Mothra vs. Godzilla

Original title: Mosura tai Gojira

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

11K

YOUR RATING

Mothra's egg washes ashore and is claimed by greedy entrepreneurs who refuse to return it to her fairies. As Godzilla arises near Nagoya, the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.

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Dinosaur Adventure Globetrotting Adventure Kaiju Supernatural Fantasy Adventure Fantasy Sci-Fi

When greedy tycoons refuse to return Mothra's egg to the people of Infant Island, they must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help when Godzilla arises near Nagoya.When greedy tycoons refuse to return Mothra's egg to the people of Infant Island, they must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help when Godzilla arises near Nagoya.When greedy tycoons refuse to return Mothra's egg to the people of Infant Island, they must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help when Godzilla arises near Nagoya.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.5/10

11K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination total

Trivia
When the protagonists arrive on Infant Island, the skeleton of a turtle is seen in the background where it appears move slightly. This is often misunderstood to be an error but it's actually an intentional choice, inspired by the Italian documentary A Dog's Life (1962), which showcased the decomposed remains of a turtle that swayed in the wind. Many fans however took it further, pointing out that it appeared to blink suggesting it was indeed a living, albeit disfigured, creature. The creature eventually was nicknamed "Skeleturtle" and developed a cult following. It would make a cameo in a Godzilla comic and Toho themselves would sell merchandise of the creature, cementing its status as an actual kaiju with it's official name being translated to "Mystery Bones of Infant Island".

Goofs
When the Mothra larva grabs onto Godzilla's tail and Godzilla flings it around, the skin of the Mothra larva cracks. This is because it is being damaged by Godzilla.

Quotes
[the natives of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's pleas for help]
Professor Miura: It's a selfish request, but can you help us?
Shobijin (Twin Fairy), Shobijin (Twin Fairy): We must refuse. We have no faith in your world.
Professor Miura: Including us?
Shobijin (Twin Fairy), Shobijin (Twin Fairy): We're very sorry.
Ichiro Sakai: What do we do now?
Professor Miura: It's clear we're not welcome here.
Junko Nakanishi: Please listen to me. I understand why you don't trust us, but even as we speak, many are dying because of Godzilla. Many of them are good people, but even bad people have a right to live. You may call it divine retribution, but all people are equal before God. God plays no favorites. Please, we need your help.
Ichiro Sakai: We too want a world where we can trust one another. But the more people there are, the more difficult it becomes. Nevertheless, we'll never give up. We're working hard to make the world a better place. Please, don't be quick to judge us.

Alternate versions
The "Frontier Missile" sequence is the only example of kaiju footage contained in foreign release prints but not in the original cut. This footage slightly alters the arrangement of events of the American and European versions. This footage was filmed at AIP's request and originally excluded from the Japanese cut to keep out the very patriotic American iconage of the scene. It is now featured as bonus material on the Japanese laserdisc.

Connections
Edited from The Mysterians (1957)

Soundtracks
Sacred Springs
Composed by Akira Ifukube
Performed by Emi and Yumi Ito

User reviews92

Review

Featured review

9/10

A good, if not great, Godzilla movie

This one is considered one of the best Godzilla movies out there, but with that aside, I've been wanting to see this movie, and after finally getting around to watching it, it's actually pretty good. I mean, it's not extraordinary, but it's still worth watching.

But now on with the plot: long story short, Mothra's egg washes on the beach and some corporate businessman wants to buy the egg just so he can put it up as an attraction in his amusement park. Two twin faeries show up and warn him to have the egg returned, but he ignores them and even tries to capture them. In the meantime, a news reporter, news photographer, and professor also find out about it and are determined to help the faeries and Mothra before anything bad happens to the egg. Later, Godzilla naturally comes along and interferes, leading to a serious grudge war between the two title monsters.

My thoughts/defenses on this movie: okay, so the monster battles aren't great, but they're certainly not disappointing at all. In fact, the idea of Mothra against Godzilla apparently did sound like a step in the right direction for Toho, in my opinion. Yes, I know Godzilla is such a klutz in this movie, aside from the fact that his mouth is kinda wobbly in this one, but we certainly can't blame him 'cause the guy in the Godzilla costume can't see a thing. Okay, so the ending isn't very climactic, but it still leaves you with a good feeling.

In conclusion, this is one Godzilla movie that I think that all Godzilla fans should give a try/give a chance.

P.S. To all those who think this movie is bad or overrated, I strongly disagree.