MonsterVerse Mothra

[lhb412]

I find myself, as is often the case, thinking about Mothra - more specifically how Mothra will appear in a major, Hollywood motion picture in less than two years time.

I should think it isn't a spoiler and that we've all watched the end of Kong: Skull Island and seen the cave painting of Mothra with attending human worshippers, and if you look at the Godzilla 2 thread you've seen -



I'm very happy with these developments. When Godzilla '14 came out, Gareth was still in charge and all indications were that further films would continue that film's specific tone (which I actually really liked, don't get me wrong) I was positive that Mothra would loose this mystical element and just be some sort of big bug, a simple MUTO from the same radioactive era that Godzilla is from. I felt that was depressing. Mothra is mystical, Mothra is colorful. My hopes were raised when Dougherty was announced as director because his films are committed to supernatural elements and I felt (still feel) that the sky's the limited in terms of how much craziness we'll be able to get.

I love the idea of Mothra having temples and worshippers because that's something I've missed in the last few decades. We've seen temples, but they almost seem like set dressing for the fairy twins, who have superseded all other elements from Mothra. In the original films Mothra has worshippers and the Shobijin are her priestesses. In newer films it's just the fairies and they seem like her talent agent.

In terms of design I'll allow a lot of leeway. Mothra looked a certain way in the Showa movies, is a plush version of that in the Heisei movies, goes through a series of bizarre and toyetic transformations in the Mothra trilogy, then she's a strange wasp/moth thing, then Mothra kinda looks like the '60s Mothra again... we've been on a journey with Mothra's designs. I just hope it has color and looks something like a moth or butterfly. To me the supernatural, mystical element and going through the transformation from caterpillar to adult, winged version is much more important than fidelity to past designs. What Mothra does, to me, is more important than what Mothra looks like.

... though, come to think of it, the differences in effects techniques between the '60s films made for an interesting discrepancy: in the original Mothra movie the larva is this huge costume with multiple performers inside and that made the larva Mothra in the original film feel like this huge juggernaut and in the rest of the movies from that era it's this small puppet and dwarfed by Godzilla and the other monsters and feels, in comparison, like a little bug. I kinda want to get the juggernaut feel back for the caterpillar.

And as for the Shobijin... I've softened my stance here. I used to say you had to have them, that Mothra and the Shobijin are a package deal and you can't have one without the other. Now I don't necessarily believe that's true. Don't get me wrong; I'd love for them to show up in Godzilla 2, I'd love for the Mothra song to appear, and if I was making the movie you can bet they'd end up in there, but they're no longer deal breakers for me. It matters more to me that Mothra has this mystical background and that she's not a simple rampaging beast but has some sort of purpose. Using that in new ways is just as interesting to me as bringing in the Shobijin. I'd dig Mothra having some sort of psychic connection to humans, allowing for a degree of communication, for example. Something like the '90s Gamera or how Mothra appeared in dreams and visions to communicate to the human characters in Marc Cerasini's Godzilla novels would be dandy.

Anyway, what are your thoughts/hopes/dreams/fears about Mothra making the transition into Legendary's MonsterVerse?

[The Shadow]

I have to say that you hit the nail on the head as far as my thoughts on Mothra of the MonsterVerse. Reducing Mothra to a simple big bug would have been disheartening, so the K:SI cave painting was very encouraging. I do also agree that while I'd love for the Shobijin/Cosmos to be properly in the movie, it also is not a deal breaker for me. At the very least the K:SI indicates that Mothra has some sort of passive interaction if not out right friendly interaction with humans in the relatively recent past.

It's too bad that both Emi Itō and Yumi Itō have passed away, it would have been great to see them play a role of some sort; elder Shobijin/Cosmos/fairies perhaps or maybe elders of the people the know the most about Mothra (assuming or course there would be such a group).

[Dai]

I could see them having twins as Mothra's priestesses, but they will be normal humans, or psychics at most. A modern audience who aren't expecting Barbie doll-sized characters would just laugh at them. All other aspects of the Shobijin are potentially still viable for a modern movie, including a summoning song. Tribal beats and ululations have become so integrated into the movie score landscape that I think it would blend in seamlessly.

[Gwangi]

[Benjamin Haines]

[lhb412]

[mbozzo]

I wouldn't mind if Legendary did a solo Mothra movie before their version appear in a Legendary Godzilla movie.