Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)

Godzilla Vs Mothra has to be the GREATEST movie of the 60s era. The Special Effects are amazing, dubbing is excellent, and the acting is very good. Mothra is one my favorite monsters. Roland Emmreich better not get his hands on this movie. Thats all I have to say. **** out of ****.

Fmovies: GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (AKA GODZILLA VS. THE THING) (3+ outta 5 stars) I remember going to see this movie at a kiddie matinée as a tot. The ads never showed what "The Thing" was... but I expected some big, mean, scary creature that would be even more formidable than 'Zilla himself! I sure wasn't expecting... a giant moth. (Or a pair of baby slugs for that matter.) Now, of course, this all sounds pretty ridiculous to all the non-Godzilla-fans out there... but, of all the Godzilla films ever made, this is the one that is most fondly-remembered. There are some great scenes in this one: Godzilla's best entrance ever (he comes bursting out of the earth tail-first) Godzilla taking apart some grand Japanese architecture piece by piece is still impressive even when you *know* that it is only an actor in a suit taking apart a miniature model. Plus there are the two, tiny twins who come to Tokyo from their remote island paradise to ask for their giant radioactive back after it washes up on a Japanese beach. Mothra is, well, he's a giant moth... and he's on the verge of dying... so how much of a fight is he going to put up? But he only has to occupy 'Zilla until the egg containing his successor hatches. Anyway, silly as it all sounds, the movie works really well... definitely the 'Zilla movie to watch if you've never seen one before.

Widely considered by many fans as the best of all Godzilla sequels, Mothra vs. Godzilla is pure nostalgic popcorn entertainment. Made long before the days of CGI, Mothra vs. Godzilla hearkens back to a time when stunt men in rubber monster suits stomped on miniature buildings, wrecking havoc on the big screen while audiences watched in awe. More enjoyable than Godzilla Raids Again and King Kong vs. Godzilla, Mothra vs. Godzilla was a welcome return to form. It also shows for the first time since the 1954 original just how indestructible the charcoal gray beast is. The Japanese military (with help from the US navy in the American version) try everything from bombs, missiles, tanks, and electricity to stop Godzilla. Of course, none of these methods work so its up to Mothra to save the day.

The American cut is actually pretty faithful to the Japanese original. Very little was edited out, but for marketing reasons the title was changed to Godzilla vs. The Thing. This was a silly marketing ploy to spark audience interest as to who the mysterious "thing" was. Both versions are presented on this DVD. A sequel, Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster, soon followed.

Mothra vs. Godzilla fmovies. In Mothra v. Godzilla, all the best elements of the series come together. Godzilla is back in his full fury and with an excellent, realistic costume, and co-star Mothra, in fighting for her egg, shows personality and emotion, a trait of all the finest monster movies (such as "King Kong"). And odd though it may seem, the ubiquitous human subplot is actually interesting, giving the viewer much to think about regarding the demands of big business versus the health of the environment. (Not bad for a film made in 1964!)

I grew up on the fancier Godzilla flicks of the 1980s and 90s, so it took me a while to accept the flabby-faced, goofy-lookin' Godzilla of the 1960s. Even in his first appearance, the big G looked a lot more convincing, and menacing, than he is here. This film, like the one that preceded it, is part of a downward trend in the series' production values. It certainly is tough to take seriously.

But...so flippin' what? Despite screamingly obvious flaws, this flick is a blast. The surprisingly rich storyline involves corporate greed, nuclear testing, and totally bizarre mysticism. The science fiction and fantasy elements blend well, and it's fascinating as always to get the occasional insight into Japanese culture.

The acting is obviously good, even in the dubbed version, and some of the directing isn't bad (although Honda did a much better job on the first film - perhaps he had less money for this one). The fights are a bit silly, of course, but there is the occasional thrilling moment, such as when Godzilla's head gets set on fire, and when he melts a whole mess of nicely detailed model tanks. Ifkube's dramatic score elevates the film considerably, except of course when he gets into wailing horns turf, which is when I always reach for the "volume down" button.

If you can't stand the cheese, stay out of Godzilla's way. If you can, there's some fun to be had here.

This one is considered one of the best Godzilla movies out there, but with that aside, I've been wanting to see this movie, and after finally getting around to watching it, it's actually pretty good. I mean, it's not extraordinary, but it's still worth watching.

But now on with the plot: long story short, Mothra's egg washes on the beach and some corporate businessman wants to buy the egg just so he can put it up as an attraction in his amusement park. Two twin faeries show up and warn him to have the egg returned, but he ignores them and even tries to capture them. In the meantime, a news reporter, news photographer, and professor also find out about it and are determined to help the faeries and Mothra before anything bad happens to the egg. Later, Godzilla naturally comes along and interferes, leading to a serious grudge war between the two title monsters.

My thoughts/defenses on this movie: okay, so the monster battles aren't great, but they're certainly not disappointing at all. In fact, the idea of Mothra against Godzilla apparently did sound like a step in the right direction for Toho, in my opinion. Yes, I know Godzilla is such a klutz in this movie, aside from the fact that his mouth is kinda wobbly in this one, but we certainly can't blame him 'cause the guy in the Godzilla costume can't see a thing. Okay, so the ending isn't very climactic, but it still leaves you with a good feeling.

In conclusion, this is one Godzilla movie that I think that all Godzilla fans should give a try/give a chance.

P.S. To all those who think this movie is bad or overrated, I strongly disagree.