Mothra 2: Undersea Battle (1997)
Produced and Released by: Toho Co. Ltd.
Director: Okihiro Yoneda
By Dreamseer

Introduction

After a captivating run through the many Godzilla films she has starred in (and a film all of her own in 1961), it was only natural that one of the most popular kaiju of all time starred in a new series of films. In the 1990s, Toho rebirthed the Mothra tale with the first Mothra film, but that was not the end to the story. Another film followed it, with perhaps even more dynamic monster action and a better story than the first....

The Story

When a young girl, Shiori, is chased into the forest by a pair of bullies, she encounters a strange, furry creature known as a Gorgo. Other children her age might have taken one look at it and run away (which she does, at first), but Shiori is no ordinary girl. She has been chosen by Gorgo for the courageous spirit which she has yet to realize is within her.

Just as Shiori and those same bullies that had chased her into the forest, whom have now become fast friends, are getting to know Gorgo, they are suddenly attacked by the twisted fairy known as Belvera, claiming that all her dreams will come true once she possesses the Gorgo. But before Belvera can reach it, she is intercepted by her two sisters, the benevolent pair of Moll and Lora, known together as the Alias.

After they escape together, the Alias befriend the children, who learn that Gorgo comes from an ancient civilization known as Mu, which sunk into the ocean over ten-thousand years ago. They are Gorgo's only hope to stop Belvera when she awakens the destructive giant monster called Dagarla.

Determined to help the furry creature, Shiori leads the others on a quest to find the lost city in hopes of finding the secret treasure that can defeat Dagarla and return peace to the world.

But when Dagarla attacks the ancient city, while the children are trapped inside, the Alias have no hope but to summon Mothra to engage Dagarla in battle.

Their confrontation is fierce, rocking the battlefield with incredible attacks that are slung back and forth, but in the end, Dagarla proves too much for Mothra to handle on her own. Shiori knows that, if she and her friends don't find the secret treasure soon, Mothra will be destroyed, and perhaps their entire world along with her. Little does she know that the treasure is waiting for her to find it....

Review

The first Mothra film must have been a complete shot in the dark for Toho. It seemed to be targetted toward a younger audience than the traditional Godzilla films Mothra had appeared in, and there were many elements that were just generally a bit wacky. But the that film, which I loved, and many others were put off by, gained enough interest that a sequel was greenlighted. And I'm glad it was, because I believe this film is much better than the first.

Let's begin with the story. Last time, the writers almost took a Disney-esque approach to things. We had a family in emotional turmoil, with kids that were at each other's throats and kids that perhaps were just bad, and it's basically the story of how they have to reconnect as a family in order to survive. That's all well and good, but for a kaiju film, it might have slowed the picture down a bit. Not to say that it wasn't interesting, but the second film seemed to address the whole human-issue a bit better.

The lead character is Shiori, who you immediately see as being courageous and strong. I was slightly surprised that there was a female lead in this film though, looking back on it, I suppose I shouldn't have been so surprised. Mothra seems to have more female appeal than giant destructive forces like Godzilla, and since it's also a kids' film, it's automatically a bit lighter than your average boy-centric kaiju production. We also have interesting characters such as the two thieves, who pop up throughout the movie, demonstrating pretty much the worst qualities of humankind, according to Belvera.

This is what makes the film cool to me, because the message doesn't turn out so... well, corny this time. It's a serious lesson about the value of humankind, and all that we as people still need to learn. When the lost queen of the dead civilization threatens to destroy the humans, the Alias plead with her not to do it, but Belvera appears and reveals just how thieving and deceitful they can be. In the end, hope has to prevail, but it is not a simple black and white message.

Meanwhile, the action in the film is just awesome. I loved the first installment's action, but this one truly surprised me. Mothra is as powerful as ever, demonstrating a whole new array of awesome attacks, as expertly executed by the effects team. Mothra's physical design is also quite nice, and gets even nicer as the film goes along, but you'll have to watch the film to find out what I mean.

In my experience, it seems that veteran audiences usually respond more quickly and viscerally to the inclusion of a classic monster (or at least a monster that is a variation of one of the classic greats) as the lead villain of any of the Godzilla, or Godzilla-inspired films. That's just the way it is. So it's always fun to see what they've come up with when they decide to create a brand new enemy. To my knowledge, Dagarla is brand new, and is beautifully designed. It's a sea-creature (we don't see many of those), but naturally it can also crawl and fly through the air. Its powers are very original and make the action sequences extremely exciting. The effects people must have had a field day coming up with ways to pull off some of these moves.

As far as the Alias are concerned, I personally liked their costumes better the first time around. One of them seems to have changed her hair color, and they generally look even more bizarre to me than before, but it's all in good fun. Belvera, however, looks better than ever. I wasn't too keen on her look last time, but she returns as a truly awesome-looking tiny villainess. Her make-up and costume were fantastic.

The final action sequences are pure genious on the part of the filmmakers, though I dare not give away such precious information about it here. It was unexpected and fun. Of course, the DVD cover sort of gave away part of it, which I wasn't thrilled about, but it was great nonetheless. Watch for the awesome moment when Mothra flies over the ocean and parts the seas to make a pathway across the seafloor. Great stuff.

Conclusion

I absolutely loved this movie, far more than the first one. Its light nature might be a little disjointing for hardcore Godzilla fanatics, but I think the Mothra series has a lot to offer any kaiju fan that loves monster-mashing action and dynamic visual effects. Plus, the story is even more fun, adventurous, and engaging that the first film, which is a huge plus. I give Mothra 2 an A+. I couldn't have been more thrilled. Next up, it's the third and final film in the trilogy, Mothra 3! I can't wait!

I'll See You In My Dreams

Dreamseer