Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie Review

Godzilla Goes Green.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 1, 2014

Note: 'Godzilla vs. Mothra' is currently only available as part of a two-pack with 'Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.'

In Godzilla vs. Mothra, the enemy isn't some gigantic, mutated or otherwise unnaturally large alien being destroying half of Japan but is instead man himself. After all, what is a handful of toppled buildings in comparison to the mass destruction man has caused to his own ecosystem over the millennia? The film is squarely in the corner of environmentalism, telling the story of man's own undoing by failing to exist in harmony with the world around him and the creature sent to destroy everything that man has made to damage the earth. It's more goofy than it is preachy, more mindless fun than it is focused message. In the end, it still comes down to mass mayhem as the lizard-like Godzilla, the colorful Mothra, and Earth's own self-defense mechanism, Battra, do battle in an epic showdown that, well, feels like all the other final act epic showdowns throughout the Godzilla universe.

Feed me! Just...chuck it in my mouth.

A slumbering Godzilla is awakened when a meteorite crashes into the waters off Japan, near the final point in the battle between Godzilla and King Ghidorah. Nearby, a mudslide, the result of torrential rains, unearths a gigantic egg. Later, an explorer named Takuya Fujita (Tetsuya Bessho) is blackmailed by his ex-wife Masako Tezuka (Satomi Kobayashi) to join her and Kenji Andoh (Takehiro Murata) to explore a mysterious island. There, they discover the egg and make, perhaps, an even more startling discovery: inches tall "humans" that call themselves "The Cosmos." In essence, they are the very realization of Mother Earth and present the team with a dire warning: the Black Mothra, Battra, once created to destroy man's ability to harm Earth, has been released. The egg, they claim, belongs to the more protective Mothra. Soon, a battle rages between Godzilla, Mothra, and Battra with the fate of the world hanging in the balance.

Godzilla vs. Mothra's first act feels like some strange combination of Deep Impact, Indiana Jones, and Ferngully, highlighted by a Jackie Chan-inspired stunt in which one of the heroes must ascend a crumbling flight of stairs. Beyond that, however, and even considering the strong environmental themes, the movie is classic Godzilla, one featuring one of the series' most identifiable monsters in Mothra and the typical chaotic battle that fills most of the entire third act. There's mayhem, destruction, plenty of frightened civilians, and more examples of the Japanese military's futility in battling the island nation's largest foes. Like most films in the series, it's pure escapism, not meant to be taken as much more than face-value entertainment, even considering the inclusion of heavy environmental themes.

Indeed, the story is constructed almost entirely from what is no doubt a thinly veiled plea to save the planet. Godzilla vs. Mothra contains everything from worldly spirits to talk of earth taking offense to man's fiddling with nature beyond a peaceful co-existence. Of course, it's all born of a long-lost civilization that befell the wrath of Battra (nice of Mother Earth to leave a notice) that, here, anyway, shows that history will always repeat itself, particularly if it allows a trio of monsters to battle it out in the end. Godzilla vs. Mothra doesn't do much with the environmentalism beyond introduce a couple of miniature singing girls and use it all as a backdrop for conflict, but that's OK. With so many movies within the series -- plenty before it and plenty more after it -- there are bound to be a good number of rather silly plot devices meant to get the story to the final battle in some logical, or at least understandable, manner beyond just starting the movie in the third act and foregoing a lot of the clutter that's just a lead-up to the inevitable.

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Godzilla vs. Mothra arrives on Blu-ray with a fair, though not spectacular, 1080p transfer. Sony's Blu-ray release offers, generally, a well-defined image, one that's nicely cinematic and visually engaging. Though not a showstopper, it features solid clarity and above-average attention to detail, showing general facial and clothing lines with relative ease. Whether the rubbery and furry creature details or old wood and stone elements seen near film's start, the image enjoys fair representations of objects but not at the level of striking, lifelike reproduction fans expect form the top releases. Likewise, colors are solid but not particularly explosive, showing fair balance yet failing to find a real striking exposure, whether Mothra's colorful wings or dense jungle greens. Black levels, while not perfect, are neither too overpowering nor too dim. Flesh tones rarely betray a natural appearance. Light print wear is evident at times, but the image suffers from no excess blockiness or other unwanted eyesores.

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Godzilla vs. Mothra's DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Japanese language lossless soundtrack isn't particularly impressive but it is worlds better than the included English dub track. The Japanese track enjoys a slight uptick in fullness, richness, clarity, and attention to detail in all areas, notably music, in comparison to the track found on Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah. Still, all elements come up wanting, even as musical elements enjoy a little more heft, balance, stage presence, and accuracy. The track features minimal ambience and little power or presence to some of its biggest action moments, such as zooming fighter jets, missile fire, screeching monsters, and crashing structures. Dialogue plays with serviceable presence and evenness with front-center imaging. The English track borders on the disastrous, with terribly uneven and shallow dialogue, listless music, and limping sound effects. Stick with the original. Optional English, English SDH, and French subtitles are included.

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Godzilla vs. Mothra only contains a trailer collage: Teaser 1 (HD, 0:32, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), Teaser 2 (HD, 0:33, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), Teaser 3 (HD, 0:34, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), Teaser 4 (HD, 1:01, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles), and Theatrical Trailer (HD, 1:53, Japanese DD 2.0, English subtitles).

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Godzilla vs. Mothra is an entertaining entry in the Godzilla canon, home to an appearance by one of the series' most memorable monsters and certainly a film with one of the most wildly imaginative story lines of them all. The film borders on the ridiculous not so much on theme but definitely on execution, personifying "Mother Earth" embodied in a pair of attractive young ladies who sing of Mothra and pretty much foretell the world's end. The human characters and the final act action are pretty much interchangeable, but the end product is a fun diversion and a classic example of what the Godzilla movies are all about. Sony's Blu-ray release of Godzilla vs. Mothra features solid video, adequate audio, and a handful of teasers and trailers. Recommended.