Rebirth of Mothra (1996)
aka Mosura
Article 5710 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 1-27-2020
Directed by Okihiro Yoneda
Featuring Megumi Kobayashi, Sayaka Yamaguchi, Aki Hano
Country: Japan
What it is: Moth mayhem

An industrialist unwittingly removes a seal that kept a destructive monster under control. Can Mothra and her child defeat this terrible monster before the Earth is destroyed.

I find it easy to forget about the trio of Mothra films made in the gap between the Heisei and Millennium Godzilla series. I can certainly understand why they were made; there’s a fairy tale quality to Mothra that hadn’t been tapped for decades, largely because after her first appearance, she only showed up in Godzilla films. And if there is anything this movie does right, it’s that it clearly taps into that feel; this movie is one of the least realistic-looking kaijus I’ve seen. I wish the story was better and the movie was shorter; the movie spends a lot of time spinning its wheels, and many of the scenes go on far too long. We see far too much of the twins as well; they work better when they’re used sparingly, though it is a nice touch that there is an evil third sister. There was a lot of eye candy here, but I’m afraid it really wore out its welcome before it was all over.