Godzilla Minus One is GREAT

[@williamcabrol1222]

Cried 3 times, was impressed with Gojira being such a f-er. First time i rooted for the humans! Totally invested.

[@MSinger1974]

I was JUST saying that! Like, I gave the finger to Godzilla and rooted for the humans to take him out for the VERY first time! I was really invested in this one.

[@legiontheatregroup]

What a great review. You nailed it. I saw the film twice this weekend in the US. I’m glad you called out the water scenes. Really convincing CGI. When Godzilla is chasing the small boat that is trying to flee, with just his dorsal plates above the water line, the way his back and those plates moves as he counters the fleeing ship’s maneuvers REALLY looked like a living sea animal to me. It was the most impressive CGI of a kaiju I have ever seen in any film. Photo realistic.

[@CynsCorner]

YES! I loved that scene! LOVED IT! It legit looked like a practical effect. I was so impressed. Thank you for the kind words and for watching!

[@Earthman99999]

I understand your comment about how some people in an American audience chuckle at some of the Japanese mannerisms shown on screen. I'm not from Japan but I'm acquainted with people from there as well as other Asian countries. A lot of them feel similarly about American movies. Sure they like them... but admit to chuckling at some of the American mannerisms and behaviors shown on screen as well. Some of these seem a little odd to people from Asia. Just cultural differences on both sides. The positive thing is that as more people on both sides watch more of each other's movies and learn the culture and maybe even some of the language... there might be less chuckling and more understanding. The World really needs that.

[@CynsCorner]

I have no doubt that people from other cultures have the exact same reaction/response to those sorts of things. And I agree with your last comments. The world does indeed need that.

[@johndevillier2852]

The King has returned and his throne is intact, a fantastic movie!!

[@CynsCorner]

Absolutely!!

[@michaellee8815]

The minus 1 is because after WWII Japan considered itself “zeroed out”, like societally wiped out back to the point of zero, and then Godzilla shows up and puts them into even worse shape, so they’re now from zero to negative one

[@CynsCorner]

Yeah, several people have informed me. Thank you!

[@FrancisBrown-u5k]

I can see American audiences laughing at the main character emotional intense bowing but I loved it, it felt that this was done a lot during that period of Japan life.

[@expfighter5112]

no one is laughing at anything, the movie was great the actors were great, the japanese traditions were correct! no one is laughing

[@CynsCorner]

There were some people laughing during some of those moments in the movie. Because of the exaggerated nature of some of the stuff he did. Like banging his head down on a surface, etc. But I didn't get the sense that the laughter was mean-spirited. I could imagine that Japanese folks probably find some of our body language odd-looking too. No biggie. Just cultural differences that make us interesting.

[@tedkurokawa4161]

Thank you for your detailed analysis and explanation while keeping spoilers to a minimum. About the meaning of “minus one”. After dropping atomic bombs on two cities, indiscriminately bombing multiple cities, and strafing civilians with fighter jets, post-war Japan was burnt to the ground from Tokyo to its regional cities. The official catchphrase and the director's interview say that if the situation goes to "ZERO", Godzilla will appear in the back and the situation will become even worse. However, these titles often have multiple meanings. For example, the character "Shin" in Anno's "Shin Godzilla" is written in katakana rather than kanji. If we translate the same sound into kanji, we can easily come up with words such as ``新=New'' and “真=true.'' You can also add words such as ``神＝God'', ``震＝Vibe'', ``芯＝Core'', and even the English word ``Sin''... If you think so, there may be other interpretations of "minus one." This is just my own speculation, but I think that the 1954 original is Godzilla's one and only masterpiece, and that there may be a meaning to it that includes respect for the original, such as "minus one" from there.

[@CynsCorner]

Ahhh - I see. Thank you for that detailed explanation! 💙

[@ShellsGhost1]

Yes I heard Japan was at level 0 from the war and Godzilla brought them further down to -1

[@chucksql]

Japan after the war was reduced to “zero”. The emergence of Godzilla took it below zero to “minus one”.

[@FrancisBrown-u5k]

This is the answer

[@CynsCorner]

Yeah, this is what I've been reading from other people. Thank you!

[@taniyan1117]

その通り。

[@vincentpuccio3689]

Ginza is the word you’re looking for and basically it’s not another town it’s like a neighborhood in our language. Ginza is Tokyo’s version of the Time Square area of New York.

[@Dulcimerist]

If it does well enough, hopefully they will make Godzilla Minus Two

[@CynsCorner]

Hopefully! 😆

[@MatthewNelsondbz]

Him and Godzilla Junior in this style

[@carkeyss2589]

It’s different to see a Godzilla movie get such high praise when all my life, nobody really gave a care about Godzilla movies. It’s… different.

[@rushfan9thcmd]

Keeping in mind its essence is a reboot of the original film. It is different and its so very good. Keep thoughts of the other eras and G villians out of mind and enjoy it as a first film about this monster.

[@CynsCorner]

There are some Godzilla movies from the U.S. that have been enjoyed. But this is honestly the best one I've ever seen. I didn't realize how many Godzilla films had been made over the years!

[@BarryBerryBarry]

It wasn't that good. I think it's ridiculous nobody was speaking American and can only guess they made it foreign to try and save money because of the budget cuts. Personally I found it very distracting, unrealistic and have no idea how this fits in with the other films. Hopefully the next one gets a bigger budget and we can get back to everybody speaking properly

[@carkeyss2589]

@@BarryBerryBarry obvious bait is still obvious

[@ひろおかたくや]

こちら日本！ 観に行って下さってありがとうございます！ 感動を共有できて大変うれしいです！ ありがとうございます！！

[@CynsCorner]

💙💙💙

[@atomicvinylreviews3420]

Great review! As a Godzilla fan Im so glad to see this movie getting the love it deserves ! The title is a bit weird... The idea behind it is that post WW2 Japan was "at zero" being crippled as a nation, then Godzilla shows up on top of that and brings them to "Minus One"...

[@CynsCorner]

Thank you so much! This film deserves all of the positive reactions it has gotten. It was so good.

[@tel551]

BUT　やはり後付でOriginal１作目に 引っ掛けていると思っています。 確かに御都合主義は引っ掛かりましたが、終わり良ければ全て良し。

[@koryeasterday5164]

The reason he grew and got atomic breath was because they dropped a nuke on/near him at Bikini Atoll. They glossed over that really quickly in the movie and it's easy to miss if you aren't familiar with Godzilla already.

[@CynsCorner]

Ohhh ... I definitely missed any reference to that in the film. I knew that his radiation powers were somehow associated with a bomb; somehow I picked that up over the years. But I'm definitely not well-versed in all of the lore/history of the character.

[@EzeICE]

Great review, and the town next to Tokyo is called Ginza.

[@CynsCorner]

Thank you!

[@Jzscrstsprstr]

I didn't know of this movie. Thanks, Cyn.

[@CynsCorner]

I think a lot of people didn't know about it until very recently. I'm so glad I was able to see it on the big screen. It was very entertaining.

[@Sbrabson04]

Character development seems to be a serious focus in foreign films. They really want to groom you to love or hate a character. I genuinely found connection with each character

[@CynsCorner]

Same. It was done very well.

[@sashi4440]

Looks like everyone will need to get better at reading subtitles for the time being until Hollywood gets it act together. According to an article I read, the 'Minus One' refers to the fact that Japan was already starting from Zero because of the war and a kaiju shows up and makes it worse. Have you managed to watch Shin Godzilla (2016) by any chance?

[@CynsCorner]

I have not, BUT I am putting it in my calendar to try to watch sooner than later. I enjoyed this movie so much that I would like a similar experience with another one!

[@Dave-el6rh]

Thank you.Really.Thank you.

[@CynsCorner]

It was my absolute pleasure! Thank *you* for watching and commenting! 💙

[@badboyblue9675]

Great review very insightful

[@CynsCorner]

Thank you so much! 💙

[@ykreview]

I honestly couldn’t agree with you more this movie puts Hollywood to shame and I did my review on my channel and have put this as my 2nd favourite movie of the year but now that I think about it that scene about the main guy finding the girl in the second act is pretty hilarious but like you say barely any negatives awesome review Cyn

[@CynsCorner]

Thank you, YK!

[@TrayChester01]

World War II put Japan in a condition that they called "zero." The country was so devastated that they were reduced to nothing. Then, Godzilla came and Japan's condition fell further to "minus one." That's what the title means. It's a unit of measure for the condition of the country.

[@SX1995able]

The part you mentioned about the way of expressing one self being exaggerated is honestly just a thing that occurs in Japanese film. If you watch Japanese movies from all decades,they tend to overreact and almost act like anime characters It's not because Japanese people act like that in real life, it's just the way they act in a lot of movies,but there's also other movies like Hirokazu Koreeda and Yasujiro Ozu's movies where they act more naturally

[@CynsCorner]

Thanks for sharing that. I have noticed the overreaction/exaggerated nature of many characters in various films I've seen from Japan - and also South Korea. Another person did mention that they never saw Japanese people act like that when they lived there, so you have basically reinforced that. You're right - it's a lot like how anime character behave. Interesting.

[@SX1995able]

@@CynsCorner I think it stems from the over exaggeration that came out of the Kabuki theater scene and how those plays were acted,and it probably just transferred into film,so it's much more a cultural thing. Maybe they think that showing that exaggeration adds more oomph to the story being told A good Western example is a cooking show like Hell's Kitchen or MasterChef where it's clearly exaggerated because just having a chef taste the food and say "meh, it's ok" isn't as interesting as Gordon Ramsay telling you you're an idiot sandwich lol

[@CynsCorner]

😆Makes sense!

[@DidYouZThat]

AWESOME review Cyn! I just got out of the cinema watching this and all I can say is… WOW. I’m blown away and it makes every other monster movie look like absolute trash 😂😂 Congrats on the success of the video too, well deserved 🙂

[@CynsCorner]

Thank you, Mike!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I figured you would; it seems to be pretty universally loved by moviegoers. And with good reason!

[@tel551]

古き良きHOLLYWOOD JAWS　ZOMBIE　 最近のは興味が無く昔の観たくなるです

[@CynsCorner]

I don't blame you.

[@1994tiro2008]

I wanted to see reviews from people who aren't Godzilla fans, so I'm glad I heard yours. By the way, I've been born and raised in Japan for over 50 years, and although the characters in this movie sometimes show emotional gestures, I've never encountered anyone who behaves the same way in real life.

[@CynsCorner]

That's so interesting. Thank you for sharing that perspective!

[@legiontheatregroup]

I would love to hear your impression - as someone who has lived in Japan for 50 years - of how Godzilla and Godzilla movies are viewed culturally by the general population. I’ve often wondered if there is a fatigue over there after so many films, kind of like how many US theater goers might say of our popular horror genres “do we really need another teen slasher horror film”? I too have been watching Godzilla for 50 years, but in the US and mostly (until recently) in dubbed television reruns. Only a handful of times, when I was very lucky, did I get to see a US theatrical release of a Godzilla film. Here, until recently with the Monsterverse, my experience has been that TOHO special effects films were viewed as kind of a niche cult film interest category. I’d love to know how the series is looked upon in his homeland, thanks!

[@CynsCorner]

Great question. I'd also love to know this. Interestingly, I recently found out that this movie is, I think, the 37th Godzilla film. I had NO IDEA there were that many of them.

[@TheKyamada]

I'm Japanese and I've seen most of director Yamazaki's movies, and one of the themes this director pursues is families who aren't related by blood, and even in Godzilla, families who aren't related by blood are at the center of the drama. Although they are a pseudo-family, the fact that they are not related by blood makes them feel even more pure family ties and beauty, which resonates with the audience.

[@CynsCorner]

Indeed it does! Thank you for commenting.

[@FrancisBrown-u5k]

What makes it even more frustrating is that so many Hollywood films have a 20x more budget and they continue to churn out crap after crap.

[@CynsCorner]

RIGHT?!!!

[@spiralcat44]

Before the 1945 atomic bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan had already lost everything, making the bombings a 'Minus One' event. Similarly, in 2011, the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown represented a 'Minus One' situation for those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. 'Minus One' reflects real tragedies, reminding us to consider others globally facing similar crises.

[@christams8863]

Yes, the protagonist made the statement that he was still fighting a war, when asked why he didn't marry Noriko!

[@davidnear8494]

Minus one implies that the Country of Japan was at zero because of the annihilation caused by WW2. Minus one is Godzilla, the added distress caused to Japan which is structurally destroyed. I believe it is implying that the people already had faced enough and now with Godzilla attacking them, they are without anything including hope.

[@danielpitti6030]

It was Terrifying, Touching, EPIC! A jewel!

[@CynsCorner]

Indeed!

[@sogawa7]

The postal service continued during and after the war, and although there were errors and delays during the war, the Postal Law was enacted in 1947. ・・Well, it's nothing to worry about.・

[@CynsCorner]

Someone mentioned that the mail that the character was sending out was military mail and because of that it would have been more dependable and given higher priority.

[@deadby15]

Regarding the 3 minor cons, i agree with #1 and #3. #1 is ridiculously unrealistic. #2 actually looks natural if you’re Japanese. It’s sort of a cliche expression signifying saving someone by sacrificing oneself. It happens really a lot in anime and stuff.

[@CynsCorner]

Someone clarified the mail service one. They said that the letters he was sending out were via military mail - which was given higher priority and was faster than normal mail. Which clears up that particular issue for me.

[@expfighter5112]

Awesome Movie!

[@CynsCorner]

RIGHT?!

[@theironherder]

Personally, not a fan of Japanese monster movies, but I'm a big fan of Cyn, mostly because she expands my horizons. Thanks, Cyn.

[@yuyaricachimuel555]

Now to go watch some Japanese monster (or kaiju eiga) movies because you’re otherwise missing out on some of the most uniquely made films ever made.

[@CynsCorner]

Awww, thanks so much Ironherder! Sorry I missed this comment earlier. Maybe one day you'll be able to check out a monster movie that you enjoy. I'm not generally a fan of them either, but I loved this one.

[@yuyaricachimuel555]

@@CynsCorner may I recommend Godzilla Mothra King Ghidorah Giant Monsters All Out Attack (or GMK for short) It basically has plot points that Minus One took but with a different set of themes. It’s also Minus One’s director’s favorite movie.

[@Miroku16X]

The mail thing is because a lot of people don't realize how small Japan actually is and since he was sending it through military mail too places that he was stationed at they get very high priority. It's something you can't really tell if you can't read kanji to be able to read all the signs and what was on the mail. Just useless trivia for the movie

[@CynsCorner]

Not useless at all - thank you! That helps explain away this particular "con" I had. Interesting info!

[@LisaLoves]

Added to the list forthwith! I’ll look forward to checking it out! 🙂

[@CynsCorner]

Looking forward to seeing what you thought about it!

[@larzvanhellsing2048]

Why do film critics call giant monster films ridiculous but praises even more ridiculous fare like superheroes and space operas?

[@CynsCorner]

No idea. It is rather strange at times. Fortunately, this film has received universal praise from "official" critics as a whole. So that's saying something!

[@spideyguy3454]

The minus one thing is because Godzilla brings Japan from zero to minus, or threatens to, and also because it seems to be a prequel to Shin Godzilla

[@CynsCorner]

Shin Godzilla has been recommended to me and I have yet to see it. I need to hunt that down and check it out sooner than later.

[@KaijuLover85]

japan was in a devastating state after the war and when godzilla shows up they become in a negative state. that’s what minus one means

[@CynsCorner]

This is what others have been saying - thank you for the info! Makes total sense now.

[@wewyllenium]

Amazing how japan can make us care about nonsese :D

[@CynsCorner]

😆

[@piotrjeske4599]

So what you are saying is that it is better then The Marvels?

[@CynsCorner]

What gave it away? hehehehe 😆

[@phnx4life]

Already said...

[@jackmclaughlin4552]

You said blast😂

[@CynsCorner]

😆

[@Raphmatic5000]

The Minus One signifies Godzilla, Japan after the war has been brought down to Zero, by their defeat. including two atomic bombings and the firebombing of their capital. While Japan is at its lowest, a nuclear horror, created from the same atomic weaponry they were victimized by, attacks them. So Japan goes from Zero to Minus.

[@CynsCorner]

Thank you for the info; many people have enlightened me on that, so I do appreciate finally understanding what that was all about!

[@Raphmatic5000]

@@CynsCorner It's been four months I imagine you've heard it NUMEROUS times, hope you're well!

[@OnMyGrindEveryDay]

Oscar Best Picture Nominee potential?

[@CynsCorner]

I wish, but that is doubtful. The "Academy" is ... strange about stuff like this.

[@asaholloway9139]

Good review. the motion blur i guess you could call it is kinda distracting and seems unneccesary. really enoyed your review

[@CynsCorner]

Sorry that the motion blur seems a bit distracting. I started using it years ago because to me it looks better than a hard cut (which is super distracting to me personally). And I make a TON of hard cuts in my videos when I edit them. Glad you enjoyed the review - thanks for watching!

[@davidtuley5898]

You really are need to see alot more Japanese films .

[@CynsCorner]

Depends on what they're about. If it interests me, I watch

[@yuyaricachimuel555]

@@CynsCornerthere are many great movies in the tokusatsu/kaiju eiga genre of films (that’s the kind of film Godzilla is)

[@jazzmeblues]

❤

[@genelin888]

You have to add mid to late 1940s Japan as another contribution to cultural differences.

[@okazaki111]

Don't you know telegram?

[@CynsCorner]

I don't think he was sending telegrams. Looked like regular mail in envelopes.

[@YS-co6pz]

I still thought Godzilla, she (I have no idea why people think Godzilla is a male. She gave birth some eggs in old movie) was kind of cute when she was “fetching” the boat in the ocean.

[@CynsCorner]

He seems like a male creature to me, so I've always called him that. lol

[@bobtnner]

Godzilla is definitely male. If you're referring to Godzilla giving birth to eggs, that would be the '98 American Godzilla that had nothing to do with the original Toho creation. In fact, the '98 version has been officially renamed by Toho as Zilla, a completely different creature that is different from the traditional Godzilla universe.

[@okazaki111]

WHAT actually happened at that time in Tokyo is as below link. （I don't think Westerners are taught this） en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombing_of_Tokyo At that time, Tokyo was completely destroyed in the Great Tokyo Air Raid and was in a period of reconstruction. Then Godzilla appears and destroys it even more. “Minus one” means that. （Even before that, Tokyo had suffered devastating damage in the Great Kanto Earthquake.） Godzilla, who is the metaphor of God and living things, is a metaphor for them, and we are constantly being overrun by nature, war, and pestilence, but we must not give up and fight back! It contains those message in this movie.

[@forsakenjones4695]

American are really ignorant, They don't even know their own History.

[@CynsCorner]

Multiple people have informed me what the "Minus One" means, so now I get it. Thank you for commenting!

[@CynsCorner]

@forsakenjones4695 - Some Americans can be very ignorant about history, for sure. This is largely the fault of our government "education" system that worries more about stupid things like pronouns and hurt feels instead of actually teaching kids what they need to know.

[@JamielPridgen68]

Godzilla minus one! The minus one means Japan’s economy after Godzilla destroys almost everything in Tokyo, etc.

[@CynsCorner]

Yeah, several people have cleared that up for me. I totally get it now - makes complete sense. BTW - I checked out your channel (I do that when I notice someone has a lot of subs) and of course I just HAD to watch the latest video you put up of dancing to Michael Jackson. DUDE! That's amazing stuff! Subbed!

[@ericcjacksonStudio]

Watched it last night. I came to like the human characters so much I wanted Godzilla to attack some place else. Leave Japan alone. Which usually never happens in a Godzilla film. The attachment to people is not built. Typically, the people are annoying so you don't mind them leaving...

[@CynsCorner]

I typically do like to feel attached to human characters even in a big monster movie. When it's too much of the big monsters and not enough of the people, it generally feels boring to me. But they don't always do the people right in these movies - so it was a pleasant surprise to see that this was done "right" as far as that goes.

[@user-ycx4yvxs8q]

Yep, their overreaction/exaggeration acting is what we call “Kabuki” acting. Lots of us Japanese do not like unnatural style of direction as well and actually criticized by local movie critics during premiere.

[@DAV3DInvestmentInsight]

I thought they had gone to the William Shatner school of Overacting😂

[@CynsCorner]

Interesting - thank you for that information. Do you get the sense that it is a style of acting that is being used less in favor of a more realistic style?

[@frankallen3634]

Most of my family speak Italian and I don't care to ever learn the language. And i can't sit there listening to them either. So it's not just ting tong languages that i hate, its all of them.

[@CynsCorner]

Sorry, just now seeing this! So you just don't like the sounds of other languages? I can get that. I don't feel that way about all of them, but some do grate on my ears and nerves.

[@kazuhiko3338]

Ginza 銀座

[@CynsCorner]

Yes! That's the name. Thank you!

[@kazuhiko3338]

@@CynsCorner welcome

[@Heirllionaire]

This movie was not fun at all. It was an emotional wreck. Nothing funny at all about it. But it is Perfection.

[@CynsCorner]

It wasn't funny, but it was a fun experience to watch on the big screen. One of the better movies of the year, imo.