'Godzilla Minus Zero' Reviews Are In, and Critics Say the Sequel Is Bigger, Louder, and Nearly as Devastating

Few sequels face the kind of pressure that ‘Godzilla Minus Zero‘ does. Its predecessor won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects and became a global phenomenon. Now the first ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ reviews are in, and critics are largely delighted.

The film had its world premiere at the 2026 New York Film Festival on September 26. After a weekend of glowing social reactions, the review embargo lifted. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, even if it stops just short of matching the original’s near-perfect record.

On Monday, September 28 the film sat at 96% on the Tomatometer from 23 reviews. He said critics were calling it a devastating, groundbreaking, and emotional epic, though not always reaching the miraculous highs of its predecessor. The numbers have shifted slightly as more reviews arrived, with other outlets reporting 94% and 95%.

For comparison, ‘Godzilla Minus One’ holds 99% from 213 reviews. If the new film holds its score, it would rank as the second most critically acclaimed Godzilla movie on Rotten Tomatoes, behind ‘Minus One’ and ahead of the 1954 original. Only 1 outright negative review has appeared so far, from Nick Schager of The Daily Beast.

Variety called it an even grander follow-up. The Guardian gave it 4 out of 5 stars, calling it spectacular and praising its effects and social commentary. Rotten Tomatoes’ roundup said it is bigger and more surprising, with visual effects that somehow top the Oscar-winning work of the first film.

The Weekend Warrior went further, saying it is even better than ‘Minus One’ in every way. Fernando’s own take compared the film to ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ of the series, if ‘Minus One’ were ‘A New Hope.’ That is a bold comparison, and it reflects how strongly some viewers have reacted.

Not every review is a rave. RogerEbert.com gave it 3 out of 4 stars, noting that it doesn’t quite reach the miraculous highs of its predecessor but still has plenty of bite. Slashfilm’s 7.5 out of 10 review praised the ambition and scale but argued the sequel sacrifices some of the intimacy that made the first film so effective.

Awards Radar gave it 3.5 out of 5, describing it as bigger in nearly every way but not always surpassing the first film emotionally. The Wrap called it a great Godzilla sequel, maybe even one of the best, but not one of the great Godzilla movies. IndieWire said it feels like the middle chapter of a trilogy.

The film is a direct sequel set two years after the events of ‘Godzilla Minus One,’ in 1949. Kōichi Shikishima, played by Ryunosuke Kamiki, and Noriko, played by Minami Hamabe, are now married and raising Akiko, the orphaned baby girl from the first film. Japan is still recovering from the war and Godzilla’s earlier attacks when a new threat arrives.

The latest trailer confirmed the return of King Ghidorah. The official synopsis says war reduced Japan to zero and Godzilla plunged it into minus, and that this time there is no third chance. Takashi Yamazaki writes, directs, and supervises the visual effects again.

The film opens in Japan on Tuesday, November 3, which is Godzilla Day. GKIDS will release it across North America starting Friday, November 6, in a wide release. Variety noted that such a near-simultaneous rollout is rare for a Japan-produced Godzilla movie.

It is also the first Japanese production filmed entirely for IMAX. The film is rated R and runs about 2 hours and 15 minutes. That combination of format and scale should make it a must-see on the biggest screens.

The new trailer for ‘GODZILLA MINUS ZERO’ has been released.

In theaters on November 6. pic.twitter.com/sgaEXweerd
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 8, 2026

‘Godzilla Minus One’ became the highest-grossing Japan-produced Godzilla film, earning more than $116 million worldwide, and it was the first Asian film to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. A strong reception for the sequel could confirm that the franchise has entered a new peak. With Yamazaki back in charge, expectations are sky-high.

If the reviews are any indication, audiences are in for another emotional monster epic. It might not top the original for everyone, but it appears to deliver on spectacle.