“Godzilla Minus Zero” Thrills Critics After NYFF Premiere: Around 95% On Rotten Tomatoes, 78 On Metacritic

The first reviews for “Godzilla Minus Zero” following its world premiere at the New York Film Festival (NYFF) on September 26, 2026 — where the film screened as the Spotlight Gala at Alice Tully Hall — are largely positive, as JustJared reports in a roundup of specialist criticism.

According to figures so far, the film holds around 95% “Fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes (Sunday afternoon, September 27) and 78 on Metacritic. The score is slightly lower than that of its predecessor, “Godzilla Minus One” — which holds 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and won the Oscar for visual effects in 2024 — but enough to rank it among the most acclaimed films in the franchise ever.

Variety calls the film “an even grander follow-up”, praising the spectacle and the action scenes of director Takashi Yamazaki. The Guardian gives it 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as a “spectacular” sequel with impressive effects and social commentary. RogerEbert.com gives it 3 out of 4 stars: it “never quite reaches the heights of Minus One”, but “has enough bite”. IndieWire gives it a B+, calling it “the middle chapter of a trilogy”, while Polygon goes further and declares it the best Godzilla film ever. More restrained are Slashfilm (7.5/10) and Awards Radar (3.5/5): grander in every respect, but without the emotional intimacy of the first film.

The sequel comes three years after “Godzilla Minus One” (2023), which grossed over $116 million globally. Yamazaki returns as director, screenwriter and visual effects supervisor; the events take place two years after the first film, with the Shikishima family and a regenerated Godzilla facing a new threat. It is the first Godzilla film in the franchise’s 72-year history with an R rating (for violence and bloody imagery) — for which Yamazaki said at NYFF that censorship “was not an option”.

“Godzilla Minus Zero” opens in Japanese cinemas on November 3, 2026 and in North America on November 6. Fans of “Minus One” have a lot to look forward to.