I mean it is a moth. A giant moth, but still a moth.
Mothra vs. Godzilla (Mosura tai Gojira) (1964): 8 out of 10: Sometimes you revisit a movie not because you suddenly developed a burning desire to watch giant monsters punch each other again, (Not that I didn’t) but because technology finally caught up with the film. A lot of older movies suffered for decades under terrible television presentations. With cropped prints, muddy transfers, and in the case of Day of the Animals “Glare-O-Vision,”.
That’s no longer the case here. Watching Godzilla vs. Mothra in the Criterion Collection transfer on HBO is a completely different experience than the old dubbed TV versions that floated around for years. Suddenly you have a gorgeous widescreen image, crystal-clear visuals, and the original Japanese voices with subtitles. The difference is night and day.
And what emerges is not just a monster movie, but a surprisingly political and adult film, one that mixes kaiju chaos with corporate greed, government bureaucracy, and a surprising amount of commentary about capitalism.
Also, you know, a giant radioactive lizard fights a moth.
Let’s get into it.
Plot Synopsis
After a massive typhoon hits the Japanese coastline, local fishermen discover something unusual washed ashore: a giant egg. Naturally, the government studies it, scientists scratch their heads, and the local business community immediately decides the best possible use for the mysterious object is tourism.
Enter our villains. Two shady Disney wannabes who feel extremely Yakuza-adjacent, even if the script never says the word. They con the fishermen into selling the egg and turn it into a commercial attraction.
Unfortunately for them, the egg belongs to Mothra, and representatives from Infant Island soon arrive to ask politely for it back.
Those representatives are the famous Shobijin, Mothra’s tiny twin priestesses who are two women about a foot tall who sing beautifully and represent the island culture that worships the giant moth.
The businessmen refuse, of course. Capitalism waits for no moth.
Meanwhile, another familiar problem shows up: Godzilla, who emerges dramatically from a construction site and begins doing what Godzilla does best. Which is of course wrecking buildings, stomping cities, and generally ruining everyone’s insurance premiums.
Now Japan has two problems:
- A giant radioactive dinosaur.
- An angry moth deity whose egg has been turned into a theme park exhibit.
Naturally, the only solution is a monster fight.
The Good
The Criterion Presentation
First things first: this film looks incredible in the Criterion transfer.
Seeing it in widescreen with clean visuals and the original Japanese audio completely changes the experience. The political themes are clearer, the performances feel more natural, and the movie simply breathes in a way those old cropped TV prints never allowed. If you’ve only seen the dubbed versions on television, this is practically a new movie.
A Surprisingly Adult Story
One of the most surprising elements of Mothra vs. Godzilla is how political it is.
The movie spends a lot of time on:
- Government bureaucracy and slow decision-making
- Corporate greed
- Media influence and newspaper politics
- Capitalist exploitation
The businessmen essentially con the fishermen into selling the egg, and their behavior only gets worse from there. At one point, one partner literally shoots the other while Godzilla is heading toward their hotel. That escalated quickly.
It’s not subtle, but it’s engaging. The human plot is actually interesting instead of just filler between monster scenes.
1960s Godzilla
This era of Godzilla is one of my personal favorites.
The suit design here has:
- A very expressive face
- A wonderfully overactive tail
- Tons of personality in the performance
Godzilla’s introduction is fantastic: he rises up through a construction site, accompanied by Akira Ifukube’s booming score, and immediately starts knocking over buildings. Which is, let’s be honest, exactly what we came for.
Infant Island
The movie suddenly shifts into full King Kong territory when we visit Infant Island.
This island was apparently used for nuclear testing, yet still contains a thriving native population who sing, dance, and worship Mothra. Hundreds of extras fill the screen in ceremonial costumes, creating a massive, colorful spectacle.
It’s weird, it’s theatrical, and it’s pure 1960s kaiju filmmaking. And honestly, I love that stuff.
The 1960s Atmosphere
There’s just something classy about 1960s Japanese cinema, even when giant monsters are involved.
You’ve got:
- Newspaper reporters chasing the story
- Gangsters and corrupt businessmen
- Police investigations
- Scientists delivering exposition
It’s a perfect snapshot of the era, and the movie clearly enjoys spending time in that world.
The Bad
Questionable Logic
At one point the heroes are trying to convince the government that Mothra is real.
Standing next to them are two women who are one foot tall and claim to be from a mystical island where a giant moth is worshipped. You would think the solution might be: “Let’s put them on television.” Instant public pressure. Problem solved.
But no. Instead we wander through a series of debates about how to convince the authorities. Sometimes monster movies require you to politely nod and move along.
Wardrobe Choices
The scientist and reporter travel to a tropical island by raft. They are wearing suits and ties.
Now I understand people dressed more formally in the 1960s, but even then, if you were sailing to a nuclear-test island in the Pacific you might at least consider:
- A Hawaiian shirt
- Khakis
- Possibly shorts
Just a thought.
The Ugly
Mothra (Sorry)
I’m going to go on record here.
I have never been a big Mothra fan.
Rodan? Fantastic monster. Great design. Perfect Godzilla rival.
Mothra? It looks like something you’d find in the toy aisle next to a wind-up robot.
Even worse, despite the title, Mothra doesn’t actually do all that much in this movie.
You get the twin fairies, the egg, the cult worship… but the actual monster action from Mothra is pretty limited. It’s not terrible. It’s just… moth-adjacent.
In Conclusion
Godzilla vs. Mothra turns out to be a much better film than many of us probably realized when we first saw it as kids. It sports
- A surprisingly political monster story
- A sharp satire of corporate greed
- A colorful showcase of 1960s kaiju filmmaking
- A very entertaining Godzilla adventure
The human story is engaging, the monster scenes deliver the goods, and the film never overstays its welcome. Sure, Mothra still looks like a toy to me.
But everything else from the businessmen to the reporters to Godzilla smashing through buildings is pure 1960s monster-movie fun. And sometimes that’s exactly what the doctor ordered.
Just maybe next time bring Rodan.
