Godzilla Minus Zero Review: An IMAX Spectacle Worthy of the King of Monsters

After months of waiting, I've finally been able to watch one of my most anticipated movies of the year on the biggest screen I could find. I am obviously talking about Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus Zero, the long-awaited sequel to the universally praised and celebrated Godzilla Minus One that came out in 2023.

Here is a quick preamble, if you will, to me watching this film. I know, I know. I am keeping you waiting for the review, but give me a minute. Regular readers of this website will know by now that, since the summer I have discovered a newfound obsession, which is watching "stuff" on IMAX, specifically in the 1.43:1 aspect ratio.

I don't want to get too technical, mainly because I couldn't explain it to you anyway, but the 1.43:1 aspect essentially provides more screen and more movie goodness for your visual senses. And this has never mattered more than for watching a Godzilla movie.

If you've never watched a movie on IMAX, specifically in the 1.43:1 aspect ratio, then move heaven and earth to pop that cherry for Godzilla because there is no other franchise that is absolutely handmade for this format.

As I am based in London, there is only one venue that could satisfy my cravings for coming face to face with the king of monsters in 70mm, the beautiful BFI IMAX, which was decked out in Godzilla posters, billboards, and the whole shebang. The Godzilla billboard from the outside hits even harder in the evening.

BFI IMAX, Waterloo

Set two years after the events of the first movie, Godzilla Minus Zero continues telling the story of Japan rebuilding itself after the war, but also from the aftermath of the battle against Godzilla in the previous film.

Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe reprise their roles as Koichi Shikishima and Noriko, alongside their daughter Akiko, as they attempt to rebuild their lives alongside the country and various other characters. Piece by piece, their lives seem to have returned to normal.

However, in typical Kaiju fashion, just as Japan begins to recover from the horrific disasters that have occurred, a new threat emerges from space that jeopardizes everyone's survival. Familiar characters are brought back into the fold, alongside the usual troop of protagonists, such as scientists and military personnel, to fight this new threat in the form of the three-headed "dragon" Ghidorah.

I enjoyed the introduction of Ghidorah which brings about the transition from a disaster movie to a Kaiju v Kaiju brawl film. Eventually as the movie progresses you can very quickly predict where things are going, nevetheless, the sheer spectacle was amazing to witness in the IMAX format. Which is something I will keep bringing up in this review.

Watching this movie in IMAX definitely influenced my enjoyement of the film because it enhanced all of the main action set pieces which the film had to offer. The opening segments with Ghidorah and then the later introduction of the main man himself Godzilla were the highlight of the movie for me.

The CGI looked fantastic throughout the entire movie except for a few awkward moments here and there but otherwise there was nothing that pulled you out of the experience. Everything the film had to offer kept me engaged throughout, except for one thing.

Many reviewers might not bring this up, but I found some of the dialogue and the overly dramatic acting to be excessive at times. While I understand the effort to enhance the human aspect of the story, which helps highlight the immense threat and danger posed by these monsters, it felt too exaggerated for my taste.

So much so that the entire middle section of the film dragged on too long. I just wanted to see more Kaiju fights and spectacle, which I feel like we didnt get too much of. Godzilla is barely in this film which makes sense considering the ending of Minus One but the spectacle they offered was so good that I didnt want it to end.

Speaking of spectacle, and I did warn you that I will waffle on and on about this, please watch this on the biggest screen you can find, preferably in IMAX because that alone will enhance your enjoyment of this film. The sound is is just out of this world and I got goosebumps from every single roar that we got.

Godzilla Minus Zero is the definition of a blockbuster spectacle that completely immerses you in this version of Japan. You feel the looming sense of dread, disaster and danger everytime one of those damn Kaiju monsters shows up on screen. However, the human drama that was focused on alot in this movie, slightly disappointed me and at times I felt that it dragged on far too long.