00:02Minus Zero is a little over a month away, and following the New York Film Festival,
00:06reviews for the movie have started pouring in,
00:08giving us our best idea yet on what to expect when this film drops on November 3rd.
00:13So we decided to take a look at them.
00:15Now don't worry, this video will be spoiler free,
00:17so don't expect any information about the story or plot or what happens to any characters.
00:22This is strictly just more about the general vibe of the film and whether it's a success.
00:26I'm Ymae Alistair, and welcome to Dangerville.
00:31Currently, Godzilla Minus Zero sits at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes with 25 reviews,
00:37and it's rising, compared to Minus One's 99%, which is obviously very slightly higher,
00:43but when more reviews come, it'll likely close that gap even more.
00:46But this is already a great sign that impressions are extremely good,
00:50though it won't stop publications like Yahoo saying rubbish-like,
00:53the score falls short of its predecessor.
00:55Like, come on, it's 96%, that's incredible.
00:58But what do the reviews say?
01:00Alex from In Session says,
01:02If Godzilla Minus Zero does anything,
01:04it reaffirms that the legacy of Godzilla can continue to evolve
01:07while remaining true to the roots of the franchise.
01:10And he even gives it an A.
01:11Toho has shown over the past few years that even after 70 years,
01:15Godzilla can still remain relevant, evolve with the times,
01:18and continue to represent all kinds of ideas.
01:21Minus Zero looks to be no exception,
01:23taking an age-old concept and breathing new life into it for a new generation of cinema.
01:28I also just can't wait to see Big Lizard punch Big Alien Dragon.
01:32Moving on, David Crowe from Den of Geek says,
01:35Never have the stakes of a let-them-fight conceit seemed so deeply tragic.
01:39While offering popcorn,
01:41Minus Zero still explores an earnest existential dread
01:43that is foreign in multiple ways to American studios.
01:46I'm glad that even though we're getting large-scale bombastic kaiju fights,
01:51that we'll still get the same level of depth from Minus One,
01:54if not even more so as they ramp everything up to 11.
01:58Subscribe!
01:59Hope you don't mind, I've put some subliminal messages in here.
02:01Speeding up through these now,
02:02Robert Daniels from Screen International says,
02:04Minus Zero is a devastating and heartbreaking kaiju movie.
02:08Godzilla Minus Zero is a towering epic of destructive proportions.
02:12Which is music to my ears.
02:14But of course, IGN here just has to be different by giving it a 7 out of 10.
02:18And the thing is, their review doesn't even sound like it should be a 7.
02:22Godzilla Minus Zero doesn't disappoint in the slightest on the kaiju front,
02:25but does lack the same level of emotional resonance that its predecessor held.
02:30Now that doesn't sound like it deserves a 7 to me,
02:33and it contradicts early reviews that state it seems to retain the dread and emotional weight of its predecessor.
02:38So clearly mileage will vary depending on the viewer, I guess.
02:42IGN gave Dune a 7, by the way.
02:45So take from that what you will.
02:47Carla Hay from Culture Mix says,
02:49Godzilla Minus Zero is a worthy sequel,
02:51but some fans of monster movies might be disappointed that the majority of the film
02:55is about defense planning instead of action scenes.
02:58However, the action is spectacular, and the human stories are compelling.
03:03Now, long-term fans of Godzilla, and even new fans that watch just Minus One,
03:07should expect this from a Godzilla film anyway.
03:10The defense planning is what sets it apart from other generic action movies.
03:14The writers clearly put thought into the story,
03:17but just in case you're expecting constant action,
03:20here's a good reminder that that's never really been what Godzilla's about.
03:23Subscribe!
03:24These next few reviews are pretty self-explanatory,
03:26so I'll run through them here.
03:28Ruben Barron with Anime News Network gives it an A- and says,
03:32If Minus One was Star Wars, Minus Zero is The Empire Strikes Back.
03:36Which is banging to hear because Empire is the best Star Wars movie,
03:40so, you know, cool.
03:41Joey Magidsson with Awards Radar gives it a 3.5 out of 5,
03:45and says,
03:46Godzilla Minus Zero is a sequel that's bigger,
03:48and often better in nearly every way.
03:50So give it a 5 then.
03:52Give it a 5.
03:53David Nadalas with the Cinematic Reel says,
03:55You can use every adjective imaginable to describe Godzilla Minus Zero,
03:59but its sheer scope finds a way to surpass them all,
04:02a kaiju-sized W of a sequel.
04:05Clint Worthington with Roger Ebert says,
04:08It doesn't quite reach the miraculous highs of its predecessor,
04:11but the old boy still has plenty of bite.
04:14Aaron Neuwirth with We Live Entertainment says,
04:16It proves there are plenty of ways to keep exploring the franchise,
04:20let alone imbue it with sincerity, character,
04:23and proper consideration of relevant themes.
04:25This movie is also a blast for kaiju fans,
04:28who want to just see insane kaiju action at its finest,
04:31and gives it a 9 out of 10, which is obviously glowing.
04:35Now we have our first and only rotten review,
04:38with Nick Shagger with The Daily Beast,
04:40who's doing no shagging here,
04:42and he says,
04:43At its finest, it roars with thunderous majesty,
04:45but that, regrettably,
04:47is far too rare for a wannabe epic monster mash.
04:51So it sounds like he only wanted one thing,
04:53and that's monster battles,
04:55and wasn't prepared for a film that introduces rich historical themes
04:58as part of its subtext.
05:00But everyone wants different things from monster babies,
05:02so you can't please everyone.
05:04Subscribe!
05:04Now we have Andrew Salazar with Disgusting Film,
05:08who says,
05:08Bold, audacious, and angry in ways Hollywood blockbusters are never allowed to be.
05:13Takashi Yamazaki has crafted a rare sequel
05:15that delivers a different kind of thrill than its predecessor,
05:19it's a staggering achievement in its own right,
05:22and gives it a 4.5 out of 5.
05:24Once again, extremely good words that reaffirms many of the previous review's claims
05:28of it only taking everything to the next level.
05:31William Bibbiani from The Wrap says,
05:33It's a great Godzilla sequel,
05:35maybe even one of the best,
05:37but it's not one of the great Godzilla movies.
05:40To be fair,
05:40the existing Godzilla library has some extremely high bars to pass,
05:44and if this even reaches close to that,
05:46I reckon a lot of people will be happy.
05:48There's no way it's beating the number one Godzilla film though.
05:51Son of Godzilla,
05:53that is just one of the best,
05:54it has the best action,
05:55best characters,
05:56and best Godzilla design,
05:57and best...
05:57Jesse Hassinger from The Guardian gives it a 4 out of 5,
06:00and says,
06:01Godzilla Minus Zero crossbreeds its fight to the death grappling
06:04with disaster movie scope and horror movie teeth.
06:07Yet it also doesn't go in for the overkill.
06:10Like its predecessor,
06:11the movie favors quality of visual effects over quantity.
06:15So that's another review that seems to claim
06:16that there isn't actually going to be a lot of monster action in this,
06:19but it's going to look great when it actually does.
06:22David Elric from IndieWire gives it a B+,
06:24and states,
06:26While the future is still uncertain by the end of the latest Godzilla movie,
06:29which feels very much like the middle chapter of a trilogy,
06:32Minus Zero makes a rewarding sense of why the series numbers are starting to add up.
06:36Now the most interesting thing here is that it feels like a middle chapter?
06:40People were convinced that this would be the last,
06:42but if this sets up for a future entry,
06:44what would that even be about?
06:46Could we finally see a modern take on Hedorah?
06:49Something Yamazaki has stated that he wanted to do?
06:52I'd personally love that,
06:53but let me know who you'd like to see Godzilla fight.
06:55Finally,
06:56I'll leave you with Brandon Lewis' statement with Geep Vibe Nation,
06:59who gives it a 9 out of 10 and states,
07:02Yamazaki's narrative ambitions and emotional clarity
07:04keep the film from feeling false,
07:07manipulative,
07:07or distracting.
07:09Every jaw dropped,
07:10eye widened,
07:11and tear shed
07:11is earned,
07:13which is, of course,
07:14undeniably high praise.
07:16Subscribe!
07:17There are many more,
07:18but with reviews pouring out more and more as the screenings happen,
07:21I'll just let you take a look for yourself.
07:23I'll be seeing the film on 16th of October at the London Film Festival in just over two weeks,
07:28so I'll be able to report back with my own thoughts soon enough.
07:31The general consensus seems to be that it's an incredible film
07:34that doubles down on the emotion,
07:36the action,
07:37the vivid characters,
07:38visuals,
07:39and nuanced thematic work.
07:41But there does seem to be a general opinion that it isn't quite as good as Minus One,
07:45though I fear that as it teeters more into the classic kaiju battle territory,
07:49it might simply be off-putting to those that want a purely human-centric drama,
07:53as has happened before in the franchise.
07:55But still, it stands as one of the highest-rated Godzilla films ever,
07:59and the number is only climbing,
08:01which is a great sign that we'll have another classic on our hands.
08:05The Reiwa era is proving itself to be the best era for Godzilla ever,
08:09with both Hollywood and Japan offering their own interpretations of what Godzilla means.
08:13And even Asia is supposedly developing their own new Godzilla project,
08:17so it's only about to get even bigger.
08:20But if you've seen the film already,
08:21what did you make of it?
08:23Let us know in the comment section down below.
08:24Remember, no spoilers, or else Ghidorah will zap you.
08:28Be sure to subscribe and stomp the notification button
08:30to become a resident of Dangerville today.
08:33And give us a big old Kong-sized thumbs up,
08:35because of algorithm stuff, I don't know.
08:38I've been Alistair,
08:39and we'll see you residents in the next one.
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