This routine entry in the GODZILLA series has far too much human intrigue and far too little of the monster-bashing we've all come to love. Scenes of giant monsters trashing some cardboard cities, which came to be a staple of these Japanese fantasy films, are few on the ground here and the ones which do occur are rather uninspired. Godzilla, the baddie again this time around, makes for a couple of large pylons and buildings and knocks them down, but even these simple acts are half-hearted affairs.
The human side of this film is more interesting than most; concerning as such some greedy villains who plan to make money from the arrival of a giant egg and the good-natured reporters (there's a turn-up for the books) who just want to return it to the rightful keepers. Suffice to say the villains get their bloody comeuppance and the reporters turn out to be the film's heroes, convincing Mothra to come and help. There's stuff for the children thrown in here (singing fairies) along with a few moments of grief, plenty of action, and questioning of nuclear warfare the likes of which we hadn't seen since 1954's GODZILLA.
The acting is pretty good all round and there are only a few howlers with the English dubbing. The special effects are excellent for this type of film, with the final battle of the titans looking about as convincing as it could be with the special effects used. This is an excellent film for the kids as it has plenty of morals and things to say about human nature as well as the fun value. It's decent and good-natured too. Incidentally, this is probably one of the most well-made of the series that I've seen, only let down by a lack of action which is far outweighed by the lengthy dialogue scenes.
The human side of this film is more interesting than most; concerning as such some greedy villains who plan to make money from the arrival of a giant egg and the good-natured reporters (there's a turn-up for the books) who just want to return it to the rightful keepers. Suffice to say the villains get their bloody comeuppance and the reporters turn out to be the film's heroes, convincing Mothra to come and help. There's stuff for the children thrown in here (singing fairies) along with a few moments of grief, plenty of action, and questioning of nuclear warfare the likes of which we hadn't seen since 1954's GODZILLA.
The acting is pretty good all round and there are only a few howlers with the English dubbing. The special effects are excellent for this type of film, with the final battle of the titans looking about as convincing as it could be with the special effects used. This is an excellent film for the kids as it has plenty of morals and things to say about human nature as well as the fun value. It's decent and good-natured too. Incidentally, this is probably one of the most well-made of the series that I've seen, only let down by a lack of action which is far outweighed by the lengthy dialogue scenes.