Product Details

• Actors: Megumi Kobayashi, Sayaka Yamaguchi, Aki Hano, Hikari Mitsushima, Masaki Otake
• Directors: Kunio Miyoshi
• Writers: Masumi Suetani, Tomoyuki Tanaka
• Producers: Hiroaki Kitayama, Shogo Tomiyama
• Format: Color, Dolby, EP, NTSC
• Rated: Unrated
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• VHS Release Date: August 3, 1999
• Run Time: 97 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0767824032
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #318,558 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Continuing the conservation themes of Rebirth of Mothra, the sequel finds Japan at the mercy of the dreaded sea monster Dagahra, a rampaging junior-league Godzilla that feeds off pollution and infests the waters of the Pacific with a choking plague of putrid starfish. Three schoolkids are enlisted by a bouncing furry creature named Go-Go (looking like an unholy union between a Tribble and a Furbee) to join forces with Mothra and her pixie sidekicks Moll and Lora. Their adventure takes them on a mythic quest to an underwater city where they search for magic treasure and battle dark fairy Belvera and her dim treasure-hunting henchmen. More fantasy epic than monster mash, this family-friendly adventure draws inspiration from Star Wars (the underwater pyramid is like an ancient stone Death Star) and Raiders of the Lost Ark, while the battles between Dagahra and Mothra combine a sprinkling of magic with tried-and-true epic creature collisions. There is a decidedly juvenile bent to the film, with its adolescent heroes and slapstick asides, but the funky monsters and pixie costars buzzing through the movie--not to mention Mothra's too-cool transformation to the hornetlike underwater Aqua Mothra--keep the energy level high and add visual beauty to the giant-monster quotient. If you can get past the grating English dubbing, it's a fun family adventure. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow Mothra really rocks in this movie, September 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rebirth of Mothra Part 1 (Slipsleeve) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The reborn Mothra looked very cool and its new powers were totally awesome especially when it broke it self up into thousands of little mothras to attack desghidora.Desghidora itself was an incredible monster that thing looked like it could eat Godzilla and king ghidorah both .I definitelly loved this movie.I can't wait to get Rebirth2.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rebirth of Mothra, November 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rebirth of Mothra Part 1 (Slipsleeve) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

A very good movie.My whole family really enjoyed it,even my wife who thinks my taste for jappenese monster movies is childish.To bad Godzilla wasn't in it,then it would be perfect.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece of the giant monster genre, November 5, 2000

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rebirth of Mothra Part 1 (Slipsleeve) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Next to Godzilla, Mothra is probably the most popular creature in Toho's ongoing series of giant monster movies. "Rebirth of Mothra" represents a high point in that series. The film is a spectacularly successful blend of action, emotion, music, and mythic imagery.

Although the film is intended towards a family audience--two of the main characters are children, and graphic scenes of human carnage are avoided--there is plenty in here for adult fans of the genre to enjoy. The film is full of stunningly beautiful images that are charged with the power of myth and the elegance of poetry. The opening sequence, for example, sends chills down my spine. And the fight sequences rival a heavyweight boxing match in intensity.

The human actors give fine performances, but the real stars, of course, are the fantastic creatures. The special effects team has done a miraculous job of truly bringing these creatures to life. Mothra, her gargantuan larval offspring, the miniature "fairy Mothra," and the other creatures are fully developed characters who really engage the viewers' emotions. Toshiyuki Watanabe's stirring score is a powerful complement to the epic drama of creation, destruction, and metamorphosis which is enacted by these mythic creatures.

As I noted before, this is a film for all ages. After falling in love with it, I watched the video with my four year old nephew. I don't think I've ever seen a child get so emotionally involved in a film before; he insisted on borrowing the tape and watching it over and over!

Like many film lovers, I am wary of remakes and retreads of the classic films which I loved as a child. And the original "Mothra" was one of my favorites. But fear not, classic Mothra fans: Toho company has produced a new classic which remains true to the spirit of the original while adding to the Mothra mythos. This film is essential viewing for giant monster fans.