Godzilla Minus Zero has received an R rating from the MPA, making it the first film in the 72-year history of the Godzilla franchise to receive the classification.
The upcoming film is a sequel to Takashi Yamazaki’s Godzilla Minus One, with Yamazaki returning as writer and director. Godzilla Minus Zero is scheduled to open in Japanese cinemas on November 3 and in the United States on November 6.
Set in 1949, two years after the events of Godzilla Minus One, the sequel follows Godzilla and the Shikishima family in post-World War II Japan.
According to Film Ratings, Godzilla Minus Zero has been classified R. By comparison, Godzilla Minus One received a PG-13 rating, as did the Monsterverse films Godzilla, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
The original Godzilla, released in 1954, does not have an MPA rating because the ratings system was not introduced until 1968. Later entries have received classifications including G and PG, with Destroy All Monsters rated G and 2004’s Godzilla vs. Hedorah receiving a PG rating.
The R classification marks a change from the rating given to Godzilla Minus One. ScreenRant’s review of that film previously noted that the monster’s “design brings about an equal amount of horror and curiosity” and that “the film also reminds us of how terrifying Godzilla is, a component that has been lacking in recent films.”
Godzilla Minus Zero stars Ryunosuke Kamiki as Kōichi Shikishima and Minami Hamabe as Noriko Shikishima. The cast also includes Yuki Yamada, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Jun Kunimura, Miou Tanaka, Sakura Ando, Masami Nagasawa, Min Tanaka, Hidetaka Yoshioka and Sae Nagatani.
