Mothra (1961)

[therealmccoy]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortha

Currently Mortha is playing a key role in the political aspects of the nidadavole constituency...

Dude, I don't know how you do it, but you make some awesome pics. Laughing my ass off here!

EDIT: Hey! I just noticed the title is spelled right now!

[Rody]

Definitely a kaiju classic. It gave a surprising amount of focus on the human characters, with some interesting political conflict as well.

(Oh, by the way, I have a question: Mothra IS female in this, right? The Sony DVD subtitles say 'he'.)

[Gamera87]

All around Mothra is easily my favorite Kaiju, This film is my second favorite Mothra film, my first is the 1992 Godzilla Vs Mothra: The Battle for Earth for personal reasons but this 1961 classic is easily one of the best Kaiju movies imho.

(On the question about Mothra's gender, I don't believe I have ever really seen the subtitles give 'her' a gender, I know as fans we consider this to be a female and Mothra Leo from the trilogy a male.)

[TokyoVigilante]

Mothra is one of the best examples of classic Kaiju (looking at "Kaiju" as a sub-genre of Sci-Fi/Fantasy) cinema, IMHO. It's an incredible film and one of my favorite films of all time.

[The H-Man]

My favorite of the non-Godzilla Toho movies, plus it has a interesting human cast as well. The first movie to show any of the kaiju in a sympathetic light (Nelson and his henchmen are the villains).

[Spuro]

^ Well, the ending of Rodan kinda had you feeling sorry for the monsters. But yeah, Mothra was the real one that introduced it.

[hammysammy59]

I love Mothra. Fantastic movie, and bringing in fairy tale/fantasy elements is what made the Japanese giant monster boom as fun and long-lived as it was. Sympathetic monsters forever!

[edgaguirus]

Mothra is a good film, and shows that kaiju don't have to be evil. Mothra is one of the most colorful and beautiful monsters, and the film has an equally pleasing story.

[Shadow]

^Yes she is quite beautiful, with those sexy wings, fuzzy head, lovely thorax and legs that go all the way-
Oh... yeah it's a good movie, nice human characters, nice plot, all that stuff.

[tymon]

Why isn't this film talked about more? This is not only a good monster movie, but a great film in general! Despite the lighthearted tone and incredibly simple story, I'm actually able to take the characters seriously (unlike 95% of the genre), and every one of them is memorable (Snapping Turtle ftw!). The acting is a big part of it, but so is the script. The pacing is tight and only boring in a few moments. The SFX are great, typical Tsuburaya - there's one shot of Mothra flying that's one of the most convincing shots of the character I've ever seen. Even the music kicks ass.

What do you guys think of this one? Because like I said, I hardly ever hear it mentioned on these forums.

[tymon]

^Excellent prop. 30-40 feet, didn't know it was that big. Sheeeeit.

[LaserDuel]

I only saw this movie recently, but to be honest, I preferred this to Mothra vs. Godzilla, mostly because the Mothra effects looked astounding in this movie. I was surprised that the whatever-their-called-fairies didn't speak in the beginning. Also, is it just me or is Mothra huge in this movie?

[gzilla46]

I only saw this movie recently, but to be honest, I preferred this to Mothra vs. Godzilla, mostly because the Mothra effects looked astounding in this movie. I was surprised that the whatever-their-called-fairies didn't speak in the beginning. Also, is it just me or is Mothra huge in this movie?

I saw this movie a long time ago. Mothra's like Gamera. They were both evil during their debut. Then they became good guys.

[eabaker]

I've noticed before how little discussion this movie seems to receive on the boards. And that is very odd, considering that it is one of the very best films of its genre, introduced one of the most popular of all kaiju, and established many of the narrative and tonal aspects that defined what is generally regarded as the golden age of Toho's kaiju eiga (from about 1960-1966).

The triumvirate of Fukuda (reporter), Chujo (scientist), and Michi (photographer) represent some of the most appealing leads in the genre, and they clearly became the template for many of Shinichi Sekizawa's subsequent protagonist cliques. Meanwhile, Nelson is a classic scenery-chewing arch villain - a marvelous bit of overacting which works because of the fairytale nature of the story.

Mothra herself is a beautiful and brilliantly realized creation.

The overall plot is very simple, but its paced so well, played with such conviction, and highlighted by such fantastic set pieces (such as Fukuda's rescue of the baby from the flood waters) that it never feels simplistic or entirely juvenile.

And Mothra herself - at least in this first appearance - raises moral/ethical questions of a complexity rare in these movies. She is simultaneously a righteous savior of enslaved innocents, and the indiscriminate destroyer of the guilty and the innocent who stand in her path.

[JAGzilla]

I remember this sticking out like a sore thumb in G X MG. Why? Because it look far better then the rest of the movie!

I thought the same thing, but didn't realize that was actual Mothra footage. Wow. That says something, when stock footage from forty years earlier looks better than the movie it's added to.

[Master-Spiff]

I remember seeing the last half-hour of this [randomly airing] on ABC when I was about 10 or so. I'd like to get the DVD of it, but I don't really care about the other two films that Sony attached it to. XD

[eabaker]

I remember seeing the last half-hour of this [randomly airing] on ABC when I was about 10 or so. I'd like to get the DVD of it, but I don't really care about the other two films that Sony attached it to. XD

Have you seen them and found that you didn't like them, or are you just not interested in giving them a chance?

Either way, it's a pretty cheap set, isn't it?

[Master-Spiff]

I remember seeing the last half-hour of this [randomly airing] on ABC when I was about 10 or so. I'd like to get the DVD of it, but I don't really care about the other two films that Sony attached it to. XD

Have you seen them and found that you didn't like them, or are you just not interested in giving them a chance?

Either way, it's a pretty cheap set, isn't it?

I don't think they look very interesting, but whenever I get the set, I'll give them a chance.

[eabaker]

I remember seeing the last half-hour of this [randomly airing] on ABC when I was about 10 or so. I'd like to get the DVD of it, but I don't really care about the other two films that Sony attached it to. XD

Have you seen them and found that you didn't like them, or are you just not interested in giving them a chance?

Either way, it's a pretty cheap set, isn't it?

I don't think they look very interesting, but whenever I get the set, I'll give them a chance.

I'm a big fan of The H-Man; along with Matango, it's an example of Honda skillfully utilizing a creepy atmosphere that would have been out of place in his kaiju work. Some gorgeous cinematography, and some really creepy sequences.

Battle in Outer Space isn't entirely my cup of tea, but some of the effects sequences are absolutely fantastic.

[Legionmaster]

Why isn't this film talked about more?

The Rolisican secret service makes sure it stays that way. You've been warned.