is a 1992 Japanese
''kaiju'' film directed by Takao Okawara, written by
Kazuki Ōmori
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.
Career
Born in Osaka, Ōmori studied at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and held a license to practice medicine. While in school, he began making films independently, with ''Kuraku naru ...
, and produced by
Shogo Tomiyama. Produced and distributed by
Toho Studios, it is the 19th film in the
''Godzilla'' franchise, and is the fourth film in the franchise's
Heisei era
The is the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Emeritus Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, ...
. The film features the fictional monster characters
Godzilla,
Mothra
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in the 1961 film '' Mothra'', produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, most often as a recurring character in the ''Godzilla'' ...
, and Battra, and stars
Tetsuya Bessho
is a Japanese actor and radio presenter. Since 2014, he hosted the Miss International pageant.
Filmography
Films
* '' Solar Crisis'' (1990), Ken Minami
* ''Godzilla vs. Mothra'' (1992), Takuya Fujita
* '' Parasite Eve'' (1997), Yoshizumi Taka ...
,
Satomi Kobayashi
is a Japanese actress from Tokyo. She won the award for best newcomer at the 4th Yokohama Film Festival for '' Exchange Students''. She was previously married to screenwriter Kōki Mitani.
Filmography
* '' I Are You, You Am Me'' (転校生; 1 ...
, Takehiro Murata,
Megumi Odaka
, is a former Japanese idol, actress and singer. She is best known for the role of Miki Saegusa in six Godzilla films from 1989 to 1995.
Biography
Megumi Odaka was born on May 9, 1972 in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. She graduated from Horikoshi ...
, Shiori Yonezawa, Makoto Otake,
Akiji Kobayashi
, sometimes credited as Shōji Kobayashi, was a Japanese actor. He attended Nihon University College of Art, but withdrew before completing his degree and joined the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1949. He made his film debut with ''Satsujin Yogisha' ...
, Koichi Ueda, Shinya Owada, Keiko Imamura, Sayaka Osawa, Saburo Shinoda and
Akira Takarada
was a Japanese film actor best known for his roles in the ''Godzilla'' film series.
Life and career
Akira Takarada was born in Korea under Japanese rule, and lived for a time in Manchuria, China. His father worked as an engineer on the South ...
, with
Kenpachiro Satsuma
, born is a Japanese actor who portrayed Godzilla in the Heisei films, from 1984 to 1995.
Born in Kagoshima Prefecture, Satsuma began his acting career in the 1960s with small roles in samurai films. In 1971 he was offered the role of the smog mo ...
as Godzilla. The plot follows Battra and Mothra's attempts to stop Godzilla from attacking Yokohama.
Originally conceived as a standalone Mothra film entitled ''Mothra vs. Bagan'', the film is notable for its return to a more
fantasy-based, family-oriented atmosphere, evocative of older ''Godzilla'' films. Although he did not return as director, Ōmori continued his trend of incorporating
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywoo ...
elements into his screenplay, in this case nods to the
''Indiana Jones'' franchise.
''Godzilla vs. Mothra'' was released theatrically in Japan on December 12, 1992, and was followed by ''
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II'' the following year. ''Godzilla vs. Mothra'' was released
direct-to-video in the United States in 1998 by
Columbia Tristar Home Video
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation.
Background
SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures l ...
under the title ''Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth''. The film was the second highest-grossing film in Japan in 1993, with ''
Jurassic Park
''Jurassic Park'', later also referred to as ''Jurassic World'', is an American science fiction media franchise created by Michael Crichton and centered on a disastrous attempt to create a theme park of cloned dinosaurs. It began in 1990 when ...
'' being the highest-grossing.
Plot
In mid-1992, following the events of ''
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah'', a
meteoroid crashes in the
Ogasawara Trench and awakens
Godzilla. Six months later, explorer Takuya Fujito is detained after stealing an ancient artifact. Later, a representative of the
Japanese Prime Minister
The prime minister of Japan ( Japanese: 内閣総理大臣, Hepburn: ''Naikaku Sōri-Daijin'') is the head of government of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its Ministers of Stat ...
offers to have Takuya's charges dropped if he explores Infant Island with his ex-wife, Masako Tezuka and Kenji Ando, the secretary of the rapacious Marutomo company. After the trio arrives on the island, they find a cave containing a depiction of two giant insects in battle. Further exploration leads them to a giant egg and a pair of diminutive humanoids called the
Cosmos
The cosmos (, ) is another name for the Universe. Using the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity.
The cosmos, and understandings of the reasons for its existence and significance, are studied i ...
, who identify the egg as belonging to
Mothra
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in the 1961 film '' Mothra'', produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, most often as a recurring character in the ''Godzilla'' ...
.
The Cosmos tell of an ancient civilization that tried to control the Earth's climate 12,000 years ago, thus provoking the Earth into creating Battra. Battra, a male divine moth similar to Mothra, but much more fearsome in appearance, destroyed the civilisation and their weather-controlling device but then became uncontrollable, and started to harm the very planet that created him. Mothra was then sent by the Earth to fight Battra, who eventually lost. The Cosmos explain how the meteoroid uncovered Mothra's egg, and may have awoken Battra, who is still embittered over humanity's interference in the Earth's natural order.
The Marutomo company sends a freighter to Infant Island to pick up the egg, ostensibly to protect it. As they are sailing, Godzilla surfaces and heads toward the newly hatched Mothra larva. Battra, also as a larva, soon appears and joins the fight, allowing Mothra to retreat. The battle between Godzilla and Battra is eventually taken underwater, where the force of the battle causes a giant crack on the
Philippine Sea Plate
The Philippine Sea Plate or the Philippine Plate is a tectonic plate comprising oceanic lithosphere that lies beneath the Philippine Sea, to the east of the Philippines. Most segments of the Philippines, including northern Luzon, are part ...
that swallows the two.
Masako and Takuya later discover Ando's true intentions when he kidnaps the Cosmos and takes them to Marutomo headquarters, where the
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
intends to use them for publicity purposes. Mothra enters Tokyo in an attempt to rescue the Cosmos, but is attacked by the
JSDF
The Japan Self-Defense Forces ( ja, 自衛隊, Jieitai; abbreviated JSDF), also informally known as the Japanese Armed Forces, are the unified ''de facto''Since Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution outlaws the formation of armed forces, the ...
. The wounded Mothra heads for the
National Diet Building
The is the building where both houses of the National Diet of Japan meet. It is located at Nagatachō 1-chome 7–1, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
Sessions of the House of Representatives take place in the south wing and sessions of the House of Councillo ...
and starts constructing a cocoon around herself. Meanwhile, Godzilla surfaces from
Mount Fuji, while Battra frees himself from the Earth's crust and continues towards Japan.
Both Mothra and Battra attain their
imago forms and converge at
Yokohama Cosmo World
is a theme park in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It contains the Cosmo Clock 21, formerly the tallest Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel (also called a Giant Wheel or an observation wheel) is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating up ...
where they begin to fight once more. Godzilla interrupts the battle and attacks Mothra, but Battra comes to her aid and briefly incapacitates Godzilla. Regrouping, the two moths decide to join forces against Godzilla, determining him to be the greater threat to the planet. Eventually, Mothra and Battra overwhelm Godzilla and carry it over the ocean. Godzilla bites Battra's neck and fires its atomic breath into the wound, killing him. A tired Mothra drops Godzilla and the lifeless Battra into the water below, sealing Godzilla below the surface by creating a mystical glyph with scales from her wings. The next morning, the Cosmos explain that Battra had been waiting many years to destroy an even larger asteroid that would threaten the Earth in 1999. Mothra had promised she would stop the future collision if Battra were to die, and she and the Cosmos leave Earth as the humans bid farewell.
Cast
Production
The idea of shooting a movie featuring a revamped
Mothra
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in the 1961 film '' Mothra'', produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, most often as a recurring character in the ''Godzilla'' ...
dated back to a screenplay written in 1980 by Akira Murao entitled ''Mothra vs. Bagan'', which revolved around a vengeful dragon called Bagan who sought to destroy humanity for its abuse of the Earth's resources, only to be defeated by Mothra, the goddess of peace. The screenplay was revised by
Kazuki Ōmori
was a Japanese film director and screenwriter.
Career
Born in Osaka, Ōmori studied at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and held a license to practice medicine. While in school, he began making films independently, with ''Kuraku naru ...
after the release of ''
Godzilla vs. Biollante'', though the project was ultimately scrapped by Toho, under the assumption that Mothra was a character born purely out of Japanese culture, and thus would have been difficult to market overseas unlike the more internationally recognized
Godzilla.
After the success of ''
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah'', producer
Shōgo Tomiyama and ''Godzilla'' series creator
Tomoyuki Tanaka
was a Japanese film producer. He is best known for co-creating the ''Godzilla'' franchise and its associated spin-offs.
Early life
Tanaka was born on April 26, 1910, in Kashiwara, Osaka. As a child, he would often walk miles to the nearest th ...
proposed resurrecting
King Ghidorah
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster''. Although the name of the character is officially trademarked by Toho as "King Ghidorah", the character was originally ...
in a film entitled ''Ghidorah's Counterattack'', but relented when polls demonstrated that Mothra was more popular with women, who comprised the majority of Japan's population. Tomiyama replaced Ōmori with
Takao Okawara as director, but maintained Ōmori as screenwriter. Hoping to maintain as much of ''Mothra vs. Bagan'' as possible, Ōmori reconceptualized Bagan as Badora, a dark twin to Mothra. The character was later renamed Battra (a
portmanteau of "battle" and "Mothra"), as the first name was disharmonious in Japanese. Tomiyama had intended to feature ''
Mothra
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that first appeared in the 1961 film '' Mothra'', produced and distributed by Toho Studios. Mothra has appeared in several Toho ''tokusatsu'' films, most often as a recurring character in the ''Godzilla'' ...
'' star
Frankie Sakai
(13 February 1929 – 10 June 1996) was a Japanese comedian, actor, and musician.
Career
From his days at Keio University, Sakai worked as a jazz drummer at American Army camps during the Occupation of Japan, often doing comic routines with his ...
, but was unable to because of scheduling conflicts. The final battle between Godzilla, Mothra and Battra was originally meant to have a more elaborate conclusion; as in the final product, Godzilla would have been transported to sea, only to kill Battra and plunge into the ocean. However, the site of their fall would have been the submerged,
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connecting h ...
-like ruins of the Cosmos civilization, which would have engulfed and trapped Godzilla with a forcefield activated by Mothra.
Ishirō Honda, who directed the first ''
Godzilla'' film and many others, visited the set shortly before dying.
Special effects
Koichi Kawakita continued his theme of giving Godzilla's opponents the ability to metamorphose, and had initially intended to have Mothra killed off, only to be reborn as the cybernetic moth ''MechaMothra'', though this was scrapped early in production, thus making ''Godzilla vs. Mothra'' the first post-1984 ''Godzilla'' movie to not feature a
mecha contraption. The underwater scenes were filmed through an aquarium filled with fish set between the performers and the camera. Kawakita's team constructed a new Godzilla suit from previously used molds,
though it was made slimmer than previous suits, the neck given more prominent ribbing, and the arrangement of the character's dorsal plates was changed so that the largest plate was placed on the middle of the back. The arms were more flexible at the biceps, and the face was given numerous cosmetic changes; the forehead was reduced and flattened, the teeth scaled down, and the eyes given a golden tint. The head was also electronically modified to allow more vertical mobility.
[Robert Biondi, "The Evolution of Godzilla – G-Suit Variations Throughout the Monster King's Twenty One Films", ''G-FAN'' #16 (July/August 1995)] Filming the Godzilla scenes was hampered when the suit previously used for ''Godzilla vs. Biollante'' and ''Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah'', which was needed for some stunt-work, was stolen from Toho studios, only to be recovered at
Lake Okutama
is in Tokyo and Yamanashi Prefectures in Japan. Lying above the Ogōchi Dam, it is also known as the Ogōchi Reservoir. Lake Okutama is an important source of drinking water for Tokyo.
Description
The lake occupies part of the town of Okuta ...
in bad condition.
The remains of the suit were recycled for the first battle sequence.
Godzilla's roar was reverted to the high-pitched shriek from pre-1984 ''Godzilla'' films, while Battra's sound effects were recycled from those of
Rodan
is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', which first appeared as the title character in Ishirō Honda's 1956 film '' Rodan'', produced and distributed by Toho. Following its debut standalone appearance, Rodan went on to be featured in numerous ent ...
.
In designing Battra, which the script described as a "black Mothra", artist Shinji Nishikawa sought to distance its design from Mothra's by making its adult form more similar to its larval one than is the case with Mothra, and combining Mothra's two eyes into one.
[David Milner]
"Shinji Nishikawa Interview"
, ''Kaiju Conversations'' (December 1995) davmil.org
Release
''Godzilla vs. Mothra'' was released in Japan on December 12, 1992 where it was distributed by
Toho. The film sold approximately 4,200,000 tickets in Japan, becoming the number one Japanese film on the domestic market in the period that included the year 1993. It earned ¥2.22 billion in distribution income, and grossed in total.
The film was released in the United States as ''Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth'' on April 28, 1998 on home video by
Columbia TriStar Home Video
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation.
Background
SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures l ...
.
Critical reaction
Review aggregation website
Rotten Tomatoes has a 75% approval rating from critics, based on 8 reviews with an
average score of 6.3/10.
Ed Godziszewski of Monster Zero said, "Rushed into production but a few months after ''
Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah'', this film is unable to hide its hurried nature
uteffects-wise, the film makes up for the story's shortcomings and then some." Japan Hero said, "While this movie is not the best of the Heisei series, it is still a really interesting movie. The battles are cool, and Battra was an interesting idea. If you have never seen this movie, I highly recommend it."
Stomp Tokyo said the film is "one of the better ''Godzilla'' movies in that the scenes in which monsters do not appear actually make some sort of sense. And for once, they are acted with some gusto, so that we as viewers can actually come to like the characters on screen, or at least be entertained by them." Mike Bogue of American Kaiju said the film "
oes Oes or owes were metallic "O" shaped rings or eyelets sewn on to clothes and furnishing textiles for decorative effect in England and at the Elizabethan and Jacobean court. They were smaller than modern sequins.
Making and metals
Robert Sharp obta ...
not live up to its potential", but added that "
tscolorful and elaborate spectacle eventually won
imover" and "the main story thread dealing with the eventual reconciliation of the divorced couple adequately holds the human plot together."
Home media
The film was released by Sony on Blu-ray in ''The Toho Godzilla Collection'' on May 6, 2014.
Awards
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
*
*
Godzilla vs. Mothra on Wikizilla
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godzilla Vs. Mothra
1992 films
1990s Japanese-language films
1990s science fiction adventure films
1990s fantasy adventure films
1990s monster movies
Japanese fantasy adventure films
Japanese crossover films
Environmental films
Films about telepathy
Films directed by Takao Okawara
Films produced by Tomoyuki Tanaka
Films scored by Akira Ifukube
Films set in 1992
Films set in 1993
Films set in Tokyo
Films set in Nagoya
Films set in Yokohama
Films set in amusement parks
Films set in the Pacific Ocean
Films set on fictional islands
Giant monster films
Godzilla films
Japanese science fiction films
Japanese sequel films
Kaiju films
Mothra
TriStar Pictures films
Toho films
1990s Japanese films