Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth (1992)
Originally known as "Godzilla vs. Mothra", this became the highest grossing Godzilla movie in Japan, a record which still holds today. A new director, Takao Owara, stepped in to take the helm while the writer/director of the previous two entries, Kazuki Omori, merely provided the script. With series stalwarts Koichi Kawakita (special effects) and Akira Ifukube (score) backing him up, Owara created a fun, fantasy-laced monster romp.
A meteor strikes the Earth, causing rampant climate upheaval which uncovers a giant egg on Infant Island. An Indiana Jones-like treasure hunter is sprung from jail in order to lead an expedition to find the egg, a joint venture between the Japanese government and the Maritomo corporation. After braving dangerous jungles, flimsy rope bridges and raging rivers, the adventurers locate the egg, as well as the egg's two tiny faerie guardians known as the Cosmos (Series 2's version of the Twin Beauties). Their purpose in life is to keep the natural order of things in balance - as well as lay out the backstory -
Long ago, a powerful and technologically advanced civilization ruled the Earth. They created the giant moth Mothra to be their protector as well as a machine that was able to control the planet's climate. Mother Earth didn't like this new development and created a giant moth monster of her own - Battra. Battra set out to destroy the people, but Mothra rose to their defense. In the ensuing battle, Battra was defeated, but not before the climate machine was destroyed, causing a massive flood which wiped out the ancient civilization. Mothra and Battra, shrugging their insectoid shoulders, decided to sleep until something else came along that was worth fighting for.
The chaos caused by the meteor (which is described as the match that set off the environmental instability created by the pollution of mankind) wakes Battra from the bottom of the ocean floor. Godzilla is also freed from beneath the bulk of Mecha King Ghidorah, but reliable psychic Miki Saegusa is on the case and warns the powers-that-be of his imminent return. The Maritomo corporation, meanwhile, decides to ship the giant Mothra egg to the mainland for exploitation purposes.
Battra, in larval form, reaches land and destroys both the city of Nagoya and all military opposition. Soon after, Godzilla arrives to harass the ship carrying Mothra's egg, causing it to hatch. After a brief tussle at sea, the Battra larvae also enters the fray. After slapping aside larval Mothra, Battra takes on Godzilla and the two of them get sucked into an underwater volcano. In order to compensate for the loss of Mothra, the Maritomo corporation kidnap the Cosmos and bring them to the mainland, followed by our heroes (Indiana Jones-guy and the government people). The Cosmos sing the "Mothra song" and the giant grub comes running, cutting a swath of destruction through town. Miki Saegusa uses her ESP to locate and rescue the Cosmos (Cosmoses? Cosmosii?). Mothra settles down and builds a giant cocoon in the middle of Tokyo.
Mt. Fuji then erupts, belching out Godzilla and Battra, now in adult form. Adult Mothra emerges from her cocoon in a pretty, ethereal light show. After an aerial dogfight, Battra shoots Mothra down then turns on Godzilla, who stumbles into the fight. Battra drops a building on Godzilla's head, but it's not enough to keep him down. He retaliates and gives Battra a merciless pummeling. Mothra comes to Battra's rescue. The two giant moths form a temporary truce and gang up on the big lizard. Battra knocks Godzilla down with a ferris wheel, and the two moths attempt to carry him out to sea. On the way, Godzilla bites into Battra's jugular. Godzilla and the dying Battra fall into the sea together, sinking to the bottom.
Mothra returns to pick up the Cosmos. It seems that Battra was meant to fly into space and destroy a large meteor before it annihilates Earth in 1999. Mothra decides to take up the cause and, with the Cosmos in tow, flies into outer space to fulfill Battra's mission.
This is another great film in a series of great films. The monster action is furious and exciting, the human storylines are never boring (centering on the Indiana Jones-guy and his relationship with his ex-wife and daughter), and the score by Ifukube is, of course, The Shit. There's a greater sense of fun and fanciful derring-do in "Godzilla and Mothra" than in the past entries, making it stand out from the pack.
And here's the song "Mahara Mothra". It's basically the 90's remake of the original 60's version by Ifukube. It became a #1 chart topper in Japan in 1992.
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
Don't let the title fool you. This is not a sequel to 1974's "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla". American distributor Sony/TriStar merely added a "II" to the title to separate them. It only added to the confusion.
The father of Godzilla, Ishiro Honda, was originally meant to direct this, but he passed away in 1993. So director Takao Owara returned from "Godzilla and Mothra", with fresh screenwriter Wataru Mimura brought in to supply the script. Koichi Kawakita (spfx) and Akira Ifukube (providing one of his best scores) also returned.
Japan's Counter G Bureau, in charge of anti-Godzilla countermeasures, created a ship called the Garuda to defend the planet. Then they recovered the remains of Mecha King Ghidorah, retrofitting his future-based technology to create their own giant robot defender, Mechagodzilla. Garuda, now obsolete, was mothballed, but this didn't stop it's creator and pilot Aoki, who continued to dote on the ship like an old mother. Unfortunately, against his wishes, he's transferred to G-Force where he is to train to become a pilot for Mechagodzilla.
On an island in the South Pacific, a cooperative Japanese/Russian expedition finds a giant nest with two eggs, one unhatched and glowing red from the inside. The scientists are soon attacked by the giant mutated pterodactyl Rodan, who is shortly defeated by the one-and-only Godzilla. In the ensuing rabble, the scientists make off to Kyoto with the glowing egg, where it's taken to the Counter G research center for study. Aoki visits the egg on the same day as psychic Miki Saegusa (he's obsessed with pteranodons - he even has a personal pteranodon-shaped hover bike). For those with keen eyes, look for an appearance by the actresses who played the Cosmos in the previous movie, playing ESP students.
Miki senses a strange music coming from the egg - which hatches, revealing Baby Godzilla. Apparently, the hatched egg belonged to Rodan and was "parasite egg" placed into the Godzilla nest by its mother. Godzilla appears in Kyoto, following the egg. Mechagodzilla is sent out to do battle with its plasma grenades, synthetic diamond skin, energy beam, paralyzer missles and shock anchor. MG soundly beats Godzilla - then short circuits and keels over. The army steps in to attack G with Masers (!) while Miki and the others put Baby Godzilla in a room which isolates ESP signals. Godzilla loses track of Baby, destroys Kyoto tower, and leaves.
Aoki is demoted for not returning in time to pilot Mechagodzilla, so he goes back to his precious Garuda, and even manages to convince his superiors to modify the Garuda to interact with MG and become a secondary power source. While Mechagodzilla is being repaired, Baby Godzilla is given his own isolated habitat for study. His eyes glow red when he's agitated and he engages in all sorts of cute hi jinks, but he's never cloying or obnoxious like Minilla was in the original series. He's a miniature Godzilla. Counter G plans to use him to lure Godzilla to an island where the repaired Mechagodzilla can take him out (scans on Baby Godzilla reveal a second brain halfway down the spinal cord - they plan to destroy Godzilla's own second brain).
Then Rodan recovers from his first battle with the Big G. He mutates into Fire Rodan and now has the ability to shoot a red hot heat beam from his pecker. He steals Baby Godzilla from Counter G, with Mechagodzilla (Miki on board to pinpoint the second brain) and the Garuda (piloted by Aoki) in pursuit. Garuda gets into a dogfight with Rodan but is shot down, so Mechagodzilla steps in and beats down Rodan. Godzilla shows up late for the party once again, and Round 2 of the G vs. MG fight begins. It's a draw until the Garuda revives and merges with MG. Super Mechagodzilla pummels Godzilla to the ground then uses the G Crusher (and Miki's reluctant psychic help) to pierce G's spinal cord and fry his second brain (ouch). Godzilla is paralyzed, but Rodan wakes just long enough to transfer his dying energy to Godzilla. Now fully healed, G vs. MG Round 3 begins - and it's a no-brainer. Godzilla (now with a temporarily red energy beam, like Rodan's) trashes Super Mechagodzilla, with the human occupants barely making it out alive.
Godzilla then approaches Baby Godzilla. Miki uses her ESP to tell Godzilla that they will give him Baby without a fight. After a tearful farewell with his human keepers, he heads out to sea with Daddy Godzilla.
Originally, Godzilla was meant to die at the end of the movie. Rodan wasn't in the original script, so in the climax Mechagodzilla was to have killed G, who would then transfer his dying energy into Baby Godzilla, mutating him into a new adult Godzilla. Rodan was added at the last minute to recapture some of the magic of the previous movie by having another three-way monster battle. Rodan's part in the new movie does feel tacked on and ancillary, but it's still good to see him.
All-in-all, another strong entry in a strong series of movies. It may be the most action-packed entry of them all and it's never boring on the human side of the story, either. The emphasis on mecha action brings a new flavor to the proceedings as well. Plus, yet another great Ifukube score.
Next time, it's the final two entries in Godzilla's second series.
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