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Godzilla is back. Not surprising considering he’s a radioactive wrecking machine with a nuclear bomb in his back pocket. And while Japan would certainly be an easy target after his destruction in the first movie, this time, he’s bringing the fallout to take a bite out of a much bigger apple.
The first teaser for Godzilla Minus Zero has landed, and while most of it stays close to Japan, it’s the final shot that tells you everything.
Godzilla, towering over the Statue of Liberty. New York is now in play. Let’s just hope Roland Emmerich isn’t.
Set in 1949, two years after the events of Minus One, the film picks up with Koichi Shikishima and Noriko Oishi still dealing with what they went through last time. Both Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe return to reprise their roles, which is far more character continuity than what we’ve come to expect over in the Legendary Pictures series.
Where those films lean on spectacle, Minus One worked because it stayed grounded. A post-war story with a monster problem layered on top, pulling the series back to its origins in the atomic bomb. A country trying to make sense of what it had just survived.
Takashi Yamazaki is back writing, directing, and handling VFX again, off the back of his Oscar win for Minus One. That sets the bar for the sequel, especially considering how little the first film cost to make.
Where Minus One used that restraint to its advantage, Minus Zero looks like it’s letting Godzilla off the leash.
It’s the first time a Japanese production has gone all-in on IMAX. Wider destruction, bigger set pieces, and a story that’s no longer contained to one city
That Statue of Liberty shot is anything but subtle. For decades, Hollywood has handled the “Godzilla in America” idea with mixed results. This version feels different. It’s still being driven by Toho, still anchored by the same creative team, just with a wider stage and a second city to destroy.
That one shot does a lot of work. It tells you the scale is expanding, and raises a question the film will have to answer. How far can you push this version of Godzilla before it starts to feel like everything else again?
Godzilla Minus Zero hits cinemas in Japan on 3 November 2026, with a North American release on 6 November. Australia timing hasn’t been locked yet, but expect it to follow closely.
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