Not only was Godzilla: Minus One one of the best movies I’ve watched in years, we absolutely deserved that happy ending. This is coming from someone who understands that creatives in Hollywood or in the film industry love a sad ending. You know what I’m talking about, one that rips out your heart and is supposed to make you think about the beauty of life blah blah blah. And I think it’s simply not sustainable or realistic. If we’re going to spend a lot of time honoring or featuring sad endings that speak to the harsh realities of our world, it’s important to also highlight the good. And the ending that we got in Godzilla: Minus One was an amazing one that showed the power of the human spirit and how the choices we make have consequences that last.
Overall I feel like this movie honored the spirit of Godzilla. For the last couple of years Hollywood has released or tried to build a world for Godzilla that revamps them. But by doing so, I feel like they have ignored the origins of this iconic monster. Hollywood’s version of Godzilla is basically the Michael Bay version. There are explosions, fights, and a bunch of big epic moments. That’s not the Godzilla that I grew up with. Sure, there was destruction. But there was always a deeper meaning and understanding of Godzilla as a symbol of the consequences of war, radiation, and human hubris. And I think Hollywood has never understood that or respected it. That’s not to say I don’t like the Hollywood versions. Besides the Apple TV show, I do. But they don’t understand who Godzilla truly is.
Minus One built a world that was grounded in loss and grief. On one hand, you have Shikishima. He went off to fight a war and ended up being a deserter. And his fear, which was totally justified, led to a mountain of guilt that he didn’t step up and help when Godzilla was attacking the island he landed on. He took that with him when he went back home and discovered that his entire family was gone. And he continued to carry that as he met Noriko and inadvertently started a family with her. His grief felt real, complicated, and the kind of thing that doesn’t go away over time. It’s something that you have to face and work through. And I think that he worked through all of that to end up where he did at the end of the movie.
We also have Noriko. She also lost everything and found a lifeline in Akiko and Shikishima. One ended up being her child and the reason why she kept fighting every single day when the world was just torn apart around them. And the other ended up being her partner and someone to help carry the load of raising a child. The notable difference with Shikishima is that she helped him more when it came to his grief. She willingly did it because she cared. But it got to the point where she realized that you can only help someone so much and that she has to do things for herself. That right there takes strength and if I had any complaint about her character is that I would have loved to see more of her grief at losing her family.
While watching Godzilla: Minus One I got this feeling that they would end up together. I liked that they formed this little family, that they help each other carry the load of this new world, and that Noriko drew a line in the sand with Shikishima. And when we thought that Noriko was dead and that he would follow her, I grieved. I grieved for her but also for what they could have had. Color me surprised that by the end of it Shikishima survived and was on his way to living a life that he chose and on his terms. And color me even more shocked when Ota came with Akiko, sharing a shocking revelation that ended up being that Noriko was alive.
Personally, I loved this ending. And as soon as I watched it I ran to Twitter to see if others agreed with me. They didn’t. A lot of people were saying that it took away from the meaning and the spirit of the movie that both of them survived. And I disagree wholeheartedly. A happily ever after is just as powerful as an ending where both of them are one of them died. And I think that a happy ending feels more realistic for the journeys that the characters went on. The rug wasn’t pulled out from underneath them. This ending felt earned and like both of them could start a new phase of their lives after processing their grief. Both of them being dead or one of them being dead would just slap on more grief and ignore what happened during the movie.
Even more so, I’m kind of tired of women being fridged for the character arc of a man. This movie dabbled with that concept by making us believe that Noriko was dead. And I didn’t like it. Bringing her back or revealing that she was alive, even though she has some sort of infection on her neck that alludes to more to come, honors who she is and how her story plays into the overall story of Godzilla: Minus One. It shows her importance and how she will be a continued part of this world. And if we do get a second part to this movie that shows what is going on with her neck, I hope that it’s done from a perspective where Shikishima supports her and we end up focusing more on her journey. Because she is of value and super interesting as a character.
I even liked that Godzilla is not totally dead at the ending. Godzilla is everlasting and continues to come back for more no matter what happens. They are a reminder of the hubris of humans and how they think they can conquer nature or do things to nature with no consequences. But they are also a cycle of life and how in reality we go through ups and downs that come back to haunt us when we least expect. And I think that Godzilla will come back for Noriko and Shikishima. Or they will come back for whatever descendants of my new OTP. And just like before, Godzilla will be conquered and humans will live to fight another day, understanding that their actions or the actions of other humans, brought them here.
Godzilla: Minus One is now playing in theaters.
Agree wholeheartedly with you; it was good that she did survive. And what’s wrong with having happy endings in movies? Goodness knows that we don’t have enough of them in this chaotic world of ours. Besides, isn’t movies about escapism?
Nah fam, disagree with this one. I didn’t hate that Noriko survived, but it felt like it definitely detracted from the ending. Think about all the wives and children of the Odo Island mechanics who died—they didn’t magically get their husbands back, you know? How much more noble and beautiful would it have been for Shikishima to choose life (at the behest of Tachibana) and raise his adoptive daughter to the best of his ability, *despite* the hardship of losing Noriko? That would have resonated way more and felt much more profound, not to mention realistic. We lose people we love, but we still carry on and find a reason to live. They would want us to do that. That’s the beautiful, devastating truth of life.