by Dr Kain » Thu Dec 26, 2013 3:32 pm
This was my favorite Godzilla movie when growing up and there is a reason for it. This movie is without a doubt Ishiro Honda at his best. This movie is by far the best Godzilla movie in the entire Showa series, and one of the best Godzilla movies of all time. There is just so much here to love that you can even forget about the negatives because they are well hidden behind everything else.
First off, this movie has one of the best set of characters in the franchise from the human point of a view. The story itself revolves around greedy business men who care for nothing but money, which has always been a problem with society, even to this day. The trio of main characters that are trying to help Mothra and the good of humanity are extremely likable, as they feel more like just normal people rather than some type of super geniuses who can just fix a problem. On the other hand, that is where I feel one of the negatives comes from in the later portion of the movie. Their trip to Infant Island is a just one, but the fact that these three people are able to convince a giant monster and the natives to help them after they just explained why they will not do so two minutes before hand seems misplaced and superficial. I also find it odd how Ichiro and Junko are just suddenly friends with Miura and in the same hotel room together when in the previous scene, he had no idea who they were and was getting annoyed by them trying to question him when he was working. Regardless, that is a minor nitpick to some really interesting characters. I especially like when Ichiro was just going to give up on writing about the corporation’s greed as it is giving them publicity and his boss tells him that means he is just letting them win instead of finding better words to use to make his persuasion more powerful.
My only other complaint revolving around the story of the movie is how suddenly at the end there is a teacher and students stuck on an island. What were they doing there? Clearly the island was being evacuated. Did no one know they were there? Did they not here about Godzila being on his way? How did they get stuck there? It just seems more like a plot convenience that anything else.
Plot aside, the effects and monsters in this movie are by far some of the best in the series. The Godzilla costume is without a doubt the best of the Showa era, as not only does it take the positives of his previous movies, but it also incorporates a look of ferocity in the monster’s face. I just love how mean he looks even if he is a bit clumsy. Mothra also looks incredible. In fact, as much as I enjoy the designs from the future eras of Godzilla (especially GMK’s), this is the best Mothra has ever looked. I just love how furry she is, the colors used for her, and that she is able to stand on her own when facing Godzilla without the help of another monster or a stinger. The concept of her having two priestesses (the Peanuts, as they are called in the credits) is interesting despite them being nothing more than walking exposition. The fights are enjoyable to watch, they do not look campy, and even the ending battle between Godzilla and the two larvae is entertaining. One of the best things about this movie is the lack of visible wires. There is nothing like enjoyable a monster fight only to be pulled out of the immersion by seeing wires pulling on a monster’s wings or dragging a Mothra larva around. The effects used to keep the Mothra twins small when next to the other characters was also well done even if they do look faded out in today’s video market.
Overall, I am not sure what else I can say about this movie that others do not already know. It has the best Godzilla suit until 1989’s “Godzilla vs. Biollante,” it features a Mothra that has yet to be topped, great characters, an interesting story that is well paced, and some of the best effects to be found. As I previously said, there are nitpicks to be had with the movie, but it does such a great job on everything else that you cannot help but overlook them. With that said, I give “Mothra vs Gozilla” an outstanding 9/10 stars.