Godzilla Contra a Ilha Sagrada

Mothra vs Godzilla (1964) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows an egg that washes off an island and into the ocean. The egg hatches and shortly after Mothra appears. Godzilla, ever the menacing sorts, decides there's only room for one monster in Tokyo. Will Mothra join Godzilla in his destruction or try to stop him?

This movie is directed by Ishirô Honda (Godzilla, 1954) and stars Akira Takarada (Godzilla, 1954), Yuriko Hoshi (Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster), Hiroshi Koizumi (Mothra) and Kenji Sahara (Godzilla, 1954).

I loved the story setup and the giant Easter egg that eventually becomes Mothra. I'll always enjoy the concept of the little ladies being the spokesman for the tribe and Mothra. Godzilla's emergence was great but his facial expressions in the film had me cracking up. The final battle is entertaining and also pretty funny.

Overall this is a film that's more fun than good but an absolutely must see for fans of the Godzilla franchise. Mothra is a unique and fun characters. It's easy to see why she became a mainstay within the franchise. I'd score this a 6.5/10 and strongly recommend seeing it.

I grew up on the fancier Godzilla flicks of the 1980s and 90s, so it took me a while to accept the flabby-faced, goofy-lookin' Godzilla of the 1960s. Even in his first appearance, the big G looked a lot more convincing, and menacing, than he is here. This film, like the one that preceded it, is part of a downward trend in the series' production values. It certainly is tough to take seriously.

But...so flippin' what? Despite screamingly obvious flaws, this flick is a blast. The surprisingly rich storyline involves corporate greed, nuclear testing, and totally bizarre mysticism. The science fiction and fantasy elements blend well, and it's fascinating as always to get the occasional insight into Japanese culture.

The acting is obviously good, even in the dubbed version, and some of the directing isn't bad (although Honda did a much better job on the first film - perhaps he had less money for this one). The fights are a bit silly, of course, but there is the occasional thrilling moment, such as when Godzilla's head gets set on fire, and when he melts a whole mess of nicely detailed model tanks. Ifkube's dramatic score elevates the film considerably, except of course when he gets into wailing horns turf, which is when I always reach for the "volume down" button.

If you can't stand the cheese, stay out of Godzilla's way. If you can, there's some fun to be had here.

In Mothra v. Godzilla, all the best elements of the series come together. Godzilla is back in his full fury and with an excellent, realistic costume, and co-star Mothra, in fighting for her egg, shows personality and emotion, a trait of all the finest monster movies (such as "King Kong"). And odd though it may seem, the ubiquitous human subplot is actually interesting, giving the viewer much to think about regarding the demands of big business versus the health of the environment. (Not bad for a film made in 1964!)

Godzilla Vs Mothra has to be the GREATEST movie of the 60s era. The Special Effects are amazing, dubbing is excellent, and the acting is very good. Mothra is one my favorite monsters. Roland Emmreich better not get his hands on this movie. Thats all I have to say. **** out of ****.

GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (AKA GODZILLA VS. THE THING) (3+ outta 5 stars) I remember going to see this movie at a kiddie matinée as a tot. The ads never showed what "The Thing" was... but I expected some big, mean, scary creature that would be even more formidable than 'Zilla himself! I sure wasn't expecting... a giant moth. (Or a pair of baby slugs for that matter.) Now, of course, this all sounds pretty ridiculous to all the non-Godzilla-fans out there... but, of all the Godzilla films ever made, this is the one that is most fondly-remembered. There are some great scenes in this one: Godzilla's best entrance ever (he comes bursting out of the earth tail-first) Godzilla taking apart some grand Japanese architecture piece by piece is still impressive even when you *know* that it is only an actor in a suit taking apart a miniature model. Plus there are the two, tiny twins who come to Tokyo from their remote island paradise to ask for their giant radioactive back after it washes up on a Japanese beach. Mothra is, well, he's a giant moth... and he's on the verge of dying... so how much of a fight is he going to put up? But he only has to occupy 'Zilla until the egg containing his successor hatches. Anyway, silly as it all sounds, the movie works really well... definitely the 'Zilla movie to watch if you've never seen one before.