darbski
**SPOILER** I'm giving this complete waste of time a 10. WHY? you must ask! Surely I must have gone insane to give this totally turkeyed mess a rating above 2. Why? I'll tell you. Despite the Japanese best efforts EVERY ONE of their monsters are cheezy and stupid next to Godzilla*. You read it right, and I don't have to justify it to anyone. I'll let the fat guy in the rubber suit do my talking for me.But, I digress. I get carried away when it comes to these ridiculous classics. I mean, even among monster films, they should have their own class, along with their own awards. Actually we owe then a great debt. because they lifted movies above the Harryhausen form of art (wonderful, but dated) gave us.By the way, for those of you who are deluded enough to believe that King Kong beat up Godzilla, I invite you to check the record. After he was done getting the landscape mopped up with his back, he NEVER EVER came back to Japan. The Japanese people, of course, idolize Godzilla; he's a boon to any city's construction industry. I'm sure he's got an honorary union card.I've gotta get back on track, here. The REAL reason is the deep dark secret that our generation wants to keep hidden from all the unsuspecting young movie goers of today from grasping. These are not actually movies. They are reasons to visit the local drive in theater with your girlfriend to explore the wonders of each other. That's right, and all of us know it. Relax, mom and dad are probably long gone by now, and the kiddies are grown up, so it can finally be said. These kept a lot of kids from the perils of sainthood by introducing them (US) to romance. Just for that this one deserves an Oscar.*Possible exceptions are the guy in monster from 20,000 fathoms. THERE was great looking monster; also, the big spider in Tarantula, he was pretty cool, too.
Hitchcoc
It was inevitable that that jerk would steal those tiny little women and use them in some two bit show of his. What he didn't realize was that they were in a kind of symbiosis with Mothra, a flying creature what would protect them if necessary. There are some pretty good scenes, where these men, lacking conscience, murder their way into the jungle and set everything in motion. The weapon that the caterpillars have, the ability to shoot out a kind of sticky thread, is pretty creative. The girl singing is quite tiresome. But, ultimately, we have creature that is normally non-threatening, doing its thing. I was once told by a fellow viewer that if they wanted to really destroy Mothra, they needed to create a giant screen door with a big light behind it, or, better yet, an enormous wool sweater. These are food for thought. I did find this more enjoyable than many of the subsequent offerings, using the same creatures.
Woodyanders
A motley group of folks embark on an expedition to an island that's been ravaged by radiation. The explorers discover a pair of diminutive twin fairies. Evil and unscrupulous businessman Clark Nelson (excellently played to the hateful hilt by Jerry Ito) abducts the girls and forces them to sing for him in a stage act. Complications ensue when the girls' giant moth guardian Mothra arrives and begins leveling Japan while searching for the fairies. Directed with real skill and intelligence by Inoshiro Honda, with a thoughtful script by Shinichi Sekizawa, a steady pace, exquisite widescreen cinematography by Hajime Koizuma, exciting sequences of mass destruction, a sweeping, majestic score by Yuji Koseki, a strong central message about the severe consequences of human greed and selfishness, a strangely beautiful and poetic creature, a potent and affecting conclusion, and fine and convincing special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, this film achieves a certain poignancy and resonance because of its unusually graceful and sympathetic monster who's essentially benign, yet still dangerous because of her immense size. Kudos are also in order for the uniformly sound acting by the able cast, with especially stand-out contributions by Frankie Sakai as likable bumbling journalist Senichiro Fukuda, Kyoko Kagawa as spunky photographer Michi Hamamura, Ken Uehara as the no-nonsense Dr. Harada, and Hiroshi Koizuma as the compassionate Dr. Shinichi Chujo. Emi and Yumi Ito are absolutely adorable as the sweet and gentle twin fairies. The island scenes have a tasty exotic atmosphere. Essential viewing for Japanese creature feature fans.
vampi1960
I first seen mothra back in the 70's on chiller theater channel 11 in new jersey,its not a chiller nor a scary movie.its a very well made sci fi fantasy about two twin women who are like 12 inches high that are kidnapped by a Japanese gangster while on an expedition on an island.well the twin girls have a guardian on the island,the god of their people,she is called mothra.now this is the debut of mothra and it begins as a giant caterpillar that eventually turns into a very pretty colorful moth that gracefully destroys Tokyo,not like Godzilla rodan and others.but mothra means well,the bad guy is the gangster(jerry Ito)who played a cop in the manster(59)and his thugs.so japan suffers because the twin girls are captive.the special effects are very good,not cheesy like most of the Japanese monster films.i believe mothra was made earlier then 1961,it was released by Columbia pictures in 1961 and dubbed for the American audiences.mothra was always my favorite of all the Japanese monster movies,sorry Godzilla.but mothra rocks.a very good movie for children and adults.10 out of 10.a must see for all Japanese monster fans.kudos to toho for producing a great gem like mothra.
AD
