Mothra (1996)
Produced and Released by: Toho Co. Ltd.
Director: Okihiro Yoneda
By Dreamseer

Introduction

Among all the monsters that famous monster, Godzilla, has faced over the decades, just a few stand out from the rest and perhaps one of the most popular of those enemies that has been pitted against the Big-G is the giant moth-like creature known as Mothra.

The Story

The country is watching when a construction team working for the Hokouku Corporation begins mowing down the forests to make way for industrial progress. But what they stumble upon when they arrive appears to be an ancient structure and within it, sleeps a terrible secret.

When the man in charge brings the pendant-shaped trinket he had found at the construction site to his children, Taiki and Wakaba, he unwittingly awakens a sleeping evil, and ignites a furious adventure that may leave all of Japan in shambles.

The two fairies sister, Moll and Lora, known together as The Alias, riding on the back of the tiny moth-like creature (appropriately named), Fairy, and enter the human world to reclaim the pendant before their nefarious sister, Belvera can get her hands on it.

There the Alias meet Taiki and Wakaba, two siblings who couldn't misunderstand each other more, who join them in their quest to stop Belvera. Unfortunately for them, Belvera, on the back of a twisted version of Fairy, has taken back the pendant (in her hands, acting as a mystical shield) and taken it back to the construction site, where she uses its powers to resurrect the sleeping three-headed monster, Desghidorah.

When Desghidorah is fully awakened and begins attacking the forest, draining energy from the Earth, the Alias know they have no hope for survival unless they summon the giant creature, Mothra. But Mothra is old, and weakened after giving birth to her egg. Her powers are formidable, but may not be enough to defeat Desghidorah, who was first beaten by a small army.

A dazzling battle for the fate of the Earth begins, but which side will prevail in the end? We can only guess....

Review

The "Mothra" trilogy is an interesting one for me. Mothra is undoubtedly one of the most popular kaiju characters in creation, aside from the likes of Godzilla, Rodan, King Ghidorah, and King Kong. Yet there were many Godzilla fans that felt the films were not as good as they could have been, and were unimpressed with the style of storytelling the creators approached it with.

For starters, this is not a Godzilla film. For the most part, G-Films are typically more serious in nature, while Mothra tends to come off a little bit goofy at times (not that there aren't Godzilla films with goofy moments either, but this time it's a lot different). The target audience for the Mothra films would seem to be children. The main characters, aside from Alias, are children as well. The Alias teach the children morals and values while simultaneously trying to protect the beautiful forest from being destroyed by the evil invader.

So, I can understand perhaps why some G-Fans might have been a bit put off by Mothra's flavor. I, however, do not share those sentiments. I loved this movie. It didn't matter to me that it took a detour from the norm of this genre, or that it was a tad bit goofier than most others. I just had a blast with it.

The movie is competantly written, with a fun and interesting story, that serves the film well. It introduced nice characters in the form of Moll and Lora, the Alias, and their evil-eyed sister, Belvera, and their truly bizarre-looking costumes, it was truly a delight to see.

The action of this film is one of the best parts, I would say. Somehow, Mothra comes off even more powerful than Godzilla in some instances, pulling of some fantastic moves that the character had never been allowed to perform in previous films it was featured in. The effects team came up with some wonderful imagery, and put some great spins on the special attacks and powers Mothra had displayed up until that time.

The monster design is lovely. I don't want to give anything away, if you haven't already seen the film, and don't know, but I'll just say Mothra and its larva look great and leave it at that. DesGhidorah (Death-Ghidorah) also looks fantastic and, though some fans would disagree, I honestly thought it looked even cooler in its black-skinned form than the three-headed gold monster, King Ghidorah, on which this character was based. His powers are also a delight to see. The effects people behind this production really showed off all their talents brilliantly.

Conclusion

As of this writing, I have seen the first and second films in the Mothra trilogy, and I have to say that the second film is even better. That said, the introductory episode leaves you wanting more, which just might be its only failing. Mothra gets an A. A for "Alias".

(*hums Alias' Mothra-Summoning Song*)

I'll See You In My Dreams

Dreamseer