"Godzilla Minus One" Tops US Charts but Gets Some Lowest Reviews
Listen to the story
The Japanese film "Godzilla Minus One" has become the number one movie at the box office in the United States. The film has been a huge success, attracting large American audiences.
However, something unusual has also happened. On a major American review website, the film has received a surprisingly high number of the lowest possible rating, which is "1" out of a higher scale.
Japanese radio personality Sakuma Nobuyuki discussed the film and its reception. He said there were parts of the situation that he could not fully understand, referring to the unusual pattern of low scores.
Many viewers have praised the movie highly. One reviewer described it as "an overwhelming Showa-era style Godzilla," referring to the classic, older style of Godzilla films made in Japan decades ago.
Despite this praise, a notable number of reviewers on the American site gave the movie the lowest possible score. The exact reason for this pattern has not been clearly explained.
The contrast between the film's commercial success and these negative reviews has become a topic of discussion online, with people debating why such a popular film would also receive so many of the worst possible ratings.
Vocabulary10 words
- review
- a written opinion about a movie
- rating
- a number that shows how good or bad something is
- box office
- money a movie earns from tickets
- reception
- how people respond to something
- overwhelming
- very strong; very powerful
- pattern
- something that happens again and again in a similar way
- commercial success
- making a lot of money or being very popular
- classic
- old and still admired
- notable
- important enough to be noticed
- contrast
- a clear difference between two things
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Quiz
Answer key
1. It became the number one film 2. Many people gave the lowest possible score 3. A classic Showa-era Japanese style
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Japanese film "Godzilla Minus One" has become the number one movie at the _____ in the United States.
However, something unusual has also happened. On a major American review website, the film has received a surprisingly high number of the lowest possible _____.
Japanese radio personality Sakuma Nobuyuki discussed the film and its _____. He said there were parts of the situation that he could not fully understand.
Many viewers have praised the movie highly. One reviewer described it as "an _____ Showa-era style Godzilla."
Despite this praise, a _____ number of reviewers on the American site gave the movie the lowest possible score.
The _____ between the film's commercial success and these negative reviews has become a topic of discussion online.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think a popular movie might still receive many negative reviews?
- Have you ever disagreed strongly with online reviews of a movie you watched?
- Do you trust online review scores when deciding what movie to watch? Why or why not?
- What do you know about the history of Godzilla films?
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