Mothra vs. Godzilla

Unrated

11/25/19641h 29m

Theatrical Release (US)

~ A massive Mach 3 moth! The heavy missile tank Godzilla! The sky, sea, and land quake in the fierce battle of the century! ~

Overview:

Journalists Ichiro Sakai and Junko cover the wreckage of a typhoon when an enormous egg is found and claimed by greedy entrepreneurs. Mothra's fairies arrive and are aided by the journalists in a plea for its return. As their requests are denied, Godzilla arises near Nagoya and the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.

Director:

Ishirō Honda

Status:

Released

Language:

Japanese

Buget:

$0.00

Revenue:

$10,000,000.00

Key words:

japan
monster
giant monster
giant insect
sequel
dinosaur
moth
nuclear threat
kaiju
mothra
godzilla
tokusatsu

Cast

Akira Takarada

~ as ~

Ichiro "Ichi" Sakai

Yuriko Hoshi

~ as ~

Junko Nakanishi

Hiroshi Koizumi

~ as ~

Professor Shunsuke Miura

Yū Fujiki

~ as ~

Jiro Nakamura

Kenji Sahara

~ as ~

Jiro Torahata

Emi Ito

~ as ~

Shobijin (Twin Fairy)

Yumi Ito

~ as ~

Shobijin (Twin Fairy)

Jun Tazaki

~ as ~

Editor Maruta

Yoshibumi Tajima

~ as ~

Kumayama

Kenzō Tabu

~ as ~

Prefectural Assembly Member

View full cast & crew

Reviews (1)

S
Skeleturtle
Written 4 year(s) ago
9
The Definitive Giant Monster Fantasy

Among the plethora of Godzilla sequels Mothra vs Godzilla is simply one of the finest. The best of the Godzilla films work by having a thematic purpose underneath the spectacle of kaiju mayhem. Godzilla, an unstoppable force of destruction against the benevolent Mothra, a fragile and delicate creature.

A frequent motif in the films of Ishiro Honda was the notion of the brotherhood of man. Here this is put to the test as greed and mistrust take a hold of our characters. Our human villain seeks to exploit Mothra for profit while the islanders of Mothra's island are reluctant to help humanity in their fight against Godzilla. In many ways it shares many similarities to it's predecessor, King Kong vs Godzilla, though this film executes its themes in a more thoughtful manner. Its story and characters may be simple, but the actors give charismatic performances that really make them enjoyable. The human villains in particular are some of the finest in the series.

Tsuburaya's effects are at their apex here. Godzilla's design is imbued with a menacing personality along with a fantastic performance by suit actor Haruo Nakajima. Mothra is once again is brought to life through some stunning wirework. Her wings, head, and legs all wiggle and bob making her feel alive. The film has some of the finest hand made tokusatsu craftsmanship of the original series. Add to that a phenomenal soundtrack by Akira Ifukube and you have what is undoubtedly one of Godzilla's finest moments.