Godzilla - A Batalha do Século

I sat down to watch the 1992 "Gojira vs. Mosura" (aka "Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth") without much of any particular expectations, aside from it being your average traditional "Godzilla" movie.

And true enough, this is actually what "Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth" turned out to be, but there was just something about the storyline that made it just a tad more outstanding than your average, generic mass-produced "Godzilla" flick. Perhaps it was because of Mothra and Battra? I enjoyed that aspect of the movie quite a lot actually.

The special effects in the movie were good, and they definitely helped to bring the movie to life in a more enjoyable fashion. Sure, the movie was made in 1992, and the effects are showing their age. But still, there is just something charming about them still using miniature models in 1992.

The more of these movies I watch, the more both Godzilla and Mothra grow on me. And believe you me, I have sat through a lot of the older "Godzilla" movies by now.

Storywise, then "Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth" turned out to be just another run-of-the-mill storyline and script made from the 'how-to-make-a-Godzilla-movie-for-dummies". So don't go expecting a revolutionary chapter in the "Godzilla" franchise from writer Kazuki Ohmori and director Takao Okawara.

But all in all, an enjoyable and entertaining movie. I am rating "Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth" a solid six out of ten stars.

"Godzilla vs. Mothra" is a somewhat preachy kaiju movie in which Mothra, a friend to mankind (despite, as we are constantly reminded, our selfish and stupid behavior) faces off against Battra, a guardian of Earth who was created millennia ago in response to an attempt by our distant ancestors to control the weather. Godzilla, having been awakened by a meteorite crashing into the ocean shows up and the two giant bugs have to decide whether to join forces against a common enemy of both man and the Earth. Other than some superfluous "Indiana Jones"-style archeological adventures, the movie is essentially a bug-fight with Godzilla thrown in as an after-thought. I liked the original adult Mothra (1961, 1964) but I'm not a fan of her colourful new appearance (she looks like she's made of fuzzy pipe-cleaners and covered with dyed poodle fur) or her new 'laser beam' (?) abilities. Both larval forms and the adult Battra look pretty good, and the scenes where Mothra passes through her cocoon stage (wrapped in silk, leaning against the Japanese parliament buildings) was great (I was disappointed when Battra's corresponding morphological change was instantaneous). The Heisei-era Godzilla suit is still looks great and the 'fight' scenes are pretty well staged (for a monster that can take tank shells in the chest at close range, Godzilla sure hates having the tip of his tail bitten). As always, Akira Ifukube's score is great and brings back both Godzilla's iconic march and Mothra's beautiful theme (IMO, the best music in the franchise). The acting is pretty typical for a 90's Kaiju outing: fine in non-demanding roles, but the 'Cosmos', Mothra's little fairy-familiars are neither as sweet nor as melodic as the Peanuts (who originated the roles in "Mothra" (1961)). The dubbing in the version I watched (a Tristar DVD) was OK (although the greedy CEO of Murutomo has a silly, cartoonish voice). The environmental self-flagellation in the film is about as subtle as one would expect from a Godzilla film (even when compared to G. vs Hedorah) and comes across a bit self-righteous for a country that uses over 20 billion disposable wooden chopsticks a year, mostly made from imported wood. All-in-all, number 19 in the series is an OK outing but a step down from its antecedent, the gloriously silly "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah". The Japanese seem to suffer from collective kaiju-amnesia (there is no reference to Mothra having visited the islands before) and show tremendous aplomb (no one seems particularly surprised when two gigantic moths show up).

The fourth movie in the Heisei series, this Godzilla movie is a fairly solid entry in the long-running Godzilla series. This was the most successful Godzilla movie of the Heisei series although critically, it's seen as one of the lesser films in the second Godzilla series.

The plot deals with a meteor crashing on earth, awakening Godzilla, Battra, and uncovering Mothra's egg. Battra attacks mankind for poisoning the environment, Godzilla attacks EVERYTHING, and Mothra tries to protect mankind from both menaces. There's a sub-plot thrown in dealing with a treasure-hunter and his ex-wife, as well as some not-so-subtle themes about the environment and Megumi Odaka as the psychic Mike Saegusa (sadly, her role is thin in this one).

The special FX are great for the most part. The kaiju battles are fierce, although a bit too flashy (due to the nature of the monsters). There are some memorable scenes: Godzilla rising out of the volcano, Godzilla destroying Yokohama, Mothra coming out of its cocoon, and some others. The main liabilities in the special FX is Godzilla's return to his old roar (as opposed to the one he used in the previous 3) and Mothra's attack on Tokyo doesn't look too convincing.

Overall, a good monster movie. The pace moves reasonably well. The monsters are fun and exciting as always. The preachy manner of our need to protect the environment isn't handled well, but it's not like it matters too much. After all, I watch these movies to see monsters fighting.

This movie starts out pretty good, with realistic looking meteor falling to earth, but that's the end of good special effects for this film. Special effects director Koichi Kawakita must have been absent the day they shot this movie (although he is credited), because his previous film (Godzilla vs King Gidorah) was lot better than this one.

The only reason I could think of for this movie's special effect being so bad was that it was rushed for summer season when kids are off school. These movies are primarily targeted I believe for elementary school kids which I think is grave mistake on Toho's part, because many children enjoyed Gamera 3 which was not catering to younger audiences.

Asides from the above, this movie has more than few things in common with the original Mothra vs Godzilla (1964).

1. There's a corrupt real estate developer as the main protagonist.

2. A typhoon exposes Mothra's egg.

3. Two man and a woman goes on an expedition to Infant (Mothra) island.

4. It's two monsters against one Godzilla.

5. Actor Akira Takarada stars in both movies.

This DVD comes together with Godzilla vs King Gidorah which Toho created as their 60th anniversary project, which is one of the best Godzilla movie of the '90s.

Number four in the Heisei Godzilla movies, and it's the return of Mothra!

However, there's a new monster thrown into the mix, the creature known as Battra!

Big G isn't too bad in this one. I'm not too sure about the sound of his atomic heat beam. I think it needs checking.

Mothra is back, but her larva form doesn't move in the way it did before. It's like she'd just propelled on rollers.

Battra is a very good newcomer. I don't know which form I like best, the larva or flying forms.

This is a good movie, but it's not the best.