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Mothra vs. Godzilla

Mothra vs. Godzilla

Drama · Action · Science Fiction · 1964

Journalists Ichiro Sakai and Junko cover the wreckage of a typhoon when an enormous egg is found and claimed by greedy entrepreneurs. Mothra's fairies arrive and are aided by the journalists in a plea for its return. As their requests are denied, Godzilla arises near Nagoya and the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.

Movie details

Mothra vs. Godzilla

“A massive Mach 3 moth! The heavy missile tank Godzilla! The sky, sea, and land quake in the fierce battle of the century!”

1964 Drama · Action · Science Fiction 1h 29m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

6.5 / 10

11.5K votes

Rotten Tomatoes

93 %

Tomatometer

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

Journalists Ichiro Sakai and Junko cover the wreckage of a typhoon when an enormous egg is found and claimed by greedy entrepreneurs. Mothra's fairies arrive and are aided by the journalists in a plea for its return. As their requests are denied, Godzilla arises near Nagoya and the people of Infant Island must decide if they are willing to answer Japan's own pleas for help.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Mothra vs. Godzilla?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Terror of Mechagodzilla

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Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster

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After a meteorite unleashes a three-headed beast upon Tokyo, Mothra tries to unite with Godzilla and Rodan to battle the extraterrestrial threat.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

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Action · 2003

Mothra and her fairies return to Japan to warn mankind that they must return Kiryu to the sea, for the dead must not be disturbed. However Godzilla has survived to menace Japan leaving Kiryu as the nation's only defense.

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Sci-fi · 1962

The advertising director of Pacific Pharmaceuticals, frustrated with the low ratings of their sponsored TV program, seeks a more sensationalist approach. He orders his staff to Faro Island to capture King Kong for exploitation. As Godzilla re-emerges, a media frenzy generates with Pacific looking to capitalize off of the ultimate battle.

Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla

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Action · 2002

JSDF pilot Akane has a fateful encounter when a new Godzilla emerges in Tateyama. As a countermeasure, a cyborg named Kiryu is constructed from the remains of the original. The machine is discovered to harbor the restless soul of the original monster as Akane must learn to find value in her own life as well.

Godzilla: Final Wars

Godzilla: Final Wars

Action · 2004

Humanity finally rids themselves of Godzilla, imprisoning him in an icy tomb in the South Pole. All is peaceful until various monsters emerge to lay waste to Earth's cities. Overwhelmed, humanity is seemingly saved by a race of benevolent aliens known as Xiliens. But not all is what it seems with these bizarre visitors. If humanity wishes to survive, they must reluctantly resurrect their most hated enemy, Godzilla.

Destroy All Monsters

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Invasion of Astro-Monster

Invasion of Astro-Monster

Sci-fi · 1965

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Godzilla 1985

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Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla

Action · 1974

An Okinawan prophecy that foretells the destruction of the Earth is seeming fulfilled when Godzilla emerges to return to his destructive roots. But not all is what it seems after Godzilla breaks his ally Anguirus's jaw. Matters are further complicated when a second Godzilla emerges, revealing the doppelgänger as a mechanical weapon.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Ishirō Honda

Written by

Shinichi Sekizawa

Akira Takarada

Akira Takarada

Ichiro "Ichi" Sakai

Yuriko Hoshi

Yuriko Hoshi

Junko Nakanishi

Hiroshi Koizumi

Hiroshi Koizumi

Professor Shunsuke Miura

Yū Fujiki

Yū Fujiki

Jiro Nakamura

Kenji Sahara

Kenji Sahara

Jiro Torahata

Emi Ito

Emi Ito

Shobijin (Twin Fairy)

Yumi Ito

Yumi Ito

Shobijin (Twin Fairy)

Court is in session

Put Mothra vs. Godzilla on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Arthouse Gremlin

“Its refusal to behave is the point.”

The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Oddness is not depth.”

A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.