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Rebirth of Mothra 1&2 Director: Okihiro Yoneda Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Format: Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen Audience Rating: Unrated Running Time: 206 minutes Studio: Columbia/Tristar Studios Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Region Code: 1 Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2000-02-01 Buy from Amazon |
 "NOT IN JAPANESE!!"The technical details say the audio track is Japanese. It isn't. The audio is dubbed English. I order Japanese DVDs with English subtitles so I can learn Japanese. If that's why you want to order this movie -- don't!  "It's more for kids..."Me - as I would myself count as a fan of the real Godzilla - was somehow disappointed by the movies. These movies are clearly targeted to kids and contain a lot of scenes which are nice for kids but not so much for adults. The quality of FX is - according to my impression - cheaper and worse than those of the 60's movies. I got the impression the movies are somehow mass production style with cheap CG FX. Made without 'love'. The kids who are going to a forgotten city under the sea are filmed on a relatively 'cheap' sound stage and you can see it - mass production, cheap series type. The only thing I found nice: Mothra is changing it's outlook and capabilities several times until it can beat the 'evil' creature. Well, IMHO not for the serious fan of Godzilla movies but OK for the completeness of the collection. "Great Kid Fare!"Okay, so these aren't adult movies. Let's be honest - how many `adults' in the stereotypical sense will sit through a Godzilla movie. Well, I will. Why the gripe about the Rebirth Of Mothra movies being `geared towards kids?' Just because the kids are the main characters doesn't make it any less entertaining. I guess the main difference between these and the Godzilla movies is there is not a lot of collateral damage. Most of the battles take place in the wilderness away from innocent civilians, and the military never gets involved (I guess so long as the cities are left alone, the Japanese military doesn't care what the monsters do). Hence, G-rated Godzilla...very little chaos and destructiveness, but enjoyable nonetheless. If you're a godzilla fan I'm pretty confident you'll like these, and if you're not, its okay to let the kids see `em. They've got a great anti-industry pro-earth message, and fantastic, four color effects -really superior. With the kids as main characters, younger viewers won't get bored either. REBIRTH OF MOTHRA - When my nine year old saw this he wept like the Dickens. Remember, the title IS `REBIRTH of Mothra.' But don't worry.... if Sci Fi teaches us anything its that death is never forever. Basically nasty treekillers clearing a path for progress bust open an ancient seal which unleashes Desghidorah (or Death Ghidorah), a black hydra (kind of a four legged King Ghidorah) which drinks the life out of forests. The Elias, those irrepresible Earth First faeries from Infant Island sing that kickin' Mothra song and call up earth's protector (a giant moth, for those unfamiliar with the character) to go and trump Desghidorah, who is being egged on by an evil faerie called Belvera. When the tide turns for the worse, Mothra's (son/daughter?) larva speedily cocoons itself and is born as Rainbow Mothra - a really stunning looking creature with the ability to heal the damage Desghidorah has done. The story is told from the point of view of a little boy and his sister, and if you're looking for a good all-around morality tale, SPOILER AHEAD: Desghidorah goes down, the Elias forgive Belvera, and the brother and sister (and their distant parents) all learn to love each other better.END SPOILER REBIRTH OF MOTHRA 2: The effects in this one are stupendous (particularly Aquamothra's final attack on Dagharla), but the story is a tad weaker. In this one three kids discover a weird little alien (?) creature who leads them to a kind of Atlantean temple out in the middle of the Sea of Japan. At the same time as all this, deadly acid-spitting starfish are popping up all over thanks to Dagharla, an giant amphibious beastie again being supported by Belvera. Two teens (or twentysomethings) chase the kids, looking to exploit the little alien thing. Again, good morality tale, as everything and everybody turns out not so bad in the end (and there's no death in this one, except for SPOILER AHEAD:the noble self-sacrifice of the little alien thing at the end). END SPOILER Good for the kids, but beware that the little alien thing can produce a liquid which has the power to heal, and its delivery is a little gross...get the picture? Overall, great stuff for the whole family, especially if the whole family likes Godzilla (like mine does). Maybe a little silly at points, but so what? If you're bothering to read this review, you will most likely enjoy it. Go ahead. Buy it, and get the kids hooked on kaiju movies. And if you're a mothra fan, you'll love it. The faeries get a great treatment, Mothra is updated and has some nifty new powers, and the Mosura song sounds cool as ever. No, its not in Japanse (it doesn't say it is anywhere on the package either), but it IS widescreen, and the sound and picture are crisp and clear.  "Great DVD for monster fans of all ages."This is great Japanese fantasy family DVD viewing. These films are a bit more light hearted than the Godzilla films in the 90's, but still have all the great monster fights we love. I can wach these films with my Pre-schooler or can enjoy them on my own being a Godzilla fan for many years. Both films vibrant and colorful with better specail effects than it's sixties conterpart. Mothra-I has a new version of Ghidora as a more western looking dragon and Mothra must fight to the finish to defeat this three-headed foe. In Mothra-II she battles Dagahra a more aquatic foe and must transform herself into Aqua-Mothra to defeat this monster. This DVD is a must for Gozilla fans young & old, boy & girl. The widescreen format and digital sound makes you want to make some popcorn and imagine you're back at your local matinee. "Pleasant and colourfull monster movies"Gratefull monster movies, with a suberb cinematography full of Japanese colours, and a good music. Perhaps too childhood, but with an interesting ecologist subtext. |
