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 he title of this Godzilla offering is a bit
misleading. It makes it seem like Godzilla and Mothra are teaming up to
save the planet, when in reality the two are still beating the crap out of
each other in Japan and ignoring the rest of the world. Still, the film is
fun to watch, and should be given credit for trying to inject new life
into the Mothra mythos.
The film opens with a meteor crashing into the
Pacific Ocean, disrupting an already unbalanced ecology. Godzilla is
awakened, and clearly not happy about the early wake up call, expresses
his displeasure in his usual anti-social manner. But also revived are
Mothra and her evil nemesis Battra. Mothra soon realizes she can't stop
Godzilla alone, and must resolve her differences with her dark twin and
unite to defeat Godzilla.
The highlight of "Godzilla and Mothra" is the excellent special
effects by Koichi Kawakita. The new Godzilla suit is less bulky, allowing
for more realistic movements, especially in the battle scenes. Godzilla
also has more pronounced fangs, nasty double rows of teeth, and larger
dorsal fins. Mothra is nicely ethereal, but a major flaw in her design is
that her wings don't flap during flight. Battra looks appropriately
malevolent, and is a nice addition to Godzilla's Rogues Gallery of
monsters.
Battle scenes involving the monsters are effectively
done, with the best being Godzilla's fight with Battra over an erupting
volcano and a three-way battle in an amusement park for the film's finale.
Fans will be happy to learn that Godzilla's signature roar has returned to
normal. No longer a deeper sounding roar, the higher pitch screech has
been restored, making Godzilla sound like he's always sounded in previous
films.
New director Takoa Okawara handles his chores
expertly, swiftly moving the film along and appropriately focuses on the
monsters and the destruction they invariably cause. He's also sly enough
to add several scenes that pay homage to past Godzilla films, and fans in
the know will appreciate the subtle touches. The music by legendary
composer Akira Ifukude is a lushly rendered orchestral score, and truly
shows the incredible talent of the man who has been scoring Godzilla films
since 1954. Whether it's a battle scene, or simply a moment of exposition,
Ifukude masterfully underscores every scene with the appropriate music.
Bravo maestro, bravo.
However, there are few kind words for writer Kazuki Omori, who should have
a restraining order placed so he can't be within 5 miles of any Godzilla
script ever again. Omori's story for "Godzilla and Mothra"
meanders all over the place, throwing in ancient civilizations, an Indiana
Jones knock-off, greedy corporate types, and doomsday scenarios as if the
writer had a nasty case of writers block and couldn't work out of it. Even
worse, Omori feels the need to hammer the audience over the head with
preachy environmental messages. Not a scene goes by without at least one
character gravely noting, "We've done this to ourselves" or
solemnly acknowledging the destruction of something on the planet. Wanting
to educate the audience to help save the environment is a noble idea, but
to constantly focus on it gets annoying very quickly and only makes the
audience ignore the message.
"Godzilla and Mothra" suffers from a flawed script, but is
redeemed by a talented director, composer, and some nifty monster action.
It may not be a classic, but it is fun to watch for 107 minutes. Had this
movie had a better writer, it would have been a benchmark of the Godzilla
series; as it stands, "Godzilla and Mothra" is still an
enjoyable film for fans of the big G. |
