When Godzilla Minus One stomped into cinemas in 2023, it was instantly hailed as one of the greatest Godzilla films ever made – and rightly so. Director (and writer, and VFX supervisor) Takashi Yamazaki not only made the nuclear lizard scary again, but paired his arrival in post-World War II Japan with a touching human story. As well as critical acclaim and $113 million box office haul, the film even won an Oscar for its visual effects. So, how do you possibly hope to live up to it in a sequel?
That’s the question Yamazaki was faced with for Godzilla Minus Zero – and he looked to one of Hollywood’s finest for the answer. “I’m going to have to give credit to James Cameron,” he tells Empire, citing Aliens and Terminator 2 as some of his favourite sequels. “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.”
For Yamazaki, that additional hook this time is not just a greater scale to the kaiju action, but expanding the emotional focus too. In Minus One, kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima wrestled with his wartime guilt as he battled Godzilla, all while forming a bond with fellow survivor Noriko and kid Akiko. In Minus Zero, it’s all about the trio as a family unit. “The shift from Shikishima as an individual, to putting the focus on the family, was a different vector for Minus Zero,” says the director. It also continues an allegorical story of Japan’s post-war state of mind. “I think there are parallels between the recovery of Japan at the time, and the building of the Shikishima family,” he explains. “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.” Bigger, beefier – and with higher stakes. That’s the James Cameron way.
Read Empire’s full Godzilla Minus Zero story in the Dune: Part Three issue – on sale now. Order a copy online here. Godzilla Minus Zero comes to IMAX from November 3, and in UK cinemas from November 6.