Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Kid Fare!, March 10, 2003
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.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Visually Striking, Imaginative fantasy Films, March 22, 2000
By A Customer
The DVD release of these two films is very welcome. Visually, both films look wonderful, with the widescreen transfer a great improvement over the cropped VHS and a nice surround sound. Mothra 1 is a charming fantasy , with enviromental overtones that would carry over to the second movie. The films are in no way realistic, rather like classic movies like The Wizzard of Oz or Kwaidan, work to create a striking visual style that is more colorful and unique than anything found in reality.The films are aimed at the family audience, and only the adults will mind the regretably poor dubbing job that Tri-Star did with these films. The plots are imaginative, if not quite logical. But in a fantasy film like these, that is no problem. The second film is the better of the two, with some breathtaking visual moments. Some sequences such as the Death of the first Mothra and the re-birth of the new Mothra as an adult are stunningly imaginative.And the under sea battle climax of the second movie is great! It's even more amazing when you realize that these films are made for about 4 Million each, and in about 4 months! I recomend these films to kids, and adults who remember the pleasure that movies like this can give.It's just too bad about the dubbing.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Colorful, Imaginative family fantasy film, February 12, 2000
Tri stars DVD release of MOTHRA 1 & 2 are a welcome addition and improvement on the previous VHS versions. The DVD is Letterboxed and Enhanced for 16/9 televisions, and looks great, with fine detail and color. The sound will impress anyone with a suround sound system, with good separation. The only demerit would be tri-stars poor dubbing of these films. There is no real excuse not to have done better. The voices are often mismatched, and the vocal performances sub-standard. In a fantasy film this can be quite distracting, and too often it is blamed on the filmakers rather than the American distributor, where the fault realy lies. As for the movies themselves, they are charming and colorful, if a little confusing. One more re-write would have smoothed out some of the plot points. One of the nice things is that these are films in which the kids are the main protagonists, with few adults intruding to throw a damper on things. Kids and most adults who remember being kids will enjoy them. Visually the films are imaginative, NOT realistic. Realisim comes secondary to a fast pace and colorful visuals. And that is one of the most wonderful things about them. Both films have moments of real beauty, and striking imagination. Best moments of the first film are the death of the older Mothra, sinking slowly beneath the ocean,wings outstreached as if still flying, and the rebirth of the new Mothra, growing from thousands of smaller ones.. The second film is better still, with a climax that finds Mothra morphing into Aqua Mothra, and fighting under the sea. Its amazing to think that both films cost onlyt 4 million each, and that the Special effects, directed by Kochi Kawakitta, were done in just 80 days for each film! Kawakitta did effects for a staggering 10 projects in only 8 years, yet managed to give each movie a distinctive look, and unique moments. One of the best things about both films is the fine music of Toshiyuk Watanabe. His are amoung the finest heard in Japanese kaiju in quite a while, and a welcome change from the rather over used Ifukube music . When Mothra attacks at the end of MOTHRA 2 , Kawakita's effects and Watanabe's music blend wonderfuly into a fun and thrilling climax. Just too bad that the poor dubbing stand out so sharply to the rest of the movie. Memo to TRI-STAR...Do a better job with better dubbing next time! However, that aside, these are fun , imaginative family oriented films, that will please many fans.
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