User Reviews

As a major fan of the original dark, haunting kaiju movies, I very much enjoy watching "Godzilla vs. Mothra" even though I still can't understand why they call Mothra "the Thing" (maybe it's just in the Americanized dubbed version).

Godzilla's appearance in this movie is very good, however, there are some problems with his mouth in this movie. They are very wobbly and that's because in the sequence where Godzilla emerges from underground, the suit got damaged and the mouth got loose. And later on, the head caught on fire, although if you ask me, that was pretty cool and showed how invincible and invulnerable Godzilla really is.

The music's superior with legendary composer Akira Ifukube campusing the score. Eiji Tsuburaya handles the great special effects and Ishiro Honda's talents as a director come through in this movie.

GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA (AKA GODZILLA VS. THE THING) (3+ outta 5 stars) I remember going to see this movie at a kiddie matinée as a tot. The ads never showed what "The Thing" was... but I expected some big, mean, scary creature that would be even more formidable than 'Zilla himself! I sure wasn't expecting... a giant moth. (Or a pair of baby slugs for that matter.) Now, of course, this all sounds pretty ridiculous to all the non-Godzilla-fans out there... but, of all the Godzilla films ever made, this is the one that is most fondly-remembered. There are some great scenes in this one: Godzilla's best entrance ever (he comes bursting out of the earth tail-first) Godzilla taking apart some grand Japanese architecture piece by piece is still impressive even when you *know* that it is only an actor in a suit taking apart a miniature model. Plus there are the two, tiny twins who come to Tokyo from their remote island paradise to ask for their giant radioactive back after it washes up on a Japanese beach. Mothra is, well, he's a giant moth... and he's on the verge of dying... so how much of a fight is he going to put up? But he only has to occupy 'Zilla until the egg containing his successor hatches. Anyway, silly as it all sounds, the movie works really well... definitely the 'Zilla movie to watch if you've never seen one before.

Mothra vs Godzilla (1964) is a movie I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows an egg that washes off an island and into the ocean. The egg hatches and shortly after Mothra appears. Godzilla, ever the menacing sorts, decides there's only room for one monster in Tokyo. Will Mothra join Godzilla in his destruction or try to stop him?

This movie is directed by Ishirô Honda (Godzilla, 1954) and stars Akira Takarada (Godzilla, 1954), Yuriko Hoshi (Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster), Hiroshi Koizumi (Mothra) and Kenji Sahara (Godzilla, 1954).

I loved the story setup and the giant Easter egg that eventually becomes Mothra. I'll always enjoy the concept of the little ladies being the spokesman for the tribe and Mothra. Godzilla's emergence was great but his facial expressions in the film had me cracking up. The final battle is entertaining and also pretty funny.

Overall this is a film that's more fun than good but an absolutely must see for fans of the Godzilla franchise. Mothra is a unique and fun characters. It's easy to see why she became a mainstay within the franchise. I'd score this a 6.5/10 and strongly recommend seeing it.

Godzilla Vs Mothra,the fourth Godzilla film,is regarded by some fans as the best. It doesn't have the power and allegorical elements of the original,yet it doesn't go into outright camp like many of the sequels. The film is colourful,exciting and often witty,yet the fantastical story is handled relatively seriously.

The plot is strong and,within the demands of a Japanese monster movie,logical. The human characters are mostly reasonably interesting and we don't mind spending time with them for the first half hour or so until the monsters show up. The effects are excellent considering the budget-the constant criticism of the effects in these films is sometimes valid but certainly not here. The two monster battle scenes are shorter then usual but exciting and amusing without being completely comical. Godzilla is at his most fearsome in this film,and he even threatens children,while the graceful,mystical Mothra is a great adversary. Akira Ifikube's music is thrilling {if repetitive}and there are even important issues such as the destruction of the environment and the evils of big business put into the film without spoiling the fun.

Some other Godzilla films may be more funnier,or more exciting,or more spectacular,or whatever,but Godzilla Vs Mothra may well be the artistic peak of the series,with all the elements woven into an immensely satisfying whole,and,unusually for a Japanese sci-fi movie of the time,it was not altered much for it's US version,with only some minor cuts,not-too-bad dubbing and,best of all, the addition of a scene featuring Godzilla!

Before shared-universes like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC Extended Universe, Star Wars, Star Trek and even the current Legendary Pictures Monster-Verse, Toho Studios, in Japan, was doing their own shared Monster-Verse back in the 1950s. It began with a little film called Gojira (1954), which introduced to the world, the name of Godzilla. As the 1950s went on, Toho-Studios realized they had a hit on their hands and immediately released a sequel, Godzilla Raids Again (1955). Toho-Studios began to branch out to other characters and released Rodan (1956) The Mysterians (1957) and Varan the Unbelievable (1958), but it was the run-up to this film, that things got really interesting.

In 1961 they released Mothra (1961) and followed that up with King Kong VS Godzilla (1962), which blew the doors off of movie screens around the world. It cemented this kaiju (monster), franchise as being an ageless one. The Japanese filmmakers knew they needed to keep things going, so this time they squared the great lizard-king against another one of their previous successes, Mothra, the giant butterfly-like mystical protector of Infant Island. Mothra VS Godzilla (1964), would be another great clash of the titans and would become the film, that best explains what a classic Godzilla movie was all about. It would become the text-book example of why these films appealed to millions over the last 70 years. It explains why these films were creative, always exciting, sometimes even scary and playfully executed. They were the best representation of the science fiction nerd's imagination.

This brings me to the plot of this film, because it carries over from what we saw in the two films that proceeded it. Mothra VS Godzilla (1964), opens up with a major typhoon hitting the Japanese coastline. Huge waves swirl onto the beaches with the winds knocking everything over in its path, flooding the areas inland. The pounding soundtrack by legendary, Japanese film composer Akira Ifukube, is thundering in the background. A few days later, in the wake of the storm, the people of the area begin the clean-up of their coastal towns. In one particular area a giant Mothra-sized egg washes close to shore. In another area, while pumps are sending the storm-waters back into the sea, a giant kaiju tail ascends up from underneath the sand and dirt, washed ashore by the storm. Godzilla has returned. This is where the previous two movies come in.

At the conclusion of King Kong VS Godzilla (1962), Godzilla disappears into the sea. Gojira, probably bored of his fight with Kong, goes into hibernation and doesn't return until the storm in this film washes him ashore. It is actually the Mothra egg that wakes him up. As the audience gets reunited with Mothra and the magical tiny twins from Infant Island (The Peanuts - Emi and Yumi Ito), we are reminded of what we learned in Mothra (1961). Mothra is an ancient mystical creature, that the twins (who could be just as old), are telekinetically linked to. Their peaceful island existence was ruined by human-kind's atomic tests, thus rendering Infant Island useless. Only the great power of Mothra has kept the island going and somewhat still alive. Now with Godzilla on a rampage and Mothra's egg in the hands of corrupt businessmen, the stage is set for a battle of the century.

Part of the Japanese filmmakers' craft was creating the monster suits for the various kaiju found in the films. The technical, physical effects in these movies consisted of various special effects techniques. One of the main technical hurtles was the monster suit design. The best suits had the following positive criteria; the suits were slick-looking, concealed the actor inside well and looked real enough for audiences of the time period. To put it bluntly, the craft revolved around guys in giant monster suits. It was a cost-effective way of trying to tell a special kind of science fiction story on film. As we would find out, kaiju films, especially in Japan, made a boatload of money and the preferred practice of Japanese special effects artists, for more than 50 years, was an actor in a monster suit. Once you get past this you can accept the films easier. It's what all movies usually are trying to do. The goal of a film is to make things a two-way street. That is done, by the filmmakers presenting their craft and the audience using their imaginations. The Japanese kaiju films play a large part in world-cinema history.

With the suits aside, the other physical effects involved the miniature cities, mountains, towns, oceans, coastlines, vehicles, planes, you name it. The Japanese would build whole cities in order to capture the clash of the actors inside the suits. It was basically world-building on a warehouse scale. It is that aspect of these films, that truly make them good. The amount of work it took to create these mini-cities and landscapes, the attention to detail the artists took and the idea that all of that hard work is mostly going to get destroyed, is what sold these movies the most. You also get a clever science fiction story, that usually has to go on a two-prong attack in order to be successful. The stories need to involve sub-plots involving the human characters in the film, as well as a basic reason why the monsters are here. The monsters need their story too.

This film has all these components. It has all the big names that made this sub-genre a cult-classic favorite. Along with music from Akira Ifukube, legendary Japanese special effects master Eiji Tsuburaya and director Ishiro Honda, this film contains all the main filmmakers needed to be authentic. It also has some of the best actors found in these films. Repeat classic, legacy actors like, Akira Takarada (who was in the original Gojira (1954), Hiroshi Koizumi (who's in Mothra (1961) and Kenji Sahara (King Kong VS Godzilla (1962), are just to name a few. This is a text-book example of the best of 1960s Japanese kaiju films. It also came before the embarrassing kaiju era, that turned Godzilla into a superhero. Those films are another conversation for another day.

It also is important to note, that finding the original American version of this film would be good for fans to see as well. When this film was being marketed to the international box office the decision was made to shoot an extra scene needed for the international market. The international distributers felt the film needed one more, extra, action scene. Something that would appeal to the west, most notably the United States. This scene was also done by the same Japanese special effects artists, bur featured an American Frontier missile attack against Godzilla on a beach. The film was released in America as Godzilla VS the Thing (1964). The English-dubbed version has many of the talented voice-actors who helped entertain millions of American kaiju fans all through the 1960s and 70s. This film is the one to see, if you have an interest in, what is now referred to as, the Showa Era of Godzilla (1954-1975).

7.6 (C+ MyGrade) = 7 IMDB.

Toho continue on an entertaining Kaiju streak. Here the battle is between Mothra and Godzilla. Though entertaining, it does pretty much rehash the plots of both of these monsters independent outings. Godzilla always knows when another monster is out and about and here he comes to trash some stuff up. In a desperate attempt at salvation, Japan turn to Mothra for some help. Only problem is a greedy businessman has come into possession of Mothra's egg and refuses to let it go. There are some thematic elements around the battle of the sexes here. With Godzilla representing the destructive and vengeful force of man, and Mothra the maternal do-gooder. However, unlike previous films the themes are swept under the rug for more monster brawling. There's less humor than the previous outing, and even more violence. I doubt it's any coincidence that the most violent scenes come from humans attacking humans, rather than Godzilla's rampage.

In Mothra v. Godzilla, all the best elements of the series come together. Godzilla is back in his full fury and with an excellent, realistic costume, and co-star Mothra, in fighting for her egg, shows personality and emotion, a trait of all the finest monster movies (such as "King Kong"). And odd though it may seem, the ubiquitous human subplot is actually interesting, giving the viewer much to think about regarding the demands of big business versus the health of the environment. (Not bad for a film made in 1964!)

When a giant egg washes up on the beach after a hurricane, a greedy businessman takes possession of it. Then two tiny fairy twins show up declaring the egg must be returned to its mother, the giant moth appropriately called Mothra. The businessman refuses to give back the egg. Then Godzilla shows up wrecking havoc again and it looks like the only hope for Japan stopping the monster may be Mothra and its unhatched children.

I am not a hardcore Godzilla fan but I have read many reviews here that claim this to be the best Godzilla sequel. Some even call it the best Godzilla film altogether! I can't agree with that at all. It's enjoyable but it's nowhere near as profound as the first film or as fun as many of the campy monster rally sequels. The returning silly fairy twins from the first Mothra film and the cartoonish greedy businessman villain automatically disqualify it from being considered better than the original Godzilla. Still, it's an entertaining Japanese giant monster movie. The music is great and special effects are pretty good. This has one of the best Godzilla suits I've seen in any of the movies I've watched. All of the Godzilla scenes are enjoyable, particularly the fight scenes. I confess to never getting the appeal of Mothra but I'm probably in the minority on that.

Otherwise known as Godzilla vs The Thing this Godzilla film see's him awaken yet again and an ancient civilization and it's own monster being the key to defeating him.

The "Thing" in question being Mothra who shockingly enough is a giant moth! Who saw that coming?

Same classic score, same goofy sfx, same odd charm and same baffling writing decisions this title is dumb but passable but at some point someone is going to have to fully explain to me the little people.

A must for fans of the franchise, for anyone else this is just another Godzilla film.

The Good:

Well scored

The Bad:

The little people are daft

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Despite missiles, bullets and electricity never working before, try again you never know!

Before society had Brazzers they had the Mothra vs. Godzilla finale

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.

Mothra vs Godzilla Japanese Version 6/10 Critically acclaimed and loved by Godzilla fans the fight against Mothra is generally perceived as one of the best Zilla films out there. Perhaps I went into the movie with too high of expectations while I thought it was very good it just didn't live up to what I hoped for. Although it has its moments and there is a ton of good Godzilla wreckage and battles I was still a little let down with the plot and characters. Mothra's miniature girls are indeed enchanting and a great addition to the series and the two villains are great, it was the main characters that seemed less special. Where did the guy with the hardhat come in anyway? Overall it's a solid addition to the series just not up there with my favorites.

The Thing vs Godzilla English Version 4/10 Calling Mothra " The Thing" was just downright disrespectful to the American Audience having a heinous name that is so generalized. Didn't like the that about the English dub otherwise the movie stuck to the Japanese plot which I was satisfied with. Overall Motha Aka The Thing versus Godzilla I give a 5 out of 10.

"Godzilla vs. Mothra" (1964) has been known for a very long time as probably the best Godzilla film, in many circles even over the first one, and rightfully so. All the elements were probably at their best for this film - the script was entertaining from start to finish; the characters were likable and interesting; the music was at its most powerful and memorable; the filmography was its most striking; and the monster action incredible. This was also the movie with, hands down, the greatest Godzilla costume ever created.

Known as "Godzilla vs. The Thing" before being changed to the present title somewhere along the line, I cannot stress enough what a great film this is. Godzilla makes an awesome first appearance, and from there the movie actually features a lot of very realistic rear-screen photography of Godzilla roaming around real Japan landscapes and streets. There are some truly amazing shots of Godzilla coming from behind real buildings and mountains, as the usual crowds run for their lives. For some reason, Godzilla films in the original series very rarely used this process after this film, and in the rare case they did, it didn't look nearly as good as it does here.

I am very fortunately to actually own this film on the Simitar Godzilla DVD box set release from 1999, which features this movie in perfect quality and in widescreen. This box set is of the highest quality, totally blowing away the insulting Sony Godzilla DVD box set with some of the same movies, including "Godzilla vs. Mothra," only in very poor quality. If you have the hundreds of dollars to spend, finding a used Simitar DVD set is the way to go.

Of course, another plus is that this is the only Godzilla movie ever to have monster scenes filmed for the American release that were not included in the Japanese release. Of course, seeing this on widescreen rules!

This is also a landmark film because this is the last film of the original series where Godzilla is completely on the bad side. Absolutely not to be missed by any serious monster or sci-fi/fantasy fan.

Version: AIP edit, English dub.

'Godzilla vs Mothra' is considered by many Godzilla fans to be one of the best Godzilla movies around. I don't want argue that, but after watching it again recently with some mates who'd never seen it, it did seem more like a Godzilla movie to laugh along to rather than watch with some seriousness and thought. I never thought I'd say anything like that, but 'Godzilla vs Mothra' is a lot more serious than the films that followed it.

A particularly nasty group of businessmen working for 'Happy Enterprises' get their hands on a giant egg, washed up on a Japanese shore. Happy Enterprises places the egg on display, for a tidy profit, not ever thinking about the possible consequences of having a giant egg on display (say, angering the monster that laid the egg?). Enter the Twin Fairies (first seen in the original 'Mothra'), appealing to anyone who will listen for the return of the egg to Peace Island. The egg carries the next Mothra, and the current Mothra is about to expire. Naturally, the evil Happy Enterprises would much rather keep the egg, but circumstances force their hand when Godzilla turns and sees the egg as a giant snack...

Watching 'Godzilla vs Mothra', I find it a little hard to believe that 'Godzilla vs Mothra' is universally praised as being the best Godzilla movie ever. It is good, but best ever? Perhaps the next comments will give a good indication of my age and attention span, but 'Godzilla vs Mothra' is fairly slow moving for a giant monster film. Neither Godzilla nor Mothra turn up in the first half hour. Sure, there are human characters to introduce and a plot to set up, but all I want is a bit more involvement from the giant monsters I want to see.

Hey, I don't hate it. 'Godzilla vs Mothra' is still a fun film. For an almost serious monster movie, there are a few very silly moments. This is a Godzilla that acts really angry, but is a bit goofy when it comes to maintaining his balance and runs around with his head on fire at least once. It is kind of hard to believe that Godzilla can be troubled by a giant month and it's larval offspring, but the evidence. I guess it is compelling for old-school Godzilla fans, and comically amusing for young people with really short attention spans. There's something for everyone!

I have trouble believing that this is Godzilla's best movie, but to each their own. It is a fun movie - 7/10

Yes, this Godzilla film was not even supposed to have Godzilla in it. It was going to be strictly a Mothra movie and she was supposed to fight a monster whose name I think was Baigon or something. The movie makers wisely though changed it to Godzilla as they thought he would be a better draw. So we basically have an egg washing up on the shoreline after a typhoon. A greedy owner of some sort of amusement park or something buys up the egg and of course wants to hatch it. The fairy twins come along and try and get the egg back, but of course the greedy people are not going to listen which means the eggs could hatch and a Mothra larvae could go on the rampage at any time. Add to this the fact Godzilla is back again fresh off his fight with King Kong, proving that he didn't get killed by the big ape after all. Still, he is not himself as he gets his tail caught in something and it falls down and he stumbles into a building. Just not himself and then he must face the moth form of Mothra and he gets hammered a bit. This is the same Godzilla that would go on to defeat much more powerful foes, but here he just has not gained that level of skill. Well the fight with the moth form of Mothra is the highlight, after this the movie just is not up to par as it is mainly Godzilla walking through barren country side instead of stomping through cities and a pointless school teacher and her missing students on an island that seems like it is there to pad the film a bit. Still it is a rather good and well developed Godzilla movie though I guess technically it is a Mothra movie more.

A greedy developer unwittingly hatches a gigantic baby moth upon Tokyo, while Godzilla strikes once again.

The film was brought to America by American International, the same folks who worked with Roger Corman. The dubbing is done quite well, and the film is not shredded to bits for Americanization. They did change Mothra to "the Thing" in order to create some mystery and hype, though.

I like the fairy twins (played by "the Peanuts") and I must say there was some realistic battling between the monsters (all things considered), and a good-looking Godzilla suit. The film has received favorable reviews by critics, and is widely considered among the best Godzilla films. I concur. This is easily the best in the series since the original ten years prior.

This is one of the best Godzilla movies ever filmed. This sci-fi flick contains two of Toho Studios' most popular monsters, Godzilla and Mothra, and they come face-to-face in one huge battle. Mothra's egg has been washed ashore in Japan from Infant Island after a hurricane. A greedy businessman claims the egg and the natives of Infant Island desperately seek the egg in return, before it hatches! And, just when you don't need him, Godzilla appears and begins a spree of destruction. This movie has a strong and solid plot, which blends itself in the story very well. There are a cast of bright and delightful characters. Akira Takarada, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, and the Peanuts delivered good on-screen comprehension. And, the US version with the English dubbing is pretty spot on. Ishiro Honda directed a terrific movie and Shinichi Sekizawa gave us an inspiring story. Akira Ifukube composed a beautiful music score, especially his score for the Shobijin, Mothra's Tiny Twin Priestesses. The battles between the monsters and the military are spectacular. This movie is not just another monster-on-the-loose movie, but a film with a message about the consequences of greed and environmental dangers. This is a must-see for any Godzilla fans or merely sci-fi fans in general.

Grade A

This is the fourth movie with Godzilla and the second with Mothra. A giant egg washes ashore after a typhoon. A greedy businessman buys the egg in order to turn it into an amusement park attraction. The Shobijin twins reveal that the egg belongs to Mothra and it threatens to hatch releasing a destructive larva. A reporter, a cub photographer, and a scientist set out to help the diminutive pair in retrieving the egg before it's too late. Then Godzilla rises.

I actually find the human story compelling unlike most of these monster movies. I still like the twins. It's got a good evil businessman villain. He's essentially opening Jurassic Park. Around the midway point, the story loses interest to me. The Jurassic Park idea is pretty simple and I'd like to stay with it. It is still a solid Godzilla flick.

While this film is one of the most high tech Godzilla films when it comes to special effects, the story line could definitely use some work. I think the idea is great, a giant egg washes ashore and the people of Japan argue over who owns it. It's a great moral, that greed leads to destruction, and that's common with Honda's films. However, the monster egg doesn't really even get involved that much until the end. The problem here is that the movie spends way too much time and effort in talking about the businessmen who want to exploit the egg, the island which is inhabited by Mothra and her devotees, and just trying to fit too much into one film. At least, that's my view. The end fight scene is tremendous! It leaves you laughing when you realize Godzilla was beaten by two Mothra larva. It's a good film, but it could be put together a bit better.