Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992) User Reviews

Cheers for Godzilla!

[OllieSuave-007 · 6/10 · 26 November 2000]

With this movie of the Heisei (1980s-1990s) series, I think Toho studios was on a role. With cool special effects and beautiful music, this became one of the top 10 grossing Godzilla movies. Who wouldn't like to see a rematch between Godzilla and Mothra. This movie is an update of the 1964 version of "Mothra vs. Godzilla."

Mothra's egg is exposed after a storm (or meteorite) hits it. A trio of explorers try to bring the egg to Japan under the influence of a greedy entrepreneur (sound familiar?). Godzilla appears out of the ocean to attack the explorers' ship, which is hauling the egg. The egg hatches into Mothra and the two do battle. The Peanuts, who played Mothra's twin priestesses in the 1964 movie, were succeeded by the Cosmos. They talk in unison, as usual. Dressed in pink with braided hairs and wearing Mothra signs, they bring back the traditional "Mothra's Song." If you're interested on buying a Godzilla soundtrack, see if you can track down the record version of this song, performed by the Cosmos with music by Akira Ifukube. It rocks! The song is sing in Malaysian, as always. However, in the record version, the Cosmos sing a verse of the song in Japanese. With echoing concepts from the original film this movie introduced a new monster, Battra (Mothra's evil twin), who is out to destroy earth but ended up helping Mothra battle Godzilla. How depressing to see the main guy Takuya (Indiana Jones?) in the film rooting for Mothra and Battra while battling Godzilla at an amusement park with his annoying ex-wife Masako and his irritating daughter Midori. She talks to the Cosmos and Mothra like she was talking to any human being. Where's her astonishment? Somebody should buy her a Godzilla toy and send her home!

Plenty of monster action, but I would have like to see Godzilla stomp on the city more and Mothra and Battra take a few more beatings from Godzilla, to the shock of the humans watching. And, I would have liked to see the Cosmos and their purpose emphasized more positively. They care for the Earth and wanted to appeal to its leaders to save the environment, but then again call for Mothra to save them from the entrepreneur while destroying Tokyo in the process??

Many of the characters in this movie is a little off-the-wall, with the exception of Miki Saegusa. She delivered another solid performance, helping to enhance the suspense of this story. She uses her psychic powers again, this time to track down the Cosmos.

Some sounds effects were a little off, like Godzilla's radiation beam sounding like it needs tuning and the larvae stage of Mothra sounds like it is on roller skates. But hey, this Godzilla flick is an satisfactory source of entertainment on a boring, weary weekend.

Grade C+

It was actually quite good...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 3 September 2019]

I sat down to watch the 1992 "Gojira vs. Mosura" (aka "Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth") without much of any particular expectations, aside from it being your average traditional "Godzilla" movie.

And true enough, this is actually what "Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth" turned out to be, but there was just something about the storyline that made it just a tad more outstanding than your average, generic mass-produced "Godzilla" flick. Perhaps it was because of Mothra and Battra? I enjoyed that aspect of the movie quite a lot actually.

The special effects in the movie were good, and they definitely helped to bring the movie to life in a more enjoyable fashion. Sure, the movie was made in 1992, and the effects are showing their age. But still, there is just something charming about them still using miniature models in 1992.

The more of these movies I watch, the more both Godzilla and Mothra grow on me. And believe you me, I have sat through a lot of the older "Godzilla" movies by now.

Storywise, then "Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth" turned out to be just another run-of-the-mill storyline and script made from the 'how-to-make-a-Godzilla-movie-for-dummies". So don't go expecting a revolutionary chapter in the "Godzilla" franchise from writer Kazuki Ohmori and director Takao Okawara.

But all in all, an enjoyable and entertaining movie. I am rating "Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth" a solid six out of ten stars.

Overlong, overcomplicated Creature Feature is still somewhat enjoyable

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 1 September 2018]

A meteorite falls from the sky into the "Ogasawara Trench" in the Pacific Ocean. It awakens Godzilla, and Battra ( a sea going monster with a huge horn in its' forehead, and spikes for skin). The meteorite inspires an atoll to pop up and expand into an island. Cut to an Indiana Jones wanna-be, who is busily robbing an ancient tomb somewhere in Indonesia. After he gets the relic he wants, and escapes from the trap his thievery sets off, he's caught by government men and jailed. After being freed from jail by a company that wants his relic, He and his ex-wife, who works for the company, go to the new island, "Infant Island". There they find a giant, multi-hued egg, and discover mini twins, (they're called The Cosmos in this movie) who live in a flower, and will translate the various noises the Monsters make. A ship is hired to take the Egg back to Tokyo. It Hatches on the way back And that's just the first fifteen minutes.

Let's see - The Cosmos sing four songs to Mothra, in untranslated Japanese; Battra's red eyes shoot red lasers, which kill everything they touch; Godzilla shoots blue lasers from his mouth that make things explode, and which whitens his teeth ( he ought to patent that); and Mothra shoots white..stuff that forms a cocoon for him when he's ready to evolve, or which immobilizes his enemies. When Battra and Mothra have morphed into their flying forms, they are actually beautiful ( as long as the camera doesn't get too close). Nagoya (sp?), Tokyo , and Yokohama get stomped in this one.

My company has destroyed forests. I feel very guilty.

[E102y · 11 July 2000]

Number four in the Heisei Godzilla movies, and it's the return of Mothra!

However, there's a new monster thrown into the mix, the creature known as Battra!

Big G isn't too bad in this one. I'm not too sure about the sound of his atomic heat beam. I think it needs checking.

Mothra is back, but her larva form doesn't move in the way it did before. It's like she'd just propelled on rollers.

Battra is a very good newcomer. I don't know which form I like best, the larva or flying forms.

This is a good movie, but it's not the best.

More of Mothra film than a Godzilla film, but It's the 64 film with a twist.

[patrickkeastead · 7/10 · 7 April 2015]

The Battle For Earth serves one problem. It feels like you're watching a Mothra film, which I guess isn't bad, because everyone loves Mothra. Mothra gets some new powers in this film, so she finally stands a chance against Godzilla.

Speaking of Godzilla an unfortunate truth is that he has less than 20 mins of screen time, but it's not as noticeable as Ghidorah or Biolante, but it has less than 85.

Battra is a nice surprise. He's so cool, he's a combination of Rodan and Gyaos from Gamera. It's a character like him that makes this more of a Mothra film.

The final battle is pretty cool, the underwater scene between Godzilla and Battra is bad ass. The ending of the fight shares some similarities to the final fight in Godzilla vs Ghidorah, but I won't spoil it.

The Battle For Earth is also a sort of prelude to Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla, which is actually 2 films away.

In the end, The Battle For Earth is more of a Battle for Who's Movie it Is. But it's fun if your a fan of Mothra. Oh yea and Godzilla

Gojira vs. Mosura (1992)

[SnakesOnAnAfricanPlain · 7/10 · 13 December 2011]

The 90's series makes way for Mothra. This time she's from the cosmos, as are her mini-twin lady friends. We're also introduced to Battra. One of the best things about this film is way each monster teeters between hero and villain. Each has a mission of their own, but they aren't exactly evil. It makes for much more interesting fights, and even a little depth to monster smash ups. The film begins as a strange Indiana Jones adventure film. Crumbling temples, rickety bridges etc. It adds for a little bit of unexpected fun before entering the world we are familiar with. Almost like if a Bond film started with a monster attack. Sure it's cheap and unoriginal, but for a film that has some boxes to tick, it's nice to have some variety. There is a heavy feminine touch to this movie. Toho trying to bring in the ladies to push up the box office receipts. The monsters have a lot more love and care, and we see a broken family at the heart of all this. This film really made me sit up during the destruction scenes. In broad daylight, it still looked real. The filmmakers now confident to compose images of monsters in the background and people in the foreground. It allows for some tremendous shots of absolute chaos, and stops the streets from seeming too empty.

Mothra's return to Godzilla films and Battra's debut.

[The_Dinosaur · 7/10 · 9 November 2008]

As I have said with a previous review of a Godzilla film, you really can't rate this with the same standards of other films, why? Because it's Godzilla, it's not normal. Intention of the film, and did it accomplish it is how I grade these films.

Having said that, this film wasn't the worst entry into the Godzilla franchise. It wasn't the best either.

While, the special effects were had slightly improved on the last film, they are still far from revolutionary. They're not bad enough to spoil the film though. or the time, the special effects were not half bad.

While this film improves in terms of plot holes (time travelers, with inconsistencies in the physics of time travel) it also goes a completely different direction. As I said, the last film was about time travel. This one was about fairies and other super natural phenomena. A fairly different direction. There is also a clear influence from the Indiana Jones films. Except, this isn't really as good as Indiana Jones vs Godzilla would be.

The plot itself, while better, was very slow. Godzilla is already a established character, so you think it would be easy to have him show up and smash the place up. No. They had to introduce Mothra AND Battra first. Then have them hatch out of their eggs. Then have them go from larva to actual moths. I don't understand why Battra is called Battra. Looks more like a moth to me.

So anyway, Mothra has to protect the earth, Battra has to do the same, but is more aggressive towards humans, because as we all know, we messed things up. Anyway, somewhere in- between, Godzilla, not wanting to disappoint to film goer by having his name on the film and not be in it (which I thought was the case when he took forever to show up) shows up and smashes the place up. With style, too. Godzilla isn't the good guy in this film, Mothra is, and Battra ends up being one. It still doesn't help the fact that I want to see Godzilla kill everything, including the good guys.

Honestly though, this is one of the more touching Godzilla films. It's very slow, but worth checking out if you are a Godzilla fan.

Handicap Match

[bkoganbing · 4/10 · 12 February 2017]

Those Japanese monsters are at it again giving jobs to the construction workers of the country with their continuing urban renewal. This time Mothra is battling another butterfly creature Battra who is a butterfly gone over to the dark side.

A meteor awakened Battra and an expedition finds Mothra with his two little girl guardians on an island in the Indonesian Archipelago. These two look like their going head to head for a bit. But that same meteor also got Godzilla up from his hibernation in the Pacific deep.

Destruction is spread around a bit with Nagoya and Yokohama taking some of the monster wrath. But the two butterflies decide they're going to tag team Godzilla in a handicap match.

Believe me watching these movies is just like watching the WWE.

One G-Film To Remember!!

[gigan-92 · 8/10 · 27 April 2009]

See this film, because it is truly one to remember. Mothra is well done here, the new version full of attacks that just make the movie more exciting when she fights. Plus a new monster: Battra, a male, vicious looking version of Mothra who is also well done. His shriek however is Rodan's, sigh. Toho, is it so hard to make new roars for new monsters? This film was directed by Takao Owara, who would go on to direct three more G-films, and he did a great job on this one that's for sure. Kazuki Omori still provided the screenplay and it came out great, thankfully no more time travel. I love the human characters here. Especially that we have a story that involves the characters personal lives. Andoh is played by Takehiro Murata, who would star in "Godzilla 2000" as the lead. Him and Takuya ( Tetsuya Besho) have a short brawl that was more comedic than dynamic, but it entertains. The Shobijin return, now called the 'Cosmos', and they sing many beautiful notes. Luckily, Akira Ifukbe scores the film, and creates a very beautiful score. Mothra's theme sounds just great! And the epic Gojira march theme of course, speaking of which... To the monsters.

Godzilla has a new look that was spectacular, although it's kind of bulky. Mothra returns as a cute, furry, moth with new attacks. Now she can use more than speed and wind in battle. Battra is a very nicely done monster who had a lot of detail on its body. The larva form moved beautifully on land and in the Toho pool. The undersea battle was an excellent display of Koichi Kawakita's techniques. The JSDF battle with Godzilla was exciting and I never get tired of watching him demolish armies of tanks, jets and masers like nothing. One of the most action-packed Godzilla movies, plus I love the end battle where Mothra and Battra join forces to defeat Godzilla. Monsters without character are not monsters at all, and this film delivers in that aspect. The climax is excellent, not that'll spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it. Although I will give you a hint: Someone dies. Someone lives. And someone afterwards must save the world from an entirely different threat.

Great kid's film

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 16 July 2014]

GODZILLA AND MOTHRA: THE BATTLE FOR EARTH is a follow-up to GODZILLA VS. KING GHIDORAH and a remake of sorts of the '60s kaiju GODZILLA VS MOTHRA. This is hugely entertaining kid's movie, filled to the brim with colourful special effects, spectacular scenes of destruction, and an engaging human storyline to boot.

The film's influences are many and varied, as you'll soon guess with the opening sequence featuring an Indiana Jones-style character raiding the ancient ruins at Angkor Wat. Before long we're knee-deep in a storyline involving a crashed meteorite, a reawakened Godzilla, the eruption of Mount Fuji, the emergence of a world-destroying creature called Battra, and of course Mothra himself.

Special emphasis is given to the character of Mothra, who is as hilarious as ever. As much as I love the giant furry moth, there's something undeniably hilarious about the creature in caterpillar form too, especially when hanging on to Godzilla's tail. I like the way the writers hark back to the '60s movies with the presence of the tiny twins and Infant Island; all good stuff. Plus, there's more giant monster action here than in the last film, although there's still time for plenty of human characters to get involved in a wider-reaching plot than usual. The message here is of the usual "save the environment" variety but it doesn't get in the way of what is a hugely enjoyable piece of entertainment.

Embodies the issues with the Heisei seires.

[MlleSedTortue · 5/10 · 20 March 2021]

This film would have to be one of the Godzilla films I care out the least, especially from the Heisei era. It exemplifies a lot of the issues of the rest of the Heisei series by relying a bit too much on the past as well as talking more conspicuous influences from Hollywood. Right from the beginning the movie's opening sequence makes an overt reference to the original Mothra vs. Godzilla and a plot that lifts much inspiration from the original Mothra. But it lacks the humanism of those original films and the message presents itself in a rather ham-fisted manner. The characters are decent but pale in comparison with the likeable charisma of those from it's 1964 predecessor. The effects also aren't up to snuff with Mothra being far too stiff when compared to the original Showa version. And the battle between Godzilla, Mothra, and Battra doesn't have the same excitement and creativity as its predecessors. At the very least the score from Ifukube is fantastic, remixing and enhancing his previous compositions with a bombastic and ethereal quality. The film had potential but failed to build on those that came before it.

Godzilla vs. Steven Spielberg!

[BrandtSponseller · 10/10 · 24 January 2005]

The film opens with the Japanese Indiana Jones pillaging some archaeological ruins. Just as he makes his way out of a perilously collapsing old temple, he's stopped by rifles pointed at his head. The armed men are from the government, and they're accompanied by his ex-wife. It seems that a strange meteor has crashed near a remote island, and he's been pegged to lead an expedition on the island. They encounter a strange egg, then they run into the Cosmos, two tiny fairy-like beings, who tell them that it's the egg of Mothra, who protects the earth. While taking the egg back to Japan, suddenly, Battra, another monster, shows up, as does Godzilla, in his first appearance of the film, and all hell begins to break loose, as is wont to happen in Godzilla films.

That's a bit more detailed than I usually try to present premises (although that's just the first fifteen minutes or so of the film), but I want to give you of how exquisitely bizarre Godzilla vs. Mothra is and at the same time, give some clues as to why I've titled this review "Godzilla vs. Steven Spielberg!" There are all kinds of Spielberg references (occasionally rip-offs) and Spielberg-like touches to this film. But imagine Spielberg on acid, making a live-action adaptation of some wacky kid-oriented anime, with the addition of monsters that are going to rip each other to shreds with death rays emanating from their eyes and mouths and biting each others' necks off while alien-colored blood spews out. That might sound like an atrocious concatenation to some people, but it's heavenly to me, which is why this particular Godzilla film is a 10 out of 10 for me.

It's worth noting that director Takao Okawara managed quite a few "poetic" touches in this film, including some beautiful cinematography, the wonderfully weird cocoon-building sequence, and the scene of Mothra flying out into space, trailing sparkly dust. What really works best here, though, is the bizarre combination of kid-oriented fantasy and the more adult-oriented, menacing tone of the typical Godzilla film. The design of Mothra in this film is the perfect example. It looks like somewhat of a cross between a butterfly, a Muppet, a teddy bear, an Ewok, and a Gremlin at their "cute" stage. Only it is a giant fighting monster capable of killing other giant fighting monsters, destroying downtown, or maybe even destroying the Earth. The effect isn't that far removed from the Sta-Puft Marshmallow man at the end of Ghostbusters. It's all wonderfully surreal.

still an enjoyable Godzilla flick, but I have problems with it

[ciarandino · 7/10 · 15 October 2012]

I had problems with this movie. For one thing, mothra looks like a plastic toy, both in larval and adult stages. The military artillery and miniature buildings look less convincing than before and like mothra, they often look like toys. The film is definitely inferior effects wise to the previous and subsequent Heisei films (with exception of Godzilla vs Spacegodzilla). The final battle, though enjoyable, is a little bit of a let down. Godzilla doesn't put up much of a challenge for the two moths and is bested with uncharacteristic ease.

However, there are things I like as well. Despite the slightly shoddier effects work, it is still an enjoyable Godzilla movie. It retains the darker tone of the Heisei series. Battra looks fantastic in both larval and adult form, and of course, Godzilla looks awesome as always. Akira Ifukube provides a spectacular musical score, and hearing the numerous songs sung by the twin fairies is always an awesome auditory treat, and are very fitting for the deity-esque nature of mothra. Godzilla's emergence from Mt. Fuji is spectacular, and far surpasses his previous volcano escape in Godzilla vs Biollante, and is by far the most impressive special effects sequence in the film, and one of the best in the history of Godzilla movies.

And of course, though I complained about the special effects, it is really only a minor gripe. Though I prefer the better effects of most of the other Heisei films, this one still manages to impress visually, and there are Godzilla films with far cheaper effects work that I love. So overall, not the best Godzilla film ever, and one of the weaker entries to the Heisei series, but still a good and enjoyable movie. I recommend that fans of Godzilla and just giant monster movies in general should see it, though it may not appeal to people who are not fans of the genre.

Godzilla Vs Melodrama

[daniewhite-1 · 4/10 · 11 October 2021]

Godzilla returns to his roots as a baddie for he is surely the antagonist designed to accommodate Mothra's heroine and Battra's anti-hero roles; there's no ambiguity in this installment of the franchise: sometimes Godzilla is a goodie, an anti-hero, an ambivalent agency but sometimes he's the baddie and this is a cast iron example.

He's also only really featured in two barnstorming three way battle scenes and he seems to have no function to the plot, it's premise, or its conclusion.

This is really a Mothra movie and it's really rather slow, plodding and padded with waffle and side-plots but the monster combat action is decidedly good.

As a film I found 'Godzilla Vs Mothra battle for Earth' dull, boring and slow with vague characters and unfunny humour and a plot that's more vacuous than the cast and I would rate it at a very subpar 2.5/10 but the battles are fun and Godzilla erupting from mount Fuji after swimming through molten lava from a seabed fault to the volcano, well, I increase my rating to a 4.5/10 accordingly.

I recommend to Mothra fans unreservedly and for general Godzilla fans and creature feature film fans I'd say that this has a few treasures worth stealing a look at.

Godzilla gets greener

[jamesrupert2014 · 6/10 · 16 January 2018]

"Godzilla vs. Mothra" is a somewhat preachy kaiju movie in which Mothra, a friend to mankind (despite, as we are constantly reminded, our selfish and stupid behavior) faces off against Battra, a guardian of Earth who was created millennia ago in response to an attempt by our distant ancestors to control the weather. Godzilla, having been awakened by a meteorite crashing into the ocean shows up and the two giant bugs have to decide whether to join forces against a common enemy of both man and the Earth. Other than some superfluous "Indiana Jones"-style archeological adventures, the movie is essentially a bug-fight with Godzilla thrown in as an after-thought. I liked the original adult Mothra (1961, 1964) but I'm not a fan of her colourful new appearance (she looks like she's made of fuzzy pipe-cleaners and covered with dyed poodle fur) or her new 'laser beam' (?) abilities. Both larval forms and the adult Battra look pretty good, and the scenes where Mothra passes through her cocoon stage (wrapped in silk, leaning against the Japanese parliament buildings) was great (I was disappointed when Battra's corresponding morphological change was instantaneous). The Heisei-era Godzilla suit is still looks great and the 'fight' scenes are pretty well staged (for a monster that can take tank shells in the chest at close range, Godzilla sure hates having the tip of his tail bitten). As always, Akira Ifukube's score is great and brings back both Godzilla's iconic march and Mothra's beautiful theme (IMO, the best music in the franchise). The acting is pretty typical for a 90's Kaiju outing: fine in non-demanding roles, but the 'Cosmos', Mothra's little fairy-familiars are neither as sweet nor as melodic as the Peanuts (who originated the roles in "Mothra" (1961)). The dubbing in the version I watched (a Tristar DVD) was OK (although the greedy CEO of Murutomo has a silly, cartoonish voice). The environmental self-flagellation in the film is about as subtle as one would expect from a Godzilla film (even when compared to G. vs Hedorah) and comes across a bit self-righteous for a country that uses over 20 billion disposable wooden chopsticks a year, mostly made from imported wood. All-in-all, number 19 in the series is an OK outing but a step down from its antecedent, the gloriously silly "Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah". The Japanese seem to suffer from collective kaiju-amnesia (there is no reference to Mothra having visited the islands before) and show tremendous aplomb (no one seems particularly surprised when two gigantic moths show up).

Nice Movie

[itgagent0409 · 11 November 2004]

I liked this movie and I think those twin girls are quite cute in fact I'll share the entire movie with you SPOILERS!!!!!!!: A meteor has been spotted and is going to hit a trench in the ocean as it hits it wakes up Godzilla! An archaeologist named Takuya Fujita who also likes to steal breaks into a temple in Thailand. Then he takes an ancient idol suddenly there is an earthquake Takuya barely escapes but finds himself in front of a Thai army who arrest him and take him to jail. He gets 3 visitors: Dobashi from Godzilla VS King Ghidorah, Andoh who is working with a corporation in Tokyo, and Takuya's ex-wife Masako.

Takuya is promised freedom but he Andoh, and Masako will have to explore an island near Indonesia called Infant Island. While they are exploring they have a close call with a bridge then they discover a huge egg. They want to know how it got there then 2 voices say in unison "It's Mothra's egg" then the 2 1-inch girls called the Cosmos walk from a flower. They tell the 3 about Mothra and the Black Mothra Battra they fear that the meteor has awoken Battra. The Cosmos allow the egg to be taken to Japan. Back in Tokyo scientists pick up a wake in the ocean they think that it's Godzilla but one says it's Battra. The egg is loaded onto a huge barge and sets sail for Japan. Meanwhile Battra emerges in the city of Nagoya and tears through the streets destroying tanks, and laser cannons with orange rays from his horn and purple rays from his eyes and obliterates almost all of the city.

The 3 explorers on a ship near the barge hear about what happened at Nagoya and they pick up something huge on their radar and discover that it's Godzilla. Then the egg hatches and Mothra a big brown caterpillar climbs out then Battra appear and Godzilla and Battra battle underwater as a terrified Mothra swims back to Infant Island. Suddenly an underwater volcanic eruption swallows Godzilla and Battra the 3 explorers end up in Manila in the Phillippines and Takuya and Mesako have a drink together. Then next morning the Cosmos have disappeared Andoh has stolen them and took them back to Tokyo for his boss Tomokane. Tomokane wants to keep the Cosmos but they beg not to be. Takuya and Mesako return to Tokyo and Mesako is quite mad and their daughter Midori left in care of Mesako's sister is waiting for Mesako and Midori wants to see Takuya but he has left. Mesako goes to Mt Fuji and tells her sister's husband (I forgot his name) about the Earth wanting revenge then a small earthquake rocks the mountain. Back at Tokyo the Cosmos go to a window and sing a beautiful song which summons Mothra from Infant Island into the ocean heading for Japan. Takuya snatches the Cosmos from Andoh while he wasn't there and places them in a wicker box. Mesako tells Dobashi about Mothra but Dobashi doesn't care Mothra must be attacked and killed. Mothra is attacked in Tokyo Bay by ships but destroys them. Mothra appears in Tokyo and begins destroying the city. Mesako, Midori, and the telepathic girl Miki go to the hotel where Takuya is staying. Mesako now knows that Takuya wants to sell the Cosmos for $1,000,000 he wants to be remarried Mesako says that if he sells the Cosmos it won't be possible but if he doesn't then they can work something out. Miki runs in and tells them that Mothra is getting close and the have get out of the building.

Then Mothra smashes into the building Midori begs the Cosmos to tell Mothra to stop destroying Tokyo. They tell Mothra to stop then while Mothra begins leaving the army fires at her she slowly crawls to the Diet building and curls next to it and turns herself into a cocoon. Tomokane sees what happened and ordered Andoh to get the Cosmos but Andoh refused. Then Mt Fuji suddenly erupted and Godzilla emerged Dobashi and other scientists find out that he is heading for Yokohama. Miki tells Takuya and Mesako that Godzilla is coming then the cocoon suddenly lights up then the Cosmos sing a very beautiful song as Mothra now a beautiful butterfly emerged and flew off to go kill Battra who is still alive and turned into his adult stage. Tomokane is furious and fires Andoh but Andoh doesn't care. The army tries to redirect Godzilla back into the ocean but fail. Then astonished bystanders in an amusement park in Yokohama watch as Mothra flies over them. But their awe is short lived however by loudspeakers announcing that Godzilla is approaching Yokohama and they must evacuate the amusement park. Mothra spots Battra and Battra gives chase to Mothra by firing purple rays from his eyes at her. Then Godzilla appears in Yokohama and Battra and Godzilla battle and Godzilla throws Battra wounding him and knocking him unconscious. Mothra appears and fires rays from her antennae at Godzilla and revives Battra.

Then Mothra and Battra begin battling Godzilla Mothra emits lightning bolts from her wings then Godzilla throws her and she lands next to a giant ferris wheel. Then Godzilla knocked the wheel down as it's about to crush Mothra Battra grabs the wheel and drops it on Godzilla. Then Mothra and Battra join forces and Godzilla can take no more he drops to the ground and Battra and Mothra pick up Godzilla and transport him. Godzilla bites into Battra's neck killing him Mothra lets the two drop into the ocean. The next day the Cosmos tell everyone that a giant asteroid is going to hit the Earth in 1999 and completely destroy it. Mothra must go into space and destroy it Midori asked Takuya and Mesako who are going to be remarried if Mothra will be back Takuya said that they will and until that time they must take good car of the Earth. Beautiful/Sad music plays as Mothre serenely flies off into space.

Really good movie 10/10

Special effects is not the best of the '90s Godzilla series

[ebiros2 · 6/10 · 17 October 2005]

This movie starts out pretty good, with realistic looking meteor falling to earth, but that's the end of good special effects for this film. Special effects director Koichi Kawakita must have been absent the day they shot this movie (although he is credited), because his previous film (Godzilla vs King Gidorah) was lot better than this one.

The only reason I could think of for this movie's special effect being so bad was that it was rushed for summer season when kids are off school. These movies are primarily targeted I believe for elementary school kids which I think is grave mistake on Toho's part, because many children enjoyed Gamera 3 which was not catering to younger audiences.

Asides from the above, this movie has more than few things in common with the original Mothra vs Godzilla (1964).

1. There's a corrupt real estate developer as the main protagonist.

2. A typhoon exposes Mothra's egg.

3. Two man and a woman goes on an expedition to Infant (Mothra) island.

4. It's two monsters against one Godzilla.

5. Actor Akira Takarada stars in both movies.

This DVD comes together with Godzilla vs King Gidorah which Toho created as their 60th anniversary project, which is one of the best Godzilla movie of the '90s.

One of the weakest for me in the hensei series of Godzilla movies.

[Aaron1375 · 6/10 · 15 October 2005]

It probably has something to do with the fact I have never been a big Mothra fan and hate it when they fight each other, because Mothra should not do as well as it always does. Lets face it, it is a giant moth and they should burn to a crisp when hit by fire. Still this one starts out promisingly enough with a nice little comical jungle adventure. Still when it is the scenes with the people that are the strongest and not the ones with Godzilla then you are probably in trouble. Godzilla is in this one a bit more than the previous movie, but this one just is kind of dull. To much singing for Mothra to come and such, and watching Mothra trample through the city is always boring cause Mothra just doesn't compare to other monsters doing the same. We also have another monster a tougher version of Mothra called Battra that wants to fight Mothra. Near the end they fight and Battra is beating Mothra and Godzilla literally saves Mothra so what does it do? It joins forces with Battra to attack Godzilla. Godzilla is to much of a secondary monster here, with to much focus on the stupid moth. Still it has its entertaining moments such as Godzilla's first appearance and his resurrection on the volcano. More Godzilla less Mothra would have helped however.

Battra makes the film watchable

[twobaglife · 5/10 · 5 January 2012]

A three way wrestling match between Godzilla, Mothra, and newcomer Battra, who is a mean, evil, spiky version of Mothra. The plot honestly is stupid. We have a gratuitous opening aping Indiana Jones, and Mothra's egg getting captured by some industrialist. There's a lot of retconning-Mothra's fairies are now called the Kosmos, and Mothra seems to be more the spirit of humanity than a deity on a specific island, who holds in check the deity of the earth, Battra. Meanwhile Godzilla wakes up, and gets in the middle of things yet again.

To be honest it's a lot of gibberish, even for a Godzilla film. What matters are the battles, and this is a mixed bag. Godzilla is fine, but Mothra looks incredibly cheap, almost toy-like, whenever its shown. Battra steals the show from both of them by being almost hilariously mean and angry in action. Where as larva Mothra spins silk, larva Battra fires lasers(!), goes toe to toe with Godzilla ending in another hilarious underwater battle which shows that Battra takes no nonsense from anyone. Another funny moment is in the usual transformation. Mothra spins a cocoon, and slowly changes to adult Mothra. Battra changes into adult Battra by sheer force of will, and proceeds to chase Mothra around like a large dog chases a small cat. Mean Battra is incredibly entertaining, but it's not to last.

For some reason, Mothra and Battra join forces to stop Godzilla, and defeat him in a manner aping Mecha-King Ghidorah's efforts in a previous film. People are happy, Godzilla is KO'ed at the sea bottom yet again, and so on. Honestly, if this weren't for Battra it's be unwatchable, but he makes it fun enough to tolerate.

Epic feeling makes for a solid Heisei entry

[drngor · 8/10 · 27 February 2001]

The fourth movie in the Heisei series, this Godzilla movie is a fairly solid entry in the long-running Godzilla series. This was the most successful Godzilla movie of the Heisei series although critically, it's seen as one of the lesser films in the second Godzilla series.

The plot deals with a meteor crashing on earth, awakening Godzilla, Battra, and uncovering Mothra's egg. Battra attacks mankind for poisoning the environment, Godzilla attacks EVERYTHING, and Mothra tries to protect mankind from both menaces. There's a sub-plot thrown in dealing with a treasure-hunter and his ex-wife, as well as some not-so-subtle themes about the environment and Megumi Odaka as the psychic Mike Saegusa (sadly, her role is thin in this one).

The special FX are great for the most part. The kaiju battles are fierce, although a bit too flashy (due to the nature of the monsters). There are some memorable scenes: Godzilla rising out of the volcano, Godzilla destroying Yokohama, Mothra coming out of its cocoon, and some others. The main liabilities in the special FX is Godzilla's return to his old roar (as opposed to the one he used in the previous 3) and Mothra's attack on Tokyo doesn't look too convincing.

Overall, a good monster movie. The pace moves reasonably well. The monsters are fun and exciting as always. The preachy manner of our need to protect the environment isn't handled well, but it's not like it matters too much. After all, I watch these movies to see monsters fighting.

A very good movie

[jacobjohntaylor1 · 7/10 · 9 June 2014]

The best Godzilla movie is Godzilla (1998). Maybe you don't agree I don't care. Has long has you are not mad about it. But if you are mad about it you need to grow up pee pee heads. This is the 7th M.o.t.h.r.a movie. The and the 19th Godzilla movie. I like all the M.o.t.h.r.a movies. Godzilla M.o.t.h.r.a and King G.h.i.d.o.r.a.h giant monsters on an all out attack is the 12th M.o.t.h.r.a movie and Part 25 to the Japan Godzilla series and it is better. Godzilla Tokyo S.O.S would part 27 to the Japan Godzilla series it would also be the 13th M.o.t.h.r.a movie. It is also better. Godzilla final wars would be part 28 to the Japan Godzilla series. It is also the 14th M.o.t.h.r.a movie. It is better. Still it is a great movie see it. See all the M.o.t.h.r.a movie. This one is an awesome monster movie. The M.o.t.h.r.a movies are always awesome. And most of the Godzilla movies are awesome to.

I could see Mothra and Battra's strings!

[The_Depressed_Star_Wars_fan · 5/10 · 6 June 2010]

This is an okay movie. But of course it is not at all flawless. First let's talk about the Special Effects. Without a doubt this film has some of the most non-Special, Special Effects I've ever scene. First of All Godzilla still looks great. Mothra and Battra also look good. When they're larva that is! You see they look okay when they are in Imago form, until you realize that the strings are not hidden well. Actually they are clear as day to see. I wish I could say that I had to look hard to see them, but I didn't. I just had to look at the screen to see them. To be fare most of the Films in the Godzilla series the effects seemed rushed, so they could have the film out by December. In fact a lot of the Godzilla movies seemed rushed. That is why I think that GODZILLA (2012) might be good, because hopefully it won't be rushed. Now that we've talked enough about the effects, let's get on to the acting. It is pretty generic. Unfourtudentally it's nothing we haven't scene before in a Godzilla flick. Some new monster(or monsters in this case)show up they end up causing damage and eventually fight Godzilla. Same old stuff. The acting in this movie is okay, and let's just leave it at that.

A very enjoyable slice of kaiju fun

[vkn · 8/10 · 11 March 2001]

A very solid entry into the giant monster genre. What makes this stand out compared to most other kaiju flicks is the way that the human characters are actually likeable and entertaining to watch. Unlike many other kaiju films, the "plot-explaining" scenes here are not a nuisance that clutter the film and delay the giant monster fight scenes we're all waiting for. Instead they blend into the film well and feature characters that one can grow to like (Masako and Takuya's affectionate bickering was very amusing, for instance). It says a lot about the strength of the human characters when you consider that even the little girl featured in the cast is not a nuisance (though she does utter the hilarious line "I'll make my daddy get a -real- job!").

The actual city-stomping and monster-on-monster battle scenes are a delight as well, and there are plenty of them. While they're beginning to show their age, they still look polished and convincing enough to be entertaining, and are done with lots of style. Special mention must go to the beautiful music, which adds to the film greatly.

Of course, the main storyline is pretty daft, though stomachable. As usual with Mothra around, there's a rather thick environmentalist message to blurb out, but the subject's treated in a not too clunky fashion this time. There are the odd moments of cheesy special effects or clumsy dubbing, but nothing too serious. All in all this is a very entertaining film. It makes a good introduction to the genre for kaiju newbies and kaiju fanatics will lap it up. In fact, anyone with an interest whatsoever in modern Japanese culture shouldn't hesitate about checking this out.

That, and the chanting of "Mossura ya, Mossura..." tends to stick with one ^^.

I Really Hate Mothra.

[DavyDissonance · 7/10 · 12 June 2019]

Godzilla has another one of his hissy fits while some monster called Battra is running around for some reason and Mothra must stop them both. Mothra is a piece of garbage. I really hate this monster. First he battles Battra and loses and then Godzilla comes to save his sorry @$$ and he decides to betray Godzilla to defend Battra. I hope one day someone makes a movie where Godzilla repeatedly stomps Mothras head to death. Anyways this is a pretty good Godzilla movie. The monster fights were good, Battra is actually a pretty cool monster but, seriously, I wish they would stop implementing Mothra into all these Godzilla movies. He is a horrible, crappy, useless monster.

A good one for the kiddies

[JohnSeal · 5/10 · 4 December 1999]

This is probably the entry in the recent Toho cycle most reminiscent of the 1960s Godzilla . Mothra looks terrific and I can never get enough of the Cosmos (now in some rather fetching pink mini-dresses), especially when they burst loose with their classic song (sung, as always, in Malaysian.)