TALKBACK #19: Godzilla and Mothra, The Battle for Earth

[Psycho Soldier]

I imagine they're just publicity shots, much like those stills of Godzilla fighting Megaguirus in the flooded city. But they do depict something better than what the movie gave us. I never really liked the undersea battle.

[Dr Kain]

Yeah, my Godzilla Compendium book has one of those city shots and I could never figure out where it came from.

[GFan]

[Gentleman]

If this was brought up before, I'm sorry.

I think Mothra is actually a villain in this movie.

Follow me here. In the movie Battra is summoned from and by the Earth because Mothra's people messed stuff up with their weather machine, if I remember right. Perfectly reasonable response on the part of the Earth, in my mind. Whether or not this Mothra and the Alias were around when it all went down, and for that matter whether or not the effects of the machine were intentional, doesn't change Battra's motivation. They messed with the Earth and Battra was sent to make sure that didn't happen again. Completely logical. Heroic, even. Like James Bond being sent to stop Blofeld's latest plot for world domination.

Now the fact that her people did this long ago doesn't necessarily make Mothra evil (in the mind of her ancient ancestor the machine might have seemed necessary), but her actions at the end of the movie definitely show her in an unflattering light. During the final battle she flies to the downed Battra and "revives" him with her power. I contend that not only did she give him an energy boost, she also messed with his mind. After all, Godzilla wasn't a threat to the Earth (at that time, at least). I believe the only reason the imago Battra fought with Godzilla in the first place was he remembered their battle at sea (a miscommunication on their part, as they actually had the same goal: the destruction of Mothra). After the lepidopterans combine to take down Godzilla, and the decision is made to dump him in the ocean, who is it that's given the tail to hold? Mothra. Who gets the end with the fangs and nuclear heat blast (face up, at that)? Battra. Coincidence? I think not.

Following Godzilla and Battra's plunge into the sea, Mothra describes a glowing sigil in the air which settles into the sea, "sealing" the site. Moments later, Godzilla wakes up and as we see in future movies he apparently had no trouble at all leaving the area. Who got "sealed" in, then? Battra.

To sum up: Mothra, in a move that would make any member of House Lannister proud, saw the opportunity to ruthlessly manipulate her deadliest rival into a situation which guaranteed his death, then made certain she wouldn't be harassed again by locking her enemy away forever. Cold shot, Mothra. Cold shot.

[Psycho Soldier]

I've occasionally felt the script made Battra out to be worse than he is. But that analysis? Next level. Instead of Infant Islanders in 2018, Mothra's worshipers should be House Bolton.

[klen7]

Thats one of the finest Mothra conspiracies I have ever seen

[GFan]

[klen7]

Saw this on the big screen this past weekend, and during the ending I got to thinking that as loose as the Heisei continuity is, you might actually have improved continuity by watching GvM'92 before GvKG'91. That would take you from KG > MKG >MG > Moguera without this film in the mix, and tighten up that thread. The ending also has some parallels with GvB that aren't in KG so it tightens that thread. I'd have to rewatch the Heisei movies a little closer to test this theory, so in might not really hold up in practice

[lhb412]

^ The only hitch is that at the beginning of GvKG Godzilla is still suffering from the effects of the Anti Nuclear Bacteria from the end of Bio.

[Psycho Soldier]

Whenever someone says, "Tell me something I don't know," my first thought is always, "Battra's eye lasers are called prism beams." My go-to piece of useless trivia comes from a movie I don't even like. I can't explain why.

Also, if Toho ever undertakes more non-Godzilla kaiju films, I think we're overdue for a Mothra-Battra reunion. I feel the possibilities for these two together haven't been fully exhausted.

[jellydonut25]

[Giganfan]

Godzilla vs. Mothra is the one that I secretly like, but am ashamed to admit it, because I know how most of the fanbase considers it a lower-rung Godzilla movie. If anything, I give it a middle-of-the-pack ranking, because Koichi Kawakita's special effects sequences, with a few obvious exceptions, are for the most part, well done. And of course, Akira Ifukube's masterful score makes the whole thing work. The Battra larva is a very formidable-looking opponent, and I like that he gets his own city-destruction scene, before tangling with Godzilla and Mothra in a nice battle at sea. Godzilla coming out of Mt. Fuji is definitely a shining moment, and his subsequent encounter with the Japanese self-defense force, with their maser-jets, and Ifukube's revived military-march is just awesome to me.

The Heisei series is still very nostalgic for me. I was still very much a kid when these movies came out, and they certainly left their mark on me. So, I suppose I am more inclined to be generous with regards to movies like Godzilla vs. Mothra. In fact, the only Heisei movies that I don't really care for are Spacegodzilla and Destroyer, and they still have a few good things about them. Godzilla vs. Mothra isn't so bad, if you ask me.