From: dave@blackbox.cc.columbia.edu (David Milner)
Subject: Re: GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA SYNOPSIS
Keywords: Godzilla Mothra Japan Monster
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 09:51:22 GMT

Disorganized thoughts on the film:

The matte work is greatly improved, although still not perfect. 

The use of computer graphics, which was fair in GODZILLA VS. BIOLLANTE
and good in GODZILLA VS. GHIDRAH, is really good in this film.

The treasure hunter is not an Indiana Jones ripoff - he is an Indiana
Jones clone. He was included in the story by screenwriter Kazuki Omori,
who also scripted both BIOLLANTE and GHIDRAH. He hopefully will not
be returning to work on MECHAGODZILLA.

The film is extremely fast-paced, perhaps too much so in spots.

The adult stages of both Mothra and Battra are too small in
comparison to their larval ones.

Although Toho was planning to use the suit used in GHIDRAH in this
film, it was in such bad shape after being stolen that a new suit 
was constructed for the film.

The new suit is darker in color, and is proportioned a little bit
thinner. The eyes are yellow - Godzilla had brown eyes in both BIOLLANTE
and GHIDRAH. The tongue has very deep ridges, unlike before.

The scenes of Godzilla fighting Battra underwater were shot using the
Godzilla suit from BIOLLANTE. 

The noise Battra makes is a re-working of one of Rodan's higher-pitched
screaches.

The noise now heard while Godzilla uses his breath is higher in pitch
than before. It sounds almost like the noise heard whenever 
MechaGodzilla used his eye rays.

Godzilla slams Battra against the ocean floor twice during the 
underwater battle. Must they do this again? Wasn't it bad enough
seeing Godzilla grab Ghidrah by the tails and slamming him down to the 
ground a few times in GHIDRAH?

The underwater footage is not convincing, despite the fact that some of
it was actually shot underwater.

The old Godzilla roars were used again. The low ones used in 1985 
through GHIDRAH were not.

Mothra sounds exactly the same as before.

The Mothra songs are all the same as before.

The sound mixing leaves something to be desired. Some of Godzilla's
roars are just too quiet.

The opening shots of the meteor approaching the Earth and the typhoon
washing away the soil on Infant Island are as good as anything ILM 
has ever done.

Shoji Kobayashi, who plays Security Chief Dobashi, is used comically
in the film. He was used this way in both the ULTRAMAN and KAMEN RIDER
television series as well.

The larval Battra looks like a person walking. Why? There's a guy 
inside the suit walking.

The larval Mothra looks like he's rolling. Why? He's on rollers.

In a few shots of the adult Battra, he looks too fake. Aside from
this, all of the monsters look pretty good.

If you haven't seen the original MOTHRA and GODZILLA VS. MOTHRA - the
1964 film - you won't understand a lot of what is going on in the film.

The special effects are more consistent than in GHIDRAH. There is 
nothing as bad as the Ghidrah vs. F-15s sequence, and again, the matte
work is much improved. Some of the shots of Mothra and Battra carrying
Godzilla, however, could have been better.

Special effects director Koichi Kawakita, who spent a lot of time
working in Toho's optical department, gets too carried away with 
opticals at times. Lighting bolts coming from underneath Mothra's
wings? Rays coming out of Battra's eyes? I prefer the more John Madden
type of monster battles.

A few of the transitions from scene to scene are a bit too abrupt.

There are some great atmospheric shots of Mothra swimming in the water
to save the fairies - sorry, cosmos - from being exploited. 

There also are some great atmospheric shots of Godzilla destroying
some electrical towers.

The monster battles are more geared toward children than those in 
BIOLLANTE and GHIDRAH.

The film is more geared toward children than either BIOLLANTE or 
GHIDRAH.

The score is a little bit better than the GHIDRAH score because 
it is not quite as much of a mish-mosh of old themes. Ifukube
actually wrote a new theme for Battra.

In general, the film is not as dramatic, or exciting as GHIDRAH.
It also certainly isn't as slow as BIOLLANTE, either.

Most fans in Japan that I spoke with think the film is good, but
at the same time like GHIDRAH better. I like the film better than
GHIDRAH simply because I was so turned off by some of the plot
elements of GHIDRAH, such as time travel, the android, 
MechaGhidrah and so on.

The matte work is much improved - did I mention that already?




 

David Milner  Columbia University
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