Takashi Yamazaki's highly anticipated Godzilla Minus Zero stomps into theaters on November 6, and the more we learn about it, the more hyped we are for the sequel to the Oscar-winning Godzilla Minus One.
Toho's R-rated Godzilla Minus Zero picks up in 1949, two years after the tumultuous events of the previous film, once again focusing on the Shikishima family as they face an all-new kaiju threat. Returning stars include Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, and Hidetaka Yoshioka.
We already know that Godzilla Minus Zero is going bigger, bloodier, and more brutal than ever before, with an expanded budget after the first film racked up $116 million internationally on a relatively $10-15 million. A new interview with Empire Magazine confirms that Yamazaki has turned to some of the sequel greats for inspiration in taking things up to 11 (or, er, zero), turning to box officer smasher James Cameron for inspiration.
Speaking with Empire, Yamazaki cites Camerons Aliens and Terminator 2 as some of his favorite sequels:
I’m going to have to give credit to James Cameron […] He looks at the original and finds another interesting hook point and digs much deeper. Oftentimes his sequels will take a slightly different angle, but still rooted in a lot of what was built in the first film. I was curious how his second films are outperforming the originals in a lot of ways.”
Cameron's 1986 sequel to Ridley Scott's Alien is far and away considered one of the greatest sequels in cinema, especially in horror, where sequel cans often fall short of their original material. Just like Godzilla Minus One, Aliens nabbed an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, as well as Best Sound Effects Editing.
Yamazaki also tells Empire that Godzilla Minus Zero will expand on the “allegorical story of Japan’s post-war state of mind”, especially with regards to a new threat that may or may not be one of Godzilla's biggest foes:
“In Minus Zero, the state of the country as well as the state of Shikishima’s family is improving. Hence, they’re approaching ‘zero’ in a way, and a new threat appears that basically threatens to take that away.”
Godzilla Minus Zero has already started racking up rave reviews from critics, a whole three months before its release date, which shows a tremendous amount of confidence from Toho. In our glowing review, Michael Gingold calls the film “a grand monster extravaganza” that “fulfills all the requirements of its genre and then some, and then goes further to elevate the form to true art”.
For more kaiju goodness, Godzilla Minus Zero appears on the newsstand cover of FANGORIA #33.
