[EXPRESSO] Godzilla Minus Zero (2026) | Suffer, Like G Did

Godzilla is back, as we knew given the pretty clear “hint” at the end of Godzilla Minus One… actually we knew Godzilla was gonna be back regardless.

And to a certain extent this struggle of “following up the first”, of the expectations the movie brought upon itself by being an actual direct sequel (a rarity for Japanese Godzilla films), is a factor internalized and seeping into the plot, as 2 years after the events of Minus One, a strange alien monster, Ghidorah, is causing destruction, destroying what little fragile peace and rebuilding had been done in this post WWII Japan, alongside the stability of Koichi, Noriko and Akiko’ family..

The plot is more or less what you’d expect, as it, it keeps the focus on the character drama, the aftermath of both WWII and the Godzilla rampage, with returning characters and some new ones, both fairly well done, and yes, the Noriko subplot actually comes to fruition in a sorta body horror fashion, even if more as a device to give us the classic Godzilla VS King Ghidorah final bout.

Yeah, you really can’t go wrong with that, despite how many times it has been done, but unlike the Monsterverse release, you’ll care about the characters and how it reworks many elements of the original 1954 classic, it feels familiar but in a good way, there are some little surprises about the monsters here which i wont spoil, the CG is better, and i do like the ending.

It’s a pretty good film, about as good as a direct sequel to a reboot Godzilla movie can get, as it manages to keep the tone serious, the focus on the human drama but not at the expense of some great spectactle and kaiju action, consistency with its precedessor being weirdly novel.

[EXPRESSO] Godzilla Minus One (2023) | WW Zilla

I was kinda apprehensive going into the new Godzilla movie (which is getting limited weeklong screenings everywhere outside of Japan), weirdly enough, due to some disappointed early feedback, so i decided to ignore most coverage after that and just go see it.

And i will address that indeed, after Shin Godzilla, going back to a period piece story set during WW II feels like a convenient move to avoid tackling modern political issues… but i will say that Godzilla Minus One does earn your attention and investment, thanks to one of the closest attempts at recapturing the spirit of the original Godzilla, to the point it’s almost a remake-prequel, and a great damn one that focuses on the human characters with great drama, punctuated by action scenes involving Godzilla (not the other way around), while also making Big G itself menacing again.

The premise follows Koichi, a man designed as a kamikaze pilot that, during the final years of WW II, fakes a malfunction of his airplane, and lands on the small island of Odo . There he is one of the few that survives the encounter with a giant dinosaur the locals call “Godzilla”, and with great shame, he comes back to the bombed ruins of his parent house, takes in a homeless woman and her foster daughter. In time the reconstruction begins, Koichi is on the verge of finally putting his nightmares of war to rest, but then Godzilla shows up again….

Honestly, even if not trying to push new boundaries, at all, Godzilla Minus One it’s a greatly compelling story with good characters, a solid period war drama at its core, and while the monster is CG, they pulled off a miracle with the effects looking so good for the tiny budget of 15 millions.

Highly recommended.

Big Man Japan (2007) [REVIEW] | Now it’s history I see

If you have been searching for an original, fresh take on the kaiju movie, you simply cannot overlook a movie like Big Man Japan, directed, written and starring Hitoshi Matsumoto, a popular japanese comedian, here at it first full lenght feature, followed by Symbol, Saya Zamurai and R100.

Sure, in the movie there are giant monsters attacking Japan, there is an Ultraman style humanoid giant that fights them to protect the country and its citizens, but this isn’t a merry tale of people in rubber suits smacking the shit out of each other, getting set on fire by fireworks and hosed down by stage assistants.

This is actually the story of Masaru Daisato. Like his ancenstors before him, he can grow into a giant over 30 meters tall when shocked by electricity, and he uses this power to defend Japan from the giant monsters that routinely attack it…. in a completely unremarkable way, to be very polite about it.

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