GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA
GODZILLA VS. MECHA-GODZILLA
A film review by Jim Mann
Copyright 1995 Jim Mann
Warning: This review contains a few spoilers. (As if that really matters in movies involving giant monsters battling to the death.)
I recently watched GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (1992) and GODZILLA VS. MECHA-GODZILLA (1993), the 4th and 5th films in the revisionist Godzilla series. Like the previous film in the series, GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH, they are good films (if you take them for what they are), a return to a quality in Godzilla films that, prior to KING GHIDORAH, we hadn't seen since the mid-1960s.
One note, though, before I begin my reviews. The GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA tape I watched was entirely in Japanese (which I don't speak). Therefore, I really watched it as a visual/musical experience. I could make out most of the plot, but I'm sure there are things I've missed. GODZILLA VS. MECHA-GODZILLA was subtitled.
GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA is sort of a remake of parts of the original Mothra and of GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (1964; a.k.a. GODZILLA VS. THE THING). Mothra's egg hatches, Mothra comes to Japan, creates a cocoon, turns into a giant moth, etc. At the same time, Mothra and another moth-like giant creature, Batra, battle Godzilla.
The effects are impressive, by and large. Toho studios have gotten very good at making the destruction of miniature buildings look real. American movie makers could learn something here (and perhaps save themselves hundreds of millions of dollars). The monster fights are very good and some are rather innovative, especially the undersea fight between Godzilla and the Batra.
Another nice point is the soundtrack. It is again by Ikira Ikafube and is again very good. It contains echoes of some previous soundtracks, but with some completely new themes. (Though, as noted below, the GODZILLA VS. MECHA-GODZILLA soundtrack does this one better.)
It's not as good as the original GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA which still remains the second best movie in the whole series. I'd rank it, though, high in the second level--behind GODZILLA, GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA and GODZILLA VS. MECHA-GODZILLA (1993), and about on the par with GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH and GHIDRA, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER.
GODZILLA VS. MECHA-GODZILLA is a step up. This is surprising. First of all, it is following a couple of pretty good movies, so it is a pleasant surprise to find one that's even better. Secondly, though, this time they didn't remake one of the better Godzilla. Instead, they remade (at least in the sense of borrowing title and main protagonist from) a so-so (to be kind) movie and turned it into a very good. It's probably the third best movie in the series.
As the movie begins, the Japanese government has raised the body of Mecha King Ghidorah from the ocean floor. Using the 23rd century technology, they create the ultimate anti-Godzilla weapon, Mecha-Godzilla. Meanwhile, a prehistoric egg is discovered on an island. When scientists show up to investigate the find, they first find the egg defended by Rodan (his first appearance in the revisionist series). Moreover, Godzilla also shows up. They make off with the egg while Godzilla battles Rodan.
They assume that the egg is a Rodan egg. However, when it hatches, out pops a baby (8-foot) Godzilla (or gojirosaurus). This raises some intriguing questions. Was the Godzilla egg put in the Rodan nest much as a cuckoo puts its eggs in other bird's nests. Or are Rodan and Godzilla somehow related? There is certainly some connection between the two, as we find in the movie's climax, when the energy of a dying Rodan regenerates a dead Godzilla.
The battles between Godzilla and Mecha-Godzilla are impressive. They fight twice, and each time the battle is pretty evenly matched. The effects are good here, as are the effects of various buildings being destroyed.
Ikira Ikafube's soundtrack is once again very good. The Mecha-Godzilla theme is perhaps the best new theme "signature" theme for a Toho creation since the 1960s. This new theme is mixed effectively with many echoes of older themes, all to good effect.
A nice point in both films as that they are internally consistent and not particularly silly. I cringed in GODZILLA 1985 when the used bird calls as a Godzilla lure and when they used cadmium missles to "moderate" Godzilla. There's nothing like that here. What nonsense there is is the sort of fun nonsense that seems to fit with our enjoyment of the movie rather than making us squirm in our seats.
After watching GODZILLA VS. MECHA-GODZILLA I anxiously await GODZILLA VS. SPACE GODZILLA. I also really wish someone would show these on the big screen.
Jim Mann jmann@transarc.com
.
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews