During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Toho Studios were attempting to experiment to replicate the formula established in the original “Gojira” for original monster movies. Experiments ranged from “Rodan” and “The Mysterians” to “Varan the Unbelievable” and several others to varying degrees of success, finally prompting the implementation of one of the most beloved giant monsters in the studios' canon with their all-time classic “Mothra”.
Mothra is screening at Japan Society, Friday, July 8, 2022 at 7:00 PM
After rescuing several stranded mariners, Dr. Harada (Ken Uehara) informs reporter Fukuda (Frankie Sakai) and his photographer Michi (Kyoko Kagawa) about the survivors' ability to return from a highly radioactive area in the South Pacific, without injury. As they claim the result is from the natives on a remote island that was long thought to have been deserted, he hooks up with Dr. Chujo (Hiroshi Koizumi) about the possibility of the story and reports his presence on a trip organized by Clark Nelson (Jerry Ito) of the country Rolisica to Beiru Island where they located the sailers. While there, they manage to find two small native beauties (Emi and Yumi Ito) living alone with other natives, and when they find the girls have been stolen by Nelson and put on display in an exploitative show, the giant monster guardian Mothra arrives to rescue the girls and return them to their island home.
“Mothra” is a slightly overrated by still enjoyable giant monster epic. One of the best elements of this one is that it manages to merge together fantasy elements with normal science fiction elements. This is done incredibly well by writer Shinichi Sekizawa, to the point of appearing far more as a fantasy than a true out-and-out science fiction film. The scenes on the island, which show the islanders' culture with their dancing rituals, attire, and the symbolic decorations in the caves, depict the different paintings of Mothra which are straight out of a fantasy film. That these factors never once appear out-of-place, since they are interwoven well into the main storyline, works perfectly for this type of film. The last factor for this aspect is the concept of the twin fairies, a fabulous creation that comes off incredibly well with their innocence and charm as well as them coming off pretty life-like when inserted into the action.
That also leads to the other good part of “Mothra” in the well-done special effects. Pretty much every effect here is incredibly effective, which is mostly related to the enjoyable military vehicles used throughout here. From the fighter jets to the miniature ground forces, to the scale-model buildings that look incredible when they're smashed and destroyed, to the Mothra larvae puppets and full-grown adult models, the special effects here are fun to watch. That is on full display in the film's best scene, the larvae's attack on Tokyo, where they decimate suburban outskirts before mowing through the downtown area all the while being blasted by fighters jets and tanks. With lots of explosions going off, the interplay between the costume and the models destroying everything brings lots of action and makes for a big spectacle scene before it even gets to the main point where it cocoons Tokyo Tower while being attacked with a heat ray canon. While the adults' attack on Rolisica is pretty decent and exciting, it lacks the energy of the smaller one's attack earlier, despite it still being an enjoyable scene.
“Mothra” has only a few flaws that hold it back. One of the biggest issues here is the fact that its main focus for the majority of the time is off the monsters, placing them in the briefest parts of the backend of the movie. Although that is a common occurrence in the genre, this one is far more obvious, making it feel a lot duller and drawn-out than usual. With the majority of the first half concentrating on the expedition as well as establishing Nelson's greed complex that is just not all that interesting how it plays out, this one hammers those elements in. That is done by countless scenes showing Nelson's lack of concern for anyone else, and the willingness to exploit the Fairies, which gets old very fast. The other flaw here is the rather broad comedy that really isn't all that funny, tending to crack too many jokes when the situation doesn't call for it and the rather lame physical insults are rather obnoxious. These are the few problems that bring the film down.
Perhaps one of the best examples of the genre ever made, “Mothra” is solid all-around entertainment on pretty much every account as there's really a sense of everything coming together. It is highly recommended for fans of the genre or those looking to expose outsiders to the wonders of the genre.
