Godzilla Minus One Director Addresses Its Ominous Cliffhanger

There is no denying the power of Godzilla Minus One. If you have been living under a rock as of late, you might not know about the titan’s recent comeback. Director Takashi Yamazaki has ushered in a new age for Godzilla, and it is all thanks to their new movie. Godzilla Minus One has become a box-office champion, and at last, the director is addressing the film’s ominous cliffhanger.

The information comes from Movie Walker as the Japanese outlet did a Q&A with the Godzilla Minus One team. It was there Yamazaki was asked about Noriko’s fate. After all, the film ends with the woman reunited with Koichi and her daughter though not all is well. Noriko appears to have been changed by her encounter with Godzilla, and Yamazaki is now touching upon that finale.

“I wanted Shikishima to reunite with Noriko at the end, but I didn’t want it to be a typical happy ending,” Yamazaki shared. “I decided to let Noriko live in that way. As Godzilla is a symbol of war and nuclear weapons, so while she did not die, that doesn’t mean that only happiness awaits her. No I didn’t want a happy ending… However, I am at a point where I didn’t want to have a cruel ending either.”

As you can see above, the director-writer did not tease what’s next for Noriko, but Godzilla Minus One has set the heroine on a difficult path. Noriko did survive her encounter with Godzilla, but in the film’s final moments, we see she carries a dark bruise on her neck like a brand. In recent chats, Yamazaki said this mark acts like the curses found in Princess Mononoke. This means future Godzilla films could explore Noriko’s legacy with the kaiju, so Koichi is not yet finished with the monster. Not by a long shot.

If you have not seen Godzilla Minus One, well – you better head to a theater ASAP. The film is screening in the United States through the start of January 2024. With more than $60 million USD grossed globally, Godzilla Minus One is a blockbuster at its worst. So yeah, we’re going to go ahead and call it a must-see movie for audiences of all sorts.

Have you seen Godzilla Minus One? What would you like to see in the movie’s sequel? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!