Product Details

• Actors: Frankie Sakai, Hiroshi Koizumi, Kyôko Kagawa, Ken Uehara, Emi Ito
• Directors: Ishirô Honda
• Writers: Robert Myerson, Shinichi Sekizawa, Shinichirô Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, Yoshie Hotta
• Producers: Tomoyuki Tanaka
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Rated: G (General Audience)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: August 6, 1996
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6303257720
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,302 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tinkerbell's cousins., July 9, 2002

By 

Robert S. Clay Jr. (St. Louis, MO., USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mothra [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A giant moth flips its lid and attacks Japan. If Walt Disney ventured into the realm of Japanese sci-fi, this movie could have been the result. Chuckle-headed, camp humor is evident, but another wacky monster fest is not the director's real purpose. The emphasis is on a juvenile fantasy story that features "The Peanuts," petite female fairies. Tinkerbell's cousins. Twins, no less. (If this was a fantasy film of another kind, the mathematical possibilities would be endless). The Peanuts serve as high priestesses to Mothra, a primitive deity. Their haunting rendition of Mothra's theme song holds a special place in the Japanese sci-fi hall of fame. When ruthless men kidnap the girls, Mothra follows them to Japan. Mothra first appears as a giant caterpillar that scoots across the countryside like an electric train. The most thrilling part of this epic is the attack on Tokyo. In the midst of the fiery destruction, the caterpillar attaches itself to Tokyo Tower, and spins a huge cocoon. Atomic heat ray machines fail to destroy the cocoon, and a giant moth emerges. The wind from Mothra's flapping wings gives off typhoon type wind. Buildings crumble, fire rages, and vehicles whip around like toys. Of course, the cars and trucks really are toys, but don't get technical. The military fights back with tanks, rockets, and planes, but to no effect. Considering the lousy track record of the Japanese military in these monster epics, the government of Japan might want to re-think its military resources. The special effects reflect the limitations of the budget and the era. Don't expect computer-generated razzle-dazzle. Suspend disbelief and go with the flow. Good for kids under seven and hard core Japanese sci-fi fans. ;-)

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Movie in SP Mode!!!, February 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mothra [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a very interesting movie for all you Godzilla fans. Mothra is a little bit bigger in this movie (as opposed to Godzilla vs. Mothra), and it is a very enjoyable movie. The best thing about it is SP mode! Yes, the Toho movie distribution people finally decided that we would be allowed to view a movie in SP mode. Weird but true!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for kaiju enthusiasts, but for anyone else . . ., February 21, 2003

By 

Tristan P. Leck "Kaiju Nexus" (Feasterville, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mothra [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The original Mothra is an interesting movie. It relies on human drama much more than the average kaiju movie that I've seen, but still manages to keep up the monster action enough to keep your attention. Unfortunately, the monster action isn't very exciting. After smashing a dam and a building or two, the catapillar spins a cocoon around Tokyo tower, only to be "fried" by a new military weapon. But, after it hatches into a giant moth, the kaiju destruction really looks like nothing more than a hurricane documentary.

However, if you are a kaiju enthusiast like me, you'll love the movie for what it is and not so much what it has to offer in monster destruction. But, if your looking for a cheep monster flick, you may enjoy this, but you may not. This movie is really based on personal preference.