The 70th London Film Festival took place from 7-18 October, 2026. They screened 251 films from 88 countries in cinemas throughout the city. I had the pleasure to see Godzilla Minus Zero at the Prince Charles Cinema. It sold out early, but the Festival always has a standby queue for returned tickets. I got in, sitting in the back row but my seat was a) inside the cinema and b) facing the screen, so I was all right.
On entering, we each received a postcard with a message from the Director, Writer and SFX lead, Takashi Yamazaki. On the back of the card was his own sketch of Godzilla. In his message, which he also filmed as an onscreen introduction, he said, “There is much in this film that is intended to be experienced for the first time in cinemas, as you will soon understand, and it is my deepest wish that everyone has a chance to view this film the same way you are now. I ask for your help, as fellow members of Team Godzilla and as kindred spirits who love the movie theatre experience, in making this wish come true by being careful not to spoil the story for others after you leave here today.”
A sequel to Godzilla Minus One (2023), the new movie follows our heroes from the first film. Ryunosuke Kamiki plays Koichi, a failed Kamikaze pilot. Godzilla embodies his shame, survivor’s guilt and failure. In Godzilla Minus One, he recovers from his trauma, both from fighting in WWII but also surviving an attack from the titular monster. He finds family with Noriko (Minami Hamabe) and a baby she has found in the wake of the Godzilla attack. The original film is a brilliant, heart-felt melodrama with thrilling monster action.
The new movie is a worthy continuation of the story with fun twists and surprises. But I’m on Team Godzilla, so I’ll never tell.
I will say there’s an excellent aerial dogfight with WWII jets as well as visual references to The Wizard of Oz and The Birds. The desaturation of color in the final fight highlights the devastation of the atomic bombs dropped there in 1945. There is a wonderful print of Godzilla Minus One that has also been desaturated to give it a proper 1940’s feel. It’s available on Netflix as “Godzilla Minus Color.”
It was fascinating to see how another culture represents itself in a monster movie. There is a particular triumphant moment that would have had an American Ground Control team whooping and punching the air. For the Japanese tech guys, the moment is somber. They sigh and shrug, counting the cost of lives lost. Suffice to say, the American don’t come out of this movie looking very good. They are shadowy figures with their own agenda. “Are we the baddies?”
Godzilla Minus Zero is emotional, exciting and it is the first Japanese movie shot for IMAX. It deserves to be seen on the largest screen possible. Godzilla Minus Zero opens internationally on 6 November, 2026.
We gratefully acknowledge the city of Tokyo for their help in obtaining Godzilla for this film.
Next time: Out 1 (France 1971). 12 hours and 56 minutes. You have been warned.
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