With the Godzilla franchise in good health, Toho decided to go after some of that Gamera money with Rebirth of Mothra, a kaiju film aimed at younger kids. Like a Gamera film, kids are the protagonists, and everyone trusts them to save the world, and the parents aren't nearly worried enough that their children are riding the backs of giant monsters. The villain, the fairies' evil sister Belvera, is particularly broad as if the actress doesn't respect children's intelligence. Since both sets of fairies have little mounts (the small Mothra confusingly called Fairy is incredibly cute, did it immediately go on all the kids' birthday gift list?) which are used to stage a kaiju battle in the family's living room. The green screen is often terrible (as it is throughout the movie), but in the end, I decided I liked the sequence. It's just fun. Of course, the movie asks us to believe the tiny dragon's breath can be blocked by a tennis shoe, but later destroys a bulldozer. But this is a kaiju film where the monsters can pretty do anything, and when Mothra has to face "Death Ghidorah", she rains down as many special effects as she can. The battles are pretty good, with lots of aerial action and explosions, but more sensitive kids may be upset at the small amount of monster gore, and of course, the title implies a sad moment for Mothra. (No, YOU'RE crying!) The new Mothra - I'm calling her Green Mothra - has even more special effects at her beck and call. As an eco-fable, which this is, it's quite on the nose, but also provides a quick fix that is the absolute wrong impression to leave with kids. Overall though, I thought this was an entertaining if silly giant monster movie. I find Mothra, even Green Mothra, irrepressibly endearing, what can I say.
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Siskoid
With the Godzilla franchise in good health, Toho decided to go after some of that Gamera money with Rebirth of Mothra, a kaiju film aimed at younger kids. Like a Gamera film, kids are the protagonists, and everyone trusts them to save the world, and the parents aren't nearly worried enough that their children are riding the backs of giant monsters. The villain, the fairies' evil sister Belvera, is particularly broad as if the actress doesn't respect children's intelligence. Since both sets of fairies have little mounts (the small Mothra confusingly called Fairy is incredibly cute, did it immediately go on all the kids' birthday gift list?) which are used to stage a kaiju battle in the family's living room. The green screen is often terrible (as it is throughout the movie), but in the end, I decided I liked the sequence. It's just fun. Of course, the movie asks us to believe the tiny dragon's breath can be blocked by a tennis shoe, but later destroys a bulldozer. But this is a kaiju film where the monsters can pretty do anything, and when Mothra has to face "Death Ghidorah", she rains down as many special effects as she can. The battles are pretty good, with lots of aerial action and explosions, but more sensitive kids may be upset at the small amount of monster gore, and of course, the title implies a sad moment for Mothra. (No, YOU'RE crying!) The new Mothra - I'm calling her Green Mothra - has even more special effects at her beck and call. As an eco-fable, which this is, it's quite on the nose, but also provides a quick fix that is the absolute wrong impression to leave with kids. Overall though, I thought this was an entertaining if silly giant monster movie. I find Mothra, even Green Mothra, irrepressibly endearing, what can I say.