Mothra vs. Godzilla

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Director: Ishirō Honda Year: 1964 Runtime: 89 min IMDb: ⭐ 6.5
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Synopsis

Journalists Ichiro Sakai and Junko cover the wreckage of a typhoon when an enormous egg is found and claimed by greedy entrepreneurs. Mothra's fairies arrive and are aided by the journalists in a plea for its return. As their requests are denied, Godzilla arises near Nagoya and the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.

Plot[edit | edit source] Kurata Beach is stricken by a typhoon. The following morning, reporter Ichiro Sakai and his photographer Junko Nakanishi find a strange blue-gray object amongst the wreckage. Later, a giant egg is found floating near Nishi Beach in Shizunoura. Professor Miura attempts to investigate the egg, only to be pestered with questions by Sakai. They soon learn that the villagers had sold the egg to businessman Kumayama for exploitation purposes for his firm Happy Enterprises. At a local hotel, Sakai, Junko, and Miura discuss how to legally counter Kumayama's plans, and find him at the lobby. Kumayama meets with his financial backer Jiro Torahata, who reveals his plans to build the Shizunoura Happy Center around the egg. They are visited by the Shobijin, tiny twin fairies, who attempt to convince them to return the egg but have to escape when the businessmen try to capture them. The Shobijin run into Sakai, Junko, and Miura, and reveal to them that the egg belongs to the colossal insect god Mothra, the recent typhoon caused it to wash up on Japanese waters, and destruction will follow when the larva emerges. The trio agree to help them retrieve the egg, and try to plead with Kumayama and Torahata but are met with resistance. The Shobijin eventually return home to Infant Island without the egg. Later, Sakai writes scathing articles about Happy Enterprises' insensitivity towards the Shobijin. However, the firm dismisses the articles as slander and open the Shizunoura Happy Center to the public. Kumayama is confronted by the villagers for not paying in full for the egg and renting from their land. Torahata agrees to loan Kumayama additional funds in exchange for putting the egg up as collateral. Kumayama reluctantly accepts and begins incubating the egg. Miura decontaminates Sakai and Junko after examining the object they found in the wreckage and determining it to be highly radioactive. The trio return to Kurata beach to investigate further, but the giant reptilian monster Godzilla emerges from the buried mud, revealing the object to be one of its scales. Citizens evacuate as Godzilla wreaks havoc on Yokkaichi and Nagoya. The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are deployed to lead Godzilla to the coast to minimize casualties. At the suggestion of a colleague, the trio travel to Infant Island to appeal to the Shobijin for Mothra's help. When they arrive, they are horrified by the desolation left behind by past nuclear tests. They are captured by the natives and reveal their intentions to ask for Mothra's help against Godzilla. The Shobijin and natives refuse, seeing it as divine retribution on outsiders for ravaging their island with nuclear tests, and not returning the egg. Junko and Sakai plead that the innocent are also in danger, that they have no right to decide who deserves to live or die, and that civilization is flawed, but is trying hard to make the world better. Mothra agrees to help, but the Shobijin warn that she is on her deathbed. Back in Japan, the JSDF launch multiple campaigns against Godzilla but to no avail. After losing his fortune, Kumayama confronts Torahata at his hotel, attacks him, and steals his secret funds. Torahata shoots Kumayama, and attempts to escape with the money, but is crushed to death as Godzilla destroys the hotel. Godzilla reaches Nishi Beach, and prepares to destroy the egg until Mothra intervenes and engages Godzilla in battle. Mothra initially gets the upper hand, but is defeated by Godzilla's atomic breath. Mothra uses her last strength to fly to the egg and die next to it. As the JSDF resume their attacks on Godzilla, the trio and the Shobijin remain with the egg as the twins attempt to make the egg hatch more quickly via musical incantations. On Infant Island, the natives join in a ritual dance, in response to the twins' music. Twin larvae emerge from the egg and follow Godzilla to Iwa island. As the monsters battle, the trio join a rescue party to retrieve students and their teacher left behind on Iwa Island. Godzilla is entrapped by the larvas' silk, tumbles into the sea and sinks. The students and teacher are returned to safety, and the larvae and Shobijin return to Infant Island. Sakai asserts that humanity will thank them by building a better world built on trust.

Summary adapted from TMDb and Wikipedia sources.

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Content Warnings

⭐ IMDb Parents Guide 🛡️ Common Sense Media

alcohol abuse
spoiler There is a scene with the rich fellow, when on the phone, drinking alcohol with a woman.
an animal dies
spoiler Mothra dies of old age before she can finish her battle with Godzilla
there are bugs
spoiler Mothra is, well, a giant Moth.
someone is restrained
spoiler Godzilla is attacked by the army using 3 nets. Mothra's children later attacks Godzilla by shooting ropes of silk, covering him.
a non-human character dies
Yes
a major character dies
Yes
someone dies
Yes
a parent dies
Yes
someone is kidnapped
spoiler A few attempts are made by the human villains but not successful.
there's a claustrophobic scene
Yes
there's natural bodies of water
Yes
there's spitting
spoiler Mothra's children, the grubs, do attack Godzilla by spitting webs of silk.
a priceless artifact is destroyed
spoiler Buildings, including Nagoya Castle, are destroyed.
electro-therapy is used
spoiler No, however, the army attempts to kill Godzilla by electrocuting him with nets.
there's flashing lights or images
spoiler When Godzilla gets electrocuted there is flashing electricity for a long sequence.
there's screaming
Yes
someone speaks hate speech
spoiler Japanese actors are in brownface when portraying the Infant Island Natives.
there's blackface
spoiler The native people of Infant Island are again represented via blackface
a minority is misrepresented
spoiler the native peoples of Infant island are clearly taken inspiration from Pacific islanders and other indigenous cultures, however, this means that alot of the Japanese actors are in brownface. Some are also painted red, which can be construed to be a caricature of Native Americans
there's blood/gore
spoiler Two men get in a fight featuring blood.
there's gun violence
spoiler Some of the human characters have guns and shoot with them.
someone drowns
spoiler Godzilla falls into the ocean while being constricted, it's left ambiguous if he's hurt or not.
there's a nuclear explosion
spoiler Godzilla is heavily associated with radiation and atomic weapons.
someone is burned alive
spoiler during a bombing sequence, Godzilla does catch on fire, he is fine though. Godzilla then uses his atomic breath on some tanks, melting them with fire.
someone is crushed to death
spoiler When the rich fellow runs off with his money, Godzilla collapses the building he is in. It is shown stuff falling, but it is not graphic.
someone is buried alive
Yes
someone falls to their death
spoiler Godzilla falls into the ocean at the end of the movie, its not confirmed if he dies or not
Someone becomes unconscious
spoiler The rich fellow gets knocked out in a fight for a moment but comes to relatively quickly

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