasts, he might elevate it to something more than just another action flick. (As I observed in my review, it took them a mere seventy years to come to this realisation). GM1 fared well at the box office and even won an Oscar for its special effects, so of course there would have to be a sequel.
Hence Godzilla Minus Zero, which – if nothing else – proves that making something bigger, louder and a bit longer doesn’t necessarily make it better.
It’s 1949 and there’s been no sign of Godzilla since he disappeared into the depths of Sagami Bay at the end of GM1. Former failed-kamikaze pilot, Kōichi (Ryûnosuke Kamiki), has now married Noriko (Miname Himabe) and the two of them are caring for their adopted daughter, Akiko (Sae Nagatani). They are understandably looking forward to a quieter life – though Noriko is suffering from the after-effects of her brush with Godzilla and appears to have inherited some of the creature’s chromosomes. She now has scales poking through the flesh of her neck and a really dodgy-looking right eye.
But there’s a new monster on the scene, a dragon-like flying creature dubbed Ghidorah by the powers that be. The film opens with the creature attacking Matsumoto city and pretty much destroying it. Meanwhile, Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioda) is heading up a ‘disaster response team’ and, when he starts looking for an experienced pilot to handle all those dangerous flying missions, Kōichi is the obvious first choice. Biologist Kanji (Min Tanaka), who nurtures awful memories of the deaths of his family at Hiroshima, thinks he has come up with an exclusive new method of influencing – and possibly controlling – Godzilla. Of course, the titular kaiju eventually shows up again and everything comes down to a climactic battle between the two gigantic beasties…
While GM0 features similar dazzling special effects sequences to its predecessor, the storyline here feels more tortuous and there are too many scenes of scientists adjusting dials and shouting orders into telephones. And while Akiko is every bit as cute as she was in the first movie, we do seem to spend a little too much time watching her tantrums.
It probably doesn’t help that the only time slot that works for me is to see the film in a 4DX screening. This has never been my favourite way to watch a movie and, given the action-heavy nature of GM0 it feels a bit like viewing it whilst riding a rollercoaster. As the carnage unfolds, I am flung in all directions, pummelled by every impact, blasted with gusts of wind and intermittently sprayed with cold water. (Amusingly, at one point my Apple watch politely asks me if I would like it to record the workout I’m evidently doing.)
To my mind, sequels work best when they offer something different from what went before; sadly, while this does offer two monsters for the price of one, it’s essentially business as usual. Those who enjoyed GM1 will doubtless have a good time with GM0, but for me, it fails to replicate the freshness of its predecessor. And if you have the choice, go for IMAX rather than 4DX.
3.4 stars
Philip Caveney
