Mothra (1961)

[Drunken Kong]

H-Man is a great movie.

[Toxic Toast]

I've watched Mothra now and wow, what a good movie. I can see how Mothra vs. Godzilla builds off its events... the adult Mothra's around (though scaled down a bit) and the Shobijin are familiar with the world outside Infant Island and with speaking Japanese. Thanks for posting those summaries, Guardian7!

[edgaguirus]

DtSM - Space cell mutated by explosion- Missile accidentally turns it into multiple Dogorahs- Dogorahs turned to rocks by fake insect venom

[TokyoVigilante]

I agree with the previous statements made; This film really does establishes the light-hearted, imaginative special effects epics with touches of social and political commentary that Toho is known for, and it's nice to see the beginning of when the crew of Toho started producing some of their best work.

The Special Effects work is fabulous, in not just the regular miniature/matt work, but in creating a dreamy surreal atmosphere; the elaborate native dance set to a full orchestra, the Island Paradise surrounding the desolate mountains and the miniature carriage hovering over the ocean following the Mothra Larva as it swims to Japan.

Remarkable stuff. I will agree, I wasn't fond of the pacing. But all of its other strengths overshadow this relatively minor weakness.

[Mini-Godzilla]

Mothra is probably my second-favorite Japanese monster movie (right after Gojira). And the weird thing is that I HATED Mothra before seeing the original movie. The moth now has street cred.

[HedorahLives]

I haven't seen Mothra in MANY years, but I remembered liking the slow, deliberate pacing of the film. Must rewatch soon.

I would agree that this movie, along with KKvG, was what really influenced the direction of kaiju movies of the 60s. Gojira, GRA, and Rodan were dark monster films with strong dramatic (Gojira) and horror (Rodan) overtones. Mothra is a big bright fantasy epic and morality tale with more emphasis on straight adventurism.

[August]

Remarkable stuff. I will agree, I wasn't fond of the pacing. But all of its other strengths overshadow this relatively minor weakness.

I studied Film as a major at Art School, and I don't see anything "weak" in MOTHRA's pacing; nor do I find it "slow". The film is about on a par with others in the genre for the same time period, on both sides of the Pacific. In fact, I think that MOTHRA pacing is better than GODZILLA (BLASPHEMY!).

More on MOTHRA, here:
http://augustragone.blogspot.com/2008/0 ... -1961.html

[Godzillafan642]

Lets talk the movie mortha its great

[Julia Bristow]

Mothra (1961) is a good kaiju film. It has a wonderful score (especially the title theme), good characters (especially Nelson), great effects for their time and the acting was top notch. It also gave us the Shobijin as well. I loved Mothra's adult look in this film and IMO it was the best Mothra's looked in a film

[Godzillafan642]

I love what mortha looks like in the showa seris there should be a movie where mortha fights king kong that would be great

[Kubo]

I love what mortha looks like in the showa seris there should be a movie where mortha fights king kong that would be great

MoTHRa is an interesting kaiju. I can't speak for her solo movie, but her appearance in Mothra vs Godzilla was great. As for the Mothra vs King Kong idea, Toho wouldn't be likely to buy the rights for Kong, since he's pretty expensive.

[Godzillafan642]

They have done before but i hope they buy the rights for king kong & gamera so they can make Godzilla vs Gamera vs King Kong

[Kubo]

They have done before but i hope they buy the rights for king kong & gamera so they can make Godzilla vs Gamera vs King Kong

I wouldn't count on it. They did it once, but that was one time...one time. Plus getting two different giant monsters in one movie is incredibly expensive. I'm not denying that it would be pretty awesome though.

[Godzillafan642]

Yeah but gamera returns soon he is awsome i reamber when i watched a gamera movie for first time it was gamera vs barugon i stiil watch it twice a week

[Tohosaurus]

It was a great film in most any aspect, really one of Toho's best from that era. It's also very different in personality and tone than their other movies, making it rather unique.

[The Dark Uniter]

Mothra is my favorite non Godzilla film. The human drama is very entertaining and funny, the story is well put together, the music is great, and I love the effects in the film. I also love the overall fantasy tone throughout and that it had so many great destruction scenes. Both Mothra and Mothra vs Godzilla are so equally great, it's hard to pick one over the other.

[MothraRocks]

Boy, I'm upset with the title.

Anyway, I really like Mothra, my favorite kaiju, and her appearance in Mothra vs Godzilla is great. Like her attitude to always defend what she cares about.

[JVM]

I love Mortha. Amazing film, much better than Mothra.

[edgaguirus]

I haven't seen Mortha.

Mothra, on the other hand, is a good film. It's a welcome change of pace, going from monsters that are destructive for no apparent reason, to a monster that's benevolent in nature. The acting and script are well done, and the Shobjin provide some beautiful singing.

[Gojira-Fan]

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

Isn't there already a thread for this?