Mothra vs. Godzilla is a film that delivers first rate monster fighting, an interesting human tale, and singing little women. It had been such a long time since I had seen this film that I had forgotten just quite how good it was. It is considerably different from the first pair of Godzilla flicks which sought to maintain a much more serious aura throughout. This time there is a healthy dose of humor from the story satirizing the greed that people can possess. There is a nice chunk of monster fighting and miniature real estate destruction, and it also has some great music.
The story picks up in the midst of a typhoon. During the storm, a giant egg is washed ashore. An unscrupulous businessmen, using all of his acumen, decides to charge a fee for tickets so that the public can view the egg and he can make a mint. Little does he know that the egg is not his to do with as he pleases. Tiny twins from Infant Island arrive to request the return of the egg. It belongs to Mothra, the guardian of their home, and the result of nuclear testing which has decimated the island.
The battle rages between the two, leading to the eventual demise of the heroic Mothra. However, all is not lost as the egg hatches, revealing two larvae who set out to avenge their mother. That leads to an all out war with the humans getting in on the act trying to take down Godzilla with an electrified net, an interesting failure. Also, in the American version there is a spectacular battle between American ships and the giant monster on a beach, it is a finely executed attack, and one of the finest of the series.
Audio. Both versions are presented in Dolby Digital stereo, both sound pretty good. Neither one will blow you out of the water, but they are serviceable and do the job well. This is probably the best they have sounded since their initial release.
Video. The two films are presented in different aspect rations with video quality of differing levels. The American version is transferred from a 1.85:1 print that suffers from a decent amount of print damage. Even still, it looks pretty good, colors are a bit washed out, but there is a nice detail level. The ratio makes some of the scenes feel cramped, but it is not awful. The Japanese version is in TOHO-scope, a ratio of 2.35:1. It too, has the washed out colors, but there is virtually no print damage, however it suffers from a slightly lesser detail level than the American version. Despite the not perfect transfers, they are highly watchable and are the best that I have ever seen them.
Extras. They are few, but worthy.
- Poster Gallery. This is a look at the various posters used over the years, set to a music suite from the film.
- Biography of Akira Ikufube. This is a nice tribute to the man behind the music. The music that he made for these films is huge, epic, and monstrous, and highly enjoyable even when not watching the movie. This ten minute featurette gives some information on his involvement, and how he was encouraged not to sign on.
- Commentary. Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski team for this highly informative track. There is a lot discussed, and also includes some archival recordings of people involved in the dub work. This is definitely worthy of spinning up. It only accompanies the American version.
Bottomline. This is a very nice release, one that belongs in any Godzilla fan's collection. The film stands as a shining example of a quality kaiju film. It has a great score, interesting human characters and first rate battles. You're going to like this one.
Highly Recommended.
The DVD is available exclusively through Classic Media. It will be available in retail outlets in the Spring of 2007.
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