Godzilla Minus Zero
It is 1949, two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One; Japan has been recovering both from the devastation of the creature’s attacks, and from the aftermath of the war. Doctor Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka), following the successful defeat of Godzilla, returns to lead Japan’s new Large-Scale Disaster Response Bureau when a new colossal threat emerges to endanger the country.
The city of Matsumoto attacked by a terrifying creature, unlike Godzilla this beast appears to have come from the stars in a meteorite, and after landing it has enveloped local wildlife and taken on some of their traits such as lizard-like skin and bat-like wings, a chimera of a creature which appears like a dragon of legend, a gigantic flying lizard but spewing electrical beams in place of fire, the Bureau planning ways to try and deal with this new threat who they name Ghidorah.
Former kamikaze pilot Kôichi Shikishima (Ryûnosuke Kamiki) having married fellow survivor Noriko Ôishi (Minami Hamabe) and formally adopted Akiko, the scars on the country shown through these survivors; while Kôichi risked his life to defeat Godzilla two years before, he is still plagued by guilt of his actions in the war and the pressure of responsibility while Noriko carries physical scars, her eye permanently hidden, other injuries concealed, the gutting of the country highlighted by the number of war orphans, Noriko helping at a local orphanage, the occupants jealousy watching each day when Akiko’s parents take her home.
When Doctor Noda’s team comes up with a possible way to fight the new threat, Kôichi has to deal with his conflicted duties between his country and his new family; can he leave one to fight for the other? Does he still have to pay off the guilt for what he sees as his cowardice during the war, or has he done enough to be able to just be with the family he loves? The stakes rise with the return of the titular kaiju in Godzilla Minus Zero (ゴジラ-0.0, Gojira Mainasu Zero).
Believed dead, Godzilla’s regenerative abilities restore the great beast leaving humanity caught between two titans; drastic risks must be taken and all are called to decide what they will risk and what they will sacrifice in the battle to come. The returning cast joined by new characters, all bring rich perspectives; Min Tanaka gives a remarkable performance as Kanji Murakami, a scientist searching for answers and haunted by the guilt of surviving. He shows the pain of loss, and how hard it is attempting to carry on each day from it. His nuanced performance shows how hurt can blend with incalculable rage at the unfairness of the world, so much so it can break the heart of the audience.
Masami Nagasawa’s Makoto Aoyama is also a strong addition, a meteorological specialist with an ability to predict weather that borders on precognition. Sharing similar regrets with Noda, they are both trying to make up for their believed failures of the past, the film filled with themes of regret and redemption, individuals are trying to make up for a past where they were forced into actions by the powers above them, while deeper currents run beneath the battles of the giant monsters.
With questions of personal responsibility torn between family and country, survivor guilt, duty, grief, and the ever present political powers making choices with their own interests, as with the original Oscar winning Minus One, the effects are beautiful to watch and Ghidorah looks amazing, and terrifying. The scope is fully presented, unlike other attempts at showing large battles by limiting the view of characters (cough cough), here the full scale of the battles is depicted without removing the human element.
A worthy sequel, Godzilla Minus Zero is magnificent, similar to the first with human and kaiju elements complimenting each other, both taken seriously and neither one overshadowing or becoming a prop for the other; while the Monarch adventures may be enjoyable fast food, once again written, directed and with visual effects by Takashi Yamazaki this is a delicious meal created by a champion chef, one with rich nuanced flavours, the emotional punches hurting, the pain of the characters and what they have been through reaching the audience in a way that other movies miss.
Godzilla Minus Zero is currently on general release and also screening in IMAX
