Mothra vs. Godzilla is the fourth film in the Showa series of Godzilla films. This film is the first Godzilla film after King Kong vs. Godzilla. It establishes Godzilla as not being distinctly aggressive towards the Japanese people. It also sets up Godzilla for what will happen in the following film: Ghidorah, the Three – Headed Monster.
In King Kong vs. Godzilla, the film ended with Godzilla being badly beaten by Kong. The underwater scene left Godzilla under the ocean, presumably dead. Mothra vs. Godzilla opens with a terrible tsunami. When Godzilla appears, he rises up through the ground where the tsunami had occurred. The assumption here is that either the final resting place of Godzilla was no longer under water, or that somehow Godzilla had washed ashore and then was burred beneath the rubble. Either way, this is where Godzilla rises and the ultimate question of Godzilla’s fate finally answered.
As he enters Nagoya, Godzilla is not himself. He stumbles here and there, causing some destruction to the city, and doesn’t seem to even be aware of where he is or what he is doing. It is apparent that Godzilla is in some kind of fatigued state, possibly due to the grand beating he received from Kong, or from being buried alive, or both. The scene where Godzilla loses his footing and unwittingly falls against a building destroying it clearly shows that something is wrong with him. As Godzilla continues his trip, he slowly but surely becomes more focused and has fewer accidents. He seems to be drawn towards the mysterious egg. When Godzilla finally encounters the egg, he seems to be fully aware and in control of himself. When he attempts to destroy the egg, a fierce battle with Mothra ensues. Mothra is killed by Godzilla and she dies protecting her egg.
It is important to note that most of the destruction causes by Godzilla was not willful. By the time Godzilla encounters the egg, he is fixated on destroying it and Mothra. In other words, his sole purpose is to fight another monster which he perceives as a threat. This is the “prequel” to Godzilla as the hero. At the end of this film, he is passively defeated by the Mothra larvae and plunges back into the sea. Everyone knows he is not dead, but he is subdued. The next time we see Godzilla, he is engaging Rodan in some slap-stick fighting, far way from any city where he could cause damage. Godzilla is convinced to fight Ghidorah along side Rodan by none other than one of the Mothra larvae.
Mothra vs. Godzilla film is very important to the Godzilla series. It is the transition from Godzilla the Destroyer to Godzilla Protector. Mothra’s passive abilities ensured Godzilla would not die in this film, yet gave Godzilla something to focus on. She put the seed in his mind that he should be fighting other monsters rather than destroying cities.
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