THE SAGA OF THE KING OF THE MONSTERS ~ PART 19: GODZILLA VS MOTHRA

I have nothing against remakes. Hell that seems to be all Hollywood is doing nowadays, remakes or sequels. I enjoy both in fact. But I must admit to feeling a little disappointed when I get a remake versus a sequel. If I had to choose between the two I'd choose sequel 9 times out of 10. For one I'd rather see the story move forward instead of backwards. Thus my beef with GODZILLA VS MOTHRA, part 19.

It's virtually the exact same story as Mothra Vs Godzilla (1964) and the original Mothra (1961). Both are great movies, but they have never been my favorites. Both films represent two of the high points of the genre and are highly regarded amongst fans and critics alike. I guess Mothra just doesn't resonate with me like the other kaiju do. She's still a wonderful character and classic kaiju but not the one for me.

In case you've forgotten, the basic plot is the discovery of Infant Island. A small group of people travel to the island at the behest of a corporate giant with nefarious interests. What they find are some cave paintings depicting an ancient battle between two primeval gods, twin women the size of Barbie dolls calling themselves the Cosmos, and a giant egg. Both Cosmos and the egg are loaded up and transported across the ocean back to Japan.

Godzilla rises from the sea and attacks the egg. The egg hatches and a young Mothra still in larvae form emerges. During the attack Battra shows up too. All three monsters disappear and the ship escapes. The Cosmos are taken to said nefarious company and are held captive. Mothra crashes through the city to find them. Godzilla descends on the city in the final act and both Mothra and Battra are needed to stop him.

The aspect of this movie that I really enjoy is the new stuff it brings to the table, namely new kaiju BATTRA, the anti-Mothra. Godzilla's battle with Battra is clearly the highlight of this film and why I continue to watch it. The special effects are still good and the monster throwdowns are as epic as ever! Battra's design is like a Goth version of Mothra. More like a beetle than a moth, equip with an exoskeleton and longer insectoid legs. Curiously the larvae form of Battra seems bigger and more powerful than the adult. It's definitely one cool design and cool concept having an anti-Mothra. So sad Battra didn't see a return in the 90's Mothra trilogy.

Godzilla too gets a little revamp in his look. He looks a little bigger, a little less trim. And he looks angrier. The Heisei designs for Godzilla have always been my favorite and to me they feel like the definitive look for the king of the monsters. Another cool little part of the film is Godzilla and Battra's first fight. The battle rages along the bottom of the ocean. The two monsters fight their way into an active lava tube. Godzilla is swallowed up and disappears. When he reemerges later it is out of the mouth of a volcano. Godzilla swam his way from the ocean through a lava tube all the way to the mouth of the volcano. How wicked cool is that?!

The reason this film and the previous movie went back to familiar territory instead of forging ahead into the unknown was because the general audience wasn't as receptive to Godzilla VS Biollante as the studio had hoped. TOHO studios got cold feet and decided to play the following three films safely. And that's the reason why these three aren't among my top favorites in the franchise. Yet all three seem to garner high praise from fans and critics of the series. It's moments like these where I wonder if I'm the only one who knows what's really good and what's just so so. Then I wonder if maybe it's me and I simply have no taste. Odds are stronger I have little to no tast.

All in all there is a lot in this movie that's good. Godzilla is represented very well and Battra is a welcomed addition to the kaiju roster. The special effects are very good and the monster fights are well done. Like I said, most fans really like this movie. It is a worthy entry in the franchise, but it isn't one that I continually return to.

Overall Ranking: 6 out of 10
Category: Transcendence