Godzilla Minus Zero director says the monster is a mirror of our fears

Takashi Yamazaki, director of Godzilla Minus Zero, says real-world anxieties have always driven the monster, and his film has just set a record opening.

10 Nov 2026, 03:361 min read

Godzilla rising from the sea in a still from the monster film Godzilla Minus Zero, set in postwar Japan. — Image: The Japan Times

Why does Godzilla keep coming back? Because he reflects us, says director Takashi Yamazaki.

Speaking about Godzilla Minus Zero, Yamazaki argues that real-world anxieties have always sat underneath the monster franchise. Each era, in his view, gets the Godzilla it fears. The film is also Japan's first "Filmed for IMAX" production, so those fears now come in very large format.

The story is set in 1949, as Japan tries to recover and rebuild after the devastation of World War II. King Ghidorah, another legendary monster, also shows up.

Audiences have turned out. The film opened to $31.6 million in North America, a record for a foreign-language film there. It follows Godzilla Minus One, which became a surprise hit in December 2023 and won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects in March 2024.

So the big lizard is stomping through box offices again, and he still has something to say.

#godzilla#godzilla minus zero#takashi yamazaki#imax#box office#kaiju

How do you feel?