In 2023, Japan reminded the world it knows a thing or two about making a “Godzilla” movie.

After years of Americanized Godzilla fare from Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Monsterverse — which, along with the famed large lizard, features great ape Kong and other big threats to humanity — “Godzilla Minus One” was, if nothing else, a refreshing blast of carnage.

Like the big-screen Monsterverse offerings, ranging from 2014’s “Godzilla” to “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” in 2024, writer-director Takashi Yamazaki’s “Godzilla Minus One” relied heavily on digital effects to make the monster mayhem explode on the screen.

But you could have fooled us.

Thanks to its distinct, more grounded look, the post-World War II-set “Minus One” — very well received by Western critics, if somewhat less so by those in Japan — felt more real. And that’s no small feat.

Now comes its reasonably entertaining sequel, “Godzilla Minus Zero,” which stomps onto shores and into theaters in certain parts of the world this week, including Japan and the United States. It does so with familiar faces and, more importantly, that highly recognizable visual flair — along with a second kaiju, which may be too powerful for humanity, as well as Godzilla, to stop.

However, the formula doesn’t feel quite as fresh. Like “Minus One,” “Zero” embraces an expressive, sky-high melodrama that runs counter to understated Western acting conventions — a stylistic choice that, while culturally rooted, contributes to a slightly bloated runtime.

The action picks up in 1949, with Godzilla presumed dead in Sagami Bay following the climactic Operation Wada. But peace is brief for returning survivors — including former kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), his partner Noriko (Minami Hamabe), and noble engineer Kenji Noda (Hidetaka Yoshioka) — when a colossal, unexpected new threat makes an earth-shattering entrance into Matsumoto City.

In the nation’s Disaster Response Bureau, Noda gets assistance this time around from meteorological expert Makoto Aoyama (Masami Nagasawa), thought to be a forecasting prodigy.

Also, with geopolitical relations understandably fraught following World War II, the prospect of foreign military intervention looms large over Japan’s domestic defense efforts — though brute-force solutions prove far easier promised than delivered.

During an aerial mission to obliterate the initially resting beast, which Kōichi decides he cannot sit out, the pilot watches in horror as the predictably enraged kaiju literally rips another plane in half. It’s more cool stuff from Yamazaki, who also serves as the film’s visual effects supervisor.

Another newcomer to the “Minus” mix is Kanji Murakami (Min Tanaka), a biologist whose compelling backstory speaks to his motivations throughout the film. However, the character’s history is one of several key story elements the makers of the movie have requested be kept out of reviews.

We’ll play nice and be brief with plot details, but, given the title of the film, it shouldn’t be a spoiler to say the citizens of Japan haven’t seen the last of Godzilla — and that his reappearance turns an already catastrophic scenario into a volatile multifront war.

Again, without going into precisely why, Noriko also becomes crucial to a victory for humanity, but Kōichi wants her nowhere near the front lines — harboring the same protective terror for her that she does for him, fearful of what another loss would do to young Akiko. This aspect of the story is where Yamazaki squeezes out every drop of drama he can, and it grows taxing by the film’s final stretch.

Still, it remains a thrill to watch the dorsal fins of this version of Godzilla extend from its spine and light up as the beast prepares to unleash his powerful atomic breath on his target. We wouldn’t mind seeing it again at some point.

Those who prefer the Monsterverse brand of creature-created carnage should not have to wait too long for another serving, as “Godzilla x Kong: Supernova” is slated for release in March.

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‘GODZILLA MINUS ZERO’

(In Japanese with English subtitles)

2.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for some violent content/bloody images)

Running time: 2:15

How to watch: In theaters Nov. 6

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